Activate Performing Arts Annual Report 2014-15

Annual Report

2014 -15

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Welcome

Message from the acting chair

Chris Huxley Our work in 2014 –15 has continued to go from strength to strength as the organisation has settled into its role as a regional beacon of excellence and innovation.

Shining bright across the cultural landscape during this time was the 2014 Inside Out Dorset Festival that hit new artistic heights and attracted big crowds to a range of spectacular events.

I was particularly pleased to see the people of Poole turn out in unprecedented numbers for the two performances by French circus specialists CirkVOST. For two nights in September 2014, 2

Poole Park felt more like the French Riviera as families mingled, picnicked and enjoyed the fantastic aerial skills on display.

By way of contrast, a more intimate programme of homegrown sitespecific artistry unfolded throughout the village of Littlebredy over the last weekend of the festival.

with four Inside Out Dorset Festivals but feel that the 2014 vintage hit new heights and demonstrated how much further we can go with our ambitions.

The success of Inside Out Dorset Festival 2014 leads me to pay tribute not only to the programming skill of our joint artistic directors Bill Gee and Simon Chatterton but also to Festival Producer Jen Walke whose first festival in Dorset this was.

As acting Chair of the organisation for the past three years, I have been very lucky to work alongside a very enthusiastic and committed collection of board members. It is the routine work of most voluntary boards to help oversee the organisations’ activities and stay abreast of key issues and developments. But our board is exceptional in its diligence and efforts on a number of unseen and often unacknowledged fronts – advising on matters of Finance, being active advocates for our work in the wider community, and providing essential support to our CEO. I thank them all for their continued contribution.

Visitors mixed and mingled with a giant hare, lepidopterists, sound expeditionaries, wood sprites and curious installations of entangled willow and wood. A memorable two days that came to us through an innovative programme aimed at commissioning new work from regional artists. I am delighted that some of the commissions produced through the scheme went on to tour to other festivals and settings in 2015.

Finally, I must once again extend my very great thanks to Kate Wood and her energetic and enthusiastic team for all they have contributed to the organisations’ continuing success over the past twelve months.

I have now been closely involved

Barrow, photo: Tony Gill

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Message from the executive director

Kate Wood A festival year is always one that is both very full and very fulfilling – and we are pleased that audiences found it joyful and thought provoking at the same time.

Without the remarkable talent of the artists we have worked with and supported, there wouldn’t be the exceptional work to present or workshops to inspire the imagination.

Their artistry makes an enormous impact on our lives and we are pleased to have worked with so many exceptionally talented artists – And Now, CirkVOST, Gobbeldegook Theatre, Atelier Lefeuvre et Andre, Joli Vyann, Periplum, ArtMusic, Les Colporteurs, Kalawa Brass Band, Emma Williams, Niki McCretton, Angela Laurier, Diverse City, Cirque Bijou, Impermanence Dance to name just a few!

Thousands of people came to our festival this year and more people than ever enjoyed participating in workshops and residencies with artists – young and old. It is imperative that we continue this important work in the community as it is widely recognised that the arts has a positive benefits on our health and wellbeing – both physically and mentally.

Here at Activate we believe passionately in bringing arts and culture into everyone’s lives.

I wanted to take the opportunity to thank our Board, the staff team, our fantastic volunteers and all the invaluable partners and funders that are listed toward the back page without whom we cannot achieve what we are sharing with you in this report.

Finally, I want to thank our outgoing chair, Chris Huxley, who has held the reins since we came into the Arts Council’s new ‘National Portfolio’. All of the board and the staff team would like to thank him for his many years of inspiration and support.

There are so many stories we would like to share, but we can’t share them all and so we have chosen a few of our highlights for the year in this report - from the wonderful feedback from audiences to the festival, to our participatory work in the community and how much we valued our European partners.

The White Hare, photo: Tony Gill

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Our Vision

To help create a thriving performing arts and outdoor celebrations ecology in Dorset, Bournemouth and Poole.

Activate produces, promotes and develops the performing arts in Dorset with the belief that artists can affect and/or provide positive change in our communities.

