Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation — UK Branch

The UK Branch of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s Sharing the Stage initiative ran from 2014-2018. It supported arts projects in which vulnerable and under-served groups of people ‘share the stage’ with professional performers, and projects that are based on partnerships between arts organisations and social partners.

Phase One supported the research and development (R&D) stage of 14 consortia projects. Phase Two ran from 2016-18, supporting 10 consortia projects to full production of the work created through the participatory process. 

Established in 2000, Synergy Theatre Project works towards rehabilitation and resettlement with prisoners, ex-prisoners and young people at risk of offending through theatre and related activities whilst placing the wider issues surrounding criminal justice in the public arena.  

Synergy created Homecomings, a festival of new plays by prisoners and ex­-prisoners about getting out and going home, presented at Theatre503 in London from 21 February to 18 March 2017.  Homecomings was the culmination of Synergy’s goal to develop a festival of plays to bring the voices of prisoners and ex-prisoners into the mainstream, to create access to high-quality artistic experience for participants, and for audiences to engage with the criminal justice system.

Glory Whispers by Sonya Hale and The Monkey by John Stanley were scheduled for performance at Theatre503 from 21 February to 13 March 2017 with a joint programme/playtext published by Bloomsbury. 

"Taking part in getting my play come to life through the workshops and then from rehearsals to a read-through and finally the production has been an incredible experience from start to finish. To see my play being performed by professional actors at a theatre every evening has been extremely gratifying and is the only thing in my life I feel I can be proud at having achieved. Completing this project has made me realise that very occasionally in life dreams do materialise and for that reason alone it has made me feel good about myself" John Stanley

The Monkey by John Stanley played to capacity houses selling out during its second week at Theatre503, exceeding Box Office targets and achieving a raft of 4 and 5 star reviews.

“An entrancing whirlwind of character” ***** Remote Goat

Unmissable ***** “An unmissable show from an exciting writer that explores drugs and violence with truly compelling results.” James, Shears, Drama, Off West End, Reviews, 12 March 2017

Due to a last-minute change to the cast, Glory Whispers could not be performed in full. However, Synergy was able to honour a number of commitments: opening the festival with a public presentation of Glory Whispers; showcasing the play for friends at other venues and the Sharing the Stage cohort; accommodating invited women ex-prisoners and ex-addicts in recovery, as well as the public and industry professionals; and a pre-show talk on addiction and recovery.

“Glory Whispers ... is a raw, visceral, funny and above all authentic piece of writing about a world which is often either under-represented or mis-represented in the theatre. I would love to see Glory Whispers as a full-scale production and for the voices of the protagonists that Sonya has created to be heard by a wider audience.”  Andy Watson, Artistic Director, Geese Theatre

Although the tour to HMP Send for Glory Whispers was cancelled and The Monkey was unsuitable for performance in HMP Thameside due to its content, the first two acts were read and discussed by nine prisoners in the Reading Group, and copies of the playtext distributed and donated to the prison library. Extracts from The Monkey and Glory Whispers were also used on playwriting courses at HMPs Isis and Thameside. Writers on both courses participated in creative writing exercises, engaging with the craft of playwriting and learning how to apply elements to plan, create, shape and develop stories for the stage.

The production of The Monkey and rehearsed readings at Theatre503 reached audiences of over 750, playing to capacity houses in the final week with gross sales of just over £6,000. Readings at HMPs Thameside and Isis played to audiences of over 100 prisoners. Based on advance bookings, Synergy is confident that it would have exceeded targets if Glory Whispers had played its full run at Theatre503 and visited HMP Send.

Accessing art and gaining skills

Professional companies were assembled with casting led by Nadine Rennie, Casting Director for Soho Theatre, attended by professional directors Juliet Knight and Russell Bolam and the two ex-prisoner playwrights. Four ex-prisoners were directly employed in the roles of Assistant Directors and Assistant Stage Managers. Two further ex-prisoner writers attended rehearsals and performances of full-length readings of their plays at Theatre503.  The festival productions and readings engaged a total of eight ex-prisoners as direct participants. Thirty serving prisoners at HMPs Isis and Thameside participated in practical playwriting workshops delivered by professional playwrights Michael Bhim and Phil Davies. Eighteen of the prisoner participants went on to have their new plays performed in extract performed by professional actors at the prisons to audiences of over 100 prisoners and prison staff.

"Being in this negative situation, this is one of the most positive things I could have done" Emerson, prisoner writer participant at HMP Isis

Both writers were consulted on show marketing and participated in casting and rehearsal, gaining enormous experience from observing the rehearsal process and seeing their plays performed.  They have also progressed in their creative careers through the platform of Homecomings: Sonya was commissioned by Clean Break Theatre Company, participated in an Audio Drama writing workshop at Theatre503, an Arvon Foundation writing for television retreat and has developed two further plays which were produced in 2018, “Dean McBride” won the Heretic Voices open submission competition and was presented at the Arcola Theatre and Sonya was commissioned by The Big House to write “Bullet Tongue” which opened in November 2018.  Writer John was developing The Monkey into a screenplay and is in conversation with directors about his next play. He continues to write with support from Synergy's New Writing Manager.

Writer Martin continued to develop new screenplays and had a writing credit on My Name Is Lenny, released in 2017. There Is A Field has secured full funding including an Arts Council Grant and will premiere at Theatre503 in February 2019. John, Martin and Sonya are all currently writing new plays as part of an invitation project which Synergy have been running in partnership with Soho Theatre.

Writer Ed continued to develop The Political History of Smack and Crack with director Cressida Brown and a full production of the play visited the Edinburgh Fringe, Soho Theatre and played to prison audiences in 2018.  Stage Manager Karl took up a 12-month paid placement as Studio Assistant at Synergy, as part of its ex-prisoner training and employment programme.

Whilst ex-prisoner writers reported positive changes in terms of self-confidence, self-­belief and their own potential, ex-prisoner crew members focused on the benefits of participating in the work of theatre-making, reporting positively on being a part of a successful working team and widening their circle of friends.

"I have found that working with the production team and cast has allowed me to find new friendships and better working relationships." Karl, ex-prisoner and crew member on The Monkey

Artists gained unique access to the criminal justice system and prisoners’ and ex-prisoners’ stories, develop their practice and became advocates for the work:

"Having the opportunity to work with ex-prisoners gave me the knowledge and authenticity I needed to play the character as truthfully as I could" Danielle, cast of The Monkey

The professional cast and crew of The Monkey appreciated the value of working on new writing by ex-prisoners, in some cases it provided a new context for their practice; in others the presence of ex-prisoner writers gave them confidence in delivering the work and for those who were new to participatory work it created confidence in the value of such work.

"Working with fresh voices and dynamic people is inspiring. Seeing lives changed by Synergy is uplifting and what it's all about." Morgan Watkins, cast of The Monkey

Being heard and developing talent

"The play I wrote was about losing a child in addiction and it enabled me to heal massively around this - like all that pain and heartache has not gone to waste. Writing this play also enabled me to have greater dialogue with my son and our relationship is really flourishing:" Sonya, ex-prisoner writer of Glory Whispers

Homecomings, and especially The Monkey, raised awareness of the issues around the criminal justice system, challenging perceptions about prisoners and ex-prisoners with their audiences; the production humanised ex-prisoners, as recognised by a reviewer from a peer organisation:

"This portrayal of life after prison is frank and heartwarming in places. It shows the inner conflicts that underlie the want and need to start afresh coupled with the contrasting magnetism of home"  Kate Davey, National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance on The Monkey

Audience members were overwhelmingly positive in their responses to all the work in the festival, highlighting both the quality of the work and their enjoyment of the plays, as shown by the word cloud.

Synergy hosted two pre-show panels which were attended by public audiences including ex-prisoners. In addition, there was a post-show discussion and audience Q&A featuring the cast and writer following the performance of The Monkey on 9 March. These were lively, frank discussions which helped audiences to understand the challenges faced by people moving through prison to life on the outside and to illuminate the ways that artistic participation, specifically writing, had helped them to find ways to articulate their feelings, find empowering ways to make use of their past experiences and gain confidence and validation through doing so.

Within the arts sector, Synergy demonstrated that these voices create powerful, compelling drama that is relevant to society at large and of equally high quality as non-participatory performing arts.  Theatre503 is a respected venue and platform for first-time writers (to have their work performed), as many progress to theatres such as the Royal Court. Synergy felt the benefit of this partnership, as Theatre503's Artistic director Lisa Spirling announced Homecomings at the press launch of the new season in front of members of the national press and senior theatre industry professionals, and Synergy is now an Associate company.  The season was given parity with other professional productions in marketing, Theatre503 introduced Synergy to Chloe Nelkin Associates, who ran a positive Press and PR campaign. The readings of Glory Whispers were attended by industry representatives from The Royal Court Theatre, Clean Break Theatre Company, Soho Theatre and The Yard, which led to discussions about future productions with leading companies.

The main challenge was the unforeseeable loss of a leading professional actor so close to the date of the first performance, and although mitigated through the rehearsed readings and additional plays, it underlines the economics and pitfalls of small-scale touring: understudies are expensive, and three weeks is the minimum rehearsal time required to stage new, full-length plays. Synergy has revisited the recruitment process and put extra reference points into the process to ensure professional commitments are honoured.

The impact of cancelling the visit to HMP Send was minimised because although prison publicity had been distributed, Synergy intervened before the posters went up and the relationship with HMP Send remains positive.  

Synergy worked with Theatre503 to manage the change, and good communication on a daily basis strengthened ties with the venue.  The success of The Monkey demonstrated Synergy’s ability to deliver a high-quality production with strong reviews and sold out performances.

The legacy of the project included the opportunity for participants to engage with Synergy Studio's programme of free theatre-based training and employment opportunities, with courses available both in the prison and outside alongside work placement opportunities for prisoners on temporary licence and ex-prisoners.

Selina Busby, (Principal Lecturer and Course Leader, MA Applied Theatre), Central School of Speech and Drama has conducted interviews with Sonya Hale and John Stanley which are contributing to a longitudinal study which Central is carrying out into the long-term impacts of Synergy's work. Preliminary findings from the first phase of the study, which includes Homecomings, are summarised as follows:

" ... it is possible to identify three key areas of immediate impact for the individual participants: the development of aspirational thinking and goal building, the enhanced peer support and the development of key or transferable soft skills. The development of self-esteem and confidence is present in all three areas and is a fundamental by-product of participation in the projects."  Selina Busby, May 2017

Through the process, Theatre503 has become more open to future arts and criminal justice projects, and advocates of participatory work. The theatre has committed to a long-term relationship with Synergy, which has become an Associate Company, in addition to delivering a second Introductory Playwriting course for ex-prisoners in collaboration with Synergy.  Synergy will present There Is A Field at Theatre503 as part of their Spring 2019 season.

Following the success of the playwriting course at HMP Thameside, Synergy has consolidated its position by delivering two further projects, broadening the appeal and reach of their work by offering new opportunities for prisoners to write, perform and participate through spoken word and devising projects. Synergy has also delivered further projects at HMP Isis since Homecomings.

"We would welcome working on another project with Synergy", Neil Barclay, Librarian at HMP Thameside

Writers completing the courses at HMPs Isis and Thameside were encouraged to submit their plays to the 2017 Koestler Awards and invited to participate in the Synergy Studio series of theatre-based training courses for ex-prisoners, as well as playwriting courses for ex-prisoners, scheduled to be hosted by Theatre503 in Autumn 2017.

Bari, then a prisoner at HMP Thameside, won a 2017 Koestler Gold Award for his stage play Purple One and is currently seeking to self-produce his next play The Strip King at the 2019 Brighton Fringe Festival. HMP Isis participant Trey is now in discussions with Synergy for an Assistant Stage Management role. HMP Isis participant Ernest subsequently joined Synergy Studio after release, stage managed Synergy’s young people’s touring production of Blackout and gained his first ever accredited qualifications in acting and stage management. 

The festival left a strong positive impression with other arts organisations working within the criminal justice sector including members of staff from the Koestler Trust who attended multiple events.

Synergy successfully partnered with The Koestler Trust to deliver the stage play category for the 2018 Koestler Awards, providing playwriting workshops in six prisons. Outcomes included double the number of entries and performances of the winning plays in extract at HMP Whatton and the Royal Court Theatre. The partnership will continue in 2019.

