If our theatres are like churches, and our community projects like missions, how and why should we reach everyone else?
“If we want cultural democracy, genuine culture for all, elitism must make way for creativity and community-led culture. We need to offer everyone not only access to the products of creativity, but access to the means and processes of creativity – only then will we have an inclusive culture for, by and with all.” Stella Duffy: Excellence in the arts should not be defined by the metropolitan elite The Guardian June 2017
c/o Flowerfield Arts Centre 185 Coleraine Road PORTSTEWART BT55 7HU TEL: 028 7083 2588 info@big-telly.com www.big-telly.com
Big Telly is the longest established independent theatre company in N. Ireland, celebrating its 30 th year in 2017 Over the last ten years… Audience 95,500 Participants 34,300
Everyone who works for Big Telly is involved in creative projects, with our administrative team working alongside artists to build meaningful partnerships and realise the full potential of each project in terms of capacity building, economic development, and social impact www.big-telly.com
Big Telly makes shows and adventures for audiences inside and outside of conventional theatre spaces… in theatres, shops, swimming pools, forests, parks, pubs, museums, schools, and on the streets…. www.big-telly.com
It’s All About Collaboration We constantly engage in new collaborations and partnerships which inform and challenge our work Collaboration with: • Athletes and divers to present work in swimming pools www.big-telly.com
• Farmers and auctioneers to present work in cattle marts
• Town planners and architects to present work in streets
• Police service to present invisible theatre in schools
• Older men to create mobile sculptures in public spaces
• Businesses to present work in commercial contexts
• Scientists and artists to present work in shops
CROSS-SECTORAL WORKING We continually work across many different sectors: HEALTH & WELL REGENERATION BEING EDUCATION COMMUNITY HERITAGE TOURISM Access to other potential avenues of funding, marketing, audiences and partners
1. Reaching non-arts audiences • Portable Theatre • Comedy Hijack • The Little Mermaid • Bog People www.big-telly.com
Big Telly’s Portable Theatre Making theatre as accessible, popular and exciting as possible Four-seater mobile theatre which tours – • short pieces of theatre/live ads • side-show style illusions/attractions • excerpts from work-in-progress • short films • music performances www.big-telly.com
• Techniques Designed to engage with groups of people who are not traditional theatre-goers • Content Fifteen minute performance contained five different pieces of theatre each by a different writer Pieces performed for audiences already assembled for completely different events – staff meeting in a bank, a student lecture and a Royal Society of Psychiatrists Conference • Learning Audiences then instantly voted for the piece they’d most like to see become a full length play Feedback: ‘As far as I'm concerned there's nothing like it - live performance, I mean. There was something refreshingly open and simple about sticking up one, two or no arms in the air and just giving an immediate, and indeed un-mediated, unreasoned, evaluation.’ www.big-telly.com
The Little Mermaid (2005 & 2006) Toured NI, Rep. of Ireland, GB, Denmark, Taiwan & Serbia - total of 110 performances reaching over 30,000 audience www.big-telly.com
• Family audience and access programme • Photography Exhibition • 84% of audiences would like to see more theatre in unusual spaces • 80% of audiences were non-theatre goers
Bog People (2007) Toured NI, Rep. of Ireland • unique collaboration with theatre writers inspired by the poetry of Seamus Heaney • multidisciplinary – working with environmental, visual arts, Irish Literature/History experts • company co-ordinated six outreach programmes incorporating visual art, the environment and Irish literature with schools; drama workshops with older people and rural community groups
2. Participatory projects with community buy-in and legacy • Tide Will Tell • Cultural Envoys • Wishing Trees • Trade Secrets www.big-telly.com
Tide Will Tell Multi-disciplinary and cross-artform Explores relationship with the sea through workshops, beach sculpture and model boat- building. 1. Research - establishing a story partner in the community
Tide Will Tell 2. Keeping a coastal diary
Tide Will Tell 3. Drama and story-telling sessions
Tide Will Tell 4. A field trip to explore a local beach, learn of its environmental significance and collect flotsam and driftwood
Tide Will Tell 5. A craft session using found objects to make model boats
Tide Will Tell 6. A creative writing workshop where participants invent stories and poetry inspired by their relationship with the sea, printed on boat sails
Tide Will Tell 7. A community story-telling event where participants launch boats as part of an existing local festival. Danny Boy Festival, Limavady, Heart of the Glens Festival, Cushendall. Four- Swans Festival, Ballycastle.
Tide Will Tell 8. Legacy Celebratory postcards printed for each school
CULTURAL ENVOYS Part of ten year Spring Chickens Intergenerational Programme www.big-telly.com
Wishing Trees Cross-sectoral collaboration with community stakeholders, traders, police and community safety and mental health awareness groups www.big-telly.com
Wishing Trees Partners – Causeway Rural and Urban Network and PSNI www.big-telly.com
Wishing Trees Facilitated workshop sessions 16 schools 28 community groups 10 older people’s groups 3 libraries 70 businesses Total 60 sessions 3,000 participants www.big-telly.com
Wishing Trees 2,000 additional wishes gathered outside facilitated sessions by ‘wish agents’ who consist of artists, businesses & their staff and the wider community www.big-telly.com
Wishing Trees 5,000 ribbons
Wishing Trees Community celebration event www.big-telly.com
TRADE SECRETS Funded through Heritage Lottery Programme 30 local businesses Allianz Arts & Business NI Award Winner 2017 – Corporate Responsibility www.big-telly.com
1.Steering group for project set up and meetings with businesses scheduled in partnership with Causeway Museum Service and Coleraine Chamber of Commerce. Continued face-to-face dialogue with shops/businesses throughout the project. 2. Facilitated sessions to explain project and provide training to staff 3. Visitor’s books placed in all shop locations
4. Public drop in days for collection of images, photographs, etc. 5. Research on the heritage/previous uses each shop
6. Call-out for artists to design/make the boxes
7. Facilitated sessions with 315 older people in 21 care homes and 200 adults not in care settings to collect stories/memories
8. Collection of visitor’s books from shops 9. Archiving of content onto NI Archive
10. Memory boxes designed and manufactured
11. Marketing materials designed and produced to promote project and exhibition
12. Exhibition launch of all 30 boxes in Portstewart
13. Boxes are installed into shops in Coleraine, Portstewart and Portrush to form a Heritage Trail
14. Facilitated sessions with a selection of the boxes around the 21 care homes involved in the initial stage of the project, as well as additional care/community/educational settings
15. Images and stories from the project are used to design and manufacture a Trade Secrets Board Game
3. Replacing consultation with dialogue • Creative Shops Project • Games www.big-telly.com
Creative Shops Project Total audiences of 14k & participants of 4k over 2 years Creative Shops Project intercepts shoppers and passers-by, inviting them to take part in informal cultural encounters which are an introduction to the arts and a portal to other arts /activity within the area. TYPES OF ACTIVITY: participatory art installations - multimedia exhibitions - small scale theatre - multicultural festivals - youth theatre projects - displays by sports clubs - workshops & sharing by dance & craft experts - open rehearsals – storytelling - film making & screening - poetry slams – ‘Desert Island’ discs www.big-telly.com
1. Projects often focus on unique cultural heritage of town www.big-telly.com
2. Use empty shops as headquarters for the project
3. Artists in residence – e.g. sculptors, dancers, theatre-makers, film makers, choreographers, composers – according to what the community needs
4. A programme of activity to attract all age ranges from the community
Games Interactive theatre-led experiences www.big-telly.com
Each game involves 15-20 locations including businesses, libraries, schools & parks and a maximum audience of 300 per day. Private and Public sector commissions. www.big-telly.com
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