Open Clasp Theatre Company
challenging theatre inspired by women
Annual Review 2013/14
Contents 2
About us
3
Our achievements
4
Chair’s comment
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A word from the Artistic Director
“Open Clasp does something which is not only unique, entertaining and engaging but also incredibly important. They tell stories that need to be heard and they allow their audiences to see the world through unexpected eyes.”
6-7 Songlines 8
Fracking Up North
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Key Change
10 National award & Bursary programme 11 What else have we been up to? 12 Current work 2014 13 Open Clasp are 14 Thank yous
About us We make truthful, risk-taking and unforgettable theatre from a female gaze to inspire new and young audiences. Our work is informed by the lived experiences of marginalised women and young women we work with and is rooted in the belief that theatre changes lives. Since 1998, the unheard voices of women have been given a platform through collaboration, creating professional, thoughtprovoking and awardwinning theatre. We have a developing mixed gender audience and a loyal following which includes women who share the life stories of the characters we depict. We know of no other organisation that works the way that we do.
Our achievements this year • Winning a National Award - the Emma Humphreys Prize - for outstanding contribution in raising awareness of Domestic Violence in our work • Creating new work that has real impact through Songlines, a powerful multi-disciplinary installation sharing the voices of women from minority communities living in the North East • Continuing to reach out to audiences who do not usually attend theatre or arts events
Erica Whyman, Deputy Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company & Open Clasp Patron
• Beginning an exciting artistic collaboration with internationally renowned physical theatre company Frantic Assembly
• Working with exciting emerging young artists through a professional development bursary programme
• Working in the criminal justice system on an innovative project reflecting the lives and experiences of women in prison
• Reaching 1,680 people in a non-touring year - we have now reached 50,642 since 1998
• Collaborating with 162 marginalised young women in the North East and Liverpool through workshops to shine a light on their experiences
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Chair’s comment Whilst this is the annual report for 2013/14 I am breaking with our usual protocol because as I write, an email has just popped into my inbox with some brilliant news that is just too good not to share. Open Clasp has again been selected by Arts Council England for the National Portfolio, which is huge testament to the brilliant work of the company. Whilst we were all hopeful, the pressure on funding this time has been significant and we are delighted that Arts Council has taken the wise decision to continue to fund us for three years to 2018. This support takes away a significant financial pressure and provides us with a secure funding base from which we will continue to raise additional funds and diversify our income to support the development of our work. Back to this year, which has been a very full one, taking the company in new artistic directions, into new places and new partnerships too. Songlines, our first film and photography installation drew on 40 women’s stories of childhood, home and beginning new lives in the North East. The work, which I felt was visually stunning and beautifully and powerfully narrated by the women who took part, continues to be shown providing a continued legacy for this important piece. In the North East and Liverpool too we started the important consultation process for our new 4
project, Fracking Up North. Workshops took place with over 160 young women to inform a play based on their lives, which will tour across the North in 2015. Alongside Open Clasp’s creative team were Frantic Assembly, a London based company who create a unique style of physical theatre. This represents a new partnership for Open Clasp which we hope will develop in the coming years. As part of this project we also show our commitment to supporting and growing new and emerging talent through a bursary programme which offers seven young women experience as assistants to the creative team.
