Projects Introduction
Touring Projects
Within This Dust
Show info:
• Show explores the events of 9/11
• Venue type: Stage
• Age: 14+
• Cast: 2 dancers
• Collaborators: Animation by Retchy, Lighting Design by Emma Jones
• Created in 2011, premièred full programme at Made in Scotland showcase at Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2012
• Co-commissioned by The Barn and Fife Cultural Trust
• Duration: 60 mins
Further info:
• Toured nationally across Scotland
• Presented at Tanzmesse in 2018
• Toured to Cultura Inglesa Festival in Sao Paulo in 2013 Toured to NYC 4 times including a sold out performance at 9/11 Memorial & Museum
• Received 4 and 5 star reviews
Future aspirations:
• Glasgow date at Tramway
• Chase up opportunity to present as part of Manipulate Festival
• More dates in England
• International opportunities, particularly America given the theme
• Interested in developing a film version of the work
• Interested in creating some AR content
• Interested in reworking the exhibition
Paper Moon
Show info:
• Show is about a little girl who dreams of going to space with inspiration from nursery rhyme ‘Hey Diddle Diddle’
• Venue type: Studio performance (audience sat inside set)
• Age: Under 5’s
• Cast: 2 dancers
• Collaborators: Set & Costume Design by Janis Hart
• Created in 2018
• Commissioned by Cumbernauld Theatre
• Duration: 35 mins
Further info:
• Sold out all 21 performances at Cumbernauld Theatre during Christmas 2018 season
• Followed Christmas 2019 with a sold out 10 show run at Lyth Arts, 6 shows at The Barn, Banchory and 12 performances at Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline
• Spring 2020 tour across Scotland and England cancelled due to pandemic
• Not yet been reviewed but great reactions from audiences and promoters
• Developed a digital companion show called ‘Moon Capers’ which will be redeveloped in 2023 as a choose your own adventure digital companion
show
Future aspirations:
• Funded by Creative Scotland’s Touring Fund in 2023 to tour the work across Scotland in Oct/Nov/Dec 2023.
Teeny Weeny
Show info:
• Show about 2 bugs working out who they are
• Venue type: Outdoors
• Age: 2-5
• Cast: 2 dancers
• Collaborators: Design by Janis Hart
• Created in 2021
• Commissioned by Starcatchers
• Duration: 20 mins
Further info:
• Completed an initial tour in summer 2021
• Supported by Hopscotch and play on Village Hall as Children’s Capers episodes in 2022 which can be used as a digital companion show
• We were supported by Citymoves to develop a version of this show for babies called ‘Tiny Teeny Weeny’
Future aspirations:
• Currently parked for now
The Adventures of Isabel
Show info:
• Show explores 18th & 19th century children’s poetry
• Venue type: Studio performance (audience sat inside set)
• Age: 3-8
• Cast: 3 dancers
• Collaborators: Animation by Retchy, Set & Costume Design by Claire Halleran
• Created in 2014
• Co-commissioned by Citymoves
• Duration: 45 mins
Further info:
• Toured nationally across Scotland
• Received 4 star review
• One very short run at the Fringe
Future aspirations:
• England touring
• Hopscotch served as a crossover between this show and Teeny Weeny
• Parked for now
Right Up Your Street
Show info:
• Show explores dance and music from each decade over the past 100 years
• Venue type: Shop unit and on street
• Age: Family audience
• Cast: 3 dancers
• Collaborators: Set & Costume Design by Rachael Light
• Created in 2022
• Commissioned by Aberdeen Performing Arts
• Duration: 15 mins
Future aspirations:
• Potentially tour across shopping centres in future
The Unwanted
Show info:
• Show explores failure
• Venue type: Stage
• Age: 18+
• Cast: 2 dancers
• Collaborators: Music by Mark Franks from The Overtones
• Created in 2019
• Duration: 60 mins
Further info:
• Has been performed in a variety of settings including bars, comedy clubs as well as theatres
Future aspirations:
• Potentially rework as a new version
• Parked for now
The Snow Qween
Show info:
• Show is loosely inspired by fairy tale, The Snow Queen
• Venue type: Digital performance
• Age: 3-8
• Cast: 1 dancer on film
• Created in 2020
• Duration: 30 mins
Further info:
• Toured digitally Christmas 2020 and 2021
