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Northern Ireland Theatre Association (NITA) and Theatre Forum present
All-Ireland Performing Arts Conference Millennium Forum, Derry-Londonderry, June 11–12, 2013
RUNNING HEADER
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The Conference Partners
Northern Ireland
Theatre Forum
The 2013 All-Ireland Performing
Theatre Association
is the representative association
Arts Conference will be delivered
is the representative body for
for the performing arts in Ireland
by two partners: the Northern
professional theatre in Northern
with over 240 members including
Ireland Theatre Association (N ITA),
Ireland, with over 60 members
venues and arts centres,
the representative body for
drawn from across the performing
professional theatre, dance and
professional theatre in Northern
arts community. It provides a
opera companies, performing arts
Ireland, based in Belfast; and
collective voice for the theatre
festivals as well as individual
Theatre Forum, the membership
sector, promoting Northern Irish
directors, actors, writers and
organisation for the performing arts
theatre on a local, national and
producers. Activities include
in Ireland, based in Dublin.
international scale; delivering
information provision, networking
tailored training; collecting and
events, training and professional
disseminating sector-specific
development, research, practical
information; supporting networking
services and advocacy on behalf
amongst performing arts
of the performing arts sector.
With support from:
professionals and facilitating informed lobbying and advocacy.
www.theatreforumireland.com
www.nitatheatre.org
Theatre Forum, 15 Bachelor’s Walk, Dublin 1
Northern Ireland Theatre Association, c/o The MAC,
Theatre Forum receives financial
10 Exchange Street West,
assistance from the Arts Council /
Belfast, BT1 2NJ
An Chomhairle EalaĂon
NITA receives financial assistance from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland & the National Lottery
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WELCOME
You’re Very Welcome As Chairman of the City of Culture Company 2013 as well as the Millennium Forum, I’m looking forward to welcoming delegates to the All-Ireland Performing Arts Conference taking place in Derry-Londonderry during our City of Culture year. As you’d expect, with rich cultural traditions and in a City of Culture year, our city and this venue are very apt locations for a performing arts conference. The City of Culture 2013 programme showcases the heritage as well as the art and artists that have come from this city. We invite all of you to take every opportunity to experience all that our city has to offer and to visit us again soon. Enjoy your conference and our great city. Martin Bradley, MBE Chair of City of Culture Company & Millennium Forum
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THEME
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Change is the Theme This year’s All-Ireland Performing Arts Conference programme explores the changes in how work is being made, produced and presented while also examining the transitions required of arts organisations, artists and audiences. You’re invited to come and hear inspiring international keynote speakers as well as sharing your own experiences and insights in discussions and workshops. We’d like to spark ideas, animate debate and ignite new partnerships. Above all, we hope to arrive at some new ways of thinking … and of course to have some fun along the way. Please join us for the All-Ireland Performing Arts Conference on June 11 and 12. Maureen Kennelly Conference Curator
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THE PROGRAMME
Day 1
Tuesday 11 June
Time
Session
10.30 –12.00
City walking tour option with award-winning guide, Martin McCrossan Start at and return to the Millennium Forum
12.00 –14.00
Registration and lunch
14.00 –14.15
Welcome
Martin Bradley, Chair of City of Culture Company; Louise Rossington, Chair of NITA; and Loughlin Deegan, Chair of Theatre Forum 14.15–15.15
Keynote: Meet a changemaker Sean Doran, Founder and Artistic Director of the Happy Days Enniskillen International Beckett Festival, in conversation with Marie-Louise Muir
15.15–16.30
Parallel sessions
Option 1: Putting the imagination back into funding Anita Walker, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council Option 2: Culture—How does it make and change a place? Lia Ghilardi, Cultural Planner and James McVeigh, Festivals Edinburgh Chaired by Caoimhin Corrigan of ILEX Option 3: Embracing changes in technology Philip King, Musician, Film-maker and Producer, Other Voices; Mark Nagurski, Director, CultureTECH; and Anna Newell, Artistic Director, Replay Theatre Company 16.30 –16.45
Coffee break
16.45–17.45
In conversation: Thomas Kilroy with Wayne Jordan
17.45–18.45
Open mic session: Talking About … Pitch your show, your idea or your company in 2 minutes
19.00 –late
Evening programme
Dinner at the Millennium Forum Civic Reception hosted by Derry Visitor and Convention Bureau Bronagh Gallagher at late night venue
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ABOUT THE SESSIONS
