An interview with Dawn Walton first artistic director for Eclipse Theatre
 Dawn Walton is one of the hottest theatre director’s out there and her name is never far from an award-winning production. Some of her work includes Levi David Addai’s 93.2FM, House of Agnes and Oxford Street, Bola Agbaje’s Gone too Far, Urban Legend and the Blacks.
In October 2008, she was announced as the first artistic director of EclipseTheatre. Eclipse, formed in 2001, is a touring company, managed by a consortium of three theatres comprising West Yorkshire Playhouse, the New Wolsey, Ipswich and Birmingham Repertory Theatre. This year, Eclipse Theatre is hosted by West Yorkshire Playhouse.
Now, Dawn Walton, turns her director’s hand to The Hounding of David Oluwale, which open this week at the West Yorkshire Playhouse.
Congratulations on your appointment as artistic director of Eclipse Theatre. How does an artistic director spend their days?
I run and lead the company by deciding what shows we put on, hiring people, and directing the organisation artistically and organisationally. It’s just me and the administrator. When I got appointed there was a lot of work to be done. The first production, The Hounding of David Olawale, I inherited but I knew the writer (Oladipo Agboluaje) and his work. My job was to approach the production as a piece of investigative journalism and turn it into a drama. Any adaptation has its challenges, but I’m proud of the play. I’m happy with the approach to the story because the writing has been focused on the institution but this involves the people around him. Our ambition is that we can bring this man to life from his perspective; the other key character is inspector Perkins from Scotland Yard. He was the first to think about David as a person and not a problem. We highlight the relationship between those two men and their journey to discover, and get justice for David.
 What contribution does Eclipse add to the world of theatre, particularly black people?
It was formed because of the gap in opportunities for black artists when theatre was identified as being institutionally racist. Our key thing is to brand Eclipse so that we appeal to regular and the new, disenfranchised audiences, and we seek to do that with mainstream theatres. We want to enrich the calendar of British theatre by telling stories from diverse communities by engaging communities, through mainstream theatre.
How are rehearsals for The Hounding of David Oluwale going?
They’re going great, it’s a wonderful cast of eight actors, playing 35 different parts over 20 years so it’s challenging for everyone. But the story is well written so we’re confident that we can translate that into a big stage play, we follow David throughout his life from Lagos to his journey to the UK, life here and his tragic demise.
It’s an emotional subject matter, how do you feel that Yorkshire folk will react to it?
I can’t predict, but David’s story continues to stimulate debate about key issues such as relationships with the police and the wider community, right now there’s a debate. Black deaths in custody still continue to this day where police prove to be inculpable. There have been at least 100 cases since 1971. The second issue is our attitudes to mental health, David spent 10 years in mental institutions, also our attitude to homelessness, and race issues, because it was difficult for David, as at the time, he was the only black man on the streets, so he became a well known figure.
 What difficulties have you found in theatre, especially as some people feel that theatre ‘isn’t for them’?
I think we re not seeing stories that might engage us, theatre has failed to have a dialogue with all sections of the community, all my work, consciously or unconsciously has attracted new audiences into main stream theatre whether at the Royal Court or the Young Vic, it’s possible to achieve, if you have the will. Both Bola Agbaje and Levi David Addai came out of Critical Mass, which I ran at the Royal Court. Theatres need to make the invitation specific, it’s a big walk and the people who are going into the theatre don’t look like you but I did it. Bola and Levi have taken that journey, and other writers are aware that there is a place for us in mainstream theatre. Good theatres understand that there is an enrichment form having the broadest audience experience and the stories.
What is it about theatre that you love so much?
I love the form, and it’s been my work for over 11 years. I like all of it and being an artist.
What theatre productions have stood out for you over the years?
Any work where the audience is different to a regular theatre going audience, that’s what stands out for me. I can remember seeing Ralph Fiennes playing Othello in 1993 at Hackney Empire. And Sing Yer Heart out for the Lads by Roy Williams.
How did you get into theatre?
I went to Goldsmith’s university and studied drama and it became evident that I didn’t want to be an actor, and started directing instead. |
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