Annual Report 2015 –16
Contact’s vision is a world where young people are empowered by creativity to become leaders in the arts and their communities.
‘Manchester’s most progressive theatre programme.’ Creative Tourist
‘the most successful example of participatory decision-making in the arts.’ International Journal of Arts Management
WELCOME Contact has enjoyed a brilliant year with fantastic engagement numbers. I was delighted to take over as Chair of the Board of Trustees in June 2016. Charles Lauder stepped down after nine years in the role, and as new chair I would like to take the opportunity to thank Charles for his incredible and generous support to the organisation, staff and young people during his tenure. My first experience with the organisation was as a panellist for The Agency, the transformative entrepreneurial project for young people in North Manchester, a methodology we have imported from the favelas of Brazil. The Agency is a prime example of the innovative approach and life-changing opportunities that Contact offers young people, and I am honoured and excited to join an organisation that is such an integral catalyst to nurturing young talent nationwide. This is especially true as we look forward to an even bigger, better, brighter Contact, as we embark on our capital transformation. Contact’s success is only possible due to the ongoing support of our funders, sponsors and partners, and the enthusiasm of our audiences, staff, artists and the young people who make Contact the remarkable organisation it is. Dil Sidhu Chair, Board of Trustees
YEAR IN REVIEW In 2015 –16 Contact’s work reached 165,000 people, with a significant increase in the national and international reach of our work on tour. Contact commissions and co-productions were seen in remote village halls, major theatres, international festivals and on BBC TV. We engaged with new audiences through our presenting partnerships with The Lowry, RNCM, Royal Exchange Theatre, SICK! Festival, Word of Warning and Band on the Wall, and early 2016 saw a major co-production with our long-standing collaborators, Manchesterbased Quarantine, with new venue HOME — Summer. Autumn. Winter. Spring. In addition, we joined forces with the Southbank Centre to deliver WHY? What’s Happening for the Young, taking children’s rights as inspiration for debates, panels and performances. It was a great year for Contact Young Company who built acclaim and national recognition with Under the Covers which toured nationally, How To Be Better, and finally The Shrine of Everyday Things, a beautiful elegy on a local housing estate undergoing demolition. In 2015 –16 we delivered over 16,000 participations with young people aged 13–30 from all wards of Greater Manchester. We developed young peoples’ skills in performance, technical design, music and media production, programming and marketing, alongside high-level cultural leadership and entrepreneurship
programmes. With aerial theatre specialists Ockham’s Razor, and digital artists imitating the dog, we collaborated on a new aerial performance and digital skills programme for young people, funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. Our youth entrepreneurship programme The Agency, in partnership with People’s Palace Projects and Battersea Arts Centre, was awarded almost £400,000 from the Big Lottery Fund to continue for another three years. The Agency was the focus of a major event at the House of Commons in May 2016 to celebrate its achievements. Young people from Manchester and London spoke movingly about the impact of The Agency on their lives to an audience of politicians and policy-makers. Contact’s Creative Experts, our young facilitators in business and the community, delivered consultancy work for a wide range of clients, including a major new commission from Greater Manchester Police to develop a play about honour based abuse. Lastly, the year saw the development of Making Contact, a Heritage Lottery funded living archive and social history of Contact. It has been fantastic to look back at the impact of the organisation from the 1960s to the present at the point at which Arts Council England have confirmed funding of £3.85million towards a £6.5million refurbishment. Due to begin in 2017, it will transform our landmark building, strengthening Contact’s national role as a centre of excellence for socially engaged new work and new talent. Matt Fenton Artistic Director and Chief Executive
CONTACT ON TOUR Contact commissions and co-productions grew our national and international reach significantly this year, with over 11,000 people seeing a Contact show on tour.
Later in the year, Yusra then starred in the one-woman tour de force The Crows Plucked Your Sinews by Hassan Mahamdallie (a Contact/Albany commission).
The Common Wealth/Contact co-production, No Guts, No Heart, No Glory, which explored the lives and aspirations of young female Muslim boxers, toured extensively, including to Australia and Finland, and was broadcast on BBC TV. Rites (with National Theatre of Scotland), written by Contact alumna Yusra Warsama, explored the complex issue of FGM and won acclaim around the UK.
