Alumni Stories - Other Space Productions
We caught up with Mateusz Mirek and Susan Brooke, two graduates from MA Acting for Screen, to talk about their company Other Space Productions. The Other Space Productions team includes Mateusz Mirek, Susan Brooke and Michal Nowak.
What would you like to tell us about today?
We are here to talk about Other Space Productions. We are a London-based production company, working across film and theatre, with an Eastern European focus.
Tell us more!
Mateusz: Other Space Productions focuses on bringing new, re-authored versions of European texts to British audiences. The three of us founded the company together, and It’s hard to say whether it was a love of language or European theatre that united us. Or maybe a mixture of both. But now, we aim to explore different cultural contexts, using English and other languages. Translating the untranslatable is our secret weapon.
In January 2020, we started planning the production of our own version of The Key by Hungarian writer, Andras Forgach. During lockdown we workshopped The Key over Zoom with an international cast (made up of mostly Central graduates). We’ve produced a 1-hour radio edit which is available for you to hear.
What were your roles on the project?
Mateusz: This time, I was the director, Sue produced the whole show, and Michal worked on the audio edit. Oh, and of course we all translated the script! In the future we want to rotate our roles.
How did you meet?
Mateusz: Sue and I met at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and worked together on many projects while on Acting for Screen, MA. We found a common language and just loved working together. Michal, my Uni friend from Poland, joined us when we started translating The Key, and has stayed with us ever since.
What made you want to start this project?
Mateusz: One day, I was reflecting on one of my acting performances from the past. In 2014, I played Younger Brother in the Polish version of The Key and it’s one of those parts that makes me blush whenever I think of it. I shared this reflection with Sue, and I copied and pasted the play into Google translator and showed it to her. She said, “I love it! We just need to retranslate it”. And that’s when the idea for the company started.
What does a typical working day look like for you at the moment?
Mateusz: At the moment I spend most of my days in front of computer working on the pre-production of our next project. Lots of emails, lots of ‘Hi’s’ and ‘Hello’s’. Lots of ‘Kind Regards’. Lots of admin. I would never have imagined I would have so much admin in my life.
What’s next for Other Space Productions?
Mateusz: We have so many projects in the pipeline that we had to organise a separate notebook for future ideas. We are very excited about our next project, which is based on a Polish dramatic poem, discussing folk beliefs and forbidden rituals amongst Slavic pagans. It will be a physical (Grotowski style) performance and just to give you a glimpse of the idea, we will be connecting with dead and lost souls. Very Polish!
What has surprised you most about your experience so far?
Mateusz: The fact that we started the company and finished our project. We’ve been ready for years. Actually, we’ve been ready since we graduated from Central. But for some reason we didn’t believe we could do it. What a waste of time! But a nice surprise.
Sue: Sitting in Mateusz and Michal’s flat, the night before they took emergency flights to Poland. As we sat amongst the boxes, not knowing really if we’d meet again, the UK Lockdown was announced. I drove through eerily empty streets to south London, and unloaded the few remnants of 5 years of London life, a physical placement of their determination to return and continue their lives and our work here.
What has been the biggest challenge that you have overcome while working?
Mateusz: Leading on a project and directing actors was a real challenge for me. I’ve always secretly dreamt of myself as a leader, but in reality I found myself hiding behind Sue and Michal’s backs. It’s thanks to them that I overcame my doubts and re-gained the confidence in my artistic endeavours.
Michal: While working on The Key, the most challenging part was the remote recording and editing. We started slow, from setting up home studios in our wardrobes, under the duvets, blankets, etc. Then, in the second lockdown, I spent over a month listening to never ending recordings and choosing the best options for the radio edit. I was very happy when the second lockdown ended!
Sue: The biggest challenge for me whilst working has definitely been COVID-19. Getting my head around the restrictions, and having a family, suddenly I was homeschooling. There’s a reason I didn’t go into teaching…and I can’t say I had a willing pupil!
However, the decision to put The Key into an audio format was inspired by COVID-19. I am absolutely thrilled with the quality of our recording and am really proud of the work, and the community we forged in recording it.
How did you find out about Central and decide to study with us?
Mateusz: I googled some film courses and Central was the first result on the page. Having just graduated from the Drama School in Poland, I didn’t think seriously about studying acting AGAIN! I’d had more than enough! But I decided to go to an audition. Little did I know, how Central and Amanda Brennan would change my life entirely.
Sue: I had decided to go back into acting after a career break. Central’s Acting for Screen, MA looked excellent, comprehensive, and the only one I wanted to take. I had the last audition spot for the year. I was amazed to get in and study amongst such fine actors, tutors and people. Refining my skills specifically for screen was an excellent challenge and I was delighted at how challenging and fast moving Amanda Brennan’s course is.
Is this what you had planned to do after graduation?
Mateusz: Yes. This is what our course leader kept telling us ceaselessly; Her mantra was “the industry is about self-producing” So, that’s what we’re doing.
Sue: I agree. I feel very fortunate to be working with good people. It’s a lifestyle choice, so it matters who you’re going to spend so much of your time with.
What advice would you have for anyone looking to follow in your footsteps?
Mateusz: Just keep going. I believe, as long as you are in the game, you are winning!
Keep up to date with Other Space Productions by following them on Instagram @otherspaceproduction.
