Farnham Maltings, in collaboration with Essex Cultural Diversity Project, is currently calling for proposals for our next place-based artist commission, which will focus on Aylesbury, as part of a three-year project in Buckinghamshire.

Budget: £10,000
Deadline: Wednesday 31 July
Interviews: September

Download the full brief here: Aylesbury Commission – ECDP Brief 2019

Introduction

This commission is part of a three-year project, funded by the Rothschild Foundation, to create the confidence, experience and networks for the communities of Buckinghamshire to present and commission live performance. The overall project is managed by Farnham Maltings who are working with Essex Cultural Diversity Project (ECDP) on this commission.

Farnham Maltings was established as an arts centre in 1969. Over the past 15 years the organisation has repositioned itself as a regional development organisation working across South East England. As a NPO, Farnham Maltings runs a programme of work designed to increase the range, quality and audience for theatre across the south east region, has established a network of 200 venues who jointly programme and support a south east regional ecology, creates work for village halls, produces a cohort of the regions’ most promising talent and leads a national programme to internationalise the independent theatre sector in partnership with the British Council and UKTI.

Buckinghamshire Library Service is run by Buckinghamshire County Council and has an extensive reach with 30 libraries across the county providing an important service for many local communities, particularly those in rural areas. Buckinghamshire County Council has recently brought together its libraries and cultural services, is re-imagining the library offer and, by supporting the delivery of the new Bucks Cultural Strategy, it recognises the potential to build on their role as accessible community hubs.

The Commission

For the first commission we are looking for an artist(s) or company to work with and within Aylesbury Library. The Libraries and Culture service is keen to explore new and different ways for people to experience libraries. Aylesbury Library reopened in January 2019 after an extensive refurbishment. Sitting in the town centre it is used by a large number of Buckinghamshire residents and includes a children’s library, study centre and meeting rooms/flexible spaces.   

We are inviting inspiring creative project proposals from artists and companies that respond to the following aims:

• To improve equality of access to cultural activities and opportunities in Buckinghamshire via libraries
• To provide opportunities for creative practitioners from diverse backgrounds
• To engage and involve local communities, removing barriers to participation in the arts

The project should be bold, distinctive, relevant and excellent. It should also include an element of performance and create a legacy artwork for Aylesbury library and its users.

We are also keen that this opportunity is used by the appointed artist/company to learn and stretch their practice, and this learning is shared.

Although preferred, it is not necessary for the appointed artist to live or work in Buckinghamshire, but we would expect them to spend a significant amount of time in Aylesbury and the surrounding area across the duration of the project, and they should have good knowledge of the area.

Application process

The successful commission will be selected by a panel of representatives from ECDP, Farnham Maltings and Buckinghamshire Library Service. A shortlist will be made from the received applications based on how well they meet the above aims and these will be invited to interview to talk further about their proposal before a final decision is made. The commission will be managed by ECDP and the commissioned artist/company will receive ongoing support, advocacy and advice from ECDP and Farnham Maltings throughout.

As work will take place in the library and other public spaces, safeguarding children and vulnerable people is paramount; a full risk assessment will be required for this work and valid DBS accreditation in place if required.

Timescales for Delivery

It is expected that work on the commission will begin in autumn 2019. All work must be finished and invoiced for prior to the end of March 2020. A final timetable for delivery, including milestones to monitor progress against the stated aims, will be established with the successful applicant and payments will be made against this timetable.

Budget  

The commission budget is £10,000 and will be treated as a grant. This is inclusive of all expenses and must therefore cover fees, travel, materials and marketing. Some promotion and advertising will be undertaken by the partners, at their cost, and this will discussed in due course. Payments will be made in instalments, on receipt of invoice, and subject to progress against achieving agreed activity as outlined above. If this is a joint commission one artist/company will need to be the project lead and all payments will be made to them.

The £10,000 can be used as match-funding for a larger project but this should not affect the ability to deliver the project nor the timelines for delivery set out above. If this is the preferred approach then please make this clear in your response and explain how the larger project still meets this brief.

