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Joss Holden-Rea

What shows or projects have you done with ETT?

Reasons to Stay Alive

Finish the sentence: Touring is important because…
It gives people all over the country a chance to see incredible theatre without living in London. It also gives theatre makers a chance to develop work with a more diverse range of audience voices.

Where is home for you?

London

Where is your home away from home?

I’m an artist, I can’t afford a second home.

How did you bring home with you on tour?
Bath stuff: candles, bubble bath etc.

Which city was your favourite to visit on tour with ETT?
Sheffield

What gem did you discover on tour with ETT (could be a landmark/park/cafe/pub etc)?
A strong community of environmental activism (also Lynne’s pantry sandwich shop).

Touring is also important because it gives theatre makers a chance to develop work with a more diverse range of audience voices

This time and space is a gift, whether you use it for rest, self-care, writing, reading or activism, use it!

What music inspires you?

Sondheim, Alan Menken, Piazzola (any nuevo tango tbh), Eurovision (generally), Copland, Bernard Hermann, and secretly most rock music c.2003

What image or video inspires you?

Jake Gyllenhaal singing Sunday in the Park backstage… just… my heart… I can’t even… 

What, for you, makes a good piece of art?

I think it’s easy to make an interesting piece of art that will be enjoyed by an elite educated minority, the real challenge is whether my bigoted Daily Mail reading aunt would walk away with the same experience.

What have been your career highlights so far?

Scoring a whole bunch of crappy fact-ed TV shows and realising that I hate that and life’s too short

If you were cast away on a desert island, which 5 plays would you take with you and why?

(Can I take headphones to the island as mine are mostly sound based plays…?) Verity Standen’s ‘Hug’, ‘Ring’ by David Rosenberg, ‘Mr Burns, A Post Electric Play’, ‘Henry IV Part 2’ (sorry Shakespeare’s bait), and ‘Hamilton’ (not sorry).

Please can you tell us what you would say to emerging artists to encourage them to take their work on the road or join an ETT tour?

The project I did with ETT (and Sheffield Theatres) was one of the most enjoyable 6 weeks of my career. They’re the most welcoming, most professional theatre organisation I’ve worked with.

Window or aisle seat?

Window

Favourite way to travel?

Train

If you could have any superpower, which would you choose?

The power to have 1 million superpowers

Our industry is currently experiencing an incredibly challenging time. Do you have any recommendations for others of how to stay hopeful and creative during this time? Please feel free to add links to any projects, groups or initiatives that you’re part of or that you’d like to highlight.

This time and space is a gift, whether you use it for rest, self-care, writing, reading or activism, use it!

Further reading:

www.jossholdenrea.com