The Key Change project saw Open Clasp work, for the first time, in a prison with a group of women at HMP & YOI Low Newton, commissioned by Dilly Arts. The women took part in workshops which supported them to tell their stories and to perform a piece to their peers. Catrina and I reflected on how powerful and important this work has been for the company and we hope to use this as a bridge to develop more work in women’s prisons in the future. Finally, I must also recognise some important individuals and organisations who have contributed to our success this year. Thanks go to the staff team whose energy and commitment seems endless and to my colleagues on the Board for their great thinking, time and support. Thanks also to Alice Thwaite who retired from the board in March. Finally a huge thanks to all our funders, supporters, community groups and venues. We look forward to seeing you all on tour this coming year. Diane Fisher-Naylor
A word from the Artistic Director This year has been full of firsts for Open Clasp. We were honoured to win our first National Award, the Emma Humphreys Memorial Prize given for outstanding contribution to creatively raising awareness of violence against women and children. Emma Humphreys was a writer, campaigner and survivor of male violence who fought an historic struggle to overturn a murder conviction in 1995. This prize exists to continue and honour her work and we are extremely proud to have received this. Our work concerning domestic violence started during our first tour back in 1999 with After Her Death. We were approached by survivors of domestic abuse and asked if we would create a play, like After Her Death, that told their stories, so it had to be thought provoking, risk-taking, unforgettable and very funny. We collaborated with these women and Falling Knives was born. This play toured three times, reaching
over 9,000 people in the Greater North during 2001 to 2006. Our current projects, to be toured in 2015, sees the company working in prisons and with young women, and again domestic abuse is a common theme. Over the past 16 years we have created shows such as Tonic, Stand & Tan, Rattle & Roll, The Space Between Us, Blue Giro, A Twist of Lemon - all of which highlight the experience of domestic abuse. I would like to dedicate this award to those survivors who first approached us and all the women since who have put their trust in us to collaborate to create great theatre from a female gaze to make change happen. Our other firsts have been working with the fabulous Frantic Assembly, the creation of our first installation, commissions to create films looking at the impact of dementia with those from minority communities and films looking at domestic abuse within LGBT communities. We have also collaborated with young women’s groups outside the region for the first time. And our final first has been our work
in a women’s prison, this is a unique project that supports women to create and perform their own work and is then toured to male prisons across the region. We have also just heard we have been shortlisted out of 21,000 organisations and individuals for the National Diversity Award on Gender. Also, the Northern Rock Foundation’s report into dementia care in the North East featuring Open Clasp’s work will become a blueprint for future Government policy. This along with the Emma Humphreys Award means that the voices of those we work with are now heard on at a National level, and long may it continue. We are feeling strong and proud. The success of Open Clasp is due to the fact that we work in partnership with youth and community groups, collaborate with women and young women and create the best theatre and art we can, therefore ensuring that we have biggest impact on our audiences. We want people to step into the shoes of those we work with, to have empathy, to change thoughts and ultimately we want to change the world. Catrina McHugh 5
SONGLINES multi-media installation
Songlines shares the voices of the women through audio recordings, film and photography, exploring themes of belonging, identity, community and trust focussing on the journeys that they undertake in their personal lives.
The final phase of the A Song To Sing project brought 40 women from minority communities living in the North East of England together with visual artists to create the powerful installation Songlines.
Thank you to the women who gave their time and trust to this project and to the visual artists who worked together to make such a beautiful piece
“Listening to the stories makes me realise how fortunate we are to live here. We have so much… Shelter, security, sanctuary. We should be more willing to share with those who have none of this”
“I have been planning what I would like to say in the interview since we last saw you. I’ve never told anyone about these places so close to my heart before”
Audience member
Terya, participant
“I didn’t imagine it would be this great... .I feel so proud I was part of this. I really, really love it… it’s given me a confidence to face the world” Sana, participant
100% 6
of audiences said that Songlines had made them think about the experiences of women from minority communities who now live in the North
88%
described the installation as excellent with the remainder describing it as good
40%
of audiences who came to Songlines do not usually attend arts events 7
KEY CHANGE working with women in prison We have been commissioned by Dilly Arts to collaborate with women in HMP & YOI Low Newton to enable them to tell their stories and perform a new piece of theatre to their peers which will then be toured on the women’s behalf by professional actors to male prisons in the North East and to Live Theatre, Newcastle. In early 2014 we worked with some truly inspirational women to devise a piece which will capture their lives, their strength and their courage.
