ABOUT US - HISTORY OF CLAQUE
"The plays that the Colway Theatre Trust has sponsored in recent years are very much about shared energy. It's an old fashioned notion; a couple of hundred people come together and surprise themselves by what they can do". Times Educational Supplement
Colway Theatre Trust - Founders of the Community Play
Ann Jellicoe
Already a well established playwright of such plays as The Knack and The Sport of My Mad Mother, Ann Jellicoe shaped the principles of the community play in the late 1970's. In 1978 Ann was asked to write a play for her children's school in Lyme Regis, Dorset. It evolved into something quite different from the usual school play. It was large scale, included people from all sections of the town, was based upon historical research of the area by local people, and was animated by a team of theatre professionals. Ann had, quite by chance stumbled on a unique formula and in so doing had created what has since become known as 'The Community Play' the following year Colway Theatre Trust was formed as a vehicle for exploring and developing this innovative style of theatre. Ann Jellicoe’s work attracted the best of British writers including David Edgar and Howard Barker and her immense contribution is evident in that her founding principles and values remains the rock bed of the company's work today and remains an influence worldwide.
Jon Oram
Jon Oram left school, joined a circus and then trained as a Drama Teacher before training as a Mime and Improviser actor. He travelled the world both with his one-man shows and theatre teaching before coming to Community Plays in 1982 when he worked as Ann's assistant on the Sherborne Community Play. He directed two plays independently and co-directed Entertaining Strangers with Ann Jellicoe before becoming the artistic director of Colway Theatre in 1985.
Claque Theatre
In 2000 Colway Theatre relocated to Kent in the South East of England and changed its name to Claque. Today the company is of international standing and Jon Oram's reputation and experience in Community Plays is without parallel having written, produced or directed 30 productions. The work has continued to attract leading writers such as Arnold Wesker, Peter Terson, Nick Darke and David Cregan. The process is constantly evolving as it explores new methods to involve people in creating challenging issue based plays unique to their community and developing the concept of the Social Actor. The plays implicate the audience in the drama and have a distinctive visual style. Claque Play projects have been produced, in Europe, North America and the length and breadth of England. In 2008 Jon Oram and Claque were given the Otto Castillo award in New York for their contribution to political theatre.
The 30 Year Play
In 2009 Claque Celebrated 30 years of making theatre. Taking an average of the 45 plays as having 130 community actors; the total number of performers has been 5,850. Looking at other averages the 30-year play has involved a further 795,540 people as professional production team, volunteers committee members, workshop participants, costume and prop makers, stage managers, researchers, event organisers and audience members. There have been 540 performances involving 225 stages, 82,000 items of costume lit with over 5,000 lanterns. The plays have cost a total of £2,700,000 representing only £3.39pence per person. The greatest contribution however are the 2,156,600 working hours that have put in by the professional teams and volunteers - an unbelievable 246 years.
"Claque is transforming the way in which people view both theatre and community...it isn't possible to leave the production without a new outlook and value for community co-operation... you may never be satisfied with traditional theatre again." Thomson News Service