The UK Branch of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s Sharing the Stage initiative ran from 2014-2018. It supported arts projects in which vulnerable and under-served groups of people ‘share the stage’ with professional performers, and projects that are based on partnerships between arts organisations and social partners.

Phase One supported the research and development (R&D) stage of 14 consortia projects. Phase Two ran from 2016-18, supporting 10 consortia projects to full production of the work created through the participatory process. 

Sage Gateshead, is a music organisation, a performance venue with three halls, a world-class chamber orchestra (Royal Northern Sinfonia) and an artistic programme with three parts: classical music; a programme of popular and contemporary music; and creative learning programmes for people of all ages, engaging about 17,000 participants each year. 

Sage Gateshead has been working in the West End of Newcastle since 2012, delivering immersive orchestral music-making every day with the aims of improving educational attainment, resilience and life chances. Sage Gateshead’s community engagement had increased significantly with these communities, learning a lot about how to support the musical life of people in West Newcastle. Sharing the Stage offered the opportunity to develop this learning and extend it through finding collaborative ways of working and developing long-term partnerships with key organisations in the city, to further benefit local communities.

In the production phase of Sharing the Stage, Sage Gateshead consolidated its R&D experience with We, the Crowd, a full performance in November 2016, collaborating with Royal Northern Sinfonia, Newcastle United Foundation and Unfolding Theatre.  The culmination of a nine-month long project explored what music and football mean in people’s lives in the West End of Newcastle.

“Music and football. It’s how we make memories. Like, every day, you just do the same thing, but going to a match, or going to a band, that’s what you remember.” Workshop participant

Within the overall Sharing the Stage programme, Sage Gateshead and its partners wished to achieve the following:

• develop inter-organisational and inter-sectoral working, shifting to embrace a collaborative way of working in future, by developing long-term partnerships between NUFC, the NUF and Unfolding Theatre, for the benefit of local communities
• engage the communities of West Newcastle living in socio-economic disadvantage, creating ways to reach the common goal of improving lives through arts, music and sport, and specifically to increase participation in music and sport for these communities of West Newcastle.
• develop ways of working that promote participatory democracy and recognise the importance of activism for wellbeing and health, with citizens involved in co-producing well-being and health; collectively as part of a whole of society approach to shaping the conditions in which we live, work and learn, and to specifically increase health and wellbeing, resilience and quality-of-life for participants, through developing the practice of Assembly in Newcastle. This included developing community activists and arts practitioners to support debate in response to local issues and engagement in participatory arts and sport.
• explore a place-based approach to supporting children and young people with Royal Northern Sinfonia, as part of its journey to become a “people’s orchestra”, through increased numbers of players delivering work which achieve social impact, and an increased number of people in underserved communities attending concerts.

We, the Crowd

The project, running from January to November 2016 had three phases: project setup (January to June); community consultation (June to October); project delivery and learning (October to November. Each partner had clearly defined roles. Sage Gateshead took the lead, with NUF supporting introduction to NUF groups, including the Kicks group, National Citizen Service group, the NUF coaching team and Health Bus and Newcastle Arts Team supporting Unfolding Theatre by facilitating access to community groups. Unfolding Theatre worked in collaboration with the partners and community groups in the West End of Newcastle and took the production lead.

Through a series of consultation workshops with community groups across the West End of Newcastle, Unfolding Theatre was able to gather the stories, ideas and perspectives of community members engaging with West End Voices, young people at Excelsior Academy, CHAT Trust, children and parents connected with In Harmony Newcastle Gateshead and young people at NUF’s programmes. One of the consultation events was a high-profile Family Fun Day bringing together football and music, with a temporary five-a-side pitch at Sage Gateshead, and coaching all day. The Health Bus also enabled the partners to begin conversations making the link between health and wellbeing and football and music; once again, it was an opportunity for Unfolding Theatre to gather stories and ideas to inform phase 2.

The performance at St James’ Park on 23 November 2016 brought together Royal Northern Sinfonia, Backyard Rhythm Section, Gypsy Lipstick, Hawthorn Primary School, West End Voices, Young Writers City (Excelsior Academy), and the communities of Newcastle’s West End. All the groups starred as crowds at a football match, singing alongside professional musicians. Actors took the roles of stewards telling the stories of real people they had met and talked to about how music and football impacted on their lives.

“Tonight’s performance explores what music and football mean in the lives of people in Newcastle’s West End. It brings together performers aged eight to 85, from diverse musical cultures, backgrounds and with different footballing allegiances. However, in all of the groups, people talked about togetherness. Whether they were playing football or music, people talked about how it forged friendships and brought the community together we hope tonight’s performance celebrates that.” Programme Note, We, the Crowd

Inter-organisational and inter-sectoral collaboration

“We have learned about how a big organisation can work with a smaller one in an equitable partnership.” Sage Gateshead

Sage Gateshead and the partners developed systems and processes that it shared as part of We, the Crowd, with particular success between Sage Gateshead and Unfolding Theatre, and feel that it had succeeded in developing new inter-organisational methods of working as a result. Another example of inter-organisational cross-fertilisation was the number of professional artists who had worked for Sage Gateshead and progressed to working for Unfolding Theatre, as part of We, the Crowd, which also provides a legacy of employment opportunities for creative practitioners in their hometown.

“There are new possibilities for Unfolding Theatre.” Unfolding Theatre

“I think we’ve established a fantastic base for a long-term relationship - the collaboration certainly gave two slightly different target audiences the chance to work together and try things they perhaps otherwise wouldn’t have.” Newcastle United Foundation

Engaging with the communities of West Newcastle

NUF, Sage Gateshead and Unfolding Theatre share the common goal of improving lives through arts, music and sport, as did the other key partners in the project. We, the Crowd provided them with the shared focus of working together to engage communities living in socio-economic disadvantage in West Newcastle. Project partners were identified due to their existing work within communities, recognising their expertise in the long-term nature of their work based within the community as the team were trying to reach. The project setup and consultation periods undoubtedly helped this. The feedback gathered during the project indicates that We, the Crowd did this at many levels:

“The project provided us with an opportunity to expand on the experiences offered by Young Writer’s City. It was great working in partnership with another organisation with the wider community. It brought together a group of young people who have since formed fondness and friendship with each other. And they all in one way or another have benefited from the friendship.” Staff member, New Writing North

“My dad didn’t want me to do things like this; he told me music will get me nowhere. I had to tell him I wanted to stay to do writing, and I think he thought it was something to help my handwriting because I have bad handwriting and he shouts at us about it. So, I just let him think it was that. But then after a while he found out I was song-writing. Then he got interested and was asking to hear it. I did a recording for him of us rehearsing and he couldn’t believe I had written it. He did believe me in the end and I think it made him feel proud. I think when he heard about St James’ Park, then he felt really proud and he started posting things on Facebook. And then I went for the Royal Northern Rock Talent Award and I won that to do some of my own song-writing and he felt proud of us, and he posted that on Facebook.” Participant, Excelsior Academy workshops

“It is something special when given the opportunity to express myself in this accepting, respectful way, helps me to feel part of things.” Participant, West End Voices

“The journey of We, the Crowd, it was their music, their decisions. We’ve noticed a change. They’re much more vocal now.” Senior Youth Worker, CHAT Trust

Ways of working that promote participatory arts

Through attending the Sharing the Stage learning community events, Sage Gateshead identified the need to develop and learn new ways of co-producing creative learning with people and communities through dialogue about what matters to them. The Family Fun Day, using the Health Bus to initiate conversations, and weekly sessions facilitated by a key/youth worker and a professional artist working collaboratively, were all ways in which Sage Gateshead learned new ways of working with people.  The professional artists all have personal connections with West Newcastle, which supported the relationship-building and allow for the development of a script that was based on the boat and conversations with local people, celebrating the benefits of being part of arts and sports activities:

“Music is always there. It keeps me grounded.

It’s a daily meal for me.

Songs can bring you back to places.

When everything is hard, music is easy.”

Evidence from participants’ workshops suggests that there was a positive distance travelled in terms of wellbeing, where participants provided a variety of narratives to demonstrate positive impact of the project on their lives. However, the short-term nature of the project (relatively speaking) precludes assertions about having demonstrated improved “wellbeing”. Participants lives are multifaceted and sometimes complex, and Sage Gateshead was clear about setting the limitations of being able to directly attribute sustainable improved well-being outcomes for a project like We, the Crowd. Nonetheless, the narrative gathered from participants indicates the impacts for individuals:

“I have written a song about my Mam because she has supported me through some really hard times when I was being bullied really badly. When I put pen to paper writing a song in that all the problems out and it took them away. Then it is easier to move forward. And I have actually forgiven them all. Being able to be part of a project like this makes everything more better. When life pulls you down you have to pull yourself back up. And I have actually had a hard time. The song the road is like about that. That we have to pursue our dreams and not give up.” Participant, Excelsior Academy sessions

“It is difficult to say how much this means to me. My wife has health issues (MS) which make it hard interact fully with the community. The choir is one place where she is accepted and can join in, with support. These events help to cement a feeling of inclusion and acceptance.” Participant, West End Voices

“Now I feel differently about school. It’s changed how I feel about school. I used to mess about and now I have stopped messing about.” Participant, Excelsior Academy sessions

Exploring a place-based approach

Sage Gateshead’s work in West Newcastle is aligned with a place-based approach for supporting children and young people from cradle to career, delivered through multi-partnership collaboration.  They embedded this by working with the local Unfolding Theatre, a demonstrable commitment to developing and embedding a place-based approach, appreciated by participants performing at St James’ Park, an iconic venue in Newcastle.  

“It was VERY exciting, because St James’ Park is a very, very big place and I don’t usually go there. It was my first time to go there and see it. It was very good.” Participant, Hawthorn Primary School

“The most notable opportunity provided was to perform at St James’ Park. That was both a huge challenge for them and an achievement. And it is a memory they all continue to draw strength and inspiration from.” Co-ordinator, New Writing North

“The Sinfonia were playing, and Excelsior Academy. There was a big choir. And does! It was a privilege to do this.” Participant, Hawthorn Primary School

“Most exhilarating. It was a lot of fun and just fabulous having Royal Northern Sinfonia playing alongside us. They were so friendly.” Participant, West End Voices

Five players from Royal Northern Sinfonia took part in We, the Crowd, which presented opportunities and creative challenges in bringing together professional and nonprofessional artist of the performance. All the participants played some familiar repertoire, and all learned something new:

“Fred’s song was brilliant, and it was really well-written for us because it was a challenge, but it wasn’t too hard. If it had had harmonies, it would be too hard. But because it didn’t it was great.” Professional artist

There is no doubt that bringing together different ways of making and presenting music brought opportunities underlining the effectiveness and benefits of collaborating with new groups and artists:

“For RNS musicians, the culmination of We, the Crowd certainly pushed our players out of their comfort zone in terms of how far they, themselves, had to go towards making the musical elements work. This required a certain amount of flexibility that is not usually required of them. I think there was also a general challenge in terms of marrying the culture and conventions of classical music making the high standard (which is what is required of our players day in, day out) with its fairly rigid ways, and the need for them to take a more relaxed approach to this kind of project, didn’t always run to plan or on schedule.” Classical Music Producer, Sage Gateshead

“The raw energy, I think came from a very well-produced show. It was all on the day, Fred was like, “can you just do that? Can we have this bit? And they (professional musicians) just said, “yeah, that’s fine!” - Scribble, scribble, scribble (action of amending their schools). I was worried it would throw them. But they were beautifully, not just professionally, engaged. Royal Northern Sinfonia is such a resource in the community.” Professional artist

Extensive learning took place throughout the development and delivery of We, the Crowd, which can be clustered into key themes:

The personal: during project reflection workshops, partners identified the personal and professional collections that were critical to the success of the project. Whilst professional connections played a key role in the partnerships, personal connections to West Newcastle were woven throughout; the team believe this to be significant in the building of relationships, establishing the trust of local people and organisations.

Connectors/connections: partners at an individual and organisational level identified the role and importance of connectors, in this case through the artists employed. As well as being connected to the place, they were also connected to the partner organisations, engendering a feeling of togetherness between participants, staff and organisations. Other connectors included Newcastle Arts Team, which was crucial in linking between Sage Gateshead, Unfolding Theatre and the people of West Newcastle and the organisations in their lives.

