Welcome to Bridging The Gaps “So why Bridging The Gaps?” We hear you ask... Well it’s fairly simple really. This conference has become something of a trilogy. In 2013 we tested the waters to see whether people thought that Bath theatre mattered - they did. Last year we wanted to figure out where the boundaries lay and how we could potentially break down some of them. This year it’s all about piecing things back together again. Looking at what we can do to work more effectively and efficiently together and also to highlight how important collaboration, partnerships and working together can really be in the current climate. How, if we open our doors to each other it benefits everyone as whole. We also like to tackle tough subjects head-on, which is why we’ve included an Equality in the Arts section. Yes this is something that keeps getting discussed, but how much has actually changed and what more can we all do to help promote equality and accessibility for all within the arts. There are some easy steps we can take and hopefully together we can find ways to bridge some of the gaps. And finally, with a wind of change drifting in, what do want for the future of the arts in Bath? The next few years are going to be tough so we need to carefully consider the future and start making plans for it now. Bath needs to remain a world-class heritage city and the arts should be embedded deeply within the heart of that. It is our responsibility to ensure that this is what happens. Together we can! We hope you get lots out of today, please do join in the conversations via social media your opinions are what we want to hear. Make your voice count. @TheatreBath #TheatreBath #TogetherWeCan
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Day Schedule 11:30-11:50 11:50-12:00
Registration & Networking Introduction from Jon Monie and performance from Brian Madigan
12:00-12:10
Luke John Emmett, Creative Director of Theatre Bath
EQUALITY IN THE ARTS 12:10-12:30 Hamida Ali, Equalities & Diversity Officer, Equity 12:30-12:50 Clare Macnaughton, Juno Theatre - Bridging The Gender Gap 12:50-13:10 Accessible / Inclusive Theatre Kirsty Hoyle, Include Arts & Alison Farina, Butterfly Psyche Theatre 13:10-13:40 Open Discussion Panel 1 13:40-14:10
Coffee / Snack Break / Networking
14:10-14:20 Performance: Dan Martin, Professional Dancer
BATH, BRISTOL & WILTSHIRE 14:20-14:40 14:40-15:00 15:00-15:20 15:20-15:50
Luke John Emmett, Theatre Bath Chloé Elwood, Executive Producer, Bristol Old Vic Tracy Sullivan, Trowbridge Arts & Wiltshire Arts Promoters Open Discussion Panel 2
15:50 – 16:20 Coffee / Snack Break / Networking 16:20 – 16:30 Performance:
Jane McLeod, Spoken Word Artist
WHAT DO WE WANT FOR THE FUTURE OF THE ARTS IN BATH? 16:30-16:40 16:40-16:50 16:50-17:00 17:00-17:10 17:10-17:45 17:45-18:00
David Metcalfe, Cultural Forum for the Bath Area Penny Hay, 5x5x5=creativity, Forest of Imagination & Child Friendly Bath Lisa Lort, Bath Dance Kerry Irvine, theatreLab & Bath Spa University Open Discussion Wrap Up of the day & what’s next
For detailed info on all our speakers visit: www.conference.theatrebath.co.uk
Jon Monie - Conference Host Jon Monie is a hugely experienced and versatile Presenter, Actor and Writer. Not only a familiar face on ITV West for more than a decade, Jon has also worked extensively in most genres of television – and across most networks. Religion for BBC1, live light-entertainment for BBC3, quiz shows for Endemol, pseudo-sports programmes for Sky… Throw in some radio, voice-overs and emceeing too… It’s a diverse CV. The one constant is Jon’s unique brand of banter and quick-witted humour. As a result of his projects, Jon has grappled with a multitude of activities including tank-driving and fire-walking, and has interviewed celebrities ranging from Shirley McClaine to Miss Piggy, Gene Wilder to the Spice Girls and Dame Edna Everage to Lord Richard Attenborough. On the acting front, over the past 15 years Jon has won great acclaim for his regular performances as the comic lead in Bath’s Theatre Royal’s highly regarded pantomimes, alongside the late panto legend Chris Harris. Jon also performs as one half of the comedy doubleact ‘Avent & Monie’ and is a regular performer with comedy improv troupe Instant Wit.
