Arcola Theatre at the Colourworks The two years since Arcola’s move to the Colourworks have been a time of rapid and exciting progress for Arcola. This report charts the main developments and events.
Contents Renovation works - Vision - Main works - Next steps Artistic Highlights Creative Learning - Arcola Youth Theatre - Arcola 60+ - Arcola Ala Turka - Arcola Children’s Theatre - Arcola Energy for Schools - Training for employment International Theatre work Sustainability: Arcola Energy and Green Arcola Awards and Recognition - Impact and Reach
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Renovation Works In January 2011, after ten years in Arcola Street, the theatre moved into the historic Reeves Colourworks paint factory on Ashwin Street. Bloomberg, as Arcola’s principal sponsor has made a vital contribution to the move, the conversion of the building and our overall development, especially of our creative learning, community and outreach work. Vision The move to the Colourworks represents a major step towards Future Arcola: the development of the Arcola Theatre, Community and Technology Enterprise Hub. Future Arcola, launched in 2009, aims to create a ‘campus’ serving as the anchor for local regeneration and as a hub for diverse theatre and sustainability. At the core of these plans is the creation of a mid-scale size performance space for Arcola to continue realise its artistic ambition, especially in making diverse art and fostering new musical theatre. This is supported by the development of catering/meeting areas, which are critical to our long-term financial sustainability, These plans were developed in close collaboration with London Borough of Hackney and Arts Council England, underpinned by a London Development Agency-funded feasibility study. The importance of Arcola’s role within Hackney was reaffirmed in early 2012 in LB Hackney’s Dalston Area Action Plan: “In Dalston, there are several fundamental influences that shape the dynamic of the area: • strong creative, cultural, community and third sector industries and organisations; • Kingsland High Street, a lively Victorian high street • presence of buildings and areas of high quality architecture and heritage; and • a lively evening economy with entertainment uses Opportunities • Further strengthen the town centre’s overall character, identity and appeal; • Establish Dalston as one of London’s foremost centres for culture, creative industries and the third sector through improving and expanding facilities and attractions, such as provision of affordable workspace, a major programme of public art and a relocated Arcola Theatre in the area; • Conservation and re-use of heritage buildings and the enhancement of the local Conservation Areas; • Sustainable forms of development http://www.hackney.gov.uk/Assets/Documents/Dalston_Area_Action_Plan_Feb_2012.pdf
Arcola secured a capital grant from Arts Council England to carry out essential renovation works during summer/autumn 2012, building on the initial conversion. These were a necessity to improve the experience of all building users – artists, audiences, visitors and staff. They involved substantial repairs to the building structure and remodelling of internal space across all floors, addressing layout, function and accessibility. Significant improvements to sustainability and energy efficiency were also made, and historic features restored.
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Main Works • • • • • • • • •
Excavation of the basement to create new Studio 2, installation of permanent, sufficient toilets with water-saving units, and improvements to dressing rooms Enlargement of foyer and creation of a café/bar on the ground floor, improving access to studios Sound insulation for better use of all spaces Replacement of windows with double glazing Installation of heating system, powered by a waste wood burning boiler and solar thermal panels; natural ventilation system and LED lighting Installation of lift to all floors and improvements to access throughout Restoration of internal brickwork and façade Construction of a permanent balcony and improved seating rake in Studio 1 Further improvements to the Bloomberg Arts Lab/Studios 3 and 4 and office/meeting space
Arcola worked with local contractors and trades people, providing informal “on the job” training and further developing relationships with local businesses and role within local enterprise. Arcola also worked closely with Hackney Council on its Olympic programme, erecting a temporary conference/event venue Hackney House, a big top near Shoreditch Station, and programming the evening entertainment for the duration of the Games. Acts included Labrinth, Paloma Faith and local Hackney talent. Arcola remained opened during this time presenting its summer programme, including the 2012 Grimeborn Opera Festival, in our big top tent at 2-8 Ashwin Street. Next steps These works have moved Arcola a considerable step closer to realising Future Arcola. They will be followed by a final phase of building improvements in spring 2013, including the renewal of seating systems, fitting of floating floors, backstage communication systems, upgrades to conferencing, audiovisual, IT and telecommunication systems/facilities and the completion of finishes and signage. This will fully unlock the potential of the building, fully capitalising on Bloomberg’s “seed corn” investment.