We work with artists, venues, programmers, the education sector, social services, the environment sector, the health sector, economic development, tourism, among others to realise our shared aspirations.

Barrow, photo: Tony Gill

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Activates Objectives 2014-15

1. Promoting a range of high quality dance, theatre and outdoor celebrations for a growing audience.

2. Establishing Inside Out Dorset as a national beacon of excellence.

3. Producing and supporting the production of new work, especially by regional artists.

4. Offering information and advice in the performing arts.

5. Increasing participation in the performing and outdoor arts. Making the arts more accessibleto a diverse audience.

Young people are particularly important.

6. Supporting artists and practitioners in their professional development.

7. Working collaboratively to achieve greater things.

8. Creating a distinctive sense of place by building on the assets within our region.

The Bell, photo: Paul Hampartsoumian

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Our Year in

Numbers

25,000 Audience

Attendance

11,517 Attendences at

workshops

9,427 Young people attended workshops 200 One-to-one sessions with artists and producers 13,400 Visitors to exhibitions 4 Artist Residencies 5 Artist Exhibitions

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Promoting

Over the last 3 years we have welcomed over 100,000 audience members.

Le Feuvre et Andre, 8m3, photo: Matthieu Hagene

Activate supported 88 performances throughout the South West, including 27 new productions.

Audiences of over 25,000 enjoyed 12

live performance at Inside Out Dorset Festival and over 13,000 people saw exhibitions we presented in Bridport Arts Cafe and Lighthouse Poole.

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Promoting Rural tour of

‘8m3’ by Le Feuvre et Andre

We piloted the idea through first presenting the company within the Inside Out Dorset Festival and then booking them on the rural touring circuit by collaborating with Artsreach and South West colleagues.

Our second tour of Dorset, Devon and Cornwall was a real success. ‘8m3’ by by Atelier Lefeuvre et Andre (enabled through the Southwest Rural Touring Consortium and supported by our PASS Channel Circus partnership) played to delighted audiences and received great feedback.

Le Feuvre et Andre, 8m3, photo: Matthieu Hagene

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“We have seen audiences come to the show in the village halls of Dorset as a result of them being programmed in the festival.”

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Inside Out Inside Out Dorset is firmly established as a quality international outdoor arts festival and in 2014 we exceeded expectations once again.

"People are still talking about the Bell (by Periplum) - the town is "buzzing" - it has evoked emotions and imaginations, it has demonstrated the power and impact such a performance can have on a town and its residents, bringing together the community young and old!”

- Esme Butler, Blandford Forum Town Council

“I had never been to that part of Dorset and found it to be a simply stunning location to spend time with my child.

She loved the Butterfly Lady the most and at 2 years old remembered aspects of the performance for days afterwards. I enjoyed sharing that experience and the landscape with her. That in itself was the most rewarding thing about the day.”

- Audience Member, Ridgeway Responses

“I am certain that I speak for anyone who was lucky enough to see the events in Poole and Studland; what an amazing festival!! I can't express how much my family enjoyed every event.

On Monday morning I woke up and wondered if it had really happened, it was so incredible. Thank you to all involved.

We look forward to the remaining events and to 2016."

- Audience Member Boo by Cirk VOST, photo: Paul Hampartsoumian

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Inside Out The festival animated the extraordinary landscape of Dorset between 12th – 28th September 2014.

Here are just some of the highlights:

• We created 14 artists’ commissions – 9 for the South Dorset Ridgeway (Landscape Partnership)

• Over 24,000 visitors experienced the festival across Poole, Studland, Blandford, The South Dorset Ridgeway and Bournemouth

• 93 artists worked with us as part of the festival • 91 fantastic volunteers helped make it happen

• Our work with 21 partners and 26 funders made it possible

• 1,200 participants took part in our Associate Programme of learning and participation

• We presented 55 international performances including 2 UK premieres by French companies CirkVOST and Les Colporteurs

• The festival had an estimated £1.7m economic impact to the county

• We animated 5 exceptional locations across Dorset, Bournemouth and Poole

• We received a Highly Commended certificate at the Poole Tourism Awards for our event Boo by CirkVOST The Roof, photo: Paul Hampartsoumian

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Producing 25

emerging and mid-career artists supported

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Nine artists made site responsive commissions for Inside Out Dorset Festival ‘Ridgeway Responses’ our first ‘trail in the landscape’ working with the South Dorset Ridgeway Landscape Partnership.

