North East Artist Development Network Announces First Residencies

Published: 15 November 2014
Reporter: Peter Lathan

The North East Artist Development Network, a new scheme for developing new theatre in the region, has announced its first residencies.

The Network is led by a small group of organisations committed to supporting artists to develop their work. Earlier in the year, it was successful in securing funding from Arts Council England to deliver a number of activities including a series of residencies to support artists developing new ideas, a review scheme for new work made and shown in the North East and to expand the existing Meet the Programmers events.

Each recipient will receive cash support to develop their ideas with the aim of making their work commission ready by the end of their residency. A further 10 residencies will be advertised before Christmas with annoucements in February, making a total of 15 diverse pieces of new work for 2015 supported by the Network.

The first residencies are:

  • Big Girls Don’t Eat Soap, the company name for Ree Collins and John Kirkbride, at Alnwick Playhouse from 10–14 February 2015, developing work around the different facets of our personality.
  • Eggman Theatre Company, led by Pip Chamberlain working with writer Allison Davies, at Middlesbrough Theatre from 8–14 January 2015 and Arts Centre Washington from 19–23 January 2015, looking at the themes of loss, mystery, love, hope and belonging in Baggage, a devised exploration of the things we carry.
  • Caroline Liversidge at ARC Stockton from 9–14 February 2015, working with director Anna Ryder to develop ideas for her solo show, A Living, that questions the expectation and inevitability that work is something we will spend most of our time on this planet doing.
  • Kirsten Luckins at Caedmon Hall in Gateshead from 26–30 January 2015, looking at the impact of the built environment on mental health, using as a central narrator a schitzophrenic whose auditory hallucinations are triggered by certain types of architecture and advertising.
  • Luca Rutherford at Northern Stage from 16–20 March 2015 working on her solo show, Learning How to Die, which is not about bereavement or grieving but the actuality of death and dying; and how an acceptance of death defines how we choose to live.

At the end of each residency, the artists will share their progress during the week with venue programmers, providing an opportunity to reflect on their work to date and identify next steps.

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