2015 also saw the premiere and national tour of The Spalding Suite (Fuel, Contact, Southbank Centre), the UK-wide tour of the Kate O’Donnell/Contact co-production Big Girl’s Blouse, Cheryl Martin’s Alaska, and the Contact/National Rural Touring Forum show Some People Have Too Many Legs by Jackie Hagan.
No Guts, No Heart, No Glory
The Spalding Suite
Some People Have Too Many Legs
Big Girl’s Blouse
Under the Covers
Rites
2015 –16 IN NUMBERS
Exhibition audiences Live audiences
35,439
78,410
Digital audiences
34,505
Total reach
162,209 164,990
Participation
16,636
Audiences were young and diverse
69%
under 35 10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
31%
Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic
31%
50%
of audiences came from audience segments traditionally characterised by lower engagement
energy A-rated building
of creative teams on Contact commissions were Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic
11,000
An
7 1,150
streamed events were watched ‘live’ by over
people
Over people saw a Contact production on tour
Our GVA contribution to the Greater Manchester region was
£8.4
million
CONTACT IS CONTACT’S CAPITAL TRANSFORMATION This year Arts Council England confirmed funding of £3.85million towards Contact’s capital refurbishment. The £6.5million project will transform the landmark building for the next generation of audiences, artists and young people. The capital project has received generous support from
Designed in consultation with young people, the refurbishment of this unique building will create new performance and community spaces, expand the café bar, and reorganise the public spaces to improve navigation of the building. There will be new facilities for young people’s talent and leadership activity, and improved access for those with disabilities and access requirements. The technical and digital infrastructure will be replenished, and the environmental performance of the naturally-ventilated building will be improved, consolidating Contact’s position as one of the leading sustainable theatres in the UK.
* building drawings are illustrative and may not reflect the final design
CHANGING While the Contact building is being transformed during 2017–18, as well as continuing the majority of our participatory projects, we will present a diverse and varied public programme of events across Greater Manchester located in other venues and surprising spaces. For more information about how you can support us, or to make a donation please contact lucylloydruck@contactmcr.com, or call 07584 126769.
‘Contact was the first place I ever felt good at something. Eight years on from being a member of the Young Company, I am now a member of the Board of Trustees, working to ensure the building remains relevant and meaningful to a new generation. We need your help — if you think you can, please get in touch.’ Afreena Islam Board Member / Freelance Artist and Producer, aged 26.
Photos: Young people’s consultation feeding back on suggested fixtures and fittings
CONTACT PRESENTS With young people as decision-makers at the heart of programming, our shows remained diverse, radical and innovative. David Hoyle: I, Victim
The Flare International Festival of New Theatre 2015
Words First with BBC Radio 1 Xtra
New Art Club: Hercules
Stacy Makishi: Vesper Time
Ockham’s Razor: Tipping Point
What Difference Does Difference Make?
Jo Clifford: The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven
Kate Bornstein: On Men, Women and the Rest of Us
Reckless Sleepers: Negative Space
Bryony Kimmings and Tim Grayburn: Fake it ‘til you Make it
Kim Noble: You’re Not Alone
Forced Entertainment: The Notebook
Ursula Martinez: Free Admission
20 Stories High and Theatre-Rites: The Broke ‘N’ Beat Collective
The Black Sound Series: Gaika
IN DEVELOPMENT SUMMER. AUTUMN. WINTER. SPRING. 2016 saw the culmination of our co-production with Quarantine and HOME. 50 local residents of all ages performed an extraordinary quartet of work spanning the human lifecycle at the iconic Old Granada Studios.
FLYING SOLO 2016: RIA HARTLEY AND JENNA WATT Ria Hartley and Jenna Watt were selected this year to be our Flying Solo commissions and received R&D space, dramaturgical support and time with Contact staff.
Faslane, by Jenna Watt, is a timely and powerful exploration of Trident, the nuclear debate and activism. Previewed at Contact in May 2016, the show went on to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where Jenna won a Fringe First.