Responding to this Commission

To apply for this commission please email jo@essexcdp.comand including the following:

• An outline of the artistic concept for the commission, including the proposed community engagement process, intended audience and legacy (no more than 1 side of A4).
• A brief description on why you are interested in this commission at this time, how your project promotes diversity and any relevant connections with Buckinghamshire (no more than 1 side of A4).
• A biography/company description with relevant previous work (no more than 2 sides of A4). Please include links to relevant websites and social media/media.
• An outline budget breakdown showing how you would utilise the £10,000 and an approximate timeline for the work.
• The signed declaration and monitoring form included below

Please ensure that proposals are received by 23.59 on 31 July 2019. Interviews will be on held in Aylesbury in September and will include an opportunity for a 15-minute presentation on your proposal.

In a collaboration with Unlimited, Farnham Maltings are co-commissioning a new piece of theatre from multi-award winning writer, performer and broadcaster Byron Vincent. As one of the main partnership commissions in the new programme of disability-led performance by Unlimited, Farnham Maltings is delighted to be working with Byron to develop an idea through to production and presentation across rural communities in Surrey.

In this funny and entertaining performance, Instagramming The Apocalypse, Byron will turn his sharp wit and curious mind to the modern malaise.

Who do you trust when the news is fake, your partner is cheating on you and global politics is an exploding clown car? Byron Vincent is diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, but with dying icons, impending climate catastrophe and that bloke from Home Alone Two in charge of world’s largest nuclear arsenal, isn’t blind panic the only sane response?

It’s a glib, postmodern world in which cynicism is cool, modern life is rubbish and sincerity is for suckers; but as concepts like truth, peace and hope become risible anachronisms, maybe it’s time to re-evaluate our perspective. In a post-satire age, what’s so funny about peace, love and understanding?

The aim of the Farnham Maltings Partnership Award is to re-examine the notion of rural touring by exploring the potential of village halls and communities. It is one of the Unlimited Awards for 2019, which support the development of ambitious new artistic work by 26 disabled artists and companies. To find out more about the other commissions, click here.

Photograph © Jane Hobson.

The Olivier-nominated, multi-award winning contemporary dance/theatre company LOST DOG, and FARNHAM MALTINGS, the hugely popular theatre and arts centre in Farnham, Surrey, have announced that they will be working together in a new partnership from March 2019.  This very exciting support model has been designed to ensure Lost Dog has the ability and support to flourish in the best way possible while contributing to Farnham Maltings’ ambitions to increase the range, quality and audience for contemporary performance across the south east.  Farnham Maltings will employ a part time administrator for Lost Dog, based at Lost Dog’s studio in Laughton, Sussex, for the next three years.

Gavin Stride, Director of the Maltings said: “In talking to Lost Dog it became obvious that, in addition to the advice and access to resources we offer, what the company most needed was practical, organisational support.  By agreeing to second a member of our team to work as part of Lost Dog felt completely right.  The administrator will be based at Lost Dog’s studios in Laughton, Sussex and will support the company’s core activities thereby freeing up Ben and the producing team to focus on making and touring shows.  We’re very excited about the new partnership with Lost Dog – we love the company and we believe we can make a difference.”

This new ‘Supported by’ model builds on the work Farnham Maltings already does in producing Little Bulb Theatre, performance artist Victoria Melody, and theatre company Bucket Club along with a number of associate relationships.

Ben Duke, Artistic Director of Lost Dog said: “I am delighted to be beginning this new relationship with Farnham Maltings.  From our first meeting with Gavin it was clear that he was interested in understanding our needs as a company and finding a way that the Maltings could help us.  It was so refreshing to feel that we were not being asked to fit into a pre-existing model but were instead part of an open and inspiring dialogue.

As a small scale company we value our creative independence but are dependent on the support of larger organisations.  The support that Farnham Maltings are offering us is exactly what we need at this stage of our company development.  It’ll enable us to really look at the development of our own work and our work for other companies and, most crucially, it will enable us to reach more people through touring and participation.

Work that Gavin and the Maltings have done so far in supporting independent companies shows that this is a building that lives a model of interdependence and mutual support and in this time of uncertainty and division I am grateful for and excited about this new partnership.”

LOST DOG:

LOST DOG was formed in 2004 by Ben Duke and Raquel Meseguer to create work using text, movement and music in which dance is framed by stories and characters.  Since then the company has won a number of awards including the Bonnie Bird UK New Choreographers Award (2005) for The Drowner; the Bloomberg Place Prize Award 2011 for It Needs Horses; Critics’ Circle National Dance Award for Outstanding Male Performance 2016 and the Rural Touring Award 2017 for Paradise Lost… which was also nominated for a South Bank Sky Arts Award.