“I am blown away by this group of women. The depiction of the story is gripping. The commitment and passion is palpable. You have created, are creating, a powerful, hard-hitting, inspiring, graceful, elegant, important drama. I feel privileged”
FRACKING UP NORTH working with marginalised young women We have completed the first phase of our new project collaborating with young women in the North East and Liverpool to inform a play about their lives which will tour early 2015. We’re thrilled that renowned physical theatre company Frantic Assembly are working with us throughout the process. Consultation and movement workshops have explored the young women’s world, with groups gaining new insights into their own and others’ lived experiences, learning new skills and having their voices heard.
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“I liked the theatre side of it especially how emotional it gets, when people watch and interpret the same thing as the message you’re trying to put across... We were nearly crying, as we were a boy and a girl going through stuff, and when you can relate to the story, it was great” Participant
Charlie Hardwick, Actor and Patron of Open Clasp after attending a rehearsal at HMP & YOI Low Newton
“This has been a great project for me to do. It has almost been like a therapy session for me, getting things off my chest and learning about other people’s lives in here has been amazing… thanks for a great experience” Participant
Thank you to the 162 young women who have put their trust in this project. 9
“What I’ve enjoyed so far is seeing how Open Clasp work with community groups and how the young women’s voices are so valued even before the creative process has begun. I feel excited that I’ll be part of making something which has, at its heart, voices which are currently unheard.” Jessica Martin, Assistant to the Director Bursary
What else have we been up to? Training and awareness raising films We were commissioned by the North East Domestic Abuse Project at Victim Support to develop innovative training films on Domestic Abuse in the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and/or Trans) community.
We were also commissioned by North East Dementia Alliance to produce a set of training films looking at Dementia Care for Minority Communities and received funding from the Northern Rock Foundation to explore ways of marketing and selling our Swags & Tails training tool on Person Centred Care.
National Award winners
We are very honoured to have been awarded the 2013 Emma Humphreys Prize for organisations at the Feminism in London conference for outstanding contribution in raising awareness of violence against women and children in our work.
Young Women’s Bursary Programme
We received funding from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation for seven young women to join the company through a bursary programme and work alongside members of the creative team on the Fracking Up North project. Four exciting young women are currently in post with three more about to join us. 10
Courses
We carried out an 8-week World of Work Course developed with West End Women & Girls Centre enabling women to gain understanding of the process of finding and holding down a job.
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Open Clasp are…
Current Work 2014 KEY CHANGE
has completed an enormously successful tour of male prisons and a sold out public performance at Live Theatre and we are looking at ways to take the production further afield so watch this space
We are running a NATIONAL CONFERENCE focused on supporting LGBT older people in care settings in October creating an additional legacy for Swags & Tails
The FRACKING UP NORTH production is currently in research and development leading up to the tour in February and March 2015. It will be a really contemporary, energetic and exciting piece of physical theatre which will both challenge and celebrate our understanding of young women’s lives Photographer Phyllis Christopher has also been running workshops with the young women which will result in a beautiful photography exhibition shown alongside the tour
Trustees: Diane Fisher-Naylor (Chair) Hazel Davison Jo Cundall Selma Dimitrijevic Elected March 2014 Anna Disley Alice Thwaite Retired March 2014 Sarah Wade Patrons: Charlie Hardwick Erica Whyman OBE Company Secretary: Roma Yagnik Staff: Artistic Director: Catrina McHugh Creative Producer: Jill Heslop Operations Manager: Roma Yagnik Administrator: Mary Wilson Volunteers: Jerry Drake Olivia Crocker
