A Youngish Perspective talks to Katie Elin-Salt, a newly appointed associate artist at Pentabus.
As both an actor and writer, how do these dual creative roles influence your approach to storytelling, and how do you see this perspective enriching your work as a Pentabus Associate Artist?
I think many if not most actors have the potential to be amazing writers! It comes with the territory of being an actor that you have a natural interest in characters, story and figuring out what it is that makes us who we are. Essentially, that is the same thing I am doing as a writer – I’m just writing down the process of figuring it out! I grew up with an equal love of both acting and storytelling, and was just as excited about both. However, when I got in to drama school to train to be an actor – I felt like I had to “pick a team” left the writing by the wayside for a long time. When I picked it back up again, I was amazed at how much I already knew about story structure and character, just through living the process of being able to tell as story as an actor. I think this narrative that we have to be “one thing or the other” really is changing now, and people like Pheobe Waller-Bridge, Michaela Coel and Daisy May Cooper have really helped pave the way in recent times for us multi-hyphanated creatives!
As an associate at Pentabus, I hope that my experience of storytelling from a variety of different perspectives will enrich my understanding of and how artists make work. I hope to empower and encourage young performers who might not have previously considered writing to have a go at telling their own stories, and also vice-versa – I think writers can actually learn a lot about their own work by reading it aloud and having a go themselves!
You’ve spoken about your working-class background and the importance of accessible theatre. How do you envision using your platform at Pentabus to continue breaking barriers and nurturing diverse talent, especially in rural areas?
Accessibility of creative experiences is something that is incredibly important to me. I simply would not be an artist today if it were not for accessible arts mediums like local council-run youth theatres, community touring companies and theatre makers who reached outside the box to find and nurture talent outside of what was seen at the time as the “norm”. As an artist, I operate on the belief that theatre and storytelling should not be a privilege for the selected few – but is a fundamental human right for all. I mean, we’ve been doing it since the dawn of humanity – and back then storytelling didn’t just exist in West End theatres with a costly box office fee!
Access to me means many different things. It does not just mean being given the opportunity to physically access a creative space, but it also means being provided with an experience that is meaningful and relevant to you once you get there. In order to understand this, I believe as artists we should not just be making work for diverse audiences, but with and alongside them. For me this starts with conversations, listening and actioning work and projects that centre the experiences and interests of the group of people we as artists aim to serve. It means looking around our theatres at who is there and who is missing, constantly reflecting on our own practice as to why this may be, and working towards broadening the viewpoint so that more people can access it. It means holding arts organisations to account and being brave enough to think outside the box and to demand that change. If it is true that we can only be what we can see – we need to make sure that communities feel seen, heard and safe enough to be present for the work we make and the stories we tell.
I believe this ethos I have is very much present and evolving in the work I have seen at Pentabus, an organisation who consistently reach out and tap into communities and perspectives outside of just the mainstream. And I look forward to supporting this work with my own perspective and bold ideas!
Having previously mentored the Pentabus Local Young Writers group, what did you learn from that experience, and how has it shaped your approach to supporting emerging writers in your new role as an Associate Artist?
I was hugely privileged to have been asked to be a mentor on the Local Young writers programme last year, alongside the brilliant Andrew Sterry. I was bowled over by the amount of talent, bravery, and bold ideas that came out of that room – and to be able to hopefully support and empower some amazing new voices in our industry. Mentoring the course last year really strengthened my belief that we really can never have enough writers in the world – every single person has a much-needed new perspective and story to share. The talent on that course is immense and I have to admit for me the imposter syndrome was real! I was rather anxious about what on earth I had to teach these brilliant and bold young minds – but as it turned out most of my work in that space was simply empowering them to trust how much they already knew, and to continue to nurture their gift!
This approach is one I will take forward with me in my work as an associate artist – I hope to be someone who can encourage and empower local artists through the process of making a mark in the industry – to keep going, keep trying, keep failing, and keep learning!
Your work spans stage, screen, and creative arts therapy. How do these varied experiences inform your creative process, and do you see opportunities to integrate this cross-disciplinary approach into your work with Pentabus?
Again, when I first started in this industry – there wasn’t much cross over in creative disciplines, and we all pretty much “stayed in our lanes.” I think this narrative was already changing, but was certainly sped up by everything that happened to our industry during the pandemic. Looking at a very uncertain future, I think many artists started looking around at the cultural landscape, and wondering how they might use their own skills in ways they had previously not considered in order to keep our industry going (and to keep working themselves!)
For me – the pandemic was a huge period of learning and developing as an artist. When acting opportunities became few and far between – I wrote what went on to be my first fully commissioned play, I worked more than I ever have as a facilitator and teacher, and I began my training as an arts therapist. These experiences helped me hugely in understanding how much I have to offer with my creativity, and how many different perspectives I can gather when I broaden my horizons and look outside the box!
I now think of myself as a “creative” rather than someone who is only suited to just one thing. And as long as what I am doing is creative and makes the world a slightly better place – I feel fulfilled as an artist. My creative work is hugely enriched and inspired by being out in the world, meeting new people and exploring new things – and I think if we are brave enough to explore it, this is probably true for most of us!
As an associate, I look forward to exploring cross-disciplinary approaches with artists and within the organisation and considering how much many of us have to offer and learn from each other in this space!
Celebrated Virgins was named one of the Top 10 plays of the year by The Telegraph. How do you balance personal storytelling with broader cultural narratives, and are there specific stories you’re passionate about exploring during your time with Pentabus?
When approaching a story as a writer – I always ask myself two questions. What do I connect to in this narrative, and what is this narrative might be interesting and relevant to audiences. As an example, Celebrated Virgins was a story centered around two upper class women living in Ireland in the 1700s! Obviously not much there for me to relate to, but when I unpacked the story of Eleanor and Sarah I found a real connection to their struggles with their identity, their challenge in being accepted and seen as they truly were, and their bravery in making active and difficult changes in their lives in order to find true happiness. I believe these themes are things that many of us are still grappling with today, and bringing a previously untold historical story bang up to date with themes that felt relevant and meaningful to modern audiences was a real joy. As a writer – I enjoy telling stories of those who may have been previously unseen and unheard – and giving voice to perspectives and stories that are often not seen or explored in theatre. Whilst it feels too early to hone in on anything specific, I know these types of stories are the ones that Pentabus strive to find and explore, and I am very excited to see where this journey will take us.
Pentabus has a strong focus on rural stories and community-driven theatre. How do you plan to contribute to this mission, and are there particular themes or narratives from your own background that you’re eager to explore through this collaboration?
I was brought up within community theatre, and I have fond memories of the excitement and joy I felt when professional companies would come to visit and perform for us. A few times, my local youth theatre were able to get up on stage and perform alongside them – and these were incredibly empowering experiences for all of us. As a professional theatre maker myself – I now work a lot with community casts and I absolutely love what this offers the work and the connection to real communities with the work we are making. I thought the end of “Making Good” (where local choirs got up and sang a song of hope alongside the cast) was an incredible example of the power of including local voices in the front and centre of the work we are making. I would love to explore more of this in the work I would like to make with Pentabus, and to get out there into community and discover what new voices, talents and experiences we may be privileged enough to encourage into the building and onto our stages over the next year!