New Commissions

This year we supported 25 emerging and mid-career artists and companies from the UK to realise their commissioned work. 14 of these cocommissions were new.

Artists included: And Now, Gobbledegook Theatre, Emma Williams, Commotion Dance, Joli Vyann, ArtMusic.

We are working with some of the artists on a longer term programme of support, securing further commissions for them.

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Ear Trumpet, photo: Mike Petitdemange In Circle: Audience at Boo, CirkVOST, photo: Paul Hampartsoumian

“Activate have met and exceeded expectations, Ridgeway Responses was a pleasure to work on throughout and a delight to attend, we are excited about the future possibilities this model presents us with, of presenting a series of site specific outdoor installations/ performances that highlight the special qualities of a particular landscape and engage new audiences for both landscape heritage and art.”

- Dorset AONB 21

Over 35,000 people visited our website

Advisory We created and supported networking opportunities through our groups DanceNet and TheatreNet and our work with QuestSW as well as supporting artists to attend networking events outside the county.

We gave support to venues and programmers through the Dorset Theatre Promoters Consortium and created resources and tools to use on our website: www.activateperformingarts.org.uk

Jam Productions, Big Bounce, photo: Carillion

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Participation The French Remix Cherbourg, Normandy.

Following an initial exchange in 2012 between our creative team from The Remix (Activate’s integrated youth performance company) and our project partners in PASS; an Interreg funded programme of new circus. La Breche, National Centre for Circus Arts in France, who set up a sister company, The French Remix after being inspired by our work and it is thriving in Cherbourg, Normandy.

One of the aims of PASS was to influence and interlink partners who could then share ideas and artists.

This inclusive artistic practice became one of the emblematic actions of the PASS project with its first performance taking place in March 2014.

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A brochure was created by the PASS project partners at the end of the project called ‘Extraordinary Bodies / la difference creative’, which closes by saying:

“Over and above disability itself, it is important to show the experience of life on the stage. Can we not say that the peculiarities of bodies, minds and our different paths through life are not a source of creativity? Besides the notion of extraordinary or different bodies and minds, the idea behind Extraordinary Bodies defines the inherent natural diversity of individuals.”

French Remix, photo: La Breche

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Participation The Associate Programme is a three year rolling programme of outreach, learning and participation.

We work with local communities, artists, schools, young and older people spanning all ages and abilities.

In 2014 the programme was fully embedded in the Inside Out Dorset festival continuing our ambition to reach out to more communities.

We worked with over 1,200 participants 35 of whom were artists.

“We really enjoyed and valued the meeting with CirkVOST. Many of our students went to the event and both Liz and I were amazed by how much they had to say about the performances.

I am positive that the experience will help them in this project and any future assignments.”

- Tanya Wakeford Glenmoor and Winton Schools.

“I felt extraordinarily privileged to have the opportunity to take part in The Bell in Blandford. It was a memorable experience which I would not have missed for the world - I think all of us in the choir felt that. Working with Juliet was marvellous, meeting different groups of people is always life enhancing and I would jump at the chance to do something similar. Why say no when you can say yes!”

- Local Vocals Choir member.

The results were tremendous – highlights included an outdoor exhibition of huge bamboo sculptures, schools engaging with the companies in workshops and talks and local performers having a part in the actual shows.

Boo by Cirk VOST, photo: Paul Hampartsoumian

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Participation Landance Valley of Stones This landscape dance performance included Margie and a youth dancer performing alongside the professional company.

We often talk of progression pathways for younger performers, but we are also delighted to support progression routes for our older participants.