@JonMonie - www.jonmonie.co.uk
Hamida Ali - Equalities & Diversity Officer - Equity Equity is the UK trade union for professional performers and creative practitioners. As a leading industry organisation, Equity is known and respected nationally and internationally for the work they do with, and on behalf of, its members working across all areas of the entertainment industry. Equity members form a cultural community that is of major importance to the UK in artistic, social and economic terms and Equity works to support them by negotiating their terms and conditions with all kinds of employers and employer’s groups. Their 5,000 Student Members are also able to access information and advice to help prepare them for work in the industry. Hamida has over 15 years experience as an equality and diversity policy specialist, advising senior leaders in a range of public services on delivering more accessible services and developing inclusive workplaces. She has worked in local government, criminal justice agencies and the BBC.
@EquityUk - @HamidaAli76 - www.equity.org.uk
Clare Macnaughton – Juno Theatre In 2009 Clare ghost wrote the battlefield memoir ‘Immediate Response’, in-conjunction with a serving Royal Marine, Major Mark Hammond. The book was published by Penguin and in the second week of sales entered The Sunday Times hardback non-fiction best seller list at number 9. In 2010 Clare started the blog A Modern Military Mother to help explain life from the other side of the British armed forces. Married to a Chinook pilot (deployed on several occasions to Afghanistan), and acutely aware of the many mis-conceptions about military life that still go almost entirely unchallenged, she felt it was time to set the record straight. The blog is the voice of a military wife and feminist struggling to reconcile these seemingly completely contradictory standpoints. It has been shortlisted in the Brilliance in Blogging Awards 2014. Clare was also one of just three English journalists writing and broadcasting on behalf of solo non-stop yacht race, Vendée Globe, 2012-13. In 2015, Clare made her theatre debut was at The Rondo Theatre, Bath performing her own monologue ‘Tales from the Domestic Frontline.’ She is a founding partner and committee member of Juno Theatre.
@JunoTheatre - @amodmilitarymum
Kirsty Hoyle, Director, Include Arts, UK Include Arts is a training and consultancy organisation, founded by Kirsty Hoyle, which specialises in arts and disability. Include Arts work with the arts and culture sector to improve access and promote equality through in-house training, consultancy and project management. Kirsty has over ten years’ experience working in arts and disability and has been at the forefront of theatre becoming more accessible for people with autism and learning disabilities. She worked as Access Manager for the Society of London Theatre and Theatrical Management Association, advising on access and inclusion for the UK theatre industry and across the West End. Kirsty also worked as Access Manager for the Unicorn Theatre (London) and developed a flagship Access programme which established the theatre as leaders in the field. She works as a consultant and trainer for organisations including: National Theatre, Ambassador Theatre Group and Cinema Picturehouse. In 2013 Kirsty ran the successful national Relaxed Performance Project, working with the Prince’s Foundation for Children & The Arts, which aims to provide access to creative, safe and inspiring public theatre performances for children with special needs, including Autistic Spectrum Conditions and/or learning disabilities and their families. Kirsty is also a trained in both Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) and Captioning (for deaf and hard of hearing audiences).
@IncludeArts - kirsty@includearts.com - www.includearts.com
Alison Farina - Artistic Director - Butterfly Psyche Theatre Alison Farina is a Bath-based theatre-maker, practitioner and playwright. She is founder and Artistic Director of Butterfly Psyche Theatre, an Associate Director at The Rondo Theatre in Bath and a Trustee of The Merlin Theatre in Frome, Somerset. Her practice focuses on new writing, heritage, family theatre and theatre with a social conscience. Alison’s work has been performed on the Isle of Man, Leeds, Bristol, London, Kent, Bath, and Reykjavik, Iceland. Alison has worked with Dyslexia Action, The Rondo Theatre, Theatre Bath, Trowbridge Arts, and Wiltshire Libraries giving workshops for adults and young people and in 2015 created Words Alive! – a project for Bath and North East Somerset that brings memories and stories to life for residents in Care Homes. Currently Alison is writer/director on Butterfly Psyche Theatre’s new accessible, multi-sensory family show, The Snow Child, which will premier in Bath this Christmas.
