Annual Review 2013–2014 Bubble Theatre. Registered charity no. 264359
For further details please contact London Bubble Theatre Company Tel: 020 7237 4434 or email: admin@londonbubble.org.uk www.londonbubble.org.uk Photographs: London Bubble staff team, Monica Alcazar-Duarte, Steve Hickey, Helen Murray, Jonathon Vines Design: www.emmi.co.uk
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I AM BUBBLE THEATRE: STORIES. PEOPLE. PROCESS. PLACE.
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Jonathan Petherbridge Creative Director and Chief Executive
We would like to thank: Arts Council England, City Bridge Trust, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Friends of Albion Millennium Green, Frances Jones and John Little, Frances Spurrier, Garfield Weston Foundation, Heritage Lottery Fund, London Borough of Southwark, SHINE Trust, The Baring Foundation, The Big Lottery, The Henry Smith Foundation, The Jack Petchey Foundation, The Rotherhithe School, The Alan and Babette Sainsbury Charitable Trust, Team London Bridge, United St Saviour’s Charity.
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Not only does this work clearly benefit individuals it also benefits society. To bring people of different ages and backgrounds together, to learn about each other, and, through the performances which emerge, bring
Rt Hon Simon Hughes Chair of Trustees Member of Parliament for Bermondsey and Old Southwark
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London Bubble must be an attractive offer as our numbers continue to rise. During the year people came together 1,245 times to craft stories into performances. They ranged in age from 3 to 90+.
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This kind of theatre making demands care from us all – a safe space, a skilled artist/facilitator who challenges everyone to be creatively playful and processes which reinforce positive social behaviour and good communication. This leads to memorable performances given by strong teams.
At the moment art seems to be struggling to express its value and to find its place in the lives of our citizens. Creating art collaboratively, especially theatre, engenders a sense of real connection, presence, agency and action. Perhaps this might be what society needs more of now, and what artists should be emphasising. In the coming year Bubble will continue to demonstrate that great theatre, theatre which deals artfully with substantial issues of concern, can be made and enjoyed by any age group.
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Places and people change when we come together to share our stories. In essence that’s what Bubble offers – a process of theatre making that is transformational and open to anyone.
spaces and places to life. All of this helps to create cohesive, healthy and interesting communities.
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Bubble shares the vision that everyone at every stage of their life, should have access to the pleasures and benefits of creating theatre.
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What we achieved in 2013–14
Introduction
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People
Stories
Everyone can benefit from making theatre and theatre is enriched by diversity – under 5’s enjoying the playfulness of their adults in Story Bubbles, elders in our Creative Homes group telling the life story of their hands, corporate partners whose employees connect with local issues through forum theatre, working adults who commit to evening drama sessions, young people who have time during the day, and want theatre to act as a positive force. People bring their wrinkles and their humour, their curiosity and their inhibitions, their experiences and artistry to the theatre they make.
We encourage people to share their stories and co-create new ones children with their classmates, young people devising plays for other young people, older people with their community. Be it a 45 minute Speech Bubbles session where KS1 children create and share stories, or a 20 month project that resulted in 1,500 Londoners hearing the testimonies of local workers, stories give people ownership of their theatre.
A partnership between Norton Rose Foundation, Southwark Youth Offending Service and Southwark Safeguarding Children’s Board resulted in a project that explored healthy relationships and child sexual exploitation. As a result over 500 young people saw a performance created by Young Theatre Makers and every Southwark Secondary school received an education pack.
In 2013–14 Speech Bubbles ran in 20 schools across the country, covering four London boroughs plus Manchester, Bolton and Rochdale. 89% of the children showed an improvement in learning, speaking, listening and emotional behaviour.
Young Theatre Makers in a creative workshop session
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Speech Bubbles session, led by Julia Voce at Southwark Park Primary
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Wendy has been making theatre with Bubble for 7 years. By day she works for a music TV company.
Vernacular Theatre
We describe our work as Vernacular Theatre. We use the word Vernacular as it is used to describe architecture. Vernacular buildings are useful and commonplace – sheds, barns, homes, all made by local people from local materials. Vernacular theatre is also useful and created from local materials, by local people, for local purposes. The value is felt in the process, the invitation, the act of making – as well as in the finished performance.
Brenda joined in 2011 after telling her story to the Grandchildren of the Blitz interviewers. She has since participated in two intergenerational projects.