“I TOLD MY MUM I WAS GOING ON AN R.E. TRIP…” This year has seen the development of a new co-production with 20 Stories High exploring young people’s views and experiences of abortion. The verbatim theatre play by Julia Samuels, “I told my Mum I was going on an R.E. trip…” will premiere at Contact in February 2017 before embarking on a UK tour. Bringing together diverse voices and opinions, the play reflects the authentic experiences of a host of different people, from young women who have had abortions, young parents, sexual health clinicians, educators and campaigners. The piece draws from over 50 interviews conducted over the last two years.
“I told my Mum I was going on an R.E. trip…” is supported by the Wellcome Trust and Arts Council England.
Flying Solo commissions supported by The Garrick Trust.
‘There are very few organisations operating like Contact, with a core ethical foundation… For me this is a unique and progressive creative community of and for ‘diversity’ in all of its meanings.’ Ria Hartley, artist
CPOA (Photo) Tam McDonald Crown Copyright
Ria Hartley’s Untouchable takes a tender, personal look at the impact that domestic violence has on a family. Following the premiere at Flying Solo, the piece will be presented nationally in 2016-17.
CONTACT YOUNG COMPANY Contact Young Company (CYC), an ensemble of actors, dancers, musicians, poets and MCs aged 15–25, create three brand new professional standard shows each year. The company work with outstanding artists with international profile to create new productions to reach national audiences.
Over the course of this year CYC performed Under the Covers in Manchester, London and Edinburgh in their first national tour. They developed The Shrine of Everyday Things, an immersive theatrical journey through domestic spaces, played out in empty houses set for demolition in the heart of Ardwick, Manchester. They also produced an alternative festive show, in collaboration with Common Wealth: How to Be Better.
‘CYC has opened up so many incredible opportunities that I wouldn’t have ever dreamed about a year ago.’ Terri (CYC)
In March 2016, the company collected the Manchester Theatre Awards Youth Panel Award for The Shrine of Everyday Things.
‘This is a well-performed, beautifully crafted production that immerses its audiences in a truly unique theatrical experience.’ Manchester Theatre Awards
WHY? WHAT’S HAPPENING FOR THE YOUNG
‘Contact’s hidden strength is its superlative young company, the facilities it offers them, and the shows they get to devise with leading professionals.’ What’s On Stage
In October, Contact and Southbank Centre joined forces to present the inaugural Manchester edition of WHY? What’s Happening for the Young festival. The festival took place concurrently in both Manchester and London. Inspired by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the free festival tackled topics including young people’s right to education, culture, freedom of expression, the issue of sexual consent and the right to a safe childhood. Panellists at WHY? included Rachel Morris (Cosmopolitan) and Ben Faulks (CBeebies’ Mr Bloom’s Nursery), activists and academics, and the event involved a number of Manchester based organisations including RECLAIM, Hideaway Youth and the Manchester Youth Council. WHY? festival was founded by Jude Kelly, Artistic Director of Southbank Centre, London in partnership with Mischon de Reya.
Esther Natzijl
FLYING SOLO FESTIVAL 2015 May 2015 saw us deliver another bumper edition of our annual festival celebrating the unique experience of the solo performance, pushing the form with intimate site-specific experiences alongside main-house performances. The programme was in large-part work commissioned by Contact, including Contact shows from Cheryl Martin, Louise Orwin, Keisha Thompson and international guest artist Esther Natzijl. We also presented seminal pieces from Jamie Lewis Hadley, the vacuum cleaner and Chris Brett Bailey. The week also saw a staff and young people’s panel select artists Ria Hartley and Jenna Watt for the prestigious Flying Solo commissions to create new shows to be premiered at the next Flying Solo Festival in May 2016.
‘Alaska is a study of survival against great odds. Although Cheryl Martin does not set out to paint herself as a heroine, one cannot help but admire someone who displays such grace and charm under immense pressure.’ Manchester Theatre Awards
Cheryl Martin
Louise Orwin
Jamie Fletcher and Company
Debs Gatenby
QUEER CONTACT 2016 The eighth annual Queer Contact Festival celebrated Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) arts and culture over 12 days in February. 3,000 people from across the UK, Europe and USA attended events and performances, with a further 11,000 attending the exhibitions across their runs. A packed programme of theatre, music, dance, cabaret, comedy, spoken word and visual art took place at venues including Contact, Band on the Wall, HOME, Manchester Town Hall, RNCM and St. Chrysostom’s Church, exploring sexuality, gender, religion and history. Audiences enjoyed shows by 160 artists from the UK, USA and Australia including Erasure’s Andy Bell, US transgender activist Kate Bornstein, Scotland’s national poet Jackie Kay, and celebrated transgender playwright Jo Clifford, as well as new Contact commissions from artists Debs Gatenby, Laurie Brown and Jamie Fletcher and Company. These commissions will tour nationally and internationally.
