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.
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.
FLINT
truly inspiring - I laughed, I cried and I thought.. That for me is what art is for, thank you x
audience member
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.
FLINT microfests
short one or two day festivals of contemporary performance for new audiences
changing where cutting-edge work is seen
helping programmers discover new artists
letting children and young people engage with live art
bringing an exciting selection of work to rural areas
FLINTsparks
seed co-commissioning opportunities
supported FLINTwalls residencies
early programming commitments to help artists get projects going
FLINT nights
an evening of work encouraging a theatre's audiences to discover something new
brilliant work across different styles using a selection of spaces in a theatre building
artists
the artists we've worked with include:
70/30 Split //| Chris Dobrowolski //| Karen Christopher //| Search Party //| Project O //| Brian Lobel //| Saffy Satohy //| Simone Kenyon //| Bill Aitchison //| Deborah Andrews //| The Butlers //| Susan Francis //| Tim Jeeves //| Kinetosis //| Seth Kriebel //| Debbie Lee-Anthony //| Isley Lynn //| Joseph Mercier //| Yonat Nitzan-Green //| The Strange Names Collective //| Sylvia Rimat //| Zoo Indigo //| Bram Thomas Arnold & Eleanor Wynne Davis //| Tamar Daly //| Natasha Davis //| Sheila Ghelani //| Catherine Hoffmann //| Hunt & Darton //| Stacy Makishi //| Eleonore Nicolas //| Louise Orwin //| Gini //| Haranczak / Navarre //| Leo Burtin //| Season Butler //| Chris Goode //| Kate Marsh //| Pauline Mayers //| Peter McMaster //| Jenny Sealey //| Rajni Shah //| Lena Šimić //| Tanya Steinhäuser //| Lisette Auton //| Umar Butt //| Brendan Curtis //| Emma Geraghty //| Adam York Gregory //| Ellie Harrison //| Lady Kitt //| Krissi Musiol //| Toni-Dee Paul //| Chloë Smith //| Hannah Sullivan //| Ben Wright