@BtterflyPsyche @alisonfarina
Tracy Sullivan – Trowbridge Arts & Wiltshire Arts Promoters Tracy Sullivan has worked in the arts in Wiltshire for over ten years. Having been involved with community arts since the age of 12 she began working professionally in the industry at the Arc Theatre Trowbridge, a receiving venue on the campus of Wiltshire College. Having joined the team as a part time Marketing Officer Tracy went on to be Director spending a total of 6 years learning many the many ropes needed to run a small venue. Tracy went on to to be the manager of WAP (Wiltshire Arts Promoters) an organisation which worked to bring together those who were working in the arts across the county and find ways that the arts ecology could be made stronger by working together. There was a particularly onus on the funded organisations committing time and sometimes money towards activity and projects that would benefit the wider ecology. There hasn’t been any paid posts within WAP for a couple of years but it has recently launched a website aimed to promote Wiltshire’s thriving arts offer. www. wiltshirelovesarts.co.uk do take a look and add your events! Tracy is now the Director of Trowbridge Arts an Arts Council funded project she wrote to bring professional performance, visual arts and workshops to Trowbridge which she is in her third year of running. Tracy was also a founding member of the board working to develop Trowbridge Town Hall into a centre for arts and culture.
@TrowbridgeArts @TraySully www.trowbridgearts.com
Chloé Elwood – Executive Director, Bristol Old Vic Chloé Elwood began her career Front of House at the Bristol Old Vic in 2001, leaving in 2002 to become Assistant to the Director at Oxford Playhouse. Moving to London after two years, she worked with independent producer and general manager Mark Rubinstein on West End projects including By The Bog of Cats, Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Otherwise Engaged, Sunday In The Park With George, Bent, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Magic Flute (Impempe Yomlingo) and La Clique (later La Soirée). She left in 2010 to take over the general management of War Horse at the New London Theatre and stayed with the newly-formed National Theatre Productions to General Manage One Man, Two Guvnors at the Theatre Royal Haymarket and on a 45-week tour of the UK and Ireland. Since early 2015 she has been back at Bristol Old Vic as Executive Producer. She has two young boys and now lives in Bristol.
@BristolOldVic - www.bristololdvic.org.uk
David Metcalfe – The Cultural Forum for the Bath Area David is a director and the co-chair of the Cultural Forum for the Bath Area CIC – an independent coalition of arts, heritage and creative organisations which acts as the collective voice for culture in Bath and beyond. The Cultural Forum aims to encourage cultural entrepreneurship, provide cultural leadership and promote cultural literacy. David is also a director of the Bath Bridge CIC, an independent city-wide advisory group concerned with positioning Bath as a place with a dynamic, beautifully inventive future, and which facilitated B&NES Council’s recent Cultural and Creative Strategy Review. David has a degree in History from Aberystwyth University (BA, 1975) and in Archaeology from Newcastle University (MPhil, 1978), and is a chartered public finance accountant (CPFA, 1987). David is also a freelance narrative consultant, performance storyteller and folk-singer, specialising in the narrative interpretation of landscape, archaeology and history. He has co-produced several major storytelling shows and appeared in theatres, arts centres and other venues across the UK, working on his own or with the storytelling company, Fire Springs, which he co-founded in 2000. David runs workshops in story-making and in storytelling which explore imaginative pathways for bringing the past to life through the creative use of story in relation to places, sites, objects and events.
@directorbacf - www.cfba.org.uk
Penny Hay – 5x5x5=creativity, Child Friendly Bath & The Forest Of Imagination Penny Hay is an artist and educator. Penny is part-time Senior Lecturer in Arts Education at Bath Spa University and Director of Research for 5x5x5=creativity, an arts research charity. Previously Penny was a primary teacher, advisory teacher for the arts and lecturer in arts education at Goldsmiths College, the Institute of Education, University of London, Roehampton Institute and the University of the West of England. Penny has worked extensively in arts education across the UK, she co-ordinated the professional development programme and co-designed the Artist teacher Scheme on behalf of the National Society for Education in Art and Design, that offered teachers the opportunity to develop their own creative practice, culminating in the first summer school at Tate Modern. Penny integrates her experience in arts and education with participative action research engaging individuals, institutions and communities. She also co-hosts the SW Research hub: Cambridge Primary Review Trust. Her doctoral research is focused on how, as adults, we support children’s identity as artists. Penny is a parent governor and active in supporting children’s rights. She is an elected Fellow of the RSA and has an award from Action for Children’s Arts for her contribution to arts education.
