As much as the “company profile” states that it’s an international network of theatre companies, etc., more than anything, 5toMidnight is a lifestyle. I grew up being told over and over again that artists won’t get to eat, that there’s no future in the arts and all that jazz that’s become really tiresome to hear over 26 years of life.
So when I go on Instagram and see some actors living it up, being put up in hotels, attending galas, and existing in their own little Hollywood, I got very curious. “What about the art?” and the answer is always the same: “Oh, I’m just doing this as a money job.”
Where did the art go?
A friend of mine and I like to say that artists need to be poor. So they can be hungry.
Not literally, of course, but like, hungry in the soul. The challenge is to eat, while maintaining that other hunger. So 5toMidnight (I realise I’ve digressed a bit) is a platform to do exactly that. It tries to be that home that feeds you, that you can always come back to, so that you can do the thing you love.
Even if it means crashing in a friend’s living room which doubles up as the performance venue, I’d gladly take that over a kushy hotel with 3 water taps and a free cookie. Why it’s international is because that’s where I happened to find like-minded people who are crazy enough to chase this lifestyle down.
People who understand that the money that goes to those hotels could actually fly another artist over, or sponsor tickets for students, or send a couple of artists out for a residency in Sweden!
So that when they come home to 5toMidnight, whenever we work together again, those experiences, those skills bleed into the work and we challenge ourselves in new ways. I always believe in investing in people, instead of consuming goods. Because stuff goes bad, but there are always good people.
We have a new campaign video that has just gone live! So do be sure to watch the video and support us if you believe in the cause!
5toMidnight is an international network of theatre companies with branches in Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan. We focus on regular, contemporary actor-training and intercultural exchange for the creation of new work. If you would like to learn more about and support our efforts, visit https://igg.me/at/5toMidnight and be a part of the 5toMidnight experience!