Following the success of the first round of our Make New Work opportunities, we are delighted to announce the next five artists chosen as part of the programme. BRiGHTBLACK, Roisin Crowley Linton, Yolanda Mercy, Scott Turnbull and Kate Daley will be creating exciting new pieces of work responding to what’s on the mind of our local communities.
ARC received 150 applications in response to an open call out and a panel made up of community members and ARC staff have made five awards, two worth £10,000 and another three worth £2,000. All of the chosen artists will also receive rehearsal space, marketing, technical, producing and community engagement support from ARC as part of the package.
BRiGHTBLACK will be creating a new piece of work responding to the theme of Future. BRiGHTBLACK make artworks and shows which use video game technologies, live electronic music, data and artificial intelligence. Their work has featured at Tate Modern and toured to 36 nations in the past decade. From #BOOMER to bust is a documentary film performed live. It draws on economic data to track how the lives of working people in the United Kingdom have been affected by 80 years of changing economic strategies. From post war socialism to Thatcherite free market policies and beyond, BRiGHTBLACK will work with members of the community to explore the data around incomes, house prices, debt and inflation to unpick the reasons why the experiences of people in their 70s and people in their 20s are so different.
Roisin Crowley Linton will be creating and hosting a cabaret, circus and theatre show in response to the provocation Women. Not Your Victim is about the journey after sexual violence – the rage, joy, community, vulnerability and power. A show that feels like a night out, with jaw dropping circus, music that lights a fire deep down and a mind-blowing ensemble cast who explore life after trauma because the path to recovery isn’t straight, but at least we’re on it. Comedian, writer and theatre-maker Roisin has developed her trademark autobiographical style of devising, with three successful solo shows under her belt. Roisin will be working with the community to create a burlesque troupe – the importance of taking back ownership of your body and sexuality is vital and life-changing and to be able to empower and platform people to join us on stage will always be an incredible opportunity for the show, the cast, the audience and the beginners’ troupe.
Yolanda Mercy is an award-winning British Nigerian writer and performer. Her TV writing work has been nominated for BAFTA, WGGB and Broadcast awards. She also won the Edinburgh TV Festival/New Voice Debut TV Writer award. Yolanda originally began creating work within theatre, and has expanded her practice to TV, film and audio. Passionate about stories and communities, Yolanda always makes sure that alongside her creative practice she works within the community; this is usually done through leading workshops, mentoring and joining advisory boards to help support the creative industries. Yolanda’s project The Supper Club is the beginning of a wider R&D inviting women aged 18+ to come together over dinner and discuss what it means to identify as a woman in the modern age.
Kate Daley is a freelance artist and creative producer based in North Manchester. She studied contemporary performance and art and design at university. Kate is a member of Quarantine’s ensemble as well as a multidisciplinary artist in her own right. Kate is interested in the narratives, journeys, objects, and processes that shape our everyday lives, and what it means to make the making of the thing visible as part of the work. Kate’s project Make yourself comfortable will be an invitation to members of the public in Stockton to come together to build another person a piece of flat pack furniture. Make yourself comfortable is an exhibition of the physical and verbal negotiation between two strangers in a public place with a common goal: to make someone else a little bit more comfortable in the world.
Scott Turnbull is a theatre maker, actor, writer and illustrator. Scott makes work that is funny, interactive and thought-provoking, exploring the liminal space between the sacred and the profane. Named The Journal’s North East Actor of the Year in 2011, Scott has been making his own unique brand of theatre since 2017. His debut show Where do all the dead pigeons go? was an absurd, sci-fi rollercoaster about love, loss and loneliness told with felt-tip pens and an old overhead projector. Scott is using this commission to develop his show Unexpected Item In The Bagging Area. In a world where automatons and artificial intelligence work side by side with humans, how do we work together successfully? Are computers the friend of the worker, or a money making device employed by big businesses to increase profits? What choice do we have as a community to make a difference? Do we accept our diminishing role in the workplace or is it time to Rage Against the Machine?’ Using elements of ‘Forum Theatre’ Scott will invite audiences to take part in a live interactive rehearsal process where they can potentially shape and change the ending of scenes within the play.
Keep an eye on our website and social media for updates on how you can get involved with these projects by these amazing five artists as they unfold. And in the meantime, check out our events listings to see how you can get involved with upcoming sharings and performances as part of the Make New Work programme at ARC. Work made by the five artists chosen in the first round of the programme – Tommy The Queer Historian, I.Nakhla, Joe-Kent Walters, Saya Naruse and Feat Theatre – is being shared between now and July this year!