“We already had connections through previous pieces of work to CHAT Trust and West End Voices. We have connections to Hawthorn Primary School and New Writing North. Our role is one of brokering and making sure that we make the best collections of key individuals and organisations working in the West End. We hold an overview. We saw Sharing the Stage as an opportunity to further develop work with this organisation but also build a relationship with Sage Gateshead.” Newcastle Arts Team

We, the Crowd is part of a broader impact and new direction for Sage Gateshead; trusting Unfolding Theatre with the artistic process increase the potential for Sage Gateshead to change their way of working, including developing equitable partnerships.

“We believe being part of the Sharing the Stage Learning Community has shaped the direction of travel of Sage Gateshead Creative Learning Programme for the next five years.”

Unfolding Theatre produced a show as part of summer activity, one performance was a relaxed performance and Sage Gateshead facilitated a conversation with its partner North East Autism Society who advised on changes needed.

In 2019 Sage Gateshead is planning to work in partnership with Children North East to 'poverty proof' the organisation. This will enable all staff to understand what it means to live in poverty and agree what will change at Sage Gateshead to break down barriers and challenges to participation.

The Director of Creative Learning completed a Systems Change training with Forum for the Future School of Systems Change. A systems change approach is being used within Creative Learning and across the organisation.

Sage Gateshead has continued with the Sharing the Stage Action Learning Group, this has been invaluable in continuing to implement the learning from We, the Crowd and continuing organisational learning.

In 2019, Sage Gateshead is setting up a Youth Forum and Young Programmers group to consult with young people on organisational strategy and artistic programme.

Sage Gateshead recommended that Annie Rigby, Director of Unfolding Theatre, join the Well North Steering group, which steers the Well North arts in health multi partnership programme in a ward in West Newcastle, a ward in East Newcastle and two wards in Gateshead.

RNS has increased playing out in community centres and local schools.

The UK Branch of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s Sharing the Stage initiative ran from 2014-2018. It supported arts projects in which vulnerable and under-served groups of people ‘share the stage’ with professional performers, and projects that are based on partnerships between arts organisations and social partners.

Phase One supported the research and development (R&D) stage of 14 consortia projects. Phase Two ran from 2016-18, supporting 10 consortia projects to full production of the work created through the participatory process. Read the Sharing the Stage evaluation report here.

Established in 2006, the National Theatre of Scotland (NTS) is Scotland’s national Theatre Without Walls, creating, co-creating and touring work to theatres, village halls, schools and site-specific locations, both at home and internationally. 

The second phase of Sharing the Stage focused on the production of Home Away, as part of NTS’s 10^th Anniversary year, and formed an integral part of its strategy to develop and enhance participatory arts as part of the mainstream offer from NTS.  

The project title and theme Home Away gave the opportunity for five communities in Scotland and five communities from across the world - groups from diverse, multi-cultural, multi-nationality, cross-generational and cross-gender backgrounds - to explore the idea of being at home and being away, being in your comfort zone and out of it.

Within the Sharing the Stage programme, NTS’s main goals were to:

1. Develop collaborative arts projects with five communities in Scotland and five communities across the world – Home Away
2. Showcase all the shows internationally and as part of NTS’s 10th anniversary festival and symposium in October 2016

NTS undertook an ambitious programme of creation and curation of 10 productions led by professional artists working in participatory settings, culminating in a world festival of theatre from 8-12 October 2016 at the renowned Tramway venue in Glasgow.

“High quality performances; fantastic experience and great atmosphere.” Audience member 

Alongside the performance and workshop programme, a symposium on participatory arts was created and included partnership and contributions from British Council, Scottish Association for Mental Health, Scottish Refugee Council and Creative Scotland.

“This project has been immensely empowering for me as an artist and leader. The opportunity to honour the stories of my community, connect with new people, and bring a project to fruition has filled me with a strong sense of pride, accomplishment, and inspiration.” Group Director

NTS developed collaborative art projects with five communities in Scotland and five communities across the world. 

All 10 shows were showcased internationally, and as part of NTS’s 10th anniversary festival and symposium.  Over 8,000 people attended or participated in the festival, programme or symposium over the course of five days.  The productions, workshops and symposium program focused around “marginalised” communities having a platform to create world-class theatre and share their stories in a “mainstream” context, challenging perceptions of the communities. The groups that took part were identified as follows:

 ‘Home Away proved what you can do with partnerships’, Simon Sharkey, NTS

Key to the overall success of the development and production of Home Away was partnership working: the British Council, Scottish Association for Mental Health, Scottish Refugee Council, Creative Scotland, LGBT Scotland, Glasgow Life and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation committed resources, support and money. The quality of the partnerships allowed the group to be ambitious in their creative scope and the level of investment, having sufficient time to create and curate 10 new works with 10 communities.  The project set a standard of excellence in national and international collaboration and production through participatory arts, and the NTS now has an international network and a robust model of practice that can be built on in order to achieve its goals in the future.

“At the end of it all, I think the biggest impact has been on our children. This will give them so much confidence about who they are in their place in this country and their relation with the greater world!” Group Directors, Memori

Great art through participatory practice

“The process was strongly affirming that participatory arts can successfully create meaningful change.  I’m eager to collaborate with international artists and communities to make theatre that is impactful on those in the audience and those participating.” Group Leader

“It was a wonderful show, important and thought-provoking, and excellent acting.”  Audience member, Bargad Ki Chhaon Mein

The productions played across the world to critical and audience acclaim with standing ovations and social media reaction as testimony to the standard and impact of the shows and their content. The common themes and threads that ran through a number of the performances showed the links between heritage, tradition and language and how important it is to keep it alive, now, and in the future.  Audience responses can be seen here: https://www.nationaltheatrescotland.com/production/home-away/ and on NTS’s online channel: https://www.youtube.com/ntsonline In addition to social media, video and observation, audience feedback (80 individual responses across the Festival) was almost unanimously positive (scoring nine or 10) for the quality of the production, the content, ideas, relevance and whether they would recommend this to others.  There were many thoughtful comments which demonstrate that these 10 works told powerful stories and opened up windows into others’ lives:

“It’s a fascinating topic that really brings the idea of ‘home’ into greater clarity – it brings a universal feeling to the heart.” Participant, workshop and Fuaigh Fosgail

“Theatre itself brings the change, wherever it is, bringing different cultures together.” Audience member commenting on entire programme.

Raising profile, expectations and aspirations

“It’s a great idea to bring all the people from all around the world, and share everything: sadness, happiness.  I felt very lucky to meet these amazing people! I just loved it. Believe.” Audience member, multiple events

“What made a cancer specialist, several busy executives, doctors, civil servants, students, homemakers, teachers to be rehearsing every night sometimes even up to 2 AM in the morning for the last few months?! I could come up with only one answer: deep down, we are still attached to our “home” and the stories are about a part or time of our life which is integral to our being, in our genes, our identity, our very existence, which just inadvertently guided us to become committed like this. We wanted to tell, and boy, we wanted to tell!” Group Director, Memori

Home Away featured on several radio stations, television reports, media outlets and digital forums. Scotland’s main TV News programmes featured the festival as did BBC Radio Scotland. Several features were run in the national broadsheets and tabloids. A microsite for the project was created and had a very active hit rate.

“The power of theatre to reach across countries and cultures for the common good is evident from the NTS’s Home Away festival.” Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman (magazine)

“This work has placed a real value on people telling their stories and holding the work to a professional standard.  I hope this has helped to change some of the stigma that’s existed.” Group Leader

Home Away extended its reach beyond the arts and cultural sectors, with the British Council, Scottish Refugee Council, Scottish Mental Health Week and several other agencies promoting the festival and participating in the symposium. There was praise and expression of the will to raise expectations and continue with the standards of practice that the festival and programme achieved, and this increased profile and aspirations cross-sectorally has continued subsequently.  Scotland’s Minister for Culture visited and supported the programme, as did the Vice-Consul for India, whilst the US Embassy supported the Chicago group.  This support undoubtedly optimised the profile for Home Away and participatory art, whilst demonstrating to supporters, partners, collaborators, artists and participants that expectations were as high as “mainstream” productions.

Having this high profile resulted in an increased awareness of participatory art, and through the 10 pieces, the lives, stories and creative work of the groups involved.

“To say that I got to be a lead artist on a project with the National Theatre of Scotland is honestly a dream come true! I have admired NTS for years and the Chicago theatre community is well aware of the company’s great work too. There was so much pride from the North-Western Settlement, Adventure Stay Chicago, Old Town School of Folk, and the city of Chicago getting to align their name with NTS and the country of Scotland for this festival.” Group Leader

Developing audiences and investment

“Home Away is important… because Scotland is a country with a wide range of communities of people of different cultures representing themselves and their stories together.” Audience member, workshops and performances

Participatory art often creates audiences, from the communities with whom the directors and creators are working: people want to see the result and outcomes of their collaboration and sharing of ideas and experiences.  Therefore, Home Away brought new audiences to the Tramway, as well as sharing these new works with audiences in and around Glasgow.  Audience statistics show that over 8,000 people attended the performances across the world and at the Festival.  Completed surveys indicate that many people saw several of the productions as well as taking part in workshops and events, offering many new cultural experiences and offerings, and that audiences were keen to take part in this Festival of World Theatre.

Alongside the Sharing the Stage funding, NTS, Creative Scotland, British Council, Scottish Mental Health Week and Glasgow Life all invested money in Home Away, in addition to other resources – such as staff time, marketing and promotion – investing in delivery to the highest standards – artistically, creatively, organisationally and meeting the needs of participants and communities.

Initial funding often levers further income, as an initial grant or sponsorship expresses confidence in a project’s viability. Home Away was no exception, as NTS was able to attract two significant private sector sponsors, in turn accessing Arts and Business Scotland funding and support.

Highlight issues affecting communities

Home Away brought the issues affecting the communities who took part in the Festival to several audiences or groups:

• Policy-makers and government. As well as the Minister for Culture, other decision-makers attended the performances, with Hamsa Yousef MSP and Frank MacAveety, Leader of Glasgow City Council speaking at events during the Festival. Transgender rights and needs have since been put on Glasgow City Council’s city venue policies, and NTS have been working with Maslaha, looking to influence policy and practice around Muslim women.
• Artists, directors and creatives have been able to collaborate with diverse, wide-ranging communities, to find powerful and new ways to highlight the issues affecting those communities:

“It has brought a wonderful clarity to my aims for artistic practice. It was an inspiring and powerful project that has made me feel more optimistic and hopeful about how work about queer people can be made accessible to a non-queer audience. It has given me the confidence to commit to engaging more with hard to reach communities that deserve to have their stories told.” Group Leader

These issues were communicated in turn to audiences and workshop participants.  As shown from some of the feedback gathered, the issues hit hard, and many people commented on the importance of learning about each other:

“You can tell that the whole group really care about the work they do.  The joy and enthusiasm: it was great to get an image of what life in Dundee might be like.” Participant, Scottish Dance Theatre workshop

“It’s important that cultures and experiences are shared, to give this diverse population information about the history of each other.” Audience member, Memori

“I chose all the tens [highest score] because I was heavily impacted by the performance and it brought me information I never knew.” Audience member, Memori

“This work would be important anywhere; a bit too close for comfort, very strong.” Audience member, Reprise, The Hidden House, Antes Que Todo Acabe

 Developing opportunities for participants

“Big experiences that are full of adventure often bring people together and that is certainly true for the Chicago group. Two of the community cast members in Reprise had never been out of the country and one had never been on a plane before… this experience has changed their lives and the rest of the team in our own ways. The exposure to other cultures and the warm welcome we all received from Glasgow has left a lasting impression on all of us.” Group Leader

Home Away provided any number of opportunities for the participants, including:

• International travel and employment opportunities
• Training for recently emerged artists
• Active membership of a worldwide network
• Training in theatre practice with international artists

“Taking part brought me close to the young people I worked with, a new group formed specially for the project and it was great to have been able to bond with them through making the show together. It was amazing to see them radiate with joy and excitement at talking and dancing with the people they met through the festival. To hear them talk with great warmth about people they met from Chicago and India, in addition to their peers from Jamaica, was very heart-warming.” Group Leader

Directors and participants identified the opportunity to extend their reach to audiences and other communities, particularly the chance to physically meet and work with others from across the world:

“Home Away has allowed us to develop a project that we feel fulfils our aim to make Gaelic theatre accessible and to connect with other marginalised communities. We hope we can now tour the show to a wider audience.” Fuaigh Arts Collective

Other identified opportunities, which will continue to drive the awareness and aspirations for participatory art included access to:

• policy and decision-makers who distribute grants and finance
• models of best practice from across Scotland and the rest of the world
• collaboration on future projects such as Brazil and India, Gaelic and Aborigine double bill featuring as a world tour

“This has been a key that has opened more doors for me from simple things, like powerful people responding to my emails who may have ignored me before, to being considered for new work opportunities.” Group Leader

“Most of the artists involved in the project had not worked with the NTS before; by working with them we are hearing from a new and exciting diverse group of creatives” Group Leader

The skills and expertise shared with the project included many examples of good practice from across the world.