Jo Clifford
Queer Contact Festival 2016 was generously supported with funding from Superbia from Manchester Pride, the Heritage Lottery Fund, The Sexuality Summer School at The University of Manchester, Humanities in Public and the Writing School at MMU, Apples and Snakes, Bar Pop, The Richmond Tea Rooms, and Word of Warning.
THE AGENCY Now in its third year, our young entrepreneurship project with People’s Palace Projects and Battersea Arts Centre received just under £400k from the Big Lottery fund to continue after its incredibly successful pilot years. The Agency is a youth entrepreneurial project that empowers young people to affect positive change in their own communities through an innovative model developed in Brazil.
Over the course of 12 weeks a group of 15 new entrepreneurs from North Manchester developed nine ideas, ranging from animation courses to educational engagement to fashion lines, for their chance of securing funding and support to realise their idea in the community. Three were selected by a panel including Alice Webb, Director of BBC Children’s, Vikas Shah, Managing Director and CEO of Swiscot Groups and Chair of Future Everything, and Rosemary Davis, who herself was a funded Agent in year two of The Agency
The three selected projects were 3 Points pitched by Yomi and Nicole both 16, Amplify from Samuel, aged 16, and Andrew aged 18, and Boundless Books, from 16 year old Beth.
The Agency has been funded for three years by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, and is now funded by The Big Lottery Fund.
Future Fires
FUTURE FIRES SHORT COURSE In Spring 2015 we developed our Future Fires Short Course, a kick-starter for young people interested in leadership, project management and using the arts to impact on social change. Over the two-day course participants are challenged to think differently about their communities and to work together to develop ideas for arts projects that could have a positive influence where they live. They gain a practical insight in to the elements needed to bring a project to life such as developing partnerships, budgeting and fundraising. The programme is delivered by Contact’s facilitation team, the Creative Experts, as well as former Future Fires participants, creating a peer learning environment and further developing the skills and employability of these young leaders.
‘I’ve been wanting to learn about setting up my own projects for ages and I now know where to start. Literally everything I learned has helped me grow and inspired me.’ Future Fires participant ‘It’s had a massive impact on my life, it’s inspired and empowered me.’ Samuel
The Future Fires Short Course was piloted with support from Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and has since been funded by Arcon Housing and Peter Kershaw Trust.
CONTACT, OCKHAM’S RAZOR & IMITATING THE DOG: ESCAPE During October 2015, young people from across Manchester took part in a creative residency with renowned aerial theatre company Ockham’s Razor and digital projection specialists imitating the dog. Held at the Factory Youth Zone in Moston, the project launched the research and development phase of a brand new piece of aerial theatre due to premiere in 2017.
The project marked the first time the three companies had collaborated, working with participants to teach them skills in aerial theatre and digital design. The week culminated in a sharing which explored the theme of ‘escape’. Taking place on a 7-metre high scaffolding structure, the performers climbed and clung their way out of the crowd as they examined the desire to flee, and the things that draw us back.
100% of participants were new to digital design, and 94% had never experienced aerial performance. Escape is a collaboration between Contact, Ockham’s Razor and imitating the dog, funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s Sharing the Stage programme.
MEDIA DROP AND LEVEL UP This year we were delighted to receive funding from Youth Music to continue the development of our music production programmes Media Drop and Level Up over 12 months. Media Drop is a weekly opportunity for young artists to create and share new music and media supported by trained facilitators in our Media Lounge recording studio. Level Up is Contact’s higher-level music production course that gives young artists the opportunity to work alongside industry professionals to further develop their skills.
