Dawn Walton is one of the most popular female directors in theatreland. In October she was appointed as the first artistic director of Eclipse Theatre, a touring theatre company committed to producing quality black work for middle-scale theatre venues. Formed in 2001, Eclipse Theatre already has a proud history of showcasing some great productions from the Caribbean classic Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, a reworked version of Mother Courage to Little Sweet Thing, penned for the company by popular playwright Roy Williams. Dawn’s first task was to direct The Hounding of David Oluwale, a hard-hitting and controversial play about a victim of police brutality. Critically acclaimed, it was also a hit when it toured the country earlier this year. Andrea Enisuoh caught up with Dawn to talk about her plans for the future of the company.

July/August 2009

Dawn Walton

Belated congratulations on your appointment as Eclipse’s first artistic director. You certainly hit the ground running with The Hounding of David Oluwale.

I certainly did. It was a piece of work that I inherited when I joined the company, but I knew the writer Oladipo Agboluaje and his work very well. My job was to approach the production as a piece of investigative journalism and turn it into a drama. It had its challenges, but I am very pleased with the play.

I remember when Eclipse was launched in 2001. There were some very specific objectives it set out to meet. Does your appointment as the first artistic director signify a new direction for Eclipse?

Eclipse Theatre was first set up in response to the Arts Council’s Theatre Review of 2000, which revealed there was a lack of black theatre touring middle-scale venues. Eclipse was set up as a starting point to redress the imbalance perceived at the time. What was interesting was the way Eclipse moved from theatre to theatre. Each time Eclipse moved it took on the shape and form of the building that it moved to. So artistic decisions for Eclipse would end up being made by the artistic directors of those buildings; none of them black. To progress it became clear that decisions had to be made in a different way. Eclipse needed an artistic director to build an artistic vision for the future. It needed to develop its independence.

Do you think that Eclipse had lost its way?

From year to year Eclipse created quality productions to tour and, on that it has certainly delivered. On its aim to forefront quality work, attract new audiences and mainstream audiences it has delivered. I don’t want to look back though I want to look forward. My ambition is to hope that Eclipse develops to a stage where there is no need for it as black work; it will be seen as mainstream. When there will be no question that black theatre will have gone on to enrich the cannon of British theatre.

And yet I understand you are not fond of the term black theatre?

It’s an interesting one because I really don’t know how you define it. What I do know is that it is important to know who is making the definition. As an artist I am seeking to tell stories. It is interesting that we don’t question music in the same way; we don’t question whether dance music is dance music or whether guitar music is guitar music. It’s just music. It can be stifling because I think it means only a certain amount of work comes through. The issue is about visibility and access. Eclipse has always given visibility to quality work and I want to increase that.

Do you think there are enough talented black writers coming through that are able to tell our stories?

We certainly need more. When I was at the Royal Court Theatre I helped develop and deliver a series of playwriting courses. The initiative was called Critical Mass and aimed to discover the next generation of black playwrights. Forty people participated, around 30 of whom wrote plays. Graduates included Levi David Addai [93.2FM, Oxford Street], Michael Bhim who won an Alfred Fagon Award and Bola Agbaje who wrote the award-winning Gone too Far. Many of the participants are now writing and are having work produced. That work needs a broader audience. There are many black directors coming through too, and I mean quality directors. They need a platform. I’m very excited that Eclipse will be touring the work of a new young black director next spring. While there is a huge need for teaching there is also a huge need for access too.

What do you mean by access?

When I was at the Royal Court I made the most of the opportunities I was presented with. That allowed others to come through. There also needs to be a place for that work to come through. Fortunately Eclipse is perfectly placed to assist with that. There are a number of theatre audiences crying out to see such work. Often it only gets seen in London. Maybe Birmingham or Manchester if you are lucky, but the regions don’t get to see such work on a regular basis.

Eclipse has always stressed the importance of touring the regions. Why do you think that is so important?

Because there are common issues and aims; audiences are audiences wherever they are. An audience in Leeds is not very different from an audience in Liverpool or an audience in London for that matter. There is a commonality there as was demonstrated when we toured The Hounding of David Oluwale, when it is national issues being presented. These issues need to be discussed within a broader landscape. Touring is like taking all that on to your doorstep. I think Eclipse could do so much in that area.

Did you always know that you wanted to direct theatre?

No. I did a drama foundation course at Lewisham College and then a three year Arts Degree at Goldsmiths. There I started to learn everything: directing, stage management and lighting. I also started to read a lot. I was exposed to so much and read like never before. Though I went into Goldsmith wanting to be an actor, as soon as I started directing it all just made sense.

You have worked at some amazing venues from the Royal Court to the National Theatre. Would it be an assumption to presume that you didn’t face many of the barriers that many black artists have?

It would be a big assumption, though I do accept that at times I have been lucky. I think in this industry you need some luck and tenacity. I was ready for any opportunities that were out there for me. I quickly realised that people who acquired technical skills could walk into work straight away. So I worked in stage management in the West End. I think people quickly recognised that I was more interested in directing than stage management though. I also got work as an assistant director at Theatre Royal Stratford East, which was a great place to learn the tools of the trade.

What do you see as the biggest challenges facing you in your role as artistic director at Eclipse?

The biggest challenges are really for all theatres. As artists we’ve been producing the work, we’re ready to roll. There is still a lot of education that needs to be done. Eclipse has to challenge any misconceptions about the work that theatres may have. We also need to be involved in the marketing and press campaigns that accompany the productions. Even if theatres are willing to show the work, there are still questions about how to market it. It may seem like commonsense, but there really is a need for that educational process. I look forward to a time when Eclipse doesn’t have to exist. I think about a time when there is no talk about the ‘risks’ in programming that type of work. British theatre is an institution at the end of the day, and I think that you affect change in such institutions by working from within.

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