• Supported by a 24 day animated advent calendar of mini adventures in Dec 2021
Future aspirations:
• Interested in making a live show at some point
• Future touring
• Parked for now
Moon Capers
Show info:
• Show explores space school
• Venue type: Digital performance
• Age: 3-8
• Cast: 2 dancers on film
• Created in 2020
• Digital companion piece to ‘Paper Moon’
• Duration: 30 mins
Further info:
• Toured digitally in 2020
Future aspirations:
• Accompany Paper Moon on tour
• Future touring
Small Town Boys
Show info:
• Show explores the AIDS crisis in the 80’s
• Venue type: Nightclubs
• Age: 18+
• Cast: 6 dancers
• Collaborators: Writer/Dramaturg: Natalie McGrath, Set & Costume Design, 80’s music remixed by Mark Franks/Rescue Rangerz
• To be created
• Duration: 60 mins
Further info:
• Presented at FST’s Early Dialogue Day where he received a high level of support from venues and organisations including Imaginate
• Already concluded a 2 year creative learning project supported by National Lottery Heritage Fund called Here. Me. Out. which collected queer stories to inform this work
• R&D funded by Creative Scotland in 2019
• Supported by Dance Base in 2022 for a residency
• Supported by Citymoves in 2022 for a residency
• Short pop version created for 2 dancers as part of ‘Queer Stories’ through Year of Stories 2022.
Future aspirations:
• Funded by Creative Scotland’s Open Fund to develop the full work in 2023.
• Will have a digital archive exhbition as part of the start of the show which we are applying to National Lottery Heritage Fund for support.
• Will have a schools version, interactive gamified films and workshop for high schools which we are applying to Paul Hamlyn Foundation for support.
Period.
Show info:
• Show explores the impact of menstruation for trans and non binary people
• Venue type: Digital performance
• Age: 14+
• Cast: 1 dancer on film
• Created in 2019
• Supported through residency at Citymoves
• Duration: 10 mins
Further info:
• Created as part of Small Town Boys programme
Future aspirations:
• Keen to present as part of wider Small Town Boys programme
• Part of OutFest 2022
The End?
Show info:
• Show explores the impact of lockdown on trans and non binary people
• Venue type: Created as a 1-2-1 intimate performance in a studio but ended up being made a film
• Age: 16+
• Cast: 1 dancer
• Created in 2020
• Commissioned by Dance Base
• Duration: 20 mins
• There is a VR version of the work too
Further info:
• Includes a small set: lamp shade (hung centrally to swing), dressing table, phone, red parachute dress
Future aspirations:
• Keen to present as part of wider Small Town Boys programme
• Part of OutFest 2022
CUT
Show info:
• Show inspired by Bizet’s opera, Carmen.
• Venue type: Site responsive, promenade
• Age: 16+
• Cast: 6 dancers plus community cast
• Collaborators: Music by Quee Macarthur
• Created in 2013
• Co-commissioned by The Barn & Fife Cultural Trust
• Duration: 60 mins (plus bar with entertainment)
Further info:
• Two versions of the show: 1 - set in country house/castle style venue or 2: set in factory
• Requires work in advance with a community cast
• Has toured to The Barn and Carnegie Hall in R&D. Then toured to Paisley Town Hall, Camperdown House in Dundee, West Ward Works in Dundee, Square Chapel in Halifax, and Kincardine Castle in Banchory
• Has a bar at the beginning with a local live act which is interrupted as part of the performance
Future aspirations:
• Keen to develop for Halloween with a week of performances. Macrobert and The Brunton were previously interested
Creative Learning Projects
Well Good
•
Delivered in partnership with NHS Tayside
• Visits 115 primary schools in Dundee, Angus, and Perth & Kinross each academic year
•
One of our core projects
• In 2023, we begin our 8th year of delivery of the project as part of a 3 year guaranteed programme
• Starts with a pro performance, followed by the children learning all about the reasons and consequences of smoking and e-cigarettes
• Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the project was delivered online (called Digital Well Good) through a series of video and associated learning pack.
