Egg Box Theatre, Zoo Indigo, Jack Britton, Impulse Collective and PAD Productions along with Helena Rimmer, Nafeesa Hamid, Daniel Ellis and Joe Allen from the University of Derby have been chosen as Derby Theatre’s In Good Company associate companies, artists and graduate associates for 2015-16.
In Good Company is a professional development programme for artists making work in the East Midlands which aims to “engage, ignite and inspire”. Three venues, Derby Theatre, Create Theatre in Mansfield and Attenborough Arts Centre in Leicester, started the project in 2014.
Eighteen applications were received to join the second year of In Good Company. Eleven organisations were invited to pitch.
Egg Box Theatre is a Lincoln-based company creating family theatre “in exciting and creative experiences”. Zoo Indigo is an Anglo-German contemporary performance company based in Nottingham. Jack Britton is a performance and theatre maker based in Leicester who uses a variety of media to explore his subject matter.
Impulse Collective is a professional theatre company from Leicester which challenges the modern boundaries of theatre. PAD Productions (Positive About Deafness) brings a “new positivity to the perception of deaf people in the arts and media”.
Four graduate associates from the University of Derby, Helena Rimmer, Nafeesa Hamid, Daniel Ellis and Joe Allen, are all said to be “independent, enthusiastic and passionate theatre-makers and practitioners”.
Ruby Glaskin, the creative producer for In Good Company, said, “it's really encouraging to see so much talent and creativity emerging in the East Midlands.
“The five new associate companies, along with our University of Derby graduate associates, reflect the variety and scope of work on offer in the region. Some are just getting started whereas others are at the point when formal support and opportunities can really help them to achieve big ambitions.”