Irregular News from the National Theatre
Puzzled by the Rabbit image in the WTS brochure?
If you were puzzled, then frankly, so were we. It wasn’t in our design when we sent it to press, so we have no idea how it got into the WTS brochure. There certainly wasn’t an overnight break-in at the printers. We looked at the mentioned website www.irabbit.org/ntt. This ‘fragment’ that Rabbit has found looks very like our own NT logo, but with an extra T. We’ve no idea what this extra T could stand for. It’s probably a printing mishap (not that there have ever been any mishaps with our printers). Also, we haven’t seen any of the signs that Rabbit claims will be scattered and certainly don’t have any idea what they could mean. We mailed rabbit84227@yahoo.co.uk to say so but haven’t heard anything back yet.
Research Mis-happening
Dr Neil Misnuneris of the LAP Institute has been appointed to lead a research project this summer documenting mishaps in live performance at the National Theatre.
Dr Misnuneris is an expert in Mishap Phenomenology:
“Mishaps are the moments which mis-happen or don’t go to plan in a performance. We used to call them mistakes, but that’s far too negative a term for such fascinating little events. Even if we audience never see them, their presence is still at the heart of theatre. For sure, if it weren’t for the skill of actors and crew to keep the performance running, they would be mis-happening all the time. But when they do mis-happen, they are electric: they remind us that what we are watching onstage is live and unrepeatable.”
Dr Misnuneris’ appointment will enable a full documentation of whatever mis-happens over the summer programme here at the National Theatre. Findings will be published here on the NT website in due course. To be updated – or if you would like to volunteer to help Dr Misnuneris with this research – please email nmisnuneris@nationaltheatre.org.uk.