Other work includes Home For Broken Turns (2012), Like Rabbits, made in collaboration with the British playwright Lucy Kirkwood (2014).  Ben has directed and choreographed works for Rambert, Scottish Dance Theatre, Dance Umbrella, Phoenix Dance Theatre and more.  He has performed with Probe, Hofesh Shechter Company, The Gate Theatre, National Theatre of Scotland, Glyndebourne Opera and Punchdrunk.

Farnham Maltings

Farnham Maltings is an independent arts organisation based in South West Surrey that works locally to contribute to the shape and character of the town and regionally to make, produce and support contemporary popular theatre. We lead house as a regional programming  network of 190 venues and caravan, an international showcase of English performance.

Download full press release here

Awards of £3000-£8000 to seed a new piece of theatre

New Popular is a five year initiative supported by Esmee Fairbairn Foundation designed to test and create new theatre projects with the ambition of reaching broader audiences in new places with new experiences.

We are looking to invest in the production of new work which connects with those who may not regularly engage with theatre in the South East, work that is enticing and relevant; work that plays with new forms, that addresses the priorities and ambitions of a wider audience.

This might encompass site-specific work, theatre that doesn’t look like theatre, work in village fetes, care homes, high streets, seafronts and work that rediscovers an appetite for contemporary, popular entertainment.

We are looking to make a small number of investments of £3000-£8000 that test new approaches and seed ideas for new pieces of theatre that seeks to achieve these ambitions. We hope to support some of these projects further to full production.

Applicants

Our investment will be made to partnerships, forged by shared ambitions to reach new theatre audiences. We expect lead applicants may be theatre makers and venues but we particularly welcome partnerships with non-arts partners ranging from local authorities, housing associations to community groups such as allotment societies, walking groups, residents associations, playgroups and hairdressers.

We’re looking for the most promising, bold, mischievous yet considered ideas that have the potential to result in compelling theatre while furthering the ambitions and expectations of all partners. We are hoping to support a range of different approaches working with theatre makers from local emerging companies to experienced, international artists.

Making a proposal

Visit http://theatre.farnhammaltings.com/portfolio/new-popular/ to download the proposal form. All proposals should be accompanied with an outline  budget and submitted by email to: katy.potter@farnhammaltings.com
Closing date for submissions is 9am Monday 25 March 2019

Proposals will be selected by a small curatorial panel and decisions will be based on:

• the artistic idea
• the approach to engaging new audiences, both its practicality and authenticity
• the depth of the partnership and how far the project supports mutual ambitions

Successful proposals will be posted on the Farnham Maltings website.

Get in touch

If you would like to talk though your idea with us at any stage, we would welcome that conversation; contact Katy Potter, Producer on 07798 812548 Mon-Thurs or katy.potter@farnhammaltings.co.uk

British Council, Farnham Maltings, and the High Commission of Canada in the UK are delighted to announce £62,300 of investment in nine new creative partnerships between UK and Canadian performing arts companies. This is the inaugural investment from the New Conversations programme, funded and delivered by the three partners.

Initially a two-year pilot, New Conversations aims to increase cultural exchanges between the UK and Canada, allowing for more artist mobility and international opportunities, with a goal of initiating long term partnerships that benefit both the UK and Canadian arts sectors.

Gavin Stride, Director of the Maltings, said: “We received more than 100 applications for this unique program and narrowing them down was a true challenge. Those selected demonstrate clear objectives and a curiosity to explore new ideas and ways of working. The hope is that this initial support will lead to long term partnerships. Our involvement in this programme is made possible through support and investment of Arts Council of England”

Bucket Club (UK) and Ghost River (Canada)

Is theatre dead? A provocation will explore, reframe and rediscover what theatre is – and what it can be – through week-long residencies in the company’s home towns of Calgary and Brighton.

Wild Works (UK) and The Only Animal (Canada)

Conversations will see each company participate creatively in the others’ R&D process in order to explore the potential for a new, outdoor, site specific co-production.

Flintlock Theatre (UK) and Gwaai Edenshaw (Canada)

Sovereign Nation will explore the potency of “empire” and how we relate to our shared past, and will lay the groundwork for a new international touring production.

The Marlborough Theatre (UK) and Buddies in Bad Times (Canada)

A Queer Conversation aims to produce an empowering exchange between the two organisations that paves the way for the LGBTQ+ artists to be able to tour more easily between Canada and the UK.