“The learning gained from the learning community was invaluable. The wider UK context of the practice was highlighted and allowed us to see our strategies in an international context.” Simon Sharkey, NTS

The NTS learned that maintaining key relationships between itself and each group was important in order to maintain creative conversations, push the boundaries, be a sounding board mental to encourage great art. It learned that keeping groups informed that the context is vital and that it had to support the artists and participants in understanding how their performance would fit with the festival programme and how each group would be paired and marketed as a double bill.

The delegate programme was a new area for NTS, and it learned a lot in terms of programming fitted within the festival. A significant learning is that there is a great demand for the sharing of practice and cooperation in advocacy for participatory arts.

Home Away has enabled NTS to build on a continuing narrative with a number of legacy outcomes.

The programme, festival and symposium were a success and have a legacy in multiple connections between marginalised communities across the world exercising their voice for the good of society. Proof of the legacy lies in the co-productions that have been planned, the request to have the model replicated or repeated on a biennial basis, and the adoption of each other’s techniques, models and approaches to creating art to lobbying for participatory arts practice to be recognised.

Home Away has raised awareness of participatory performing arts among non-participants and across different sectors, for example, the partnership with the Association of Mental Mental Health Scotland is ongoing, and it is supporting a programme with the NTS.

Local authorities and international institutions such as CESC in Rio, The Settlement House in Chicago and Manifesto Jamaica all expressed a desire to stay connected and have changed their approaches to working with artists and communities as a result of involvement in this project.

The individual participating groups have also taken the experience forward:

• There is an appetite from Fuaigh Collective to continue the pairing with Fred Leone and the Australia group
• Wildbird received funding from Tomintoul and Glenlivet Landscape Trust to take its show on a rural tour to develop its piece of work further with a view to it having a continued life.
• NTS had discussions with CIRCA in Australia with a view to replicating the programme and festival as part of Australia 2018 Commonwealth Games Cultural Programme.
• The British Council has continued to support NTS’s work with Manifesto Jamaica that came out of a project. It has extended an invitation to roll it out in Trinidad and the Caribbean with disengaged young boys who were on the verge of dropping out of full-time education.
• NTS has connected with Maslaha and is in discussion about a programme for young Muslim women as a result of this festival.

The UK Branch of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s Sharing the Stage initiative ran from 2014-2018. It supported arts projects in which vulnerable and under-served groups of people 'share the stage' with professional performers, and projects that are based on partnerships between arts organisations and social partners.

Phase One supported the research and development (R&D) stage of 14 consortia projects. Phase Two ran from 2016-18, supporting 10 consortia projects to full production of the work created through the participatory process. 

Graeae is the world’s first theatre company led by D/deaf and disabled performers. Graeae champions the inclusion of D/deaf and disabled people in the arts through intensive actor and writer training initiatives; access support for creative and learning situations; workshops and training programmes for young artists; and a range of training models for the creative sector.

Graeae aimed to create a major outdoor performance, animation and permanent memorial to celebrate the contribution of veterans who have become disabled through war, but who have never been commemorated as a casualty of war.  This became This Is Not For You, directed by Jenny Sealey, written by Mike Kenny and performed by Blesma, The Limbless Veterans, professional performers and local community choirs.  The production was co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW and Blesma, The Limbless Veterans and supported by Arts Council England in addition to the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (UK Branch).  The project was successful because of these and other partnerships, working across sectors:

• Blesma, The Limbless Veterans helps all serving and ex-Service men and women who have lost limbs, or lost the use of limbs or eyes, to rebuild their lives by providing rehabilitation activities and welfare support.
• The Drive Project is an award-winning social enterprise developing projects that build communities, producing creative projects that support an individual’s path to recovery and reach a huge public audience, and for businesses they deliver transformative training and talks built to inspire, empower and motivate.
• The National Centre for Circus Arts is a registered charity and one of Europe’s leading providers of circus education, which involves thousands of people in the creation and performance of circus arts every year. 

There were four main strands to the project: 

1. giving wounded veterans a new set of skills in circus arts, storytelling and performance
2. creating and presenting a story that resonated and was inspired by the lives of wounded veterans
3. building bridges between wounded veterans and their local communities
4. working with veterans and military choirs to share the story with audiences of up to 10,000 people in total, over four performances.

This Is Not For You had a number of intended outcomes and impacts: creating a body of artistic content that was both beautiful and affecting; for the veterans to feel skilled-up, listened to and represented with authenticity; creating a lasting impact on participants and audiences that broke down barriers and opened up future opportunities.  

This Is Not For You is still delivering on the outreach programme, and working with François Matarasso on an independent evaluation, an investment that allowed Graeae to develop appropriate mechanisms for assessing the impact on participants.  Graeae, with the National Centre for Circus Arts, trained 25 disabled veterans in performance especially for This Is Not For You.

This Is Not For You was performed in the summer of 2018 as part of the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival, reaching an audience of 1,600 people over four performances, and Stockton International Festival reaching an audience of 2,300 people over three performances with choirs of 75 participants over the two performance locations.  This was supported by an outreach programme during the autumn term of 2018 with schools and community groups and a micro-site: http://tinfy.org/

Graeae succeeded in its aims and objectives for participants and practitioners, and gained valuable organisational experience, which is evidenced by the feedback and outputs gathered as part of the ongoing evaluation. 

Making great art

This Is Not For You was an outdoor performance paying to Britain’s wounded veterans from the First World War as well as more recent conflicts, both men and women, whose contributions to history often go unnoticed.  The audience response was overwhelmingly positive, as demonstrated in the analysis of returned feedback forms; some 60% were new to Graeae’s work, extending both reach and awareness for inclusive theatre.  Individual comments indicated the impact of the piece:

“The show challenged the audience to consider the experiences of disabled veterans with viewpoints that are little understood and often unrepresented. The cast of veterans added an integrity and truth to the performance which was uncomfortable at times but completely absorbing and inspirational.” Audience member

“It brought home the fact that the war dead get much more recognition than the wounded and disabled.” Audience member

Providing opportunities for participants

The experience of training and rehearsing was transformational for some of the participants, and some veterans took to the training from the start. The discipline and physicality of circus skills training matched the rigour and precision required in the army.

“I LOVED every minute and learnt so many new things which normally would be out of bounds for a wheelchair user. The Graeae experience has brought me out of my reclusive shell. I have grown in confidence well away from my comfort zone. I have felt very much loved and supported.  I have continued with singing lessons, my voice is developing into a soprano. (before This Is Not For You, I didn't even know I could sing!) I've made a great circle of friends who I still meet up post This Is Not For You.”  Participant

Since the production, the veteran participants have taken their experience and fed it into other projects:

• Many veterans are using their storytelling skills to tell their own story in Blesma’s schools outreach programme
• One participant has been employed by Graeae to co-deliver the This Is Not For You outreach campaign, her first professional paid engagement in nine years. She reported that she had previously thought herself unemployable, and Graeae is working with her to build her skill set and deliver more workshops in future.
• Two participants performed in Unspoken, a play by Bravo 22 Company at the Edinburgh Festival
• The Drive Project has been engaged by Blesma to offer wraparound support for veterans that need it. A number of participants have been assigned Blesma Support Officers and a couple have been given counselling to help them take their learning forward in a safe way.
• Some participants went on to training in British Sign Language and voice skills.

Graeae worked with experienced theatre professionals in a context that stretched, challenged and enthused them, reporting that:

• The ground and aerial choreographers learned about setting safe working limits with participants who are still adapting to their new physicality. This was the first time the composer and musical director had worked with this group of people, creating a soundscape that utilised the vocal ranges of trained and untrained choirs. 
• For the D/deaf and disabled practitioners in the team, this was an opportunity to work with people that didn’t form part of their normal group, exposing them to different opinions and perspectives and different attitudes towards disability. Graeae’s professional practitioners were able to reflect on how far they had come from when they first came into contact with the company.

Organisational development

This was the first time that Graeae had worked with veterans on this scale, and within the organisation, each department adapted to situations as they arose.  Accommodation was seldom as accessible as promised; travel was chaotic; the production was performed in the middle of a heatwave; the non-standard rehearsal space was not ideal for all the access needs of the group; and the access needs of the team were much higher than anticipated. However, the team were quick to respond and were in constant communication when finding solutions. 

Since the production: 

• Graeae has adopted a Code of Conduct, which applies to all staff, freelancers and volunteers to help create a safe working environment for people of different backgrounds and experiences, adopted by all the veterans while rehearsing and performing the show.
• All Graeae permanent staff have now been trained as Mental Health First Aiders and had dignity at work training.
• Graeae created a legacy pack for this production which has gone out to all participants and is currently fundraising for future project, to continue working with the veterans.

“The learning was immense and intense.”

The length of time to develop This Is Not For You enabled Graeae to engage the creative team and develop the work at a timescale that enhanced the project overall, for instance, removing the pressure to achieve everything within a dedicated three-week rehearsal period.  It also gave the creative team time to build relationships and trust with participants and develop the themes of the work and the aesthetic of the piece.  This longer timescale also benefited participants: having the resources and space to develop this project over a long period made the transition to active participant and performer more manageable.

There were a great number of positives from the project, but there was also room for reflection on some of the challenges people faced.  Graeae was vigilant about supporting its practitioners throughout the project, and avoiding feelings of vulnerability, but admits that had it known the level of access support needed for some people, it would have built a larger personnel infrastructure to ensure that everyone was less stretched. On reflection, it is likely that the company would have either reduced the number of participants, increase the rehearsal time or do both to reduce the demands placed on the team over a short period of time. 

One tangible change that occurred was within the organisation: how Graeae worked with and valued participants. The creative team learned a huge amount about working with people who were new to the arts and new to identifying as disabled.  The company also invested in learning around mental health, and how the company can support people when they are in a place of poor mental health. That will benefit Graeae’s work as it moves forward, having made a commitment continuing to work with disabled veterans.

The UK Branch of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s Sharing the Stage initiative ran from 2014-2018. It supported arts projects in which vulnerable and under-served groups of people 'share the stage' with professional performers, and projects that are based on partnerships between arts organisations and social partners.

Phase One supported the research and development (R&D) stage of 14 consortia projects. Phase Two ran from 2016-18, supporting 10 consortia projects to full production of the work created through the participatory process. 

Nic Green is a performance maker based in Glasgow, Scotland. Her work is varied in style and method, with forms often ‘found’ through collaborative and relational practices with people, place and material. She is the Artist in Residence at National Theatre Scotland for 2017-2019. She also teaches regularly at Glasgow University, on the Theatre Studies Undergraduate programme.

Artsadmin enables artists to create without boundaries, producing interdisciplinary work to share with local, national and international audiences. For this project, Artsadmin supported Nic Green’s development and delivery of TURN.

Nic Green produced TURN (co-funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation), a performance project created especially for the Govan Dry Docks with collaboration with the women and community groups around Govan, seeking to provide a way for unheard voices to tell their stories. Nic Green and the communities worked with Naomi Pinnock (composer), Yas Clarke (sound design), Rosie Galloway (bell-maker) and Feral Producers Jill Smith and Kathryn Boyle.  