Artistic Highlights Arcola continues to be an outstanding off-West End venue with productions frequently winning high praise. 2011-12 highlights include:
Uncle Vanya (co-production with Belgrade Theatre Coventry) April-June 2011
Seagull June/July 2011 Two virtually sold-out runs of two of Chekhov’s great tragedies, continuing our work with Helena Kaut-Howson and featuring Geraldine James, John Strickland and Roger Lloyd Pack
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One of the fresher, funnier Vanyas of recent memory. Guardian
★★★★
This complex and haunting Vanya transfers to London’s Arcola this week; try to catch it. Observer
★★★★
Helena Kaut-Howson's revival is very good indeed – so beautifully modulated it catches the rich ambivalences of Chekhov's writing. Telegraph
★★★★
Critics Choice. Time Out
★★★★
The staging and the text have an unaffected freshness. This is absorbingly vibrant – a Seagull that soars. The Times
★★★★
A strong cast all round. Evening Standard
★★★★
Stunning. A tremendous and nuanced production. Exeunt Magazine
★★★★★
Speechless October/November 2011 Highly acclaimed adaptation of Marjorie Wallace’s The Silent Twins in a co-production by Shared Experience and Sherman Cymru. Engrossing... a compelling script based on an intriguing true-life psychological case study... fierce performances. Evening Standard
★★★★
Excellently performed and staged. whatsonstage.com
★★★★
Compels attention. The Times
Goodbye Barcelona November/December 2011 Goodbye Barcelona formed part of Arcola’s artistic focus on presenting new, grown-up musicals that push the boundaries of the genre and contribute to the development of musical theatre. The production is going to Spain in 2013. Fervently sung and warmly felt. Observer The staging is clever, the performances uniformly strong. Daily Express
Pitchfork Disney January –March 2012 21st anniversary revival with Nathan Stewart-Jarrett. A visually striking revival. The Independent
★★★★
A drama about the impossibility of love and grownup relationships in an age of madness, Ridley's play gets the production it deserves in Edward Dick's revival. Guardian
★★★★
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Conquest of the South Pole April – May 2012 Manfred Karge’s play - a contemporary classic - given its first London revival since the celebrated 1988 production helped launch the careers of Ewen Bremner and Alan Cumming. Original Director Stephen Unwin returned to direct the next generation in this landmark piece. Karge’s drama…vivid, achingly alive – it could be set in the here and now – seems the right play at the right moment. A scrupulously acted production. The Guardian
★★★★
It’s clear why Stephen Unwin has decided to revive it now. With the number of people claiming jobseekers allowance increasing and double dip recession in the UK there’s a tug of recognition throughout the play’s ninety minutes at how hard life can get. But Karge offers a glimmer of hope and shows us that, no matter what, it’s vital to dream. Telegraph
★★★★
6th Grimeborn Festival of new Opera August –September 2012 8 companies presented 9 programmes, including 2 double bills and 1 triple bill, featuring 13 individual pieces Grimeborn is a new approach to opera, opening its doors for the avant-garde and worth satisfying the curiosity. The highlight of the season is the British premiere of Philip Glass’s 2003 The Sound of a Voice. Unpretentious and untraditional with a happy slap at Glyndebourne, in supporting new music theatre, or new interpretations of rare works or familiar classics, it has involved new, young audiences with tickets at accessible prices. emptyspace The Arcola Theatre's Grimeborn is a bran tub which the operatically adventurous will have fun dipping into. Arcola is currently renovating, so for the summer it has moved into an improvised tented structure, a good base for Grimeborn, its useful opera festival which gives space to fringe groups for a variety of productions of works both old and new. Telegraph
Sweet Smell of Success November/December 2012 The UK premiere of this musical based on the classic film noir and featuring music by Hollywood and Broadway great Marvin Hamlish, and David Bamber in the lead role. - A “West-End size musical “ to celebrate the re-opening of the Arcola with a “big bang”. Nominated for three whatsonstage awards, won for best original music. A production that flaunts a smart and edgy razzle-dazzle cut with murky violence…the cast is first-rate. Mehmet Ergen’s production is a bold and booming musical storm that feels fit to burst right out of Arcola and on the West End." Time Out (Critics’ Choice for 2 weeks running)
★★★★
It’s ridiculous that it has taken ten years for this work to cross the Atlantic – music, lyrics, singing, dancing, costumes and (above all) the Shakespearean sweep of its storyline make for a tremendously stimulating night. It’s hard-edged stuff – but it’s pin-sharp too. Broadwayworld
★★★★