@5x5x5Create @forestimaginatn @PenAHay
Lisa Lort – Bath Dance Lisa Lort has been a freelance Creative Producer for Bath Dance since 2011 and is currently based between Dorset and Bath. Her passion for dance stems from her early childhood curiosity in exploring movement, which led her to study dance and related arts at the University of Chichester and further at London Contemporary Dance School. Lisa started her career touring with educational dance company Kipperfoot and as a Youth Dance Apprentice and then Animateur with Wiltshire Youth Arts Partnership. This fed Lisa’s view of dance as a universal language and increased her appetite to widen opportunities for people to discover dance. Lisa went on to become the Dance Officer and then Development Manager for Dance South Gloucestershire where she spent seven years creating dance opportunities at the heart of community settings. During this time she sustained her teaching practice, led on dance leadership training courses, became an Arts Award Advisor, mentored young people in care and achieved her Level 3 Introductory Award in Business for the Creative Industries (2009), became a qualified Action Learning Facilitator (2011) and completed a Level 6 Diploma in Dance, Teaching and Learning (2013). Today, as Producer for Bath Dance, Lisa is strongly committed to widening opportunities for people in Bath and North East Somerset to discover dance as makers, participants and observers and to raise the visibility and connectivity of what already exists in our dance and cultural community locally and regionally.
@BathDance www.bathdance.net
Kerry Irvine – theatreLab & Bath Spa University Senior Lecturer on the Acting BA and researcher at Bath Spa University, research interest are within Creative Industries, specifically strategies within the theatre industry that exist for new theatre product and entry routes for early career theatre makers. Independent Theatre Producer and Director, and Director of theatreLab , a producer led collective committed to the creation of new theatre product.
@theatreLab_ @KerryIrvine_ - www.theatrelab.org.uk
Daniel Martin – Dancer & Choreographer Dan first started Bboying over 8 years ago after being at risk of exclusion and having a one–off chance meeting with Director of Mentoring Plus Jamie Luck, being offered to take time off school to go to the egg theatre and try new artistic skills. Dan went on to train at Swindon Dance Youth Dance Academy, a Centre for Advanced Training studying Urban and was there for 3 years. This was one of the very best places Dan has ever trained at for Dance. Through Swindon Dance Youth Dance Academy’s help and incredible support, led him to audition successfully and train in professional Ballet and Contemporary Dance at Northern School of Contemporary Dance & London Contemporary Dance School. Two of the biggest institutions in the UK, giving him the most unique skill set a dynamic, versitile dancer could possibly acquire.
www.danmartindance.com
Jane McLeod – Actor, Dancer & Spoken Word Artist Jane McLeod is an Actor, Dancer, and Spoken Word Artist. She received a BA Honours Degree in Performing Arts in 2009. During this time she performed in Full Tilt Theatre Company’s national tour of Taming of The Shrew, which completed its run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Since then, she has worked as a Stand-Up comic and performed gigs across the Southwest, as well as at the famous Up The Creek comedy club in London. In addition to working as a Presenter for Classroom Video and an actress for Suited & Booted she has also written, directed and performed in her own play Yona, which was performed at The Forum, Bath. Jane is also Co-Director of bath based Hepzibah Theatre Co. which will tour the UK in 2015 and leads Dance & Drama workshops for Characters Stage School, Musical Mash-Up and the egg theatre, Bath.
@Janey_McLeod - Search Jane McLeod on YouTube
Brian Madigan – A Band Named Brian Brian Madigan has a long track record scoring to picture and other visual media. He has worked with some big names in the industry: award-winning film & TV director Iain B McDonald, award-winning CG animator Paul Smith and acclaimed theatre directors Andy Burden and Jon Nicholson, among others. Brian has also supplied music for a range of bigbrand advertising clients – including Wilkinson Sword, Shell, Comfort, Nestle, Kit Kat and Felix – and is the UK’s leading provider of music for Dance education. As a performer, Brian has worked in everything from pit orchestras to punk bands; this live experience adding great depth to his musical understanding and helping to inform his composition. Currently Brian performs solo as ‘a Band named Brian’ and plays drums and percussion in a variety of other groups and ensembles. Brian has worked as visiting lecturer at Bath Spa University and provided music-for-picture workshops for the Diploma in Creative Media in Wiltshire. He has run music improvisation workshops in a number of settings, including theatre summer-schools, Dance courses and for volunteer workers in Africa.
