See here for a recent blogpost by Stephen Bottoms on attempts at censoring the West Yorkshire Playhouse’s poster for a forthcoming production:
http://theatre-studies.co.uk/2011/04/14/wyp-poster-controversy/
We don’t often think about the importance of a theatre company’s name – until we’re actually put into the position of having to think of one. Then it suddenly dawns on you how difficult it is to find the right name – something that perhaps sums up the kind of theatre you are making, what unites your group of performers, or perhaps something that is more elusive, suggestive, intriguing.
On Tuesday, we are hosting Little Bulb Theatre Company who are coming here to perform their award-winning show Crocosmia. What, I wonder, does their name suggest to you? Does it suggest anything at all? In a world where we are always encouraged to think ‘big’ calling yourself ‘little’ might be thought to be something of an impediment for starters. And why ‘bulb’? What is the significance of that? One of things we know from our study of drama and theatre is that everything is significant so I’m interested to read your responses to the name issue.
One of the interesting things about this theatre company is they started out, just like your own emergent theatre companies, from a university Drama course. It just goes to show that maybe one day the companies you have formed may go on to have lives elsewhere….