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Day 1: About the speakers and sessions Meet a changemaker Sean Doran has led some of the most exciting festivals and organisations over several years where his changemaking skills have been wonderfully in evidence. Sean began musical life as an Irish traditional musician. He subsequently studied classical music working as a clarinettist and conductor in London. From 1991–2003 he directed international festivals, including the Belfast Festival at Queen’s. At the Perth Festival, he commissioned Antony Gormley’s Inside Australia, an installation of 51 sculptures in the desert and the country’s first home-grown production of a Wagner Ring opera, Götterdämmerung. In 2003, he was appointed the first Irishman to lead one of England’s national arts companies, the English National Opera. It was his idea to take the ENO to the Glastonbury Festival. As a result of his 2005 programming, the ENO was awarded an unprecedented 8 nominations at the London Olivier Awards. Among his current projects he is the founder of the Happy Days Enniskillen International Beckett Festival. In a career characterised by much change and innovation, moving between artforms and continents, he has worked with many leading artists including Robert Wilson, Deborah Warner, Juliet Stevenson and Anthony Minghella to mention just some. Join him as he explains how an agile approach has helped him to success and hear him unveil some future plans. Putting the imagination back into funding As Executive Director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Anita Walker is the state’s highest ranking cultural official. During her leadership, the Cultural
Facilities Fund has invested more than $50 million in arts and cultural building. Her Cultural District Initiative has helped cities and towns attract new visitors and commercial activity by focusing on arts and culture. Her Cultural Investment Portfolio simplified the state’s operating support system for more than 400 outstanding nonprofit arts, humanities and science organisations. She has encouraged a new emphasis on the role that creativity and arts education play in student achievement by innovative programs that provide arts education to more children by going outside the traditional school day. Walker is a native Californian, a graduate of Arizona University, and resides in Boston. Culture — How does it make and change a place? In recent times, we have been witness to a host of major blockbuster cultural events. As we sit at the heart of the UK’s first City of Culture it feels fitting to explore just what impact these major events exert on their host environments. And what is their legacy? We are delighted to bring together two international experts who have been deeply engaged in differing ways in the exploration of the impact of culture on its host landscape. James McVeigh is Head of Innovation and Marketing with Festivals Edinburgh. He joined Festivals Edinburgh following senior management roles with a number of organisations including Arts Council England, Salisbury International Festival and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society. Festivals Edinburgh is a uniquely collaborative organisation supporting Edinburgh’s Festivals to sustain and develop their position as the world’s
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leading festival city—which now sees the Festivals host, each year, over 35,000 world class artists, more than 2,000 accredited media and audiences of over 4 million while generating £260m (€305m) for the Scottish economy. Lia Ghilardi is a creative polymath who is internationally recognised as a leader in the field of cultural planning, cultural tourism and creative thinking for urban change. She has more than twenty years experience of working with civic leaders, tourism organisations, urban designers and cultural institutions to provide creative and integrated solutions to the social and economic challenges of contemporary cities. Embracing changes in technology The way that we consume culture is radically changing, but rather than see that as a threat, a number of thrilling pioneers have welcomed this change and are turning it to their advantage. In this session we meet three such pioneers who have embraced these changes and have delivered events to enormous audiences. Philip King has been closely involved with the arts in Ireland as a filmmaker and musician for over 20 years. He is the co-founder of Other Voices, the renowned music event and television series which has been filmed for the last 11 years in Dingle, County Kerry. Other Voices became a beacon of cutting-edge technology when the festival streamed gigs in high definition from the 70 seater St James’s Church in Dingle into seven pubs. The festival is renowned for the presentation of some of the world’s leading musicians in that intimate setting—in 2013, it has radically
ABOUT THE SESSIONS
expanded its reach with a recent outing in London and it was one of the programme highlights when it migrated to Derry-Londonderry earlier this year. Based in Derry-Londonderry, Mark Nagurski is the Director of CultureTECH, a week-long festival of digital media, technology and music. CultureTECH features over 100 individual events with a total expected audience of over 30,000 people, making it one of the biggest digital events in the country. In addition to the festival, Mark also manages CultureTECH, a year-round programme of events and activities designed to foster innovation at the crossroads of culture and technology. Prior to launching CultureTECH, Mark served as DerryLondonderry’s first Digital Champion and currently sits on multiple boards and advisory groups across both technology and the arts. Anna Newell has been making theatre adventures for people of all ages to watch and to take part in since 1989—in theatres of all sizes, in a disused police station, in a shopping centre, in a sonic lab and in a secret apartment—in various cities in the UK and Ireland and also in the US and Bosnia. Artistic Director at Replay Theatre Company since 2011, she has created seven shows for the company in addition to other research projects and educational experiments. Anna was the Artistic Director of the Centre for Excellence for the Creative and Performing Arts at Queen’s University from 2005–2010, devising innovative interdisciplinary practical arts programmes including a project which got doctors dancing!
