Page 271 - Guildhall Coverage Book 2020-21

Cultural Capital

17 May 2021
Love and Information – Guildhall

School of Music & Drama

By Maryam Philpott

In the week that theatres can finally reopen, it seems timely to look to the future and not just the
avalanche of show and season announcements in the past fortnight, many from venues unable to
open for 14-months, or the proposition that several major and regional venues and companies
have committed to retaining their digital presence with streamed dates for several productions
promised to improve accessibility. But, there is another kind of theatre future that has always
needed investment and recognition, one that has been materially impaired by the pandemic – its
students.

The Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London has recently initiated a short programme of
plays by final year students live-streamed over three nights before a brief “On Demand” window.
An important showcase for the next generation of performers and creatives, this season of works
includes Anne Washburn’s Mr Burns: A Post-Electric Play streaming later this week. But, the
first show now freely available via a pre-registration on demand service is Caryl Churchill’s Love
and Information, a 100-minute production playing without an interval and available until 19
May via the Guildhall website.

Open to critical input for some time, the Guildhall has invited professional reviewers to final year
performances prior to the pandemic to give the students the experience of external criticism, and
past productions have including Earthquakes in London, Gut and The Wheel which prove a