Every now and again a real stunner comes along and, for now, the title of best musical on the fringe has to go to Sweet Smell of Success. This is a smart musical for grown-ups. London Magazine
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Simple8 Season Jan – March 2013 Simple8 devised two new shows during their residency at Arcola – The Cabinet of Dr Caligari and Moby-Dick, which earned them a nomination for the Peter Brook Award for Best Ensemble
Mare Rider Jan – May 2013 at Arcola, Sweden Berlin, and Amsterdam Leyla Nazli’s second play, part of the Europe Now project, explores difficulties around child birth through folklore in a crosscultural setting. Directed by Mehmet Ergen and starring Kathryn Hunter, it was the first Arcola production to tour to Europe. "Hunters performance is memorable… Francolini conveys Selma’s torment with emotional intelligence. The production is majestic and moving. Nazli’s talent lies in drawing together contrastive version so feminism, with simplicity and style…and the combination of myth and reality seems the perfect backdrop for a debate that continually asks: can we have it all?" Whatsonstage
★★★★
Enigmatic ... a bed time story with a difference. Elka is reminiscent of Caryl Churchill’s folkloric death portent-cum-storyteller ‘The Skriker’. A powerful talisman for a question that's as pertinent to today's women as ever - the nature, and price, of freedom. Time Out
★★★
Anton Chekhov, Sons Without Fathers (Platonov) May – June 2013 a co-production with Belgrade Theatre Coventry, translated and directed by Helena Kaut-Howson “You know those football matches where, from that very first touch of the ball at kick-off, you can tell this is going to be a good one – and then it really is? That fluttering incredulity, all the way through – "They can't keep this up!" Sure enough, they fluff it; your stomach tightens – "It was too good to last." Then the broken stride mends, the sides are back on flow, your heart's beating fast and you just want it to keep on going. Well that's how I felt watching Helena Kaut-Howson's direction of her own, updated translation of Platonov. Only decades of learned behaviour stopped me leaping up, punching the air and yelling "Yowza!" at some aspect of the acting, the lighting, the sound, music, design – the whole damn thing. If it had been football, there'd be enough space to give you a blow-by-blow breakdown. But it wasn't so there isn't. Just go. See what you think.'”- Observer
Michael Weller, Fifty Words June – July 2013 a co-production with Ustinov Studios Theatre Royal Bath An intimate study of relationships and family life in the 21st century, directed by Laurence Boswell. "Richard Clothier and Claire Price give two of the most compelling and upsetting performances of the year, Weller nails things about all our lives with deadly precision. This is a wild, wise and wonderful piece of theatre, a modern Strindbergian classic" Whatsonstage
★★★★ "Michael Weller’s grippingly merciless dissection of modern matrimony takes no prisoners … this unsparing production gets under your skin and stays there" Time Out ★★★★ 6
Creative Learning
Life Ain’t No Musical by Cardboard Citizens and After Juliet by Arcola Youth Theatre
Bloomberg’s support has enabled Arcola to continue growing our creative learning offering across all age groups and Hackney’s communities – and beyond. Our work in this area was recognised by the 2012 Learning Trust Educators’ Award for making “an outstanding contribution to the development and ongoing success of local schools”. As we unlock more space in our new home, we will be able to further expand our activities. During 2011-12, we provided, in total over 4,000 participation opportunities for children and young people to engage in arts and culture activities. This included 2,280 opportunities for local primary school pupils to attend performances and participate in workshops. Arcola Youth Theatre Our youth theatre continues to be oversubscribed, with three groups – including the Arcola Academy for 16-25 year-olds – running every week. A 2012 highlight was the Five Boroughs Youth Theatre Festival, part of the 2010-2012 Cultural Olympiad, developed from the Hackney Youth Theatre Festival. It aims to raise the quality of existing youth theatre practice and to increase activity in areas where there is little or no provision across the five Olympic host boroughs. The success of this year’s festival has led to a post-Olympic continuation. Participating theatres included Arcola Theatre (which also provides the secretariat), A Team Arts, Cardboard Citizens, Greenwich and Lewisham Young People’s Theatre, Immediate Theatre, Half Moon, Hoxton Hall, Theatre Royal Stratford East and Waltham Forest Arts Education. The 157 participants ranged in age from 10 to 21 years old. The 10 productions included new writing, devised performance and adaptations of classics, including productions inspired by
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Shakespeare seen by 822 people. Of particular note was ‘Life Ain’t No Musical’ performed by young people who have experienced homelessness.