TURN began through Nic Green's research into the Clydeside communities and places where river-based industries had once been in operation with the intention of creating a temporary, outdoor spectacle. During this research Nic Green found that a defining strand running through such communities was gender. Post-industrial narratives predominantly focused on the male experience of work, or worklessness and connections made between gender and material, for instance referencing 'men of iron' and 'men of steel'. The power of these dominant narratives meant Glasgow was a place that contained a wealth of invisible and unheard stories, often relating to the female experience in post-industrial communities.

​The TURN project drew a number of ‘circles’ in its creation. It paid attention to the macro-cycles of moon and tide, and the project itself was structured around and consciously integrated into these systems. Within this the project drew geographical circles in and around Govan, with the creation of hand-cast handbells and ringing of church bells, as well as presenting the stories of local life cycles and change, through the voices of women celebrating their birthdays. 

Over 9 months the team engaged over 30 organisations across Govan, formed a choir of 21 'Ringer Singers', supported 7 'Birthday Women Speakers' and welcomed 536 audience members to the final performances.

The intention was to create a celebration of the cycles and transitions that surround, form and influence our lives. From the planetary-lunar and tidal shift, to the human processes of ageing, the performance marked the interaction of 'turnings' on many scales. ​Bringing together radio-broadcast speech, a bespoke choir and a series of hand-cast bells made in and with the people of Govan, TURN was a unique performance of people, place and acoustic instrumentation across three significant dates in the lunar calendar for September 2016.

Partnerships and collaboration

All handbells rung in the performance were created for a specific organisation or individual in, or connected to, Govan. Each bell was cast in bell bronze in the DIY foundry at the GalGael Trust, and features an inscription in relief, chosen by each bell-owner. By the end of the project the team had made 29 bells in total (one for every day of the lunar cycle), for the following people and organisations:

Govan C, Buzzcut, Galgael, Govan Allsorts, FNUF, Scottish Maritime Sailing Trust, Govan Fair, The Pearce Institute, Govan Housing Association, Oar Wee Garden, Cafe 13, Sunny Govan Radio, Glasgow Press, Bead n Blether, Alasdair McIntosh, African Arts Centre, Women's Creative Company, Govan and Craigton Integration Network/ Govan Community Project, Riverside Hall, Mighty Fine Theatre, Hells Bells, Plantation Productions, The Shed, Moogerty Garden, Northlight Heritage, Govan Old Church, Unity Cafe, St Mungo Singers and Friends of Elder Park.

A key partner in realising the creation of the bells was the team at the GalGael Trust based in Govan. GalGael has been working alongside the unemployed in Glasgow's south since 1997. It provides a space in which people can re-connect with themselves and re-connect with the people and the communities around them. GalGael’s work uses traditional wood craft to restore a sense of self-respect and self-worth.

Creating great art

"Participating has allowed me to extend my musical skills and knowledge, provided the opportunity to meet some interesting people and to feel part of an inclusive community. We very quickly came together as a group whereby I felt I could trust being myself and express creativity" Choir Member

TURN focused on the relationships between diverse entities. The form and methodologies of the project were committed to emphasising the complex interweave between people/place, sound/space, human/non-human and past/present.

“I really enjoyed performing as a storyteller on the full moon and having the opportunity to do this in a in a natural environment and for an appreciative audience. It was great to tell my life story and to be witnessed and know that the telling of my story made a positive impact to many listeners. The project offered me a chance to step out of my comfort zone and develop as a performer. I have wanted to use my voice for some time and this was the perfect opportunity for me to do that." Woman Speaker

Through a multi artform approach, the work created a unique interplay between autobiographical storytelling, radio technologies and vocal composition which invited audiences to reconsider the parameters of contemporary performance.  There were strong and positive responses in the media and TURN attracted national interest across Scotland.

"Govan is such a diverse and historical area and is much changed from the past. It felt like the access we had to the closed docks was like the access into other people's lives and memories and experiences." Audience Member

As a company, Nic Green & Feral are interested in taking work out of ‘black box’ theatres and into civic or public spaces to reduce perceived barriers to engaging with performance art.  Working on TURN gave them the opportunity to test themselves in this field.

Being part of the Sharing the Stage learning community was valuable in terms of thinking about care, legacy and authenticity with regard to participatory practice.

Nic Green & Feral identified the main benefits of TURN as follows:

• Gaining new insight in how to stage large-scale participatory projects.
• Raising the company’s profile on a local and national scale.
• Increasing confidence in conceptually challenging yet accessible work.
• Learning how to better support artists working in participatory contexts.

Feral has continued to work with the Heritage Festival Doors and Open Days, which specialise in opening up heritage to audiences, so they can access spaces virtually closed to the public.

Nic Green continues to conceive context-specific artworks with place and communities.  She is currently working with National Theatre Scotland and Scottish Association of Mental Health on LIKE FLYING; a sited, aerial performance made with teenagers in two local authorities in Scotland.

The UK Branch of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s Sharing the Stage initiative ran from 2014-2018. It supported arts projects in which vulnerable and under served groups of people 'share the stage' with professional performers, and projects that are based on partnerships between arts organisations and social partners.

Phase One supported the research and development (R&D) stage of 14 consortia projects. Phase Two ran from 2016-18, supporting 10 consortia projects to full production of the work created through the participatory process. 

Geraldine Pilgrim works across theatre and the visual arts. She stages installations and site-specific performances in occupied and deserted historic houses, buildings and landscapes. She is Artistic Director of Geraldine Pilgrim Performance Company which she set up to create performances and events, predominantly with older people, young people and arts and community groups. 

Geraldine Pilgrim's goal for the production phase of Sharing the Stage was to challenge the perceptions of age in the wider arts sector and in society, and to promote opportunities to learn, explore and develop throughout one’s life through Sitting Comfortably.

In particular, Sitting Comfortably sought to:

• develop sustainable and committed partnerships that would provide continued support
• counter negative perceptions of old age in the arts sector and in society
• give a platform for older people’s stories and the voices that are seldom heard

Sharing the Stage supported the creation of two touring versions of the same show, which maintained the integrity of both purposes socially and artistically.

1. October 2016, a low-tech site-specific production of Sitting Comfortably took place in the George Crouch extra care home in Dagenham, with one performance for an invited audience of residents and staff and one performance for an invited audience of friends and family of the residents. This came out of an intensive, immersive seven days of preparation.
2. February 2017, a theatrical version (including a hired revolving stage) for the Broadway Theatre in Barking was presented with a free performance for 40 invited residents of care homes and sheltered housing in Barking and Dagenham, and members of the Peel Centre King’s Cross (one of the partner organisations). The public paid performance had 151 attenders with an intergenerational and cross cultural audience from Barking and Dagenham, other parts of London plus a number of theatre professionals who made their first visit to the Broadway, the spreading reputation of the theatre beyond the local to Greater London and national arena.

Sitting Comfortably

Sitting Comfortably was about memories of older people in care homes, often confined to a wingback chair facing nowhere, and how they remember happiness and joy, as well as grief and loss.  The project was a response to the current narrative around older people only remembering unhappy events in their lives – Sitting Comfortably was about happiness. The show was generated by two years of research, which saw the team visiting sheltered housing, extra care homes, nursing homes, stroke centres and community centres, interviewing people to gather their memories of happiness.

Working with an expanded cross-generational cast of young and older professional performers and local older volunteer performers, the team were able to work not only with the original participants from Barking and Dagenham but also for newly recruited older performers and five younger performers.

Sustaining partnerships

Geraldine Pilgrim successfully gained and sustained the support of their project partners, to the extent that it created momentum. For example, the Catherine Low Settlement supported the early stages, even though the distance from Wandsworth to Barking and Dagenham made it difficult for them to participate in the later stages. Their initial support made the project possible. Other partners included the Peel Institute and Novak Collective, and the performance programme shows the range of other partners and collaborators that Geraldine Pilgrim gathered for Sitting Comfortably.

Sitting Comfortably created and nurtured other partnerships, which supported the company’s learning as well as making the two versions possible:

• Chelsea Theatre, the use of its theatre enabled a research showing of initial ideas including a hired revolving stage, enabling the idea of the winged armchair to be developed,
• Artsadmin with rehearsal space also enabled the idea of the winged armchair to be developed, helping to realise it for the mainstage production
• Broadway Theatre Barking, which programmed the piece of work and also benefited from seeing that there is an audience for this work,
• the George Crouch Extra Care Home which embraced the company’s presence and offered the opportunity for their residents to participate
• the relationship with Creative Barking and Dagenham (CBD) was also deepened, and in fact CBD awarded a small grant towards supporting the marketing of Sitting Comfortably to reach a local audience of older people and increase the profile of the Broadway Theatre locally. It also supported the company in reaching out to individuals and organisations who came to the free dress rehearsal, arranging transport and refreshments for them.

Countering negative perceptions of old age

Sitting Comfortably was a participatory performance inspired by memories of happiness from residents of care homes and sheltered housing. This in itself challenged the common perception that old age is miserable.

“My mum and dad spent their last days in a residential old folks home in Southgate and I really appreciated the poetic compression of so many episodes filled out those days, not to mention elegant projection tech that somehow made a bridge between the lost world of Capra and the world beyond the home, the one that perhaps the young carers return to on their days off.” Audience member

The creative process undertaken by the company with the participants over a number of months, which culminated in Sitting Comfortably, inspired the younger performers and made possible a number of strong bonds between the generations. Young people were invited to attend performances, and were enthusiastic in their responses and reactions, again indicating that making intergenerational events can start to counter negative perceptions.

“The young people were fabulous; I could have been their grandmother.” Participant

“They made no distinction between us, even at 83 I felt included, even though we are different generations.” Participant

The power and professionalism of Sitting Comfortably was recognised by the arts sector, securing a booking from the Broadway Theatre Barking, and the arts professionals who attended the public performance had their perceptions challenged through the themes and content of the work.

“We were very impressed with it, the clarity of the tableaux, the exquisite choral work and the engaging community cast.” The Barbican Creative Learning team

A platform for older people’s stories and voices

Despite living in an ageing country, our society is focused on youth – and youthfulness. With two performances, one of them a paid public event, Sitting Comfortably has provided an opportunity to hear older people’s stories and voices.  Despite a focused PR campaign, which generated coverage locally and in theatre media, one BBC freelancer attended.  Although there was a noticeable interest, this didn’t translate into coverage or reviews.  It will continue to be difficult to raise awareness of the quality and breadth of participatory performing arts, let alone participatory art with elders, when the media do not cover these stories.

“I came to see Sitting Comfortably last week and wanted to write to congratulate you on such a huge achievement. The layering of stories, different generations of people on stage and in the choir, the level of detail and high production values made for a complex and joyful work. Such a powerful antidote to the stream of gloomy stories about social care in the media! I so admire your tenacity and the sheer determination it must have taken to realise this important idea.” Audience member, Broadway Theatre Barking

Participants discussed the experience for them at length with the team, and in addition to being part of Sitting Comfortably, they confirmed that they felt:

• their lives had been acknowledged and respected
• their voices and stories had been listened to
• they had been integral to the project and that it couldn’t have happened without them
• that their confidence had grown, frequently saying that it had given them a “new lease of life”
• they had developed strong personal relationships with the team

“What fascinated me was the timing, which was spot on. Everything mingled together. Subject matter touched you and my daughter said the audience next to her were over the moon. It hit home for a lot of people, it’s an eye-opener, a lot of people were in tears.” Participant

“I never knew I could have done what I was expected to do - I think I have given my best and I would never have known what worked or didn’t work.” Participant

In addition to a great deal of technical learning, Geraldine Pilgrim identified the following as its key learning:

• Although there are technical and pastoral issues to take into account, this work has the potential to not only inspire new stories and performances but also add to individuals’ lives in a meaningful way, giving older people dignity and respect and inspiring young performers. Flexibility, and having understudies, is essential, to accommodate hospital appointments, sickness, etc, whilst support and training for the project team to handle the emotional challenges of working with older people (death, serious illness) needs to be built into the plan and budgets.
• As with any production, it is preferable to have more than one performance, so that word of mouth generates attendance, and people have more than one choice. This also creates a longer life for the work.
• There is a need to wind down the project after the culminating event, so that participants are not left suddenly without the structures, people and contact of the project that might have been a part of their lives for months. There is a responsibility on the part of the project team not to let participants down with a bump. Geraldine Pilgrim has a practice of small follow-up activities, even if just tea and biscuits, which gently winds down the relationships.  This practice could be adopted more widely.

