Steven Rostance
At the time of doing ShowStarter Steven was a final year BA (hons) Performing Arts Student.
Steven attended 62% of the ShowStarter sessions plus the 4 day intensive ShowStarter Summer School ‘How to start a successful performing arts business’. Steven took part in the programme between January 2007 and June 2007.
While attending ShowStarter Steven decided to set up a theatre company ‘Human Pyramid’. ShowStarter has not only gave him the skills to be able to competently run his company but it gave him the creative space required to think imaginatively and practically about the future of his company. On completion of ShowStarter he had an active business plan in place which enabled him to quickly and successfully have a presence on the North West arts scene.
Steven successfully took his company to Buxton Fringe Festival and was selected as one of three companies for Oldham Colliseums platform event within the New Writing Festival.
Steven says:
“To put it simply, there would be no Human Pyramid Theatre Company without Showstarter. Or at least it wouldn't be nearly as developed as it is. I really feel it has given me a head start in setting up my own company, both in the vital knowledge of the business side of things and in the contacts I have been able to establish. The most positive thing I can say is it taught me to think about all the factors external to the final performance- marketing, contacts, venue relationships and so on- at the beginning of a project, rather than trying to muddle through things as they come up, affecting the quality of the show.
"The one-to-one sessions allowed me to get advice that was tailored to my needs, and it was as a result of this that I was motivated to applying for various festivals and showcase events. I had discovered almost all these events through the PANDA newsletter- another invaluable resource. Through encouragement to grasp opportunities as soon as possible, the Company made their first appearances- performing a new play, 'Funeral Songs' for five nights at the Buxton Fringe Festival, and an extract of the same show as part of the Oldham Coliseum's Wordsmith New Writing Festival. All this was achieved within two months of leaving University, the performance at the Oldham Coliseum taking place on the night of our Graduation!
"With those first performances under our belt, we are now looking to formalise ourselves more as a Company. New members will be coming in to develop two new projects, as well as further developing 'Funeral Songs' for performance dates in the autumn, and some members will help with the running of the Company. The intensive course brought together all the elements of the Showstarter course and showed me that a successful Company needs a business plan, to know where they want to go in the future. It also gave me all the knowledge I need to get there. The rest, I fear, is down to me.”
Update from Steven as of February 2008, nine months since completing the ShowStarter programme.
“I've been a working actor since the start of December! I did a panto tour of old folks homes over Christmas, and now I'm doing a TIE Shakespeare tour with a company called Say Two.
“Worry not though, I haven't abandoned the idea of running my own Company. The other reason I'm taking time out is so I can develop as a writer. I'm really glad I did Funeral Songs, but it was somewhat rushed so this time round I'm taking the time to come up with something I'm really proud of first, then taking it to the next stage. I've had a few ideas that I'm excited about and have started to develop, and a new direction for the company that I'd really like to discuss with you at some point. I'll keep you posted.”
Search the PANDA organisations to see the profile of Human Pyramid.