Juggling several projects at once…

OK – so I know some of you have seen this picture before…I took it when I was working in Buenos Aires – but it typifies how things are at the moment for me –

Sometimes it feels as if I am at the front holding the leads – and moving forward, albeit slowly, whilst constantly checking the following pack.

Other times I am at the back – trying hard to see where we are going and hoping to get a better view!

Part of my job as Artistic Director of Pilot Theatre is to help keep all the projects moving forward and hopefully in the right direction.

Some of those I lead on – and other projects are led by different members of the team.

This is how it should be.

This is a list of what we all have to look after at the moment – and in no particular order…

The Loneliness of The Long Distance Runner tour(s)

End of Desire show – opens on Nov 2nd

Blood and Chocolate new project with SlungLow and YTR

Running on the Cracks new tour Jan

The Knife That Killed Me – movie completion

delivery Shift Happens 2013 – July 8 next year

The Touring Consortium – Theatre Cloud engagement delivery – from Jan

Platform 11 plus new EU Application for next year start

Urban Grimshaw and The Shed Crew – new project for 2014

The Space – Mystery Plays online BBC ongoing online delivery

Generation Zed application – now

Science City York – New Media Centre – asap

York Business Week Presentation week after next

New commission for a new touring piece – now

Pilot Theatre Board Away Day Planning
– Now

New Application to the Digital Opportunities Fund end of Nov

New screenplay idea for a new platform
– Ongoing

A new theatre piece with cameras
– Ongoing

So all these are happening – and sometimes they pull on the leads more than the others and at different times

So today after driving 1100 miles this week to meetings and seeing shows and giving talks – I am home alone – and putting some thought into the new projects – as well as attaching leads onto some new additions to the pack of ideas.

As well as sorting out all house and home practicalities…

Shifthappens…

I wouldn’t have it any other way – and as always, I am thankful that I have such an excellent team at Pilot Theatre who are all working on these projects and making some serious shift happen…

🙂

How @pilot_theatre got just that bit cooler tonight…

As a Director I always like to be prepared – but sometimes you need a PlanB…

who then gave us a 5 star shout and a link to out trailer 🙂

“@4PlanB ??????????????? RECOMMEND YOU CHECK #LDR2012 @PILOT_THEATRE The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner >>> goo.gl/DUiRb youtu.be/ILna9CQiTLk“

News Update: @Pilot_Theatre are part of successful @ace_national touring bid with The Touring Consortium Theatre Company

 THE TOURING CONSORTIUM THEATRE COMPANY RECEIVES

OVER ONE MILLION POUNDS

FROM ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND’S STRATEGIC TOURING PROGRAMME

 

The Touring Consortium Theatre Company is delighted to announce their successful bid to the Arts Council England (ACE) Strategic Touring Programme for a grant of up to £1,098.501 for a three year, large scale touring programme. This is the largest amount of funding granted to date from this programme, which was launched by ACE in 2011.

Led by producers Jenny King and Matthew Gale, the Touring Consortium was formed seventeen years ago to tour large scale quality drama with integrated education programmes to a circuit of seven regional theatres.

That circuit of venues comprises Blackpool Grand Theatre, Cheltenham Everyman Theatre, Darlington Civic Theatre, Bradford Alhambra, Wolverhampton Grand, Nottingham Theatre Royal and the Wycombe Swan. 

The Touring Consortium Theatre Company have additionally now joined forces with York Theatre Royal, Royal & Derngate Northampton and Pilot Theatre Company to create five touring productions over three years together with a creative learning and participation programme and a shared digital hub called ‘Theatre Cloud’.    Each of the five productions will be co-produced with either York or Northampton and then toured to all members, with Pilot Theatre working with both producing theatres and TCTC to develop and deliver the outreach, audience development and digital programmes.

Jenny King and Matthew Gale, Producers, said “ We are thrilled at the opportunity this gives us and our partner theatres to present dynamic and relevant new work on tour.  We look forward to working with our talented partners to create an exciting programme of drama to engage with new, diverse and existing audiences.   It is a tremendous and timely award.”

Mike Grayson, Chairman of the Touring Consortium Theatre Company, said “We were so pleased that Arts Council England set up this innovative fund and we are absolutely thrilled to receive the grant.   It will give much needed support to the life and quality of regional touring theatre in this country.”

 

Moira Sinclair, Executive Director for London, Arts Council England, said: “This funding will provide people around the country with the opportunity to enjoy some wonderful drama productions in their local area, introducing the excitement of the arts to new audiences particularly amongst the young and those who have never participated before.”

The Touring Consortium Theatre Company will announce all five productions in 2013. These will be chosen with the aim to engage with young and diverse audiences and with people in areas of the country who rely on touring for much of their theatre.  The varied programme of work will include three World Premieres.   Advance production work will include workshops with partnership schools, local casting, live broadcast of debates on the themes of upcoming productions, masterclasses on-line and a variety of activities related to the programme.

The £45 million Strategic touring programme was launched by Arts Council England in 2011 and is designed to encourage collaboration between organisations, so that more people across England experience and are inspired by the arts, particularly in places with low levels of arts engagement and those that rely on touring for much of their arts provision.

 

For more information about TCTC see www.touringconsortium.com

 

For Press Enquiries please contact:

 

Emma Holland PR

Emma@emmahollandpr.com

 

 

Georgie Robinson

georgie@emmahollandpr.com

 

 

Notes to Editors

·      Arts Council England champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people’s lives. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2011 and 2015, we will invest £1.4 billion of public money from government and an estimated £1 billion from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country. www.artscouncil.org.uk

BBC Radio 4 – #LDR2012

via bbc.co.uk

BBC Radio 4 – Front Row, Roy Willliams, Marcus Romer The Lonliness of the Long Distance Runner #LDR2012

Link here if not Flash Enabled

via bbc.co.uk

 

Samuel West – #ShiftHappens 2012 @exitthelemming #artsfundng

via vimeo.com

Three videos for #LDR2012 Rehearsal / show trailer / audience feedback and reviews

Video link here if not Flash enabled device

Tranquil… #Histon #Theatre #Thinking

A busy time – from Shift Happens to The Space to The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner –

Three projects one in July one in August and one in September.

Now time to take stock. To plan, to plan ahead. In my timeframe at the moment is the final edit of The Knife That Killed Me – which will be delivered by the end of the year. This is a fascinating and time consuming process for all the TKTKM team.

But of course we have new projects – at Pilot too – Blood and Chocolate with SlungLow and YTR for York next year, as well as our new version of Urban Grimshaw and the Shed Crew adapted by Kevin Fegan. On top of this of course the #LDR2012 tour continues until the end of November. Already the show is garnering amazing reviews and the team are rising to the physical challenge of the piece. We are all proud of this piece. Roy Williams has done a great adaptation and we have a fab cast on the road.

So plans and future commissions are flying around at the moment an we welcome to the UK next week our EU show #FaceMe directed by Pilot Associate and staff director Tom Bellerby. Straight from a tour of Slovakia, Italy and the Netherlands.

So busy times for sure – new shows opening soon – The End of Desire directed by Katie Posner at end of Oct in York too…

So a time of tranquility. A walk on my own in the autumnal light feels good. Stuff will happen and I will make sure that we are making new shifts happen too.

We are welcoming our new Chair to Pilot on Oct 22nd – so a big hello to Prof Kevin Thompson who takes the reins then.

We have plans…

Until then I am happy to spend the time thinking and working stuff out – about how to move forward with theatre : arts : tech : and the future of touring It’s what I do…

Thanks for stopping by