Participant Feedback “The best things about the festival were the audience, the excitement, being with friends and best of all performing” Lily (age 12) Arcola 60+ Bloomberg’s support has made a particular impact on Arcola 60+, whose work has developed significantly since the move in 2011, lifting it above and beyond a weekly drama workshop/class. Many projects over the last two years have been collaborations with professional companies and artists. The most outstanding project has been The Uncommercial Traveller, devised with Punchdrunk Enrichment to coincide with the Dickens bi-centenary. The original production took place in 2011 and has been followed by productions in Pakistan, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa , Malta and closer to home in Portsmouth between 2011 and 2013.. A collaboration with Kali Theatre has followed, part of their Talkback Festival and 21st anniversary season at Arcola during December 2012. Shared Memories was an installation and storytelling piece about personal histories of Dalston. Participant Feedback I loved classes! And slowly began to be able to appreciate the value of a collaborative enterprise – not being in charge, not having control over text and performance, how the shape of other peoples experience changes your shape and leaves you, even after a class, a slightly different person, with a slightly different perception of yourself – and the world. Recently I have produced a video in collaboration with a young performer and this I consider evidence of the effect of my year with 60+. The 60+ group at the Arcola is to me invaluable. I have had oesophageal cancer and survived, and various other serious conditions. I mention this to highlight how important the Arcola is and what it allows us to do. How life affirming and therapeutic the ability to perform is. I have been on an amazing journey coming to the Arcola 60+. Wednesday night became the highlight of my week. Here was somewhere I could be anybody and, above all, where I was given permission to ‘play’, to ‘dance’ to make a fool of myself … and thus I soon found myself liberated for 2 hours a week. All incredibly enriching. I learnt that I have contributed a great deal in development of community. Now I have a better sense of self respect and confidence.
REVIEW: The Uncommercial Traveller
Curiosity is the key to Charles Dickens’ The Uncommercial Traveller, a rambling memoir of his own urban rambling, and it is a truly Dickensian sense of curiosity which the Arcola Theatre and Punchdrunk have teamed up to explore.