The Curious Case of Ethel Hemingway
• Delivered in partnership with NHS Tayside
• Pilot project
• A whole school approach to health & wellbeing
• Delivered over 10 weeks in 3 schools
• Involves families and the local community
• Working in partnership with local care home
• In most part, a teacher-led adventure
• Also involves performers acting as members of staff in school
• Working with Set Designer, Janis Hart, to create a room for Ethel to perform in half way through the year
Child Healthy Weight
• Delivered in partnership with NHS Tayside
• Pilot project
• Working title: The Factory
• A whole school approach to health & wellbeing
• Delivered over 10 weeks in 3 schools
• Following a similar pattern to Ethel project
• Children invited to tour a local factory which seems really boring at first until they discover a secret
• Working with an animator to create some of the work
Dance for Parkinson’s
• Project developed by Scottish Ballet and Dance Base which was based on English National Ballet’s programme which itself was inspired by Mark Morris’ Dance for PD in NYC
• Ran now for 4 years
• Run two hubs: one in Dundee (Mon, weekly) and one in Fife (Thurs, fortnightly)
• Starts with a 60 min class with live music, followed by a social cafe to catch up and share tips over tea and coffee
• Delivered weekly online during lockdown, including fortnightly social cafés
•
Dundee group has performed at Dundee Rep Theatre in 2019A Day to Play
• Created in response to low attendance in traditional dance class for children offering
• Created a performance workshop for families to have guided play through the theme
• Performers stay in character throughout
• High level of interaction
• Ran for 18 months at The McManus in Dundee: every workshop sold out
Children’s Capers
• An adventure in your living room
• Themed workshops last 5 episodes, taking place every morning MonFri
• Created in response to lockdown
• Ran for 100 free episodes
• Themes include Spy School, Circus, Cowboy, Magic School, space, Snow Qween, etc
• More recently, Children’s Capers has shifted to Village Hall and trying to strike a balance of cycling the release of our archive content and new material too
Village Hall
• A portal to host workshop content for children and adults
• Features Children’s Capers, Couch Capers, Chill Out Space for Kids and Chill Out Space for Grown Ups
• £5 a month, also offered for free to our project participants thanks to funding support
The In/Out Crowd
• An online magazine style show for LGBTQ+ people
Streamed on Facebook once a month and a podcast released too once a month
Features interviews with members of the LGBTQ+ community talking about their work as well as highlighting some of the issues the community are facing
Project relaunched as a short form video series on YouTube as part of OutFest 2022
Hopscotch
• A series of 10 online ‘choose your own adventure’ interactive films building on previous success with some primary schools during the 2020/21 academic year
• A partnership with Aberdeen City Council’s Creative Learning department
The Body
• Delivered since our inception in 2015
• Our programme for young people aged 16-25
• Strand one is a Youth Advisory Board for young people to learn skills in staging a festival of young people’s work plus mentoring, which kicks off with a 2 day residential
• Strand two is called Young Creative and is a programme of talks and masterclasses
• Strand three (to be launched when we have funding in place) is a short term apprenticeship programme with community tour
OutFest
• Launched during LGBTQ+ History Month in February 2022.
• Partnership with Dundee Pride
• Consisted of 60+ events
• A motion was raised in parliament to acknowledge the impact of the festival
• Finalists of the Proud Awards 2022