“I was low when the project ended – it was something to look forward to. At our age it was fantastic to be involved in something.  It was a little bit of a downer when it finished; I look forward to doing it again if I possibly could.” Participant

• Geraldine Pilgrim is the company, and vice versa: it is not uncommon for micro-organisations to flourish and have international reputations by bringing together teams to create a company for specific projects. However, this does mean that there are not the resources or organisational infra-structure to take on the additional logistics when working with specific groups of people with additional needs – not just elders.  Extra support should be available as part of the overall project resources and budget.
• There were many benefits of working alongside nine other organisations and companies at different scales and types of artform and operation, including national companies, particularly through the learning community and regular sharing events, putting small and innovative companies alongside large and innovative companies.

Sitting Comfortably has not been able to secure funding so that it could be produced elsewhere, despite the clear benefits to the participants in terms of making and experiencing high quality performances, and the wellbeing effects for the duration of the project. 

However, the experience has confirmed Geraldine Pilgrim’s commitment (creatively, as an individual and as a company) to making work that matters – “that is, it has an effect on people’s lives; the opportunity to be involved can and does change people’s lives, through making art alongside professional artists.”

Geraldine has created new pieces since then, including continuing her Handbag piece, which draws on the use of specific spaces and multi-generational participation.

“I want to make more work of this nature and develop a participatory vocabulary that is innovative and transformative for both participants and audience.” Geraldine Pilgrim

The UK Branch of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s Sharing the Stage initiative ran from 2014-2018. It supported arts projects in which vulnerable and under-served groups of people 'share the stage' with professional performers, and projects that are based on partnerships between arts organisations and social partners.

Phase One supported the research and development (R&D) stage of 14 consortia projects. Phase Two ran from 2016-18, supporting 10 consortia projects to full production of the work created through the participatory process. 

Founded in 1972 as Manchester Young People’s Theatre, since 1997 Contact has expanded its remit beyond theatre to cross-disciplinary arts, while retaining a core commitment to working with young people. Integral to this is its governance structure, with young people on the board, and with equal say in programming and decision-making.  

Ockham’s Razor is an aerial theatre company which combines circus and visual theatre. It specialises in creating physical theatre on original pieces of aerial equipment and creating stories from the vulnerability, trust and reliance that exist between people in the air.

This project had two distinct phases within the second phase of Sharing the Stage:

• Three rehearsal and development periods working intensively with young people in North Manchester in 2015-16
• Bringing the collaboration with Ockham’s Razor to fruition in the creation of a high-quality show, devised and performed by young people in August 2018

The R&D initiated in 2015 continued throughout 2016, as Contact drew upon this and its experience of delivering The Agency (with a focus on young entrepreneurship activity) in culturally underserved wards in North Manchester, developing connections, relationships and knowledge of the area to present an exciting, high quality and high-profile arts offer.

In the first phase, through three rehearsal and development periods, 32 young people aged 13-25, worked with Ockham's Razor to explore its unique approach to contemporary circus. Recruiting a locally known young free runner increased engagement.  Contact also built in peer-to-peer learning, bringing in participants in Contact Young Company, which had a positive effect on the mixed group:

"An amazing chance to work with people of different backgrounds. To improve on skills and develop ways of devising and to add to my toolbox". Participant

During the residencies Ockham's Razor and digital projection specialists Imitating The Dog worked intensively with the young participants to develop skills, explore themes and devise material. The final week in October 2016 culminated in an informal sharing of the performance content generated.

"Over the course of the workshops those who have returned have shown an understanding of how to be present and connected in performance and they have helped push the whole group further. ¹¹ Charlotte Mooney (Co-Artistic Director Ockham's Razor)

A reoccurring positive outcome of the project and engagement with this new arts activity was a growth in self-confidence and trust in others:

"I have learnt skills on the stave (aerial equipment). How to push myself. The ability to work as a team. How to embrace a challenge." (Participant)

"They were so supportive of each other and willing to push themselves into sometimes uncomfortable territory on stage." Alex Harvey (Co-Artistic Director Ockham's Razor)

This phase fulfilled its key intended outcomes: to work with young people who do not traditionally engage with the arts by bringing a high-quality arts offer to North Manchester, with a number of impacts identified by participants and practitioners around participating in the arts, gaining new skills, making friends and building self-confidence.

The second phase saw the creation of a new piece of work, SWITCH, which had a number of aims:

• Engage up to 15 young people new to physical theatre and aerial performance, delivering increased confidence and self-awareness as a group and as individuals, recruiting participants and delivering development/rehearsals in underserved wards in North Manchester.
• Increase public awareness locally of contemporary circus/aerial work, bringing new and young audiences to experience contemporary circus and aerial performance through targeted groups engagement.
• Provide awareness of progression routes/opportunities for young people in this field. Establish a group of young people interested in taking these skills further, individually and as a group, post-Contact’s reopening in 2019.
• Present the show in an unusual venue or specific site, ideally in North Manchester, in a double-bill with an existing piece of contemporary circus as part of Contact In The City programme during building refurbishment.

Following taster sessions at Circus House in Manchester, and on the ground recruitment in North Manchester, Contact selected 12 young performers under 25 years old to form the ensemble. A two-week development period at Manchester Youth Zone in Harpurhey, North Manchester, saw co-artistic director, Charlotte Mooney, work alongside beat-boxer and musician Bellatrix, to facilitate a collaborative devising process. In the third week, the company transferred to the stunning Upper Campfield Market, a Victorian building in central Manchester, which was transformed by Contact’s production team and Ockham’s Razor from a semi-derelict former market to a beautiful contemporary circus environment.  The double-bill of SWITCH, and professional piece Tipping Point, was performed to over 1,000 people over 6 shows from 15-19 August 2018.

Participant experience, confidence and pastoral care

Participant feedback on their experience was overwhelmingly positive, citing the level of care, pastoral support, creative facilitation and producer support as excellent. Travel expenses, food and per diems were appreciated by young people balancing other employment, and most noted improvements to their mental and physical wellbeing.

“I have had better mental and physical health, being productive and waking up early each day.” Participant

“I am really energised to have been part of the project… I feel fitter and stronger.” Participant

“Money for food meant I didn’t have to worry about having a job.” Participant

The project succeeded in creating a supportive and trusting ensemble of young people from different backgrounds and ages, and very different levels of experience (from first-time performers to young people already engaged with circus training), all feeding in creatively to the final piece.

“The emphasis on play and improvisation is very different to how I’m used to training.” Participant

“The way that Bell taught us was incredible – I can use these skills going forward in my career.” Participant

Several members of the group defined an interest in studying contemporary circus, and all stated they were more likely to engage with this area of practice.

“It has been amazingly helpful speaking to professionals, and has helped me make decisions about what to do in future.” Participant

Locating the process in North Manchester

Contact were keen to work in the North Manchester ward of Harpurhey, where it has delivered the Contact/BAC social enterprise programme, The Agency, (originally funded by the Foundation) for the last seven years. The partnership with Manchester Youth Zone was critical to this as its dance studio and gymnasium provided the ideal location for rehearsals. Of the final 10 performers in the public shows, five were from under-served North Manchester or northern Greater Manchester areas (2 from Moston, 1 from Harpurhey, 2 from Rochdale). A further three came from lower-income wards of central Manchester close to Contact: Rusholme and Moss Side.

“Being based in North Manchester was a great help for me.” Participant

Awareness of contemporary circus: audience reaction and press coverage

Responses to the double bill were extremely positive, with some 5-star reviews. All reviewers covered both shows equally, which was important to show two pieces in dialogue, one professional and one amateur.

“Switch feels young at heart; there is the thrill of experimentation and the joy of learning running throughout. The final scene of the cast gleefully regarding a stage turned into a shambles by their behaviour is a lovely moment of closure... Tipping Point is astonishing... but combined with Switch it currently offers the best value in town. 5 STARS” Manchester Theatre Awards

“It is a major creative challenge to work with non-circus trained young people to develop work that has its basis in the challenging and innovative style of Ockham’s Razor… With a soundtrack by Bellatrix, this new work has charm and style in abundance… (Tipping Point) is a stunning spectacle of just how good modern cutting-edge circus can be.” Manchester Evening News

The show was featured on ITV Granada News, reaching a very wide mainstream audience and every show was followed by capturing audience feedback on a comments chalk-wall and by roving front of house staff. Comments were predominantly positive:

‘Exhilarating’   ‘Immersive’     ‘Terrifying!’     ‘10/10’            

‘Amazing experience being sat at ground level and so close to the performers!’

‘The young people moved with such skill.’    ‘Absolute beauty to watch’   

‘Best Circus show I've ever seen’       ‘Mummy - can we go to the theatre every day?’

‘It was great to get local young people involved with such a high-profile company.’

Reaching the audience: profile and demographics

Through successful targeted outreach and groups engagement the audience was notable in its youth and diversity. 74% were under 35 (52% under 25), and 38% Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic. The project benefited from subsidised tickets from Contact corporate supporter, Mills and Reeve, supported by the newly appointed Contact post of Audience Development Producer.

Timing and recruitment

The long gap between earlier phase one activity and production phase meant a lot of drop-off of participants, and therefore not as much skills progression as hoped.  The challenge of needing consistent availability for a three-week period in August was a major challenge for recruitment and many young people engaged with could not commit due to work or holidays. Of the 12 young performers in the cast, two subsequently dropped out (one due to work commitments but who remained in most rehearsals, and one due to safeguarding issues relating to the rehearsal venue).

The ensemble was notably less racially diverse than traditional for Contact projects and casts, which Contact felt was possibly due to the nature of the art-form being explored, and the focus of recruitment in a more traditionally white working class part of the city.

Finding the ideal venue

For several months, Contact tried to find an ideal site in North Manchester and visited many possible locations. Manchester International Festival was also supportive in location hunting, but it proved unsuccessful.  With the support of Manchester City Council, Contact secured Upper Campfield Market.  Although a stunning venue in the city centre, it did not have the sense of something special coming to an unexpected part of the north of the city.

Performances in August

August proved a challenge for sales, without schools, colleges or youth groups able to organise trips at this time. Box office yield was also lower than target, a result of large numbers of funded tickets, a large proportion of young person concessions, and strong take-up of VIP tickets for press night. Although Contact reached 75% of total tickets available, total box office and ticket yield was only 57% of target (£8.22 per ticket).

Organisational learning

It was a steep learning curve for Contact’s marketing team to communicate carefully around circus that did not conform to a general public’s sense of what circus is, and they drew upon Ockham’s Razor’s experience.  Team feedback post-show was that the fun, amusement and joy within the performance had not come across in the marketing assets as much as had been hoped.

It is hard for Contact to gauge the success beyond the project itself as it is still some time before it returns to its building and programmes more contemporary circus within the reopening programme. However, Contact is exploring an aerial performance based family Christmas show for 2020.

The young people’s stated desire to take their training and engagement further can only be gauged in time, and Contact has proposed a follow-up social and reunion to see a piece of contemporary circus at the Lowry and re-interview the group at this point.

One key outcome from the project has been a young participant, Josh Wilkinson, who first engaged with Contact through the Agency and subsequently in each phase of SWITCH, has now become a full board member at Contact. He is currently the only board member of a Manchester cultural organisation from Harpurhey.

The UK Branch of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s Sharing the Stage initiative ran from 2014-2018. It supported arts projects in which vulnerable and under-served groups of people 'share the stage' with professional performers, and projects that are based on partnerships between arts organisations and social partners.

Phase One supported the research and development (R&D) stage of 14 consortia projects. Phase Two ran from 2016-18, supporting 10 consortia projects to full production of the work created through the participatory process.

Geese Theatre Company is a team of theatre practitioners who present interactive theatre and facilitate drama-based groupwork, staff training and consultation for the probation service, prisons, young offender institutions, youth offending teams, secure hospitals and related agencies throughout the UK and abroad.