Forest Fringe (UK) and The Chop (Canada)

Playing Fields will explore land, ownership, ecology and the complex, inextricable histories of the two countries using the game of soccer and will investigate the possibility of a new collaborative performance.

Rachel Warr (UK) and Théâtre de la Pire Espèce (Canada)

Working Models will combine creative exchange, skills sharing, and network building, with the aim of opening new doors and increasing the visibility of visual theatre in both countries.

Poetic Unity (UK) and R.I.S.E Edutainment (Canada)

Through performance opportunities, leadership knowledge-sharing and work with local artists, Poetic RISE aims to build a sustainable international network for spoken word artists.

Action Hero (UK) and Mia & Eric (Canada)

Development of Collaboration is a residency that will initiate an experimental process designed to incubate a new, shared way of working and a long-term collaborative relationship.

Lyth Arts Centre (UK) and Pat the Dog Theatre Creation (Canada)

Women’s Room: North aims to create a template for supporting the development of female artists based in rural locations through exchange visits, new commissions and discussions.

The second round of New Conversations will be announced in March 2019.

Full Press Release in English / en Français.

Community Touring in Surrey Autumn 2019 – Spring 2020

Applications are open for new work to tour across Surrey in Autumn 2019 – Spring 2020.

Intro
Farnham Maltings together with Arts Partnership Surrey are looking to develop new opportunities for contemporary theatre performances to tour into local communities across Surrey.

Arts Partnership Surrey and Farnham Maltings are passionate about strengthening the relationship between artists and audiences in Surrey by working with local communities to provide affordable, playful and exciting performances that can be enjoyed in familiar places.

The Project
Together we are looking for artists and companies with an interest and track record of making theatre for community spaces and places who would like to be present during the period from Sep 2019 – May 2020.

We are inviting applications from UK based companies for work that is suitable to tour to venues in Surrey which might include: leisure centres, village halls, community centres, churches, shopping centres etc.

In this first year we are looking to tour 2 pieces of work and hope that one of these will be a piece of work suitable for younger children and families programmed presented during daytime hours and the second piece for evening programming.

Technical Challenges
Work will be presented in a variety of community settings which may be ‘blank canvas’ with little or no technical support so you will need to be fully self-sufficient.  Please bear this in mind when considering if the show is suitable for community touring eg full black out will not be possible during the day, no wing spaces or pre-rigged lighting.  We can guarantee chairs will be provided by the venue.

Finances
Our touring fees are fully inclusive of all accommodation and travel and we expect to pay within the range of £400 – £800 per performance date.

Programming
We will be responsible for booking places and dates for your show and helping to build an audience but you will be responsible for finalising specific details with venues and promoters.  Promoters are volunteers so you will need to be flexible, understanding and informative.

Availability
Your show needs to be available for a minimum of 6 performance dates during the period: Sept 2019 – May 2020. Shortlisted companies will be asked to provide a selection of dates which could be all in one month or broader, the more flexible you can be the more bookings can result. Final tour dates will be confirmed back to the artists and companies after successful selection and consultation with the venues and promoters

Application Process

Please email your expression of interest on one page describing what the work is, who you are and why we should work with you to janice.brittain@farnhammaltings.com by 9am 07/02/19. Please include details of your website, video clips, production shots and examples of marketing and any audience feedback.

Those artists shortlisted from this initial application process will be informed by email by 13/02/19 and invited to submit a more detailed proposal.  We will acknowledge receipt of all applications however we regret we are unable to provide feedback to non-shortlisted applicants.

‘New Popular’ theatre programme launched for south east England

Farnham Maltings has secured £339,575 from Esmée Fairbairn Foundation to deliver a five-year programme designed to test new theatre ideas that aim to reach new, broader audiences. Following in the tradition of John McGrath’s A Good Night Out, the ambition is to explore what popular means in the twenty-first century. New Popular will seed-fund artists, venues and audience to test new ideas and take the most promising propositions into full production, potentially to tour through the house network across the south east of England.

The project will also host a series of conversations and events that explore the relationship between artists and audiences.

