A woman stared at me before telling, in graphic detail, of the trauma and despair of sex trafficking. Then a voice quietly said: “Let’s try that again.”
The voice belonged to Martin O’Brien, the author and director of a new one-woman show called Grace due to run in schools and beyond in the coming months.
In a rehearsal break, O’Brien told me that the play was a serious attempt to explore a subject as alarming as it is hidden in today’s Britain. It is just one of a number of controversial subjects he has tackled for the Ten Ten Theatre Company. “By using drama and story, we are able to speak to hearts and minds in a way that a regular lesson or speaker can’t,” he says.
Founded 10 years ago by O’Brien and his sister Clare, Ten Ten focused on faith-based theatre productions. Recently, it has moved into other artistic areas, notably education and film. “I think the fact that we have been sustainable for over 10 years in a relatively small market is testament to the need.”
Although his career started in acting, treading the boards in the West End, and later working in the sound studios of London’s television companies, he felt a calling to something more: “I had a particular gift for writing and producing drama with a social conscience, a moral question or a faith dimension that was wanted and needed, especially in the context of education.”
On meeting O’Brien, one would hardly guess what he has achieved over the last decade, so unassuming is he. He wears his success lightly: there is nothing of the impresario or maestro about him. No doubt this has contributed much to Ten Ten’s appeal. O’Brien combines qualities often seen in the artistic world but not always found together: creativity and an ability to deliver.
That said, O’Brien’s 10 years with Ten Ten has had its ups and downs. The first three he describes as akin to a start-up, with all the excitement and fear that such undertakings bring. By 2010, it was clear that, financially at least, the Ten Ten ship was taking in water. In response, the O’Briens simply worked harder and diversified.
This refusal to give up ultimately paid off. Production followed production. The actors appeared in school assembly halls and West End theatres. Tour followed tour, with the work in education expanding exponentially in the succeeding years. It took a lot of hard work, O’Brien says, but today, with things on a much more even keel, he feels the effort was worth it.
Soon it is back to the rehearsals for his latest play. As I watch him working through the script with actors, line by line, the process appears exacting. It is clear, however, that O’Brien is in his element.
In addition to being a writer, director and producer, he runs Ten Ten (a full-time job in itself). He and his sister have invested a decade of their lives in helping people to come to faith, or grapple with questions of faith and morals, through art. Both educators and bishops tell them what an important job they are doing. The clear demand for what they do keeps both of them working impossibly long hours on a punishing schedule.
Over the past 10 years, Ten Ten has performed before a combined audience of some 130,000 people. Currently, it works with 200 primary schools in England and Wales, and it has plans to expand further in this field.
With its first film, Babies, an abortion-themed drama, Ten Ten won an award at last year’s 32nd International Catholic Film and Multimedia Festival in Warsaw. More films are planned. “I think there is huge potential for our ‘cinema-in-education’ platform,” O’Brien says.
This revolution in Catholic arts also affects the artists who work with Ten Ten. “Through the work itself, actors are often challenged by a moral or faith question, which naturally spills over into conversations in the tour van or over dinner after a show.”
One of the more striking features on entering Ten Ten’s offices in north London is the crucifix hanging on the wall, hinting at what lies behind the bustle and business, and at its founder’s motivation. “Ten Ten was something I felt called to do, and wanted to do.” O’Brien reflects.
Ten Ten is not simply a vehicle for artistic ambition but one through which O’Brien and many other creative people live out their God-given vocation.
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