Beginnings
I started at the Gate in April as the administrative assistant. As 2024 comes to a close, I look fondly back on activities across the year.
Due to the changes to our core funding structure, namely the loss of NPO, the Gate has been in a challenging position that means we’ve had to reconsider how we operate organisationally and artistically. Whilst a loss of funding may trigger an existential crisis, we decided to lean into this change and interrogate who we are and what we do in order to continue making art in a challenging climate. The Gate team sat in a boardroom pinging glowing, bouncy balls across the room under the supervision of our strategist Chloe and got our creative juices flowing. We went through the feedback from our artist consultancy that evaluated which offers we wanted to deliver to our creative communities. We spent time learning about what the new Gate was and how we defined internationalism. It was a really important conversation to be part of and it was the perfect opportunity to decide how we were going to change how we work. We wanted to make sure our messaging called out to the international, migrant and refugee artists and audience we served. We renewed our vows of committing to international work in the UK, valuing migrant artists and communities, being artist driven and being a place where artists can grow throughout their careers.
Highlights
One of my favourite phrases used in this discussion was ‘slow production’. For me it implied a people-centred, intentional method of producing that was receptive and responsive to change and prudent with the resources we had. We committed to making one quality autumn show- Wish You Were Here and that definitely paid off. This was a new step for us as a venueless, producing company and it was exciting to be entering the organisation at the point. Our conversations were foundational in driving the work we did throughout the year and that we will continue to do.
Our fundraiser
To continue the momentum of us working towards an Autumn show we held our fundraiser at Amnesty International. This was hosted by our chair Shami Chakrabarti. It had a wonderful display of the work we had done, a map showing the artists we’ve worked with across the world and a performance of three short playlets, written by Sonali Bhattacharyya – our newest trustee – Chris Thorpe and Aaron Kilercioglu. It was a great time to meet friends of the Gate and donors who believe in our vision and mission.
New home
After a couple months in our office in Camden it was time to say goodbye and prepare to build furniture and move to our new home in Finsbury Park with Tamasha, New Earth and Paines Plough. It is a beautiful hub of theatre and there is so much potential for collaboration and sharing. It is such a lovely office to work in and feels like home. Moving was a labour of love, and we were confronted with the Gate archive – which at first seemed like an insurmountable task. After sorting through every form of digital data storage system, we are excited about how the Gate’s legacy will live digitally.
Edinburgh Fringe
August belongs to Edinburgh, with all members of the team up at different points across the month. My induction into the mad and wonderful world of the fringe was unforgettable. There is everything from shoe-squeaking comedy to arresting, poignant solo pieces. My festival highlights being Little Deaths and Blubber (No, I did not camp out in Summerhall the whole time). It was lovely to see our housemate, Tamasha hosting a breakfast for Global Majority artists. I have caught the fringe bug and hope it can continue to be a place for artists to share their work.
The Show
After watching lots of theatre back-to-back it was time to get thrown into production for our own show – Wish You Were Here. This show will always have a special place in my heart and for the Gate team. We had a wonderful creative team and a powerful cast who were the most precious onstage and offstage friendship group. It was so amazing to work and learn in a team of amazing women. The joy of selling out was that we could share this important story of Iranian women friendship against the background of conflict with so many people. I really enjoyed researching and creating resource packs to support the show. I learnt so much about the history of Iran from the early periods to present day. Press night was my introduction to Iranian cuisine. – a massive shoutout to Sima’s Grill who provided our catering. We had the most beautiful, delicious spread of canapés and it was the perfect way to celebrate our press night success.
Hello World
Looking ahead into the new year, we are rebuilding our online presence. So far this has looked like digging into archives and researching – I am an unofficial Gate show cataloguist and may or may not be able to name every show from 2024 to 1979. We are developing online resources for artists and creating engaging, meaningful ways to display our work throughout the years. This has made me appreciate the legacy and future of the Gate. It is in the hands of a small but mighty team and I’m happy to have been part of Gate history.
Fisola x