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In Conversation: Thomas Kilroy
Evening programme
A novelist and playwright, Thomas Kilroy has had a long, illustrious career. The Big Chapel was nominated for the Booker Prize and won the Guardian Fiction Prize and the Heinemann Prize. In February 2008, he was presented with the PEN Ireland Cross Award for his contribution to literature. Thomas was a board member of the Field Day Theatre Company founded by Brian Friel and Stephen Rea.
2012 saw Derry born actress/singer Bronagh Gallagher release her second album. The self-titled, long-awaited follow up to 2004’s Precious Soul launches Bronagh back on the music scene after an eight-year absence from the studio. On Precious Soul, Bronagh teamed up with producer, John Reynolds who has worked with the likes of The Cranberries, Bob Geldof and Brian Eno. In 2012 Eno, who collaborated with Bronagh on her tracks He Don’t Love You and Hooks, referred to Bronagh as ‘One of the purest, clearest talents I know—a fabulous singer, bursting with raw Irish soul. Striking and original songs and an effortlessly brilliant band. The whole Bronagh picture has come into focus.’ As an actor, Bronagh is widely acclaimed for her roles in The Commitments and Pulp Fiction and for her appearances in the West End, the National Theatre London and with Complicité.
Open mic session — Talking About … Roll up, roll up and tell us your news. In this session, delegates are invited to pre-register to offer their thoughts to the conference on their own burning issue; alternatively you can use your allotted two minutes (which will be strictly enforced!) to pitch your show, idea, company or indeed, yourself!
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THE PROGRAMME
Day 2
Wednesday 12 June
Time
Session
9.00 –15.30
Clinics
Drop-in clinics throughout the day where you can book a half-hour session with experts in various fields including tax, insurance, social media, employment issues, copyright and governance 9.15–10.15
Parallel sessions
Option 1: North-South touring—a co-ordinated approach A panel of representatives from venues, Arts Councils north and south and producers discuss the essential elements of a co-ordinated approach to North / South touring Option 2: Audience benchmarking: an overview of arts attendance trends Look at how ticket sales are holding up across the performing arts sector in Ireland according to Heather Maitland’s analysis of 2012 box office data in Ireland Option 3: Alexander Technique Workshop Tomás Hardiman 10.15–11.15
Keynote: Change—an opportunity for creative reinvention Richard Gerver, author and change leader
11.15–11.30
Coffee break
11.45–12.45
Parallel sessions
Option 1: Dance leading the way Morag Deyes, Dance Base, Edinburgh with Dance Ireland, Dance Resource Base, Belfast Option 2: Changing models of production and presentation Meet some makers Rachel Clare, Crying Out Loud and Karl Shiels, Theatre Upstairs, who are breaking the mould by creating ground-breaking work outside traditional structures Option 3: Give change a chance Cat Harrison, artist and producer, Artsadmin with Gill Robertson, Catherine Wheels 12.45–13.45
Lunch: Intervention Echo Echo
13.45–14.45
Keynote: Changes in how theatre-makers engage with new audiences Marcus Davey, Chief Executive and Artistic Director, The Roundhouse
14.45–15.30
In Conversation: Declan McGonagle Do the arts change anything at all?