Gavin Stride, director of the Maltings says ‘we are completely committed to developing a strand of work that is artist-led and audience-focused. We want to challenge the idea that popular and experimental are opposites, and that notions of high or low art are in any way relevant in a fast changing world. Thanks to Esmée Fairbairn and ACE we have a remarkable opportunity to encourage a ‘theatre for all’ culture across the South East of England which has the potential to connect with everyone.’

This work builds on the experiences of Greenhouse, a four-year programme, also funded by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, that set out to connect the ambitions of artists with venues and programmers. Over four years, more than 30 ideas were seed-funded, of which 16 were developed into full production, including Pursued by a Bear’s The Lamallar Project, which toured internationally and Mars.tarrab’s Roller, which won the Oxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust Award in 2017.

With further investment from ACE and local partners a total of £553,000 is being committed to the New Popular programme which will be led by house, a network delivered by Farnham Maltings that supports 190 arts venues who are working together to build a vibrant arts ecology across the south-east region.

Following the appointment of a project lead in September, New Popular will start early in 2019 with an open call to theatre-makers for potential propositions.

www.farnhammaltings.com

Press contact:
Gavin Stride on 01252 745400
gavin.stride@farnhammaltings.com

Photo credit is  EA Given / Shutterstock.com

Advancing Artists 2  – Call for Artists

Are you an artist, musician, theatre maker, poet or dancer interested in developing your practice in a socially engaged way?  Arts Partnership Surrey and Farnham Maltings seek arts practitioners working in or based in Surrey with ambitions to develop high quality, relevant, new, creative and socially engaged projects that support its aims to enhance wellbeing, increase participation and create a strong and positive sense of place through the arts.

If this is you, we invite you to apply to us for a year of bespoke continuing professional development.

Our 2019 Advancing Artists 2 Programme includes:

• Targeted workshops and training
• Mentor Support
• Fundraising and Management support and advice
• Action Learning
• Hands on learning and shadowing on live projects
• Conversations with established arts and cultural organisations
• Tickets to performances and events
• Building links to other, potential project partners and professional networks
• Potential for seed funding for projects towards the end of the programme
• Opportunity to pitch and showcase work to potential partners

Practitioners will be offered bespoke development support based upon their professional and creative aspirations. Practitioners will be encouraged to engage with people and places across Surrey.

We welcome applications from artists at various stages of their careers, from a range of backgrounds. We are particularly interested in artists who are keen to explore and develop work which encourages creativity in the community.

Successful applicants will be asked to commit to the full Advancing Artists 2 programme which will take place throughout 2019. The programme will include around 4 workshops, 2 larger networking events, with support to attend additional events such as conferences outside of the County.

We will, where possible timetable events to suit individual artists’ availability during the course of the programme. Each artist will be partnered with an appropriate mentor who will support throughout the programme.

We will select artists on the basis of the quality of their practice, their potential to benefit from our support, their interest in participating as part of the cohort and their interest in working with people and/or places within Surrey County.

Application process:

Applicants will be asked to respond to 3 prompts:

• Please tell us about your artistic work so far and your professional /creative aspirations for the future. Please also include any examples of your work and details of partners or collaborators who have engaged with or supported your work. (You may include videos and web-links).
• Please tell us about any specific areas and skills you wish to develop (for example; project development, working in mental health settings, working with young people etc.
• Please tell us how you intend to engage communities and/ or places within Surrey County in the future and how Advancing Artists 2 might help you better respond to local opportunities.

Fees:  AA2 is a fully funded programme and so, if selected you will not be required to pay any fees

If you require any access support with your application; please contact: Lucy Murray: lucy.murray@farnhammaltings.com

Deadline for Applications:  Friday 14^th September 2018.

Download your application here: AA2 Application Form

Please return your application form to Lucy Murray: lucy.murray@farnhammaltings.com

Decisions will communicated by Monday 8^th October 2018

We look forward to hearing from you.

Arts Partnership Surrey

Arts Partnership Surrey is a strategic alliance of nine local councils and trusts working together to shape and deliver a cultural offering for the whole county. We are committed to working in partnership with a wide range of statutory and non-statutory organisations, the voluntary sector, faith groups, charities and many others who share our ambitions to achieve our priorities.

Farnham Maltings

Farnham Maltings is a cultural organisation, based in south west Surrey, that exists to encourage the people of Farnham and further afield to participate in, shape and understand the world in which we live.  We believe that by being actively creative, connecting with others and articulating new ideas we will foster a happier, healthier and more inclusive set of communities.