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The Space Between Us Tour Actors: Joana Geronimo, Jessica Johnson, Ioana Tudor, Seda Yildiz Writer: Catrina McHugh Director: Charlotte Bennett Set Designer: Lydia Denno Lighting Designer: Ziggy Jacobs Sound Designer: Ziad Jabero Composer: Roma Yagnik Production Manager: Chloe Ribbens Stage Manager: Shona Wright Deputy Stage Manager: Jennifer Murray BSL Signing: Annie Brotherton Set Builder: Simon Henderson Programme Image: Gailen Manuel Photographer (production): Keith Pattison Graphic Design: Joseph White Vox Pops: Kate Sweeney Volunteer (Costume and design): Lisa Petrie Songlines Photographer: Phyllis Christopher Visual Artist: Taryn Edmonds Filmmaker: Kate Sweeney
Facilitator: Joana Geronimo Graphic Design: Joseph White Fracking Up North Bursary Recipients: Assistant to the Facilitator: Laura Christer Assistant to the Director: Jessica Martin Assistant to the Movement Director: Katie Patterson Assistant to the Writer: Louise Young Fracking Up North Workshops: Movement Facilitator: Jessica Williams for Frantic Assembly Workshop Facilitator: Lindsay Maudling Photography Facilitator: Phyllis Christopher North East Domestic Abuse Films for Victim Support Actors: Samantha Bell, Tom Booth, Alex Elliott, Paula Penman, Eva Quinn, Karen Robinson, Jasmine Stewart, Eilidh Talman, Jacqueline Turnbull Writer: Catrina McHugh Director: Katja Roberts Filming: Meerkat Films
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North East Dementia Alliance Films Actors: Pooja Ghai, Barbara Heslop, Jessica Johnson, Helen Russell, Alexandra Tahnee, Rachel Teate, Gauri Vedhara Director: Amy Golding Writer: Catrina McHugh Stage Manager: Shona Wright Filming: Meerkat Films Music: Roma Yagnik DVD Design: Joseph White Key Change Devised by the women from HMP and YOI Low Newton Writer: Catrina McHugh Director: Laura Lindow Stage Manager: Kate McCheyne Choreographer: Holly Irving Actors: Christina Berriman Dawson, Cheryl Dixon, Judi Earl, Jessica Johnson Photographer: Keith Pattison Swags & Tails extracts at conferences Actors/Facilitators: Cheryl Dixon, Barbara Heslop, Catrina McHugh, Rachel Teate 14
Thank yous
The success of Open Clasp’s projects are due to the commitment and honesty of the women and young women who take part. We genuinely cannot thank them enough: Songlines Byker Sands Sure Start Children’s Centre East, Newcastle Open Door North East, Middlesbrough West End Women & Girls Centre, Newcastle Fracking up North Barnardos SECOS Outreach Group Central Correctors, Hartlepool Life Skills Girls Group at Clubmoor Youth Centre Depaul Centre UK Excelsior School Gateshead Young Women’s Outreach Project Girls and Young Women from Trinity Youth LGBT Group Girls Group at Spennymoor Youth and Community Centre Linhope Pupil Referral Unit
Newcastle College Older Girls at West End Women & Girls Centre SPLICE at Clubmoor Youth Centre The Modern Maidens, Meadowell Throsten Youth Project Tyneside Young Lesbian Project Young Persons’ Opportunities Project, Liverpool Youthpoint, Liverpool Key Change The women from HMP & YOI Low Newton As a charitable company Open Clasp depends on grants and donations to run our projects. Many thanks for supporting us this year to: Arts Council England Northern Rock Foundation Newcastle Fund (Newcastle City Council) Esmée Fairbairn Foundation Lloyds Bank Foundation We’d also like to say a special thank you to Thrifty Beatnik Vintage Clothing who regularly donated to Open Clasp throughout the year.
Open Clasp relies on donations to support our work with local communities. You can donate by text message. To donate £1 £2 £5 or £10 text OPEN27 followed by the amount you’d like to give to 70070, i.e. to donate £5 text “OPEN27 £5” to 70070. (Please only do this with the bill payer’s permission). For more ways to support us and help make women’s voices heard please see our website www.openclasp.org.uk or contact us at the office. Open Clasp Theatre Company The Stephenson Building 173 Elswick Road Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 6SQ T 0191 272 4063 F 0191 272 4137 E info@openclasp.plus.com www.openclasp.org.uk
challenging theatre inspired by women
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Registered company number 05137687 | Registered charity number 1108000