15.30–16.00
Close proceedings
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Day 2: About the speakers and sessions Clinics
Alexander Technique Workshop
One of the new elements of the conference this year will be drop-in clinics where we encourage you to go for individual half-hour sessions with experts in various fields such as tax, insurance, social media, employment issues and governance. We’ll be asking delegates to sign up for clinics in advance.
Tomás Hardiman has just completed three years training as a teacher of the Alexander Technique, the principles of which he is eager to share with arts managers and performers.
North-South touring — a co-ordinated approach This is a topic of perennial interest to production companies as well as their funders. Yet North-South touring is not as prevalent as it once was. In this session, producers as well as representatives from venues and both Councils discuss how a fresh, more co-ordinated approach combined with some practical changes might rejuvenate NorthSouth touring. Audience benchmarking: an overview of arts attendance trends Each year, Heather Maitland collects and analyses box-office data from venues and festivals right across Ireland. At this session, Heather will present the headline findings of her 2012 research looking at audience trends in general as well as those for cultural cinema, taking a close look at how ticket sales are holding up across the sector.
Change as an opportunity for creative re-invention Richard Gerver began his working life as an actor who also worked as an advertising copywriter to make ends meet. He is regarded as one of the world’s foremost thinkers on education, leadership and change. In 2005, he was judged the best head teacher in the UK, after turning a failing school into a global innovation success story. Since then, he has become one of the world’s most celebrated speakers and a best-selling author, helping governments around the world to shape education policy and major organisations to make the most of their talent. Join him as he shares his lessons for leading change. With many of us facing an ever greater pace of change in our personal and working lives, Richard Gerver reveals how to adapt and thrive—not to fear change but to see it as an opportunity for creative reinvention. ‘The ability to embrace change; to lead it and to love it, is at the very heart of human development. The arts have always been a celebration of that ability. In times of such rapid global transformations and challenges, that ability has never been more vital and with it, the role the arts must play as a beacon for it.’
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Dance — leading the way While there are differences in the dance sectors north and south of the border, the vibrancy of the diverse range of dance activity on offer is proving inspirational. Recent years have seen unprecedented growth in participation, dance organisations have embraced new practices and the development of new infrastructure is providing a platform for current and future growth. For some, this is the result of strategic investment. For others, it is due to the resilient and flexible nature of the dance artist and the sector’s ability to embrace change to forge new models of production and working together. In this session, hosted by the two key dance resource organisations on the island, Dance Ireland and Dance Resource Base NI, organisation representatives and their special guest, Morag Deyes, will explore how to continue to capitalise on these new developments by focusing on collaboration and partnership. Morag Deyes is Artistic Director of Dance Base, Scotland’s National Centre for Dance. She was previously Artistic Director of the Bath Festival Fringe and was formerly a teacher and choreographer of ballet, contemporary and jazz dance. Her awards include Member of British Empire July 2007 and Spirit of the Fringe Award 2009.
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Changing models of production and presentation The traditional company structure model of making theatre is being somewhat abandoned, partly in response to changes in funding. Join two creative forces who continue to make and present thrilling work outside these parameters. Rachel Clare established Crying Out Loud in 2002 to produce and tour dynamic new performance combining theatre, contemporary circus, dance, visual arts and site-specific work for festivals and touring networks. Having previously trail-blazed the role of the creative producer, she developed new ways of thinking about programming for all ages and produced work across art-forms for any location on any scale. In 2012, Crying Out Loud conceived and created Piccadilly Circus Circus, a one-day large-scale, outdoor, pop-up spectacular event that transformed London’s Piccadilly Circus into a pedestrianised playground full of the world’s most exciting and contemporary circus performers. Karl Shiels is the Artistic Director of Theatre Upstairs and received a Judges’ Special Award as part of the Irish Times Theatre Awards 2012 for his commitment to the development and promotion of emerging artists in Irish theatre. Theatre Upstairs has provided a platform to dozens of actors, directors and playwrights and encourages a great spirit of experimentation and openness.
