‘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.

Louise Blackwell is this year’s recipient of the Farnham Maltings Fellowship. Louise, who was previously the co-director of Fuel, an independent producing company, has done much to shape the way theatre is created and presented in the UK and is now beginning a new chapter developing a structure to support artists aged 9 to 90 years old in Brighton and beyond.

Gavin Stride, director of the Maltings, says ‘We are delighted to be working with Louise in the realisation of her latest ambitions. This fellowship is based on the idea that if we can support others to achieve the things they want, then we are more likely to be realising our own ambitions to ensure that the south east has a vibrant independent theatre sector.’

This is the third Farnham Maltings Fellowship, following awards to Bucket Club and Action Hero as investments in time, money and support for artists and producers to take their ideas forward. The awards are made possible with the support of the Maltings Patrons and each runs for a year. Action Hero have spoken about the impact of their award in a blog here

Speaking about the potential value of the fellowship Louise commented “This is just what I need right now; money, time and space to develop ideas that will help visionary artists of the future. I look forward to supporting  people who may not have access to the opportunities I have had in my career so far.’

Farnham Maltings is also pleased to announce two new associate companies with whom they will be working to ensure the best independent theatre is made and presented across the region: Action Hero, who are currently working on Oh Europa and Flintlock Theatre who have secured Arts Council investment to produce Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People.

caravan 2018 is a three-day showcase presenting the best new performance from England to a selection of international and national promoters and presenters, delivered by Farnham Maltings and Brighton Festival.  caravan is a convivial event designed to encourage artists, commissioners, programmers and potential collaborators to explore new ways of working together, to share ambitions and to reach new audiences.

The caravan marketplace will be held on Tuesday 15 May 2018 between 10.00am and 12.00pm and is an opportunity for artists and companies to host a stand and to share information about current or future projects with approximately 60 national and international delegates.   A small subsidy is available to support travel and/or access costs.

For more information and to apply to be part of the marketplace, please complete the Application Form and submit by email to Jane Dunningham at jane.dunningham@farnhammaltings.com by 12.00pm on Friday 02 February 2018. 

Find out more about the caravan showcase

Forty of Britain’s biggest – and smallest – arts organisations will join a flagship £1 million scheme to help end the middle class domination of the arts by employing more graduates from lower income backgrounds.

Sage Gateshead, Turner Contemporary, Berwick Film and Media Arts Festival and Farnham Maltings are amongst 40 arts organisations taking part in the Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries programme.  Each get funding to host a graduate placement from a low income background for 12 months in a role new to the organisation, significantly increasing the host organisation’s capacity.

The bursary programme, now in its third and biggest phase, aims to open up entry level work opportunities for gifted graduates who received a full maintenance grant throughout university and who would struggle to do the unpaid work which acts as a gateway into the sector for up 88% of young people working in the arts today*.

The programme has already delivered success, with a new evaluation report showing how 60% of employers on the last phase had extended contracts with placements, or made them permanent, once the actual bursary ended.

Kate Danielson, Programme Director said: “Diversity is absolutely fundamental to the continued success of UK art and culture – whether it is diversity of artists, audiences or those working for arts organisations.”

“The Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries is about breaking down barriers to support this, levelling the playing field for young people from lower income backgrounds and making sure arts organisations can benefit from the skills and experience of all young talent.”

“This third phase is the most in-depth ever and we’re delighted to be working with 40 arts organisations who between them represent all corners of the country, a wide range of art forms and occupy very different positions within the wider arts and culture ecology of the UK.”

The Creative Bursaries programme, launched in 2010, also aims to embed diverse recruitment practices amongst the host organisations, share best practice across the sector about how to recruit as widely as possible to support diversity at entry level, and have an impact on the diversity and vibrancy of our future arts workforce.

For the first time ever, 12 of the Weston Jerwood Creative Bursary placements will get the chance to spend some of their year with an overseas arts organisation after the British Council joined the programme as a key delivery partner, and all 40 placements will attend an international arts festival together as part of the programme. Also for the first time, three of the hosts have been supported through PRS Foundation specifically to create music production roles.

Under this third edition of the programme, host organisations will pay 25% of the placement’s wage, with the remaining 75% coming from the bursary fund. All placements will be paid according to the Living Wage Foundation’s recommended salary. The selected hosts will now spend the autumn recruiting their participant before launching their individual placements in the New Year. The programme will end in February 2019 and the final evaluation of the programme will be completed in summer 2019.

The Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries 2017-19 programme is designed and managed by Jerwood Charitable Foundation in partnership with the British Council. It has been made possible through the combined support of Arts Council England’s Ambition for Excellence Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation, Jerwood Charitable Foundation, CHK Charities Limited and PRS Foundation.

Download the Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries 2014-16 Evaluation Report.

Download the Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries 2017-19 Hosts Announced press release.

Farnham Maltings is looking to commission and present a new piece of theatre which will be created and performed by elders from the Farnham area.

What is ‘My Shout’?

This new creation will be one of four pieces of art created by elders for ‘My Shout’, a Celebrating Age project (an initiative funded by Arts Council England and the Baring Foundation). My Shout aims to challenge stereotypes of ageing and present a vibrant and surprising alternative for what it means to grow old in England. We want to enable elders from our community to create art that has integrity, resonance and perhaps a touch of mischief.

Theatre performance commission

We will commission a theatre maker (an individual or small group) to work with a newly-formed group of elders to workshop, devise, develop and create a new performance. The theatre maker(s) will be responsible for leading the group, as well as writing, rehearsing and directing the performance. They will also produce the technical and design aspects of the production (although we can work with you to bring in the right people, as required).

The production will be a short performance of up to 30 minutes. The performance will be presented as part of Spark Youth Arts Festival and the audience is likely to be predominately young people living in Surrey.

We are looking for makers that can demonstrate their ability to work on bold, considered ideas with communities.

Theatre commission brief

Craft commission

We will commission a craft maker to work with a newly-formed group of elders to develop, design and create a new piece of craft that will sit in a public context. The piece will be displayed long-term in Farnham – potential sites include indoor and outdoor locations at Farnham Maltings, soon-to-be-renovated Gostrey Memorial Hall or another location in the town (subject to permission). We are looking for makers that can demonstrate their ability to work on bold, considered ideas with communities.

Craft commission brief

Closing date 12pm on Thursday 20 July 2017

For more information, visit My Shout