On Sharing Your Work (Kingmaker R&D)

We did it! 

In case this is your first time here (Hello!) my name’s Leanne, and normally, I’m a poet. But this year, I’ve been working with a team of creative people on a Research and Development programme for a play that I’ve written. 




It’s called Kingmaker and it’s a comedy about good intentions, bad ideas, and finding a place to belong. Our story follows a tour guide in a sleepy rural village, and the problems that arise when an internationally important archaeological specimen is discovered in the local churchyard! 

You can read more about my journey through the R&D process in the previous three blogposts. 




Last Friday, we invited a selection of cool people to come to see a work in progress version of the show. The audience watched four scenes from the play, and heard from the creative team speak about their ambitions for next steps. Then, we facilitated a Q&A where audience members could give feedback on what they’d seen. 

It was a really useful session, with some great feedback, and some really good ideas for things to improve too. We also got some great quotes for the posters: 




Huge thanks to our director Vivi Bayliss, our actors Solaya Sang and Rachael Caulton, our creative producer Alistair Wilkinson, and our dramaturg Alice Chambers for all their hard work on getting the show to this point. 

I’m still completely blown away that something I made up in my living room could be turned into a real piece of theatre, and that’s a testament to how incredible the whole team are at their jobs. Pats on the backs for everyone! 




Huge thanks also have to go to Kate Spencer (who took all these lovely photos) and Libra Season Films for recording the sharing as well. As soon as I have a copy of the finished film, you can bet I’ll be sharing that far and wide across the internet too! 

So, where do we go from here? Well, we want to get the show ready for rural touring in Autumn 2025, so we need to: 
  • Update the script with all the changes made during R&D rehearsals 
  • Send out the photos and recordings of the sharing to interested organisations, venues and bookers
  • Produce a production pack and show trailer for marketing the play
  • Explore and confirm the production design (sets, costumes, audio, lighting etc)
  • Explore and confirm the accessibility elements of the show (BSL, captioning etc) 
  • Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse 
  • Add the show to the menu for at least two rural touring organisations, so that we can get dates booked into the diaries for next year 
  • And – last but most importantly – find the funding to ensure that we can do all this! 
So, as you can see, there’s plenty to keep us going! 

The pessimist in me knows that we’ve got a real up-hill struggle to get the show into theatres, on to rural touring rosters, and in front of audiences. It’s really very hard to get things from concept to stage, especially in the current economic climate. But, we’ve already come so far, and I really believe in this show, so I’m determined to fight for it. 

While it might be the end of the R&D, it’s just the beginning of our journey. 

Watch this space! 




Thanks to Arts Council England and the Fenton Arts Trust for financially supporting the project, and to New Perspectives Theatre, Mansfield Palace Theatre and Vibrant Warsop for providing in kind space for rehearsals. Thanks to Inspire Culture, Creswell Crags and Live & Local for mentoring support on the project too! 



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