Margie Barbour attends the West Dorset A Dance A Day group created by Activate.

During Inside Out Dorset 2014, she performed with Impermanence Dance Company who featured in Landance, which was an Associate Event in our festival.

“A great example of intergenerational work and of opportunities for later life progression.�

Landance, photo: Alastair Nisbet In Circle: Hellstone Sunset, photo: Tony Gill

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Roaslind Conlon: Dance Producer 29

Professional Development 200

one-to-one sessions

Specialist mentoring delivered by artists and European festival directors

Supporting artists and producers is an ongoing feature of our work. This year we gave 200 one to one sessions offering support to a wide range of professional artists. Specialists mentoring was offered to artists as part of our Inside Out Dorset programme, delivered by other practicing artists, as well as European festival directors.

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“Good news, my G4A application was accepted!

A huge thank you for the encouragement, input, specific advice, wisdom, experience and general cheerleading! My application was made possible by your support, and it's much appreciated. You gave me a lot of time and free advice, I feel lucky to have found you.�

- Suzy Almond, Playwright The Trip Swich, Suzy Almond.

In Circle: Acrojou, photo: Alastair Nisbet

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Collaboration

Collaboration is key to our work - almost everything we deliver is in partnership.

What Remains, photo: And Now In Circle: The Caravan Obscura, photo: Alastair Nisbet

Activate works across the South West region and with European Partners 32

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Collaboration PASS Channel Circus We presented exceptional French contemporary circus to thousands of people across the SW region. We worked with Lighthouse and the Borough of Poole to stage the jaw dropping CirkVOST; we worked with the National Trust and Artsreach to stage a joyful celebration of French and UK circus in Studland and Ashmore – leading to a successful model of audience development between Inside Out Dorset and rural villages.

Our Anglo-French project PASS Channel Circus ended, we celebrated the enormous benefits working with our French colleagues has brought to us since 2012 – for artists, audiences and ourselves that reach far beyond our coastal regions.

Over 150 artists benefited from professional development, touring opportunities, commissioning and sharing knowledge with French artists and educationists in inclusive practice. Diverse City, a UK organisation championing social change through performing arts worked closely developing inclusive practice with our French partners and a fabulous book has been created that captures the story.

The project has helped us to look at the creation of contemporary circus in a new way and to be part of a network that has introduced us to new international work for our audiences. European Partnerships when they work well have a lasting benefit.

The learning from PASS has made a real change to our work.

Les Colporteurs perform Le Chas Du Violon, In Circle: Le Feuvre et Andre, photos: Alastair Nisbet

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Distinctive

To create a distinctive sense of place and build on the unique attributes of our area.

View Tube Barrow, photo: Alastair Nisbet In Circle: Inside Out Dorset Asscoiate Programme, James Price

To create a distinctive sense of place and build on the unique attributes of the geographic location in which Activate is based - a world heritage site in the Jurassic Coast, the sailing event 36

location in Weymouth and Portland 2012 and the development of the performing arts at major venues in the conurbation of Bournemouth and Poole.

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Distinctive A Dance A Day Performed at

The View Tube “Performing at the View Tube in London was an amazing experience on so many levels.”

In October 2014 Charmouth’s A Dance A Day group (dancers aged 50+) performed at The View Tube, as part of the Sparked Fun Palace weekend of performances and exhibitions of older people’s work. A Dance A Day is a Cultural Olympiad Legacy, so it really resonated and inspired the group to perform at the Olympic Park, which included a chance to watch Green Candle, a leading company in the field of inclusive dance and talk to the Artistic Director, Fergus Earth.

“I found the whole experience totally uplifting and injected me with a lot of confidence, which often wanes as one grows older”.