Chris was brought along to Bubble by his daughter Rosie-Lea when she was 10. They have since appeared in two plays together.
Stage Direction:
From Docks to Desktops, our participatory performance project in 2013, featured an intergenerational cast of 40 community actors who performed a script woven from collected stories telling the changing nature of work in and around the South London docks area.
Jasmine originally joined the Bubble 6-8’s group in Spring 2010 and has been a member since then.
From Docks to Desktops, The Biscuit Factory, Nov 2013
Sand is poured from a wheelbarrow. The River Thames is etched into the sand with a chain. On the riverbank Canary Wharf is constructed from packets of biscuits.
Process
Places
Our skilled artists establish safe and creative spaces where stories are shared; play is rediscovered and theatre is valued by participants of all ages. Forum Theatre is used by Young Theatre Makers, in schools the Speech Bubbles technique is passed on to teaching staff, intergenerational theatre is created through the foraging process – all specific processes for specific groups. But fundamental to all shared theatremaking are the underlying values of kindness, generosity and joy.
We believe theatre can transform a place. Masking tape turns floors of classrooms into powerful imaginative spaces for the stories of 600 children each week. A stone city landscape transforms into a playful Pancake Race, bringing together 8 teams of office workers and young people. A machine room at the Biscuit Factory where Twiglets were made now sees a 30 strong intergenerational troupe of community performers make theatre with audiences of 800 local people. Our theatre makes special places and places special.
“ Bubble Theatre coming is the highlight of my week; I’ve been on anti-depressants for 10 years but with the theatre sessions, it helps…. very much” Participant, Creative Homes
“Working on the LB+ commissions has given me a real insight into my own community and its needs. Not only has it given me paid work as a young actress in the early years of my career, it has taught me some invaluable skills as a workshop facilitator and aspiring leader.” Jade, Young Theatre Maker alumni
Creative Homes, Ronald Buckingham Court
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The Flipping Marvellous SE1 Charity Pancake Race 2014
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Finance
Our people
Income Private income: £151,169 Earned income: £137,941 Public Income: £87,322
Total income for the year amounted to £462,432, of which £86,000 relates specifically to the completion of the capital improvement to our building. Of the £376,432 that was not building related, £87,322 was public income (national and local govt); £151,169 was private income (trusts and small donations) and £137,941 was earned income (box office, hire fees).
Total £376,432
Total expenditure for the year amounted to £409,251 after excluding specific costs related to the capital project. Core costs including salaries for permanent staff, premises costs and overheads amounted to £230,168 and project costs to £179,083.
Expenditure Core costs: £230,168 Project Costs: £179,083 Total £409,251
The conclusion of the building project and the relocation to our improved premises caused some disruption to our pattern of activities and as a result we incurred a deficit on the year which we were able to cover by using our reserves. This means that we must strive to restore such reserves to a prudent level. At the time of writing our fundraising for 2014/15 and beyond is looking positive and we are hopeful that we will achieve a satisfactory outcome on the year.
Earned Income Project income: 105,920 Hires and other: £29,340 Membership: £2,681
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The Bubble Team: Board Members Patricia Abraham Jonathan Barnes Jocelyn Cunningham Matthew de Lange Mark Dunford Charlie Folorunsho Simon Hughes June Mitchell Francisco Mojica David Slater Simon Thomson Sue Timothy Core Team Mike Adam Adam Annand Lucy Anderson Jones Lucy Bradshaw Sagan Daniels Jonathan Petherbridge Shipra Ogra Claire Sexton Marie Vickers
Freelance Artists Sam Adams Rachel Bagshaw Joe Barnes-Phillips Amelia Bird Tytiah Blake Michael Breakey Catherine Donaldson Anthony Doran Jade Dowsett-Roberts Alex Evans Raphael Flynn Deshaye Gayle Simone Gayle David Gilbert Abigail Graham Alison Hale Ben Hauke Baylen Leonard Miles McDonald Angela Michaels Ben Myers John Morales Pip Nash Nao Nagai Victoria O’Neill Adam Robertson Fraz Roughton Jenny Skene Stas Smagala
Yomi Sode Simon Startin Alex Stone Nora Tawfiq Lynn Thornton Tamsin Tyers-Vowles Julia Voce Beverley Ward Andrew Watkins Francis Watson Fiona Whitelaw