Derby Theatre has revealed the six associate companies which will be involved in its In Good Company project, a professional development scheme for artists making work in the East Midlands.
Arts Council England has given Derby Theatre, Mansfield’s Create Theatre and Embrace Arts in