Partnerships are an important part of our work to support artists. Key partnerships include:
The Albany
ARC and the Albany – an arts centre in Deptford, London – have worked closely together for a number of years: leading the national Future Arts Centres network with over 100 venue members across the UK, jointly leading the A Theatre Trip for Every Child initiative developing a new model of philanthropy for arts venues, co-commissioning six new Christmas productions for families, premiering at each venue, co-commissioning innovative new productions such as THE HOME in 2019, and sharing expertise and projects such as Artists of Change and Pizza and Pitches.
Venues North
Venues North is a network of venues from across the North of England who are committed to supporting artists to create new work. Our aim is to work together as venues to support new and emerging artists from the North to get their work more widely seen regionally, nationally and internationally.
By new work, we mean new theatre and performance, usually devised work or new writing, or work that explores the boundaries of theatrical form.
Venues North is not a closed network or an exclusive group of venues. It is a paid membership organisation open to any venue in the North that shares our commitment to supporting artists making new work.
The group was brought together and is chaired by ARC’s Chief Executive & Artistic Director, Annabel Turpin, and meets three times a year.
Current publications include:
- Routes In: A Guide to Getting New Work Programmed in the North of England – Download the Routes In guide
Previous publications include:
- COVID-19 Status Reports
- Annual Edinburgh festival guides for work made in the North
Find our past publications on our resources page.
Current members include:
- Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle
- ARC, Stockton
- Blackpool Grand Theatre, Blackpool
- Bolton Octagon, Bolton
- Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal
- Carriageworks, Leeds
- Cast, Doncaster
- Crewe Lyceum, Crewe
- Darlington Hippodrome, Darlington
- Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond
- Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle
- Harrogate Theatre, Harrogate
- HOME, Manchester
- Hull Truck Theatre, Hull
- Interplay, Leeds
- Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield
- Leeds Playhouse, Leeds
- Live Theatre, Newcastle
- Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse, Liverpool
- Liverpool Lighthouse, Liverpool
- Liverpool’s Royal Court, Liverpool
- Northern Stage, Newcastle
- Oldham Library Studio, Oldham
- Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester
- Sheffield Theatres, Sheffield
- Slung Low’s HUB, Leeds
- Square Chapel Arts Centre, Halifax
- Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough
- Storyhouse, Chester
- Sunderland Culture Company, Washington
- The Atkinson, Southport
- The Civic, Barnsley
- The Dukes, Lancaster
- The Edge Theatre & Arts Centre, Chorlton
- The Lowry, Salford
- The Octagon, University of Sheffield, Sheffield
- The Old Courts, Wigan
- Theatre by the Lake, Keswick
- Theatre Delicatessen, Sheffield
- Theatre in the Mill, Bradford
- Theatre Royal, Wakefield
- Unity Theatre, Liverpool
- University of Salford, Salford
- Viaduct Theatre, Dean Clough, Halifax
- Waterside, Sale
- York Theatre Royal, York
- Z-arts, Manchester
If you are a venue interested in joining, please email Annabel Turpin.
North East Exchange
North East Exchange is an initiative designed to help connect artists, creative, venue and festival programmers working in performance.
It builds on previous events such as Meet the Programmers (pre-pandemic) and the North East Culture Socials that emerged during the pandemic. This new iteration has been shaped by a group of artists and venues, following the pilot event in March 2022.
Purpose:
- To connect artists and creatives, venue and festival programmers working in performance
- To provide a platform for people to share their work and/or practice to provide an insight into what is being made, and what opportunities exist to support or present work
- To provide a forum for collective action, where specific needs or themes emerge
Who is it for?
- Artists – at all stages of their careers
- Other creatives working in performance, including designers, production staff etc.
- Venue and festival programmers
- Students preparing to leave performing arts courses
Details of North East Exchange events will appear on our opportunities page.
Co-commissioning Relationships
ARC has two major co-commissioning partners:
The Albany
Since 2017, ARC and the Albany have co-commissioned Christmas shows together.
The co-commission packages include cash funding plus in-kind support. Every two years, we support two companies to make exciting and diverse Christmas shows which have a wide appeal to local primary schools, nurseries and family audiences in both South East London and the North East.
Each successful company makes and presents a new show, performing in one venue the first year and in the other venue in the second, delivering up to 50 performances each year.
The commissions grew out of a shared desire across our organisations to provide exciting, original and excellent work for our audiences, and to champion companies making that work. We look for companies who can bring a contemporary approach – taking familiar titles or a seasonal theme and using them to create something that reflects modern British audiences.
To date we have co-commissioned:
- tutti frutti – Ugly Duckling (2017/2018)
- Nearly There Yet – Pinocchio (2017/2018)
- Dumbshow – Humbug! The Hedgehog Who Couldn’t Sleep (2019/2020)
- Stuff and Nonsense – The Man Who Wanted to be a Penguin (2019/2020)
- Kitchen Zoo – The Tin Foil Astronaught (2021/22)
- Wrongsemble – The Snow Queen (2021/22)
- LAS Theatre – The Light Princess (2023/24)
- Can’t Sit Still – Well Done Mummy Penguin (2023/24)
We publish details of these commissions on our opportunities page.
Find out more about the Albany on their website.
The Civic, Barnsley
ARC and The Civic have been co-commissioning shows for February half term since 2016. The partnership grew out of challenges finding good quality children’s work for ages 3 – 7 that felt relevant for our audiences.
To date we have co-commissioned:
- Jack Dean – Horace and the Yeti (2016)
- Compagnie Animotion – The Musicians of Bremen (2017)
- Wrongsemble – The Selfish Giant (2018)
- Filskit Theatre – Stella (2019)
- Can’t Sit Still – Oh No George (2020)
- Moth Physical Theatre – Jack, Jill and the Landfill (2021)
- Roustabout Theatre – Little Red Riding Could (2023)
- Tessa Bide Productions – The Detective Dog (2024)
Find out more about The Civic on their website.