Historically Geese’s expertise had been in developing and delivering participatory arts interventions in custodial and secure settings.  Sharing the Stage offered the opportunity to work on its vision of creating safe, crime-free communities and for the arts to be recognised as a powerful vehicle for individual and social change, in this instance, demonstrating the impact of arts engagement in improving recovery rates. The goal was to create an ensemble for people in recovery, working in partnership and collaboration with a range of agencies and artists in Birmingham.

The group had not met before May 2016, many had never experienced theatre or drama before and all were at various stages in their own recovery.  After 12 intensive weeks exploring different theatre techniques and other artforms, such as film and movement, they performed at The Birmingham Repertory Theatre (The REP) for a public audience. Unlocked, devised and produced by the ensemble, incorporated their new skills to tell the story of the journey they had been on throughout the course of the project.

Over three years, the Sharing the Stage project formed a large part of Geese’s overall portfolio of work and provided the opportunity to develop its local, Birmingham community offer, specifically with people who are vulnerable and marginalised due to substance misuse and addiction.  Over the 18 months of the project Geese:

• Delivered eight ‘taster’ sessions for 10 participants
• Received 28 new referrals from partner agencies
• Delivered 63 creative sessions, of which 10 were with associate artists
• Worked with eight new collaborative artists and continued a relationship with Fallen Angels, a dance company for people in recovery
• Worked with 21 people as ensemble participants, of which 16 performed their own devised pieces at a high profile event or venue, such as the The REP, and in the community
• Engaged audiences of approximately 240, many of whom have never seen a theatre performance before or been inside a professional theatre building
• Held three reflection and feedback sessions for participants

Staging Recovery was the name for the ensemble, decided on at the end of the Sharing the Stage funding and they have chosen to continue using the name.  There were a number of significant outcomes, for Geese, the professional practitioners and participants.

A powerful vehicle for individual and social change

Feedback from participants, audiences, referral agencies and the wider sector has been consistently positive at public performances and with invited audiences:

“I work for [an agency] so it was very valuable to see recovery played out from a service user’s point of view.” Audience member

“An excellent example of how the arts can promote wellbeing, examine complex lives and be socially inclusive.” Steve Ball, Associate Director, The REP

Building partnerships and awareness

Geese developed a growing partnership with The REP and specifically with one of their Associate Directors; their work brings new participants and new audiences into their venue, providing a 'bridge' for people who might not think that a large city centre theatre was for them.

“The REP is a prestigious venue and fitting place for these voices to be heard.” Audience member

The company also had the opportunity to develop links with numerous agencies around the city that are working with people with multiple and complex needs, including Reach out Recovery, Changes UK, Crisis, and SIFA Fireside, which provided referrals, wraparound support or signposting services for participants, and shared its expertise with Geese.

“[There’s] a high proportion of people suffering from alcohol and drug addictions – it’s important that productions like this are available to the public to reduce the stigma.” Audience member

“Being a recovering addict, I was stuck in that box and couldn’t get out without the help of others.” Audience member

Building confidence and gaining skills

Case studies and broader participant audience feedback demonstrated the power of the arts to change a person’s recovery journey, increasing recovery capital:

“I don’t like talking out loud, I can go shy, but working with Geese has opened me up – and I feel great!” Participants

“It has made me more positive and confident about what I’m capable of.” Participant

“This project has shown me that change is obtained by effort.” Participant

“This is what I’ve had to look forward to and has helped me with my recovery. I’ve met some amazing people and feel confident. I don’t feel trapped anymore, I feel positive. Instead of feeling nervous, embarrassed and scared I wake up happy.” Staging Recovery member 

Final performances at high-profile events and/or at high-profile venues were significant in inviting other organisations within both the Birmingham arts and social welfare communities to recognise the benefits of using an arts-based approach with marginalised groups and of encouraging new participants/audiences into venues.

Organisational growth

Geese has increased its skills and extended its reach as an organisation in the following ways:

• Working in community settings with people who are leading potentially chaotic lives and Geese’s understanding about the additional support required to maintain their participation
• Always working towards a performance outcome shifted its practice, developing new skills in creating frameworks and structures which enable all ensemble members to participate in that final performance.
• The ability to develop good quality partnerships at a very early stage (with social welfare partners, venues, and other artists).

Staging Recovery was subsequently funded for a further three years (until June 2020) by Paul Hamlyn Foundation which has enabled its further development and growth.

The most important learning for Geese was designing a programme of creative work that produced a powerful and entertaining performance and enabled the participants to explore and articulate their own messages.  The level of vulnerability of some of the members meant that great skill in facilitation was needed and the practitioners had to immerse themselves completely in the process at times.  As an organisation, Geese was mindful of the role it played in people’s lives and now continually assesses boundaries and professional practice.

The process of evaluation raised interesting and important issues for practitioners: working on this project has shown that ‘we didn’t necessarily know what we thought we knew’; this reflection has contributed to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and wider business plans.  Similar data was gathered from participants, and these patterns have encouraged Geese to look more closely at the evaluation data collected, what it means and how it is reported and processed.

Staging Recovery advanced the company’s knowledge of the subject area.  As a direct result of this project, Geese created a new performance ‘Fear of Flying’ for audiences in recovery in the community and toured this to five local organisations in 2017, which was extremely well received and has raised the company’s profile in these communities. 

Geese was able to look at its engagement and impact over a much longer term than previously: Staging Recovery was the first project where it was able to evidence change over longer periods and with some members of the ensemble having been with Geese for over two years, it is able to evaluate and reflect on its methodology and theory in a new way as well as strengthening the evidence base.

Following the end of the Sharing the Stage funding from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Geese was successful in securing a further three years of funding from Paul Hamlyn Foundation Arts Access and Participation fund.  Staging Recovery has developed since the completion of the Sharing the Stage project, and now works with people in recovery from a wide range of issues, including homelessness, a range of addictions, domestic abuse and offending behaviour.

Since then, the group have welcomed new members and created a number of pieces, using multiple arts forms and exploring universal themes such as family, choices and personal development.  Each time they meet, the group have around 12 sessions to work with new artists, improvise scenes and build the final piece. 

In the last year, Staging Recovery has performed at The REP, ACE Dance studios and at the centenary celebration of Birmingham Voluntary Sector Council.  They also perform in community settings, such as Crisis UK and CGL Reach out Recovery.

Existing ensemble members remained with the group, some for one or two programmes, some for all of them, and their influence and input has supported and shaped the group.  The group all expressed in feedback the importance of the responsive and pastoral care given alongside the creative sessions.  The group has remained cohesive and produced several performances:

• October 2017 - The Fisherman - performed at ACE Dance and Music and Summerhill Terrace (Reach Out Recovery residential rehabilitation)
• February 2018 - Complexed - performed at Blue Orange Theatre and Birmingham School of Acting
• May 2018 - A Little Bit of Hope - performed at mac Birmingham and ACE Dance and Music
• Geese invited the ensemble to perform and collaborate on its 30th Birthday event ‘The Art of Recovery’. The performance acted as a catalyst for an afternoon of discussion around the role of participatory art for the individual, for the community and for the more traditional arts establishments.  After the performance and a Q&A with the members, they nominated members to interview each other about their experiences and one member joined the panel for the discussion.
• The ensemble performed to an estimated total audience of 355 over these six performances.
• July 2018 - Staging Recovery were invited to present a piece at a ‘scratch night’ on the final evening of Tilt Festival, a night of scratch performances from emerging artists, young people's work, community work and aerial acts. The invitation came through the use of RoguePlay as a venue for sessions and engaging with its Artistic Director as a collaborative artist.
• September 2018 - Staging Recovery took part in a week-long, intensive project with Fallen Angels, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Birmingham Hippodrome, culminating in The Patrick Centre, following numerous collaborations with Fallen Angels throughout the development of the ensemble. This was an opportunity to spend a week in a high profile arts venue amongst numerous creative artists.

In 2018 Geese has been exploring the balance between the aim of creating an experienced, increasingly professional ensemble where members can continue to develop; and the aim of continuing to have an accessible ensemble, creating new opportunities to engage, new links and partnerships and new performances.  Geese has responded to opportunities and will be carefully monitoring their impact.  Whilst aware of the tensions that may exist between these aims, it is an excellent opportunity to interrogate the tensions (which will exist in any long-term participatory project) and the company is keen to explore the ways forward and to take any learning, both for Geese and for the wider participatory arts sector.

The UK Branch of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s Sharing the Stage initiative ran from 2014-2018. It supported arts projects in which vulnerable and under-served groups of people ‘share the stage’ with professional performers, and projects that are based on partnerships between arts organisations and social partners.

Phase One supported the research and development (R&D) stage of 14 consortia projects. Phase Two ran from 2016-18, supporting 10 consortia projects to full production of the work created through the participatory process. 

Derry-based Walled City Music (WCM)  seeks to create an accessible platform for classical music, by removing boundaries and broadening perceptions. Founded in 2008 by Cathal Breslin and Sabrina Hu, WCM now hosts the Walled City Music Festival which runs for four days each summer with a programme of recitals by leading artists, projects, workshops and gala concerts.

Through a series of participatory workshops, performances and a process of rigorous evaluation, Inclusive Creativity, a project initiated by Ulster University and produced for Sharing the Stage in partnership with Walled City Music, aimed to place creative artists with disabilities at the core of a programme which sought to define best practice in the following areas:

• Formation and development of inclusive performing ensembles integrating disabled and non-disabled musicians
• Bespoke design and development of new technology-based accessible creative musical tools
• Specialised training for composers in writing for inclusive ensembles incorporating musicians who perform using the new technology-based accessible creative musical tools.

Inclusive Creativity culminated in three public performances by Acoustronic, who are a quintet of young musicians from Derry, each with a disability, who formed their own ensemble in 2015, with the aim of making music together.

Central to this phase of the project was the creation of a public performance programme based around the commission of a 30-minute new work from composer Professor Frank Lyons, entitled NonZeroSum, which was composed for Acoustronic and the Benyounes String Quartet. The work was ground-breaking in the complex interaction of the nine musicians, mediated through technology, that levelled the playing field for disabled and non-disabled performers to make music together.

The performance programme was completed with a number of shorter works written by three composers associated with the ensemble: Brendan McCloskey, Ryan Molloy and Lewis Smith.  The programme was performed in WCM’s home city, Derry, in June 2017, then toured to London and Dublin in September and December 2017:

• In Derry, the Inclusive Creativity programme was the main strand of the outreach and community programme at the Walled City Music Festival. As well as the world premiere of NonZeroSum, there was a day of seminars and talks, public schools workshops demonstrating the Kellycaster instrument and a young composers’ workshop. 
• In London, the programme was performed at the Rich Mix venue in Shoreditch with a reception for invited funders, music industry, practice and opinion formers.
• In Dublin, the performance was part of the Visual Systems and Virtual Reality Conference at UCD, which introduced the Inclusive Creativity programme to an audience of influential researchers and industry professionals.

Inclusive Creativity was able to realise all the goals it had outlined, and achieved more besides, as can be seen in some of the legacy outcomes. Artistically, organisationally and across the sector, Inclusive Creativity achieved the following headline outcomes:

• The creation of an inclusive quintet of young, emerging musicians – the Acoustronic group – has demonstrated that inclusive music-making can be integrated within mainstream, concert platform programming for the development of artistic talent and new music, is enjoyed and valued by audiences at a local and international level.
• Three public concert performances by Acoustronic in Derry, London and Dublin have created new, high-profile opportunities for disabled and non-disabled performers to make music together.
• A new commission for Acoustronic and Benyounes Quartet by Frank Lyons, NonZeroSum, along with a corpus of shorter pieces by three new composers, which has received two additional performances plus the world premiere at high profile, respected venues and festivals.
• The professional performing musicians and composers are open to opportunities to work with technology developers to explore ideas and create repertoire, which is supported by the reflections and insights of the participating artists.