@MadBri23 - www.brianmadigan.com
Luke John Emmett - Founder / Creative Director, Theatre Bath Luke has many hats and has worked for a number of different arts organisations in the south west area. He attended Guildford School of Acting graduating with a BA (Hons) Degree in Management in the Arts. He is currently Assistant Events Manager and Duty Manager for Bath Spa Live which is Bath Spa University’s producing arm, the primary focus of the role is looking after events at Burdall’s Yard on the London Road but also involves arts administration and arts marketing. He has worked freelance as a Lighting Designer, Event Manager and Technician for the past 11 years working for a whole host of local companies including the Theatre Royal Bath, Rondo Theatre, Chapel Arts Centre, City of Bath College, Enlightened Lighting, Technical Hire Ltd and Theatek Ltd. He is currently on the board of directors for the Cultural Forum for the Bath Area. Luke has been involved with theatre in one form or another for most of his life. He directed his first show aged 15 with the Bathford Players and has since gone on to direct a number of other productions for different organisations. He has also acted in numerous pieces although now prefers to remain behind the scenes. He is passionate about the arts and quite outspoken in his views about the future of the arts and their benefits to society as a whole. Most of his rants and writings can be found on his blog page: www.artsbanter.wordpress.com For more information on Luke visit his website: www.lukejohnemmett.co.uk
@LukeJohnEmmett - Luke@theatrebath.co.uk
Zoe Bailey - Associate Director, Theatre Bath Zoe is passionate in discovering exciting and innovative ways to engage, inspire, and immerse people in theatre and the arts. Since graduating with a BA (Hons) in Drama Zoe has worked extensively in the arts in Bath, she has a wide variety of skills including event management, sales and arts marketing. Zoe’s experience includes Front of House and Box Office at Theatre Royal Bath, Duty Manager at Burdall’s Yard, as well as co co-ordinating and marketing fundraising events for the Theatre Royal Fundraisers. Zoe currently works as Sales and Marketing Manager of Bath Box Office, a community box office selling tickets for over 120 organisations and venues in and around Bath. She enjoys bringing together the box office as a team and building relationships with clients and customers whilst delivering excellent service and effectively supporting arts and culture in the local area. Zoe is a dedicated member of the Theatre Bath team and has been Associate Director since 2013. In that time she has worked on various projects including networking events, developing and co-ordinating workshops, as well as co-ordinating and marketing the Bath Theatre Matters Conference 2013 and the Theatre Bath Breaking Boundaries Conference 2014 both of which were great successes, drawing local and national interest. She is looking forward to continuing her work with the Theatre Bath team, developing the organisation further and continuing to promote and champion all theatre in Bath.
@ZoeBaileyA - Zoe@theatrebath.co.uk
Sarah Luscombe - Events Manager, Theatre Bath Sarah has had a strong interest in the Arts, and especially dance, since a young age. She trained as a dancer at the Rambert School and went on to work with Ballet and Contemporary companies in the UK and Europe for ten years. These include European Ballet Company, Swansea Ballet Russe, Sebastian Rex Dance Group and the feature film ‘Streetdance 3D’. She then went on to work in theatres in Front of House and Box Office, most recently at the Dominion Theatre and Theatre Royal Bath. Sarah is also a qualified Pilates instructor. She joined Theatre Bath as Conference Co-ordinator for the Breaking Boundaries Conference in 2014.
@sarahluscombe - Sarah@theatrebath.co.uk
Laura Morris - Website Content Administrator & Editor Laura has been a lover of the arts and all things creative from a very young age, first taking to the stage in Primary School. She is passionate about securing the future of arts in education. She studied first at Bath Spa University graduating with a BA(Hons) in Music, and then at the University of Bristol with an MA in Music. Laura is currently working as Social Media Executive for a small copywriting company in Bath. Here she has got to flex her writing skills and has had lots of experience with the technical side of websites and social media. Laura joined Theatre Bath in 2013, as Website Content Administrator and Editor. In that time she has enjoyed being part of a wonderfully friendly team and promoting theatre and the arts throughout the South West. She is currently working closely with the team to take Theatre Bath and the website into its next phase.
@laukin - Laura@theatrebath.co.uk
Set & Stage Hire and Design Lightng Hire & Design Video Data Projectors Plasma Screens Sound Systems Installations
centre stage