Following engagement with Media Drop and Level Up, new music group Cul de Sac were supported to create an impressive body of work that has now had a professional record label release, on sale on iTunes and streamed on Spotify, as well as a professional video, industry launch party and marketing campaign. The group have performed at a range of events and festivals, as well as going on to facilitate training for other young artists, and gain solo opportunities as performers and sound designers. Funded by Youth Music.
CREATIVE EXPERTS Contact’s Creative Experts are a group of young practitioners and facilitators who deliver creative consultancy services to corporate clients, charities and public organisations. Clients this year have included Electricity North West, The University of Manchester, Business in the Community and accountancy firm Crowe Clark Whitehill.
FLASH POINT Commissioned by Electricity North West, the Creative Experts worked with a team of young people from the Rio Ferdinand Foundation in Salford to take over an empty shop in Walkden Town Centre. The group transformed the shop into an interactive installation for local residents to explore what community energy means to them. Visitors to Flash Point enjoyed a performance before taking part themselves and adding to the ongoing creation of the artwork.
‘The two-day project was a great success and we were delighted to be able to get involved in this fantastic community project that has encouraged local young people to consider how they use electricity and how working together creates fantastic benefits and helps enhance a community.’ Electricity North West
NOT IN MY HONOUR Greater Manchester Police commissioned Contact’s Creative Experts to work with Levenshulme High School and Manchester Grammar School to create a play to help pupils understand honour based abuse. The finished play, Not In My Honour, by Aisha Zia, explores practices that can include forced marriage as well as dowry abuse, child marriage and many other types of abuse. Working with around 20 pupils from each school, the Creative Experts created the play to be used as a teaching resource for teachers across the country. The commission culminated in a performance of the play from each school, and a play-text and educational resource for schools to use nationwide to explore the issue in the classroom.
MAKING CONTACT In 2015 we were awarded funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to enable a group of young people to gather the personal stories of those who have engaged with Contact over the years. The project was designed by Construct, Contact’s young capital development team, as they wanted to see how being part of the organisation had impacted on a whole range of individuals. Over the last year a small dedicated group of young film and media enthusiasts have travelled the breadth of the country to reconnect with over 70 people. From participants to playwrights, audience members to artistic directors, they uncovered the life-changing impact of Contact from 1965 to 2016. The project culminated in an online living archive makingcontactmcr.com. In addition, archivist Heather Roberts worked with a group of young people to survey our collections and bring our archive to life, uncovering photos, programmes, meeting minutes and manuscripts.
FINANCIAL INFO INCOME 2015 –16 Total Income: £2,026,268 Donations & Other £5,103 (0.3%) Box Office & Trading Income: £286,792 (14.2%)
Grant Funding – Capital (restricted): £405,644 (20%)
Project Funding: £243,114 (12%)
Grant Funding – revenue: £1,085,615 (53.5%) Arts Council England AGMA Manchester City Council The University of Manchester
EXPENDITURE 2015 –16 Total Expenditure: £1,963,969
Capital Development (restricted): £265,471 (13.5%) Artistic / Production: £214,878 (11%)
Overheads including salaries: £1,074,708 (55%)
Artistic / Projects & Participation: £260,122 (13%) Trading Expenditure: £148,790 (7.5%)
The financial information above has been extracted from the full audited accounts in order to give a brief overview of Contact’s finances.
CORE FUNDERS
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Mr D Sidhu, Chair Mr P Fell, The University of Manchester representative Dr S Parry, The University of Manchester representative Cllr S Reeves, Manchester City Council representative Cllr A-M Humphreys, AGMA representative Cllr J Emsley, AGMA representative Miss J Beggs Ms L Dusgate Miss A Islam Ms K Jones Mr S Lindsay Mr S McCombe Mr W Thomson Mr R Williams
Contact, Oxford Road, Manchester, M15 6JA contactmcr.com
Photography: Joel Chester Fildes, Sophie Gerrard, Helen Maybanks, Lee Baxter, Sally Jubb, Hugo Glendinning, Chris Nash, Alicja Dobrucka, Franklyn Lane Media, Nik Mackey, Rod Penn, Santiago Felipe, Ben Hopper, Jonathan Turner, Richard Davenport, Kim Noble, Eva Gongrijp, Matt Tullett, Stephen Otosio.