“We learned that there is a great willingness by the professional performing musicians and composers who have become involved with the group to go the extra mile” WCM

“This project required us to experiment with and develop new forms and codes of communication during the performance, in order to coordinate the improvised, notated and technological elements of the work and to function as one ensemble - string quartet and Acoustronic combined. This process and the solutions reached enriched my understanding of working in this particular environment.” Artist

• The presentation of Acoustronic’s work in the performance context rather than at a seminar workshop or as part of the conference marked a major step forward for Inclusive Creativity, the ensemble and the visibility of the work
• WCM commissioned Wildcat PR for the London and Dublin performances and this strategic move built on WCM’s networks, generated press interest, social media content and obtained a range of press coverage including national print media, in addition to hosting a reception at the London performance to connect with funders, partners, promoters and opinion formers. This investment has paid off, with continued interest and support from the British Council and ongoing activity.
• Artists have developed their practice and networks, developing existing and new partnerships in the field of accessible musicmaking at an international level, and deepening existing ones with the university and music sector more broadly through the partnerships and opportunities to present and perform NonZeroSum.

“It has elevated my networks greatly, as through the concerts I am meeting new professionals each time.” Participant

• Artists have been able to enhance their skills, having regular and frequent access to trying out new ideas as Inclusive Creativity took the form of an action research project.

“(Inclusive Creativity) opens up new possibilities; it takes the creative process further than I’ve been able to take it before.” Participant

“[I’ve benefited from] connecting with experienced practitioners from different backgrounds with a range of skillsets and the opportunity to develop the project into a performance which we have shared on an international platform.” Participant

• Creative artists with disabilities have gained new skills, learned how to express their ideas in new ways and made a strong circle of friends as a result of Inclusive Creativity, demonstrated by positive progress in the feedback:

‘It makes me feel excited and happy.  I feel like I’m part of the team.  I feel like I am a professional musician.’

‘Performing in various venues – sharing accommodation – brought me closer to my friends.’

‘The audience members are an example of being brought closer to other people.’

• WCM has been able to commission and showcase new work, as well as sharing new approaches to work with composers and emerging musical talent, extending its reach, visibility and opportunities to bring disabled and non-disabled musicians together to make music.
• WCM has actively supported the development of new technology in the partnership with Drake Music. The Kellycaster is a genuinely innovative instrument. Inclusive Creativity has added to the sum of progress in the sector, both in terms of the development of inclusive instruments and technology.

Reaching over 375 people over the course of the project, audiences across all three performances responded enthusiastically to the concept, the music and the experience: out of 50 completed responses more than 30 people gave the programme the highest possible scores (nine or 10) for being different, well put together, absorbing and thought-provoking, suggesting that there is an appetite and willingness to engage with new music and new ways of presenting music.  This suggests that with effective interpretation to assist understanding of the levels of participation and creativity of the Acoustronic musicians, engagement with audiences need not be a barrier. 60% of respondents indicated that they were very or extremely likely to attend something like this again, with a range of positive comments:

‘The contemporary piece underlined the new energy in incorporating people from all backgrounds in the arts’

‘We are a community. Everyone can have their own voice.’

‘Good combination of live music and recordings, gives everyone a chance to be heard.’

There was a steep learning curve for the WCM team on the logistics of touring with an ensemble which required high levels of support for a wide range of disabilities and needs, all of which had been planned and accounted for, but which required more advance and detailed planning than for other projects, with obvious implications for the funding of future programmes like Inclusive Creativity.   Acoustronic became a team of 13:  5 musicians, plus carers, managers, the creative/technical team, plus the string quartet.

“a full recce of hotels, restaurants, performance venues and travel routes between the two, carried out by helpers and organisers fully familiar with the needs of the group was essential to ensure smooth running of the trip and preserve the energy of the musicians focusing on their performance.”

Partnerships can develop and change throughout the timeline of a project like this. Drake Music supported Inclusive Creativity in the R&D phase, and became an active collaborator with the development of the Kellycaster; this partnership with Drake Music also enabled Inclusive Creativity to have a much greater reach in terms of promotion and publicity, as they were able to tap into Drake Music’s extensive networks.

The partnership with St Magnus International Festival’s Composers’ Course has the potential to become a long-term, sustainable relationship which could significantly impact on the composition of new music, that is, contemporary music that can be performed by disabled and nondisabled musicians together.

Acoustronic and the Benyounes Quartet were invited to perform NonZeroSum at Calouste Gulbenkian Lisbon in January 2018, as part of the PARTIS conference, and Acoustronic has been invited to become Ensemble in Residence at the Royal Irish Academy of Music for twelve months, where the Principal wants to include concepts of Inclusive Creativity in the curriculum.  As well as working at the Conservatoire, Acoustronic will also support the creation of new ensembles in Cork, Dublin and Athlone, taking Inclusive Creativity to a national platform and offering opportunities to more creative artists with disabilities.

The project won the University of Ulster Research Impact Excellence Awards in May 2018 (Faculty of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences), whilst Acoustronic won the Derry Journal People of the Year Award 2018, for their contribution to Arts and Culture. 

The UK Branch of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s Sharing the Stage initiative ran from 2014-2018. It supported arts projects in which vulnerable and under-served groups of people ‘share the stage’ with professional performers, and projects that are based on partnerships between arts organisations and social partners.

Phase One supported the research and development (R&D) stage of 14 consortia projects. Phase Two ran from 2016-18, supporting 10 consortia projects to full production of the work created through the participatory process. 

The Royal Court Theatre is based in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. In recent years it has placed an emphasis on developing and producing international work and cultivating new writers. Its development activity encompasses a diverse range of writers and artists, including an ongoing programme of writers’ attachments, readings, workshops and playwriting groups.

The Boys’ Project was a UK-wide participatory creative and activist project for young men, conceived by Bryony Kimmings, with six UK partners: Royal Court Theatre, Roundhouse, mac Birmingham, Lowry, West Yorkshire Playhouse and Wales Millennium Centre. Over three years, The Boys’ Project engaged young men from council estates all over the UK, including Leeds, Cardiff, Peterborough, Birmingham, Manchester and London, who have created, trained and experimented with art in a political context. 

Phase Three: Boot Camp had the aim of developing Bryony Kimmings' vision of inspiring an army of young men from council estates across the UK, to become peace-warrior-artists for positive social, political and media change.  Because of personal and professional challenges, Bryony stepped away from the project and the Royal Court took on the lead producing and delivery of Boot Camp, co-ordinated by Royal Court Associate Artist Chris Sonnex, who had been working on The Boys’ Project since inception.

The intended outcomes were:

• Practical job skills in their chosen specialism and work experience, providing the chance to evaluate their work, and signposting to extra training or experience.
• Artistic and creative skills training and acquisition, including 1-2-1 mentoring with a suitable team of people doing the jobs they aspire to.
• Support in finding work through building strong CVs and interview skills, built-in networking opportunities as a group and individually with the overall support of the Steering Group.

A key part of this phase was the residency, which had a number of planned outcomes, building on the work that had taken place previously:

• A deeper, more intense period of development and training
• A more sustained, professional creation process leading to evidence of their work - both live and captured digitally
• Business and personal coaching
• Mentoring and workshops with world-class artists from different disciplines
• Exposure to and provocations about the process of making world class art - career journeys and training
• Enriching and embedding the ongoing network amongst themselves and with the partner organisations
• Sharings of work on the Royal Court stage

These outcomes were achieved through a week-long residency in a live-in workshop facility, Hawkwood College, Gloucestershire in February 2017, followed by a week of creation and sharing at the Royal Court Theatre in 2017. Both weeks were captured by film-maker Pierpaolo Inga. Boot Camp culminated in a performance of The Undergrowth at the Royal Court, the work which had been developed during the residency.

The Boot Camp achieved its intended outcomes, with 11 boys attending the residency and eight the Royal Court week, all of whom are developing flourishing creative careers in their chosen specialism.  The Royal Court, Birmingham MAC and the Roundhouse continued to support and nurture The Boys’ Project, and the Royal Court stepped up to a leadership role when Bryony Kimmings had to step away, all of which have strengthened relationships, extended organisational experience and skills.

Sustaining long-term partnerships, finding new ones

Of the six original partners, the Royal Court, Birmingham MAC and the Roundhouse committed their boys, artists and staff to the Boot Camp.  West Yorkshire Playhouse, Wales Millennium Centre and the Lowry had all experienced significant staff change in addition to a re-focusing of resources and their boys elsewhere.  The Royal Court points out that this is a notable outcome of a longitudinal project like The Boys’ Project, and certainly the particular challenges of long-term partnerships of this nature remain a barrier.

A new partner was Hawkwood College, an ethical centre providing courses, facilitating training, offering venue hire and home of the Centre for Future Thinking, whose vision is about creating the world we want for now and our future, a place that convenes people and organisations from many disciplines in support of creative endeavour, a flourishing society and a sustainable environment. Hawkwood sent its information to the Roundhouse in 2016, and the team immediately thought it could be a good fit for Boot Camp. The Royal Court reached out to the Principal at Hawkwood, who was an enabler and active partner from the outset. Hawkwood’s subsidy of the provision to the boys enabled the Royal Court to deliver Boot Camp on the resources available.

Nurturing talent for the future

“It has integrated me with a variety of people and a range of artists from across the country. I feel from this I can take my art forward.” Participant

 “It has made me focus more on making change for people and using a forum to express my voice.” Participant

The Boot Camp was supported by a strong team of artists and facilitators, led by The Royal Court’s Artistic Associate, Chris Sonnex, together with a Royal Court Associate Director, the Young Court Manager, poets and playwrights, radio presenters, theatre makers and creative practitioners and facilitators, captured by a professional film-maker.  Together with an intensive timetable, the residency supported the boys:

“Made me feel relevant; a creative individual, ready to tour my talents around the world.” Participant

Feedback indicates that the residency – the structure, content and artists and facilitators – fulfilled its aims of enabling intensive creative and professional development for the cohort and encouraging them to be activists for positive social, political and media change.

“It has given me the intellect I need to be more engaged in politics in my area and I feel enabled and established to be part of something like this.” Participant

On a practical note, the boys also took away the technical skills and know-how shared by their mentors and tutors, to develop their own practice.  The opportunity to meet others, share their experience, create connections and networks was frequently commented on by participants:

“It's brought me closer to good networks in the industry.”

“Working with other members from different cities and understanding similarities.”

“It brought me closer to my bros in Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, London. Also, through this I'm closer to VICE, Roundhouse etc.”

Developing practice and thinking

“Art and performance brings people together (heart drawing), it is amazing collaborating with these beautiful artists. I would never have this opportunity if it wasn't for the Boys' project.  It brought out my strengths and allowed me to collaborate with other people. Good experience!” Artist

It is also evident that The Boys’ Project and the Boot Camp had an impact on the thinking of the team of artists and facilitator; notes and feedback indicate that the experience caused them to reflect on how to sustain and grow the group, the challenges of continued development and fundraising, in addition to how to creatively grow the boys’ talent to the point where they could ‘self-drive’.  There was also considerable reflection on how to manage the boys’ expectations and to continue to guide, not lead or imprint other agendas onto the cohort’s development, so that they could achieve their expressed wish:

“To be paid as artists, funded or sponsored, as well as supported with space and in creating work.”

These conversations also reflect a harsh environment in which to fundraise or seek additional funds to support long-term, focused, small-scale interventions that have future creative and social impacts, combined with the challenge of obtaining funds for projects that appear to support small numbers of individuals.  This challenge was reflected in other Sharing the Stage reports.

Maintaining meaningful, well-resourced partnerships in order to deliver longitudinal projects like The Boys’ Project and within that, Boot Camp, remains challenging because of two main issues: rapid and frequent staff turnover in the creative industries; the difficulty of obtaining funding for long-term, intensive projects which work with smaller number of individuals for different outcomes than many performances or large scale audience engagement.

In addition to the usual costs and resources required for long-term R&D with residencies and staged sharings, there are additional aspects to consider when working with any group of participants: how to manage expectations for participants; the responsibility of the lead organisation or group to signpost or provide a managed withdrawal after project completion; the impact on creative practioners and artists (and any requisite training or continuing professional development); the challenges of ensuring work and ideas are co-created and produced with the participants and avoiding ‘mission creep’.

The Boys’ Project overall, and the Boot Camp within that, explored the group’s artistic talents and politics, providing appropriate outlets for them such as training, performances, and networking opportunities, with the aim of changing the social power dynamic the Boys experienced in their everyday lives.  The basis of the project was to make the voices, talents and opinions of the Boys heard and this has continued.

All the Boys have continued to develop their careers and practice, spanning singer/songwriting, graffiti, spoken word, dance, performance, film, photography and music – videos can be found here and on YouTube.