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Give change a chance — just what emerging means in the current climate
Changes in how theatre-makers engage with new audiences
Cat Harrison of interactive performance company non zero one talks about the crisis sweeping the arts and creative industries, what it means to be ‘emerging’ in the current climate, and how organisations and individuals in the sector should give change a chance. Cat is an artist / producer. At Artsadmin she works as the Assistant Artists’ Advisor and Producer and as an artist Cat creates interactive experiential theatre works as part of the collective non zero one. Gill Robertson set up Catherine Wheels in 1999, collaborating with practitioners Jay Manley and Annie Wood (now Director of the Polka Theatre, London) to create the company’s first production, Martha. The public and critical response to the show was so successful that it has remained in the repertoire ever since, performing at theatres throughout the UK, Ireland and North America, including Broadway. This and many other successes have established Catherine Wheels as a leading producer of theatre for children and young people. Gill will reflect on how existing company structures can be stretched to represent and support solo artists’ work.
Marcus Davey leads one of the most exciting presenting, producing and receiving venues in London. The Roundhouse has been a focal point of social and artistic development ever since the 60s. Marcus, Chief Executive and Artistic Director of the Roundhouse, has opined that mainstream arts venues tend to manage art as commodities or branding exercises but fail to realise life, spirituality and passion in arts. Unlike the Royal Opera House or Southbank Centre that were constructed with a specific purpose, the Roundhouse emphasises the exchange of ideas through various artistic media to express ideas and explore the future. Marcus will reflect on the changes wrought at the Roundhouse and on how he strives to make a difference in younger people’s lives through their groundbreaking work at the Roundhouse. In Conversation: Declan McGonagle What evidence do we have that the arts are an agent of change? Is this simply high blown rhetoric that we adopt to try and persuade others of our usefulness in society? In our final in conversation session, Declan McGonagle, currently the Director of the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, will argue that the arts continue to be an essential catalyst for societal and political change.
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BOOKING INFORMATION
Booking Information Tickets
Accommodation
Your conference ticket covers access to all sessions, coffee breaks, lunch on both days as well as dinner and evening entertainment too. Conference tickets are booked directly with the Millennium Forum.
You can book your accommodation for the conference through the Derry Visitor and Convention Bureau on-line booking service. BOOK ACCOMMODATION
Ticket Prices Conference ticket prices are quoted and purchases will be charged in Sterling. Euro charges will vary from the approximate ones quoted here, depending on the exchange rate at the time of your ticket purchase. Fee
Sterling £ Euro €
Members
£85
€100 approx.
Non-members
£165
€195 approx.
Special subsidised rate* £60
€70 approx.
Transport — Conference Bus Tuesday, 11 June: There will be a non-stop bus connection from Heuston Station, Dublin to the Millennium Forum. The bus will depart from Heuston Station at 10.30am and arrive in DerryLondonderry at 2pm. Wednesday, 12 June: A bus will leave from the Millennium Forum at 4pm and arrive back in Dublin at 7.30pm, calling at Heuston Station as well as Dublin city centre. BOOK BUS
*Please note that there is a limited number of subsidised places for freelance writers, directors, producers and artists. Please contact NITA or Theatre Forum for details.
Registration We ask all delegates to register for the conference to enable us to prepare delegate lists, packs and name badges. REGISTER / BOOK ONLINE
City Map
DOWNLOAD MAP
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CONTACT US
Contact Us Please contact us if you need any assistance or have any queries. Visit our websites for more information. NITA Coordinator: Charlotte Smith +44 (0)77 5105 9823 info@nitatheatre.org www.nitatheatre.org Theatre Forum Manager: Catherine Rutter +353 (0)1 874 6582 manager@theatreforum.ie www.theatreforumireland.com We look forward to seeing you, your colleagues and friends at the All-Ireland Performing Arts Conference at the Millennium Forum in June.
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