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As is always the case with a Punchdrunk production, nothing should be given away; the moment you step through the little door on Pearson Street into the world which has been created within is a vital moment of surprise… Punchdrunk’s Enrichment programme has facilitated the project in achieving the company’s typical high-end production values, transforming the space into a perfect and detailed evocation of Dickens’ grimy underworld. It is the performances by Arcola’s 50+ senior creative learning group, however, which brings the piece to such arresting life. With a large team of Hackney-based performers from all walks of life, directors Owen Calvert-Lyons, Peter Higgin and Jen Thomas have created a deep and thrilling devised world, which each audience member will merely scratch the surface of in their short visit. The performance is preceded by an optional guided walk, downloaded to an iPod and experienced independently, and though it doesn’t quite blend seamlessly into the main action, the journey it takes you through the backstreets of Hackney is a perfect primer and a considerable achievement in its own right. Guided by snatches of Dickens’ novel across a baking and crowded London Fields, it work well to build a passion for flaneurie, for walking more, for walking slower and for seeing everything. I urge you to take it. Stewart Pringle, Exeunt online magazine Arcola Ala-Turka Ala-Turka, our Turkish-speaking theatre group is growing in stature and reach. In 2012, it mounted two productions: Mutfak Soylesileri (Kitchen to Measure), based on five Icelandic short stories which had a 3-day run in July and was seen by 161 people. In October a weeklong run of Everything Begins By Loving Somebody, based on short stories by one of Turkey’s most important 20th century writers, Sait Faik Abasıyanık, was seen by 407 people. Ala-Turka director Seçil Honeywill was lead co-ordinator for Arcola’s Orient Express Season 2013 for which she translated/adapted a play produced by our sister company Talimhane. Feedback The Arcola proposes theatre which transcends language and cultural boundaries. I am certainly looking forward to future bilingual productions. Melissa Pallechi, Hackney Hive “The Turkish speaking community needs a group like Ala Turka as both a catalyst for the community to look internally and as a bridge to the rest of the British society through the medium of theatre. There is no other group in London at present that can serve both purposes.” The Anglo-Turkish Association of Academics and Professionals Arcola Children’s Theatre In 2010, Arcola launched a five-year project to develop a children’s theatre programme with the aim of giving local families and young children access to high quality theatre; for every child in Hackney to begin their journey towards life-long engagement with the theatre; and encouraging theatre-going as a shared experience for them and their families. After a successful first year, the Prince’s Foundation for Children granted 3-year funding through the START programme. Each year, we create two productions for young audiences. Primary schools are invited to visit/tour the theatre before attending a performance. Teachers receive INSET training for a follow-up workshop with their class, which takes place at their school. So far the project has introduced 2,700 local primary school children to Arcola Theatre. Through the use of theatre as a participative learning tool, it has enabled children to understand complex emotions and ideas. Participant Feedback “Working with the Arcola has been an incredible opportunity for the children and staff of Colvestone. The project has introduced children across the school to theatre, providing many
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of them with their first opportunity of watching a performance on the stage. The children are always excited to visit the theatre and feel that, like our school, it is an important part of the community that they live and learn in. Teacher at Colvestone School I was so excited and it was so fun. Akash I am writing this letter because I want to say how fantastic your theatre acts. Amina I hope you do another play for us. Isata Arcola Energy for Schools Creative Learning and Arcola Energy have stepped up their collaborative education work over the past two years. Arcola Energy for Schools offers innovative workshops and ‘National Curriculum-proved’ renewable energy education kits. The programme was launched during Climate Week 2011, and has since reached almost 6,000 children both in the UK and abroad. In September 2011, it provided 36 workshops for 800 pupils and their teachers as part of Cambridge Physics at Work. A team of practitioners took part in the Abu Dhabi International Science Festival in 2011 and 2012. In 2012/13, we delivered the London Schools Hydrogen Challenge, involving 20 schools from across London in an inspiring exploration of hydrogen power. Participant Feedback “I never knew Abdulla could do this, he understood about hydrogen from his chemistry class but never had the chance to get so creative. We are busy looking around now for more workshops that he will learn from and enjoy at the same. The Festival provides an absolutely wonderful opportunity and beneficial experience for kids!” Abdulla’s mother about the Arcola Energy hydrogen car workshop Training for Employment In 2010-11, Arcola was able to build on its training and skills work in a significant way; delivering a Future Jobs initiative on behalf of LB Hackney. Arcola Creative Network, founded in 2010 provided 32 young people with their first job in the creative and green tech industries. 88% of Creative Network ‘graduates’ went into employment or formal training, and seven new jobs were created. This is an example of our continuing determination to engage and support young people within the Arts above and beyond the provision of traditional youth theatre classes. We are engaged in a number of similar initiatives across the arts/creative industries as we aim to develop this strand of our work further.