“Exciting, exhilarating, great fun. No feeling of stress and a wonderful feeling of freedom dancing out in the open. Love to do it again” A Dance A Day, photo: Fiona Whitty In Circle:A Dance In Time, photo: Justin Smith

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Changes to the Team

The Team

an update from Kate Wood, Executive Director

The Board

As we move forward, we have made a few changes to the Activate team. I will be taking on Co-artistic Direction of the Inside Out Dorset festival with Bill Gee who has worked successfully with us for many years. Simon Chatterton will be focusing all his efforts on the new creation centre, 101 he has founded in Newbury and we wish him all the very best – he has been wonderful to work with and we will continue to work on collaborative projects with him. I look forward to working with Bill in this new position having worked together now for over ten years.

From Top left across: Chris Huxley (Chair) | Jane Rigler | Adele Keeley | Martin Kimberly | Chris Humphrey | Michael Noonan | Katherina Radeva-Jenner

Core Staff

Our Producers are shifting a little in their jobs too: all our Producers will now have art form specialisms as well as key priority areas for the organisation. Here are their new job titles: Jen Walke – Full Time Producer (Inside Out Dorset and Outdoor Arts) Wendy Petitdemange – Full Time Producer (Theatre, Promotion, Education)

From Top left across: Kate Wood ‘Executive Director’ | Irene Archibold ‘Senior Administrator’ | Roaslind Conlon ‘Dance Producer’ | Natalie Gowing ‘Marketing Manager’ | Wendy Petitdemange ‘Theatre Producer’ | Aurore Parkin was replaced in the year by Clare Parker ‘Dance Producer’ | Jen Walke ‘Inside Out Dorset Producer’

Roz Conlon – Part Time Producer (Dance, Dance and Health) Anna Golding – Part Time Producer (Youth Dance and Diversity) We will all work together to support artists, share knowledge across the organisation and connect the Inside Out Dorset Festival to more areas of our programme.

Freelance Contractors Sarah Colwell – PASS Project Manager • Jude Allen – The Remix Project Manger • Bill Gee – Inside Out Dorset Co-Artistic Director • Simon Chatterton – Inside Out Dorset Co-Artistic Director • Claire Hodgson – The Remix East Artistic Director and founding AD for The Remix • Anna Golding – The Remix West Artistic Director • Aimee Smith – A Dance A Day Project Co-ordinator • Carly Reader – Portrait Youth Dance Artistic Director

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Our Finances

Project Funders & Supporters

Income and Expenditure For year ended 31st March 2015 Balance Sheet at 31/3/15

Incoming Resources Income ...............................................................................................................................£640,090 Resource Expended Expenditure ........................................................................................................................£669,975 Net Incoming Resources ......................................................................................................£29,885 Balance Brought Forward ..................................................................................................£204,490 Balance Carried Forward ...................................................................................................£174,605 Fixed Assets Tangible Assets ......................................................................................................................£3,295 Current Assets Debtors ............................................................................................................................... £42,721 Cash at bank in hand ........................................................................................................ £150,874 Total Current Assets ......................................................................................................... £193,595 Creditors Amounts Falling due within one year ................................................................................. £22,285 Net Current Assets ............................................................................................................ £171,310 Net Assets ......................................................................................................................... £174,605 The funds of the charity Restricted Funds ................................................................................................................. £15,266 Unrestricted funds (Reserves)* ......................................................................................... £159,339 Total Charity Funds ........................................................................................................... £174,605 Full Activate Director’s and Trustee’s report and Financial Statements are available at the office. *Unrestricted funds are made up of £134,000 in accordance with our Reserves Policy, a designation of £20,000 to Inside Out Dorset and supporting artists, leaving a balance of £25,399 in general reserves that is identified as project funds to invest.

We are members of the following

Policies Diversity Policy, Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable People Policy, Environmental Policy, Reserves Policy, Health and Safety Policy and Risk Management, Special Needs Policy, Training and Development Policy

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Whether you're an artist that needs help, want to make a donation or need more information, please get in touch: 01305 260 954 www.activateperformingarts.org.uk info@activateperformingarts.org.uk ActivatePerformingArts @ActivatePArts Activate Performing Arts The Little Keep, Barrack Road, Dorchester, DT1 1SQ

Company Number: 3439777 Charity Number: 1069622

44 If you would like this annual report in another format please contact the office.