J'AIME OCTOBER 2020

It also helped that the cast members, grateful to be
back doing what they love, offered their services free
of charge. They were all from the Lichfield, Alrewas
and Whittington areas so didn’t have far to travel.
“I got in touch with Woodhouse Farm and Garden
because I used to get my fruit and veg from them and
I knew they had a lovely outdoor space,” said Chris.
“Thankfully they liked the idea of what we wanted
to do.
“We’d already planned the production but we had
to adapt it to make it work outdoors and to make
it socially distant for the performers. It was a real
challenge to make sure the actors wouldn’t get too
close to one another.
“Then there was also the challenge of making
sure the actors could project to reach an outdoor
audience that was spread out over a larger area than
you’d usually expect.”
They may have had to stand apart but working
under such difficult circumstances seems to have
brought the team together.
“When resources are limited you’re forced to be
creative,” said Chris. “Creativity comes out of
difficult circumstances. It’s meant even more to us as
a company and a cast. It also meant so much to us to
sell out, that was amazing.”
The audience feedback was very positive after each
performance, with people feeling incredibly grateful
to be able to get out of the house to watch some live
theatre.
Chris, 24, and Martin, 34, met through their mutual
love of the arts and
their connection with
the Lichfield Garrick
where Chris has
performed on stage
and Martin works.
Chris, from Lichfield,
and Martin, from
Rugeley, staged
their first Let Me In
production in April
2019.
Choosing the shows
falls to Chris while
Martin focuses
on making things
work logistically,
often for venues not
traditionally used for
theatre.
Wherever possible
they try to use a local pool of performers and Chris
says he likes the idea of subverting stereotypes, hence
the all-female Lord of the Flies based on a book with
only male characters.
Let Me In works on a profit share basis, with any
profits from shows divided between everyone
involved.
“There was no profit from Lord of the Flies, but as
a company we were happy with that and knew that
would be the case at the beginning,” said Chris.
“We all have other jobs too and do this because of
a passion for it rather than because it’s a vehicle for
making money.”
The next production, People, Places and Things by
Duncan MacMillan, is a play exploring the mind
of a young actor who struggles with addiction and
depression.
It will run from November 17 to 21 in a specially
constructed pop-up venue in the Lichfield area.
Chris said: “We’re lucky in a sense that we can adapt
to the situation presented by Covid-19 because we’re
not based in one place and we’re not restricted to
performing in a theatre.
“We can create our production space wherever we
need to, as that’s something we were already used to.
“If we need to use an old abandoned building for
a performance then we will. We’ve adapted to the
circumstances and we’ll carry on doing that.”
To find out more about Let Me In and forthcoming
productions visit letmeinpresents.co.uk or
facebook.com/letmeinpresents
THE COMPANY USED
LOCALLY-BASED
ACTORS FOR THEIR
SOCAILLY-DISTANCED
PERFORMANCE
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