Features / 10 Questions
10 Questions: Sheila Hannon
A theatremaker who specialises in turning Bristol’s true stories into theatre on the streets has been shortlisted for Visit England’s Tourism Superstar award.
Sheila Hannon is the co-founder of Show of Strength, a company that begun in 1986 and today is best known for its theatre walks with themes such as Cary Grant, Blackbeard and medieval Bristol.
Voting is open until Sunday in the competition. To vote for Sheila, visit www.visitengland.org/tourismsuperstarvote
1. What does it feel like to be nominated for the Visit England Tourism Superstar award?
“It was such a surprise! When I heard I’d been whittled down to a final ten, it got really serious! It’s quite a responsibility because as an actor, it’s meant to be all about me. But it isn’t all about me, is it? It’s about the bigger picture. Would I like to win this? Of course! Not just for me though. I would love to win this for Bristol and Bath and the region. Because it would be great for tourism here.”
2. What was the impetus for founding Show of Strength?
“It was me and my ex. And we just fancied creating our own work. I found an old Victorian novella long out of copyright which was a crime story. Forty years later, I’m still looking at crime stories! We adapted that, called it Double Vision and we opened on the Thekla when it was still the Old Profanity Showboat. So the impetus was about creating our own work. Then we did a show called Sail or Return, all about Cabot. The Hen & Chicken was just down the road from where we lived and it had this huge function room upstairs. It really was a great space. We opened a season there in 1989 doing new work and forgotten classics.”
3. What was Bedminster like in the days that Show of Strength was based first in the Hen & Chicken and then at the Tobacco Factory?
“Ian Storrer was doing jazz at the Albert before we opened at the Hen & Chicken. But what I remember most about it was there was nowhere to eat! When Al’s Tikka Grill opened it was revelatory. There was a curry house in Bedminster!”
4. Who are some of the people who have helped you along the way?
“Just a few people are Alan Coveney, Andrew Hilton, Diana Fable, Nick Bamford, Richard Curnow, Bonnie Hurren, Liz Bowdan, James Helps. Show of Strength sort of organically grew I think. There weren’t as many people making their own work as there is now. When we started this, it was interesting and other people got involved.”
Crime and Crinolines in Clifton is just one of Show Of Strength’s many theatre walks – photo: Zuleika Henry
5. What does Show of Strength mean to you now?
“I am the creative producer. I’m still here! But it’s small. We have no public funding at all. We’ve previously got Arts Council project funding, some WECA funding for projects, Bristol City Council funding for projects but no core funding. The walks usually self-fund but sometimes we can get a bit of funding for walks in an area, such as regeneration funding.”
6. How is it different performing on the street to within a theatre?
“One of the big differences is that you can see the audience way up close and they are as well-lit as you are! In a way, it’s more conversation. And when you’re walking with a group, they will chip in. You’ve got to be able to respond to whatever the group with you may throw at you. I think one of the things I really like about it is that it is always different. People will often bring their own
memories.”
7. How much of the walking tours are scripted and how much is ad-libbed?
“It’s all scripted. But that doesn’t mean I don’t make it up as I go along sometimes! The other actors who work with me will have their own ways of telling a story. So if they really don’t like something which I wrote, then we’ll try and find another way to do it. They often do what they want! The St George tour is delivered by Lindsay Garwood of Closer Each Day which is an improv show. That’s her background which is brilliant. She did have a lot of input to that tour and she has the most phenomenal memory. She will work without a script whereas I still use my script. So although it’s scripted, you’ve got to find your own way to do things and that’s one of the joy of the tours.”
8. What can we look forward to with the Hotwells tour coming soon?
“We’ve got that one in development at the moment and it’s so interesting. It’s such a good story. The area has got so much history and it’s had so many changes. Part of the reason why it’s taken so long is that I’ve wrestled with the route. I think my opening line is maybe going to be: ‘One constant thing about Hotwells is that it’s always changing.’”
Don’t tell anyone but Show of Strength also hold theatre walks in Bath – photo: Melanie Kelly
9. What are Bristol’s unmissable cultural highlights for you?
“I probably don’t go out as much as I should! I’ve just discovered the lunchtime concerts on a Tuesday at Bristol Cathedral. I think because I work so much with text and words, I want music. I want stuff that isn’t words! I do go to St George’s but haven’t been for a while. I just signed up for a six-week course at Design West on the history of art. I also do love films at Watershed. I live within walking distance. Sometimes, I love to sit in the dark and watch a movie in the afternoon. You come out at 7pm and it stretches time. The nearby Bristol Megascreen too – especially during the Cary Comes Home festival.”
10. As a tourism superstar, what would be your superpower?
“I think it would be flying. Pretty common I guess. But it’s just that sense of freedom.”
Main photo: Visit West
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