Yorkshire Theatre Newsletter: All Aboard!
Liz Ryan Talks To Mikron Theate Company's Pete Toon About Their Upcoming Tour
“I’m one of the few producers in the country that has got an Inland Waterways Helmsman’s Certificate,” says Pete Toon of Mikron Theatre Company. “I also book toilets and check the van’s got tyres.
“Then people ring up and ask to speak to ‘the marketing department’ and I’m that as well.”
Every theatre production is an exercise in careful logistics. For Mikron Theatre, which almost every summer since 1972 has toured Britain’s canals by narrowboat, there are additional factors involved. In a typical year they will play to 16-17,000 people at 130 (mostly non-standard) venues and Pete will deal with 85 local authorities.
“My role is basically strategy,” he explains. “And I co-coordinate the office and the admin side with Marianne (McNamara) our artistic director and Rachel (Root) who’s our general manager. And because we’re so small, we bring in freelancers. We work with about 45-50 fre…