Curation

We believe that the wellbeing of our sector of independent theatre makers is also reflective of our own well-being. We are all part of an ecosystem of sorts.

Competition is an unavoidable process we all find ourselves in, especially with the dominance of social media and a process driven by capitalism. But Kat remembers her days of being raised in a communist state, and so we firmly believe in equality and inclusion, helping each other, transparency and collective power. With our curatorial practice we strive to foreground and amplify the voices of fellow cultural workers, those unlike us and those who wish to engage on a more level playing field.

Intercultural dialogue is at the heart of all our work. It's about recognising, understanding and embracing difference.

It happens on stages and in the bar after shows.

It happens when we work with participants in their communities, and when we share that work more widely.

It happens when audiences embark on a journey in one of our more intimate works.

It happens when we work with artists and other communities to understand their views -- including when we curate events.

time to respond

Commissioned by Dance Base Scotland, we curated a residency of interdisciplinary performance makers. As well as time and support to develop ideas, the residency included time for coming together to discuss some of the issues which were occupying participants' thinking, and pastoral support.

We made a short publication in response to the residency.

Read the time to respond publication online

TEND to wellbeing

We commissioned therapist and performance maker Lou Platt to facilitate four small groups, each working together over a couple of months to identify wellbeing strategies. Participants reflected on both how they could look after themselves, and what they could do to cultivate the wellbeing of those they work with. The project mainly took place in early 2021.

Breaking Bread: On Otherness

a meal with meaning

In May 2018, we curated an event at Lancaster Arts. We'd been speaking to artists about their experiences of belonging and otherness, how these influenced their process and how art influenced lived experience. It was research for a new show.

The conversations were so interesting that we brought together some of the participants for a joint meal, to share with each other and an audience some of their thoughts. Leo Burtin prepared the food in response to the conversations we'd had, inspired by the history of each person.

We made a short publication about our conversations.

Read the On Otherness publication online

FLINT

truly inspiring - I laughed, I cried and I thought.. That for me is what art is for, thank you x

audience member

Sheila Ghelani's Nurse Knows Best (photo by Alma Haser)

exceptional work in unusual places

The work we make straddles various performance practices, and we believe that innovative work from artists in all kinds of disciplines can be accessible to audiences everywhere.

Outside cosmopolitan urban centres, many audiences rarely get the chance to try new work which doesn’t conform to traditional disciplinary boundaries. That means they’re missing out on some of the best work — and work which is often at a small scale that’s able to visit those places fairly easily. We love to help those artists meet new audiences.

Our FLINT events have done that, pushing beyond existing programming initiatives, allowing audiences and programmers together to discover new kinds of work.