International Theatre Work
Arcola extensively developed our international work during this period. Arcola and our sister theatre in Istanbul, Talimhane Tiyatrosu were part of EUROPE NOW, an EU-funded collaboration with Riksteatern (Sweden), Theater RAST (Amsterdam) and Ballhaustheater
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(Berlin). Each of the partners developed a new play about the post-migrant experience, staged in spring 2013, at home and at selected partner venues. Arcola took The Mare Rider, Leyla Nazli’s play, directed by Mehmet Ergen with Kathryn Hunter, on a tour to Sweden and Berlin and a EUROPE NOW festival in Amsterdam. To complement and further galvanize this work, Arcola presented its second Orient Express season at the beginning of 2013 with two Talimhane productions – one directed by Mehmet Ergen, the other developed as part of EUROPE NOW. It was alo set to feature a production by Mesut Arslan, reflecting our deepening collaboration with 0900 Kunstenfestival (Belgium). 0900 Kunstenfestival is leading on the development of a further Europe-wide project with Arcola, Talimhane and Productiehuis Rotterdam, planned for 2013-14 and including a major theatre festival and conference at Talimhane. Most recently, Mehmet Ergen was invited to create an operatic piece about the recent events at Taksim Square (which he witnessed first hand) for the Neuköllner Opera’s European Festival of Musical Theatre In Precarious Conditions in Berlin in August 2013.
Sustainability: Arcola Energy and Green Arcola During 2011 and 2012 Arcola significantly developed its work and reach in this area – not only in making great strides towards becoming a carbon neutral theatre but also in the areas of technology development and engagement. National and international work of Arcola Energy and Green Arcola included: •
Arcola Energy is a partner in the Ecoisland project; the Isle of Wight’s mission to make it the first sustainable region in Britain. The 3 year project is funded by the Technology Strategy Board and Arcola Energy is working with among others Southern Water, SSE, Toshiba and Cable+Wireless. See http://www.eco-island.org/
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In 2012, Arcola Energy achieved three key aims within the first year of its current 3-year development plan: the global launch of the H2MDK Inventor Kit, its first fully developed product; developing Autopak, a fuel cell solution for electric vehicles which is now ready for launch; and developing the first prototype of the next-generation fuel-cell powered bike.
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Dalston Energy Angels – funded by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, this local initiative offered free home energy surveys and training to local construction professionals. The project worked with community organisations to address fuel poverty. It also brought construction professionals together with architects, suppliers, main contractors and local residents. The project delivered immediate change and a lasting framework for effective roll-out of programmes such as Green Deal and the Renewable Heat Incentive.
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Project co-ordination and training for a food growing and sustainability project with housing association Newlon Fusion
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Recent Awards and Recognition 2013 2012 2012 & 13 2012 2012 2011/12 2011/12 2011 2011
Greenbuild Award Leisure & Retail Whatsonstage.com winner for Best New Music for Sweet Smell of Succes, also nominated for Best New Musical and Best Choreographer Offwestend.com’s Offie Awards for Most Welcoming Theatre and Best Theatre Bar Off-West End Theatre Award Nominee for Pandora’s Box Shortlisted for European Business Awards for the Environment in the Management category, alongside Marks & Spencer and the Olympic Delivery Agency Learning Trust Educators’ Award Green Tourism Gold Star award Sustainable Cities Awards: winners in two categories - Greening the Third Sector / Resource Management Shortlisted for the New London Awards in the Visiting category, alongside projects at the Tate Modern and the V&A Museum.
Arcola has featured as a role model for ‘civic entrepreneurship’ in the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts’s Compendium for the Civic Economy and as a case study in the Green Alliance’s New times, New connections: Civil Society Action on Climate Change.
Our impact and reach – Arcola at a glance • • • • • • • • • •
90,000 people come through our doors and participate in our events per year – not only to see theatre, but to learn about sustainability 28,000 people are on our e-mailing list, receiving fortnightly e-newsletters Our website receives on average 15,000 unique visits per month with a total of 24,000 visits overall, of which 50% are new ones We have 19,000 Twitter followers and 4,600 Facebook likes Arcola Energy for Schools reaches on average 6,000 students and teachers per year (nationally and internationally) Our Creative Learning initiatives reach on average 7,000 people per year Green Sundays attract 100 participants each quarter Arcola Energy has a database of 620 contacts and clients; among them educational institutions and companies of global reach Arcola Energy’s partner Horizon Fuel Cells started marketing micro-fuel and personal hydrogen stations for international sales in July 2012, increasing Arcola’s global reach and profile
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