This week Clare, Chris and I are spending a week together at ARC in Stockton.
This is where we’ll start making all the new things we’re going to make. You can tell this because I’m wearing my making things t-shirt…
We’re in Stockton because the brilliant Annabel Turpin invited us to be part of a programme to support development of new work in the North East – both for companies within the region and (in our case) to bring more companies in from beyond.
We’ve known Annabel for a while now, since she started booking our work at Nordern Farm in Maidenhead and was one of the partners (also including the Corn Exchange in Newbury and 21 South Street in Reading) who supported the making and touring of TANGLE back in 2006. The security of spending a week trusting her and ARC’s care, support and brilliance is something we value very much. And there’s no pressure on us to produce anything this week. When Annabel first wrote to me with the proposal she was clear that…
“We are not looking for any specific outcomes, as we want to give companies as much freedom as possible and for people to really see it as an investment in their work.”
Brilliant.
And just because there’s no specific outcomes expected or demanded, doesn’t mean that there won’t be any. Clare, Chris and I are almost giddy with the freedom to play and explore this week at the start of what is for us, absolutely the start of another new journey for us as a group of artists. And so this week…
When we arrive at ARC this Monday morning we’re going to meet everyone who works there over coffee and cakes before a man called Tom gives us a tour of the building. We’ve asked to work in a different space each day – we thought it might be a good way to get to know and ‘infect’ the building whilst also stop us from making any daily assumptions.
Wherever we’re working each day we’ll have access to:
– gaffa tape
– felt and marker pens
– roll/s of lining paper
– post it notes
– blank (white) index cards or post cards
– the internet
– sound amplification
We’re hoping to work quite fast, working up a lot of rough/dirty ideas that we’re wanting to get feedback on, so every day at 530pm we’ve scheduled a regular ‘newsround’ where anyone can come in and we can ‘report’ back on what we’ve done that day. Some days that might simply be a chat over a cup of tea and on others that might be us showing/telling something we’ve made. It’ll mostly be staff coming in we imagine but if anyone else’d like to join us, you’re more than welcome – just drop in at ARC and ask where we are that day.
On Wednesday evening 7-9pm we’ll be getting a *wee* bit more formal with a workshop titled “New Inspirations: How To Work TOGETHER” A workshop/conversation/rehearsal that explores and shares new ways of making work collaboratively. We’re hoping to be joined by some friends and artists from Northern Stage that evening too – another organisation we’ll be developing work with next year. If you’d like to join us for that then call ARC to let them know you’ll be coming 01642 525199. Or tweet me @untheatre.
On Thursday we’ll be joined by our newly confirmed permanent producer Ric Watts who we’ll be making the new ideas ‘more real’ with. Ric is brilliant and we are CHUFFED we’ll be working with him more.
As always we’ll be tweeting regularly and uploading photos, bits of writing and snips of video to the blog as and when we can.
Can’t wait. Come join either here or actually in Stockton.
Hope to see/meet/chat with some of you this week.
J