Artist Relationships | The New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich

Artist Relationship Programme

Our Artist Relationship Programme presents a range of opportunities designed to support and develop artists and creatives at all stages of their careers. From our online masterclasses, to scratch nights and our Associate Artists scheme, we want to help artists to form a network of supportive peers, expand their skills set, make and try out work, sustain their careers & fulfil their potential in the creative industries.

We are particularly focused on supporting the work of East Anglian (with a focus on Suffolk & Norfolk) theatre freelancers and artists and creatives from underrepresented backgrounds.

Artist Takeover

Monday 24^th – Friday 28^th July 2023

For one week this summer we are inviting professional and emerging artists from all disciplines to occupy the New Wolsey Theatre to develop their work and fill our building with creativity and conversation.

We will give over as many rooms as we can for free to artists who need space to rehearse, write, share skills, or simply to breathe and think. These accessible spaces will be spread across the New Wolsey Theatre, be rough and ready, and vary in size – from dressing rooms to hot-desks, and meeting rooms to our main stage.

We will host informal get-togethers over the course of the week, allowing creatives to meet up, start a conversation about what they’re up to, and expand their creative networks.

You can also book in time with selected members of our staff across the week for consultancy and advice. This might be marketing, dramaturgy, budgeting, producing, or technical support.

WHAT WE WILL OFFER ARTISTS:

A slot of between one and five days in a space suitable to your creative practice for free.
Consultancy and advice from our staff as available.
Informal networking opportunities with other creatives.
Free use of our Wifi.

WHAT WE CANNOT PROVIDE:

Our spaces will be rough and ready, with only basic technical support. Tell us what you might need in terms of sound, lights, set etc. and we can have a conversation.
You will need to bring and be responsible for your own IT equipment, such as laptops.

WHAT WE ASK IN RETURN:

You help us by looking after the spaces you use, tidying up behind you.
You engage with networking moments with a sense of curiosity and generosity towards the work of other artists.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR:

This week is open to everyone, but we will prioritise artists who live or work in the East Anglian region.

We’re interested in hearing from all types of creatives working in any performance-making discipline, so you might be a performer, director, writer, producer, designer etc.

We’re also interested in artists who want space to explore specific projects. This could be an idea that you’ve always wanted a bit of headspace to focus on, or a new project that’s in its early stages of development.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED:

We have limited space and will allocate opportunities based on who we can fit in where. To apply for a space please click here to complete our application form.

Applications close Monday 19^th June, 10am. We aim to let you know the outcome of your application by end of day Friday 23^rd June.

If you need any assistance in accessing this application form, would like to submit an application in a different format, e.g. over the phone, via video, or have any queries please contact Rachel Fitzgerald, Creative Communities Producer (Projects):

Email: RFitzgerald@wolseytheatre.co.uk

Phone: 01473 295 930

Scratch Night

Our Scratch Nights are relaxed and friendly evenings for local performers from the East Anglian region to try out new work in front of an audience. This might be short scenes from plays, comedy, music, spoken word, movement, drag, poetry etc.

Next Scratch Night: Tuesday 11^th July 2023, 7.30pm at The New Wolsey Theatre

We are looking for artists aged 16+ to present 10-15 minutes of a work-in-progress in the relaxed setting of our Café-Bar. This is a great opportunity to workshop a piece which may be in the early stages of development and receive feedback from an audience (we will provide feedback forms for each act and facilitate a post-show discussion).

This scratch night is also a chance to network and develop conversations with professional performance makers as part of the Suffolk Theatre Professionals Network.

We are committed to providing a safe environment for artists to push the boundaries of their creativity, to try, fail and try again, and to interrogate their ideas and those of others within a supportive network of peers.

Each performance should:

Last 10-15 minutes.
Provide any props the performance requires.
Provide all technical requirements with as much notice as possible (see ‘We Provide’ for tech info).
Provide your own performers and creatives as required.
Be available for a tech slot between 4pm and 6pm on the day of the event.

We provide:

A slot to share your 10-15 minute piece of work-in-progress with an audience in our Café-Bar.
A 1 hour slot on Saturday 8^th July in our participation space to rehearse, if needed.
Assistance with collecting feedback in a safe space.
Basic technical support and operator for the performance (please note the venue is our Upstairs Bar with a max. playing space of 2m x 2m. We can only provide basic sound and the lighting will be in a fixed state).
A total fee of £100 per performance slot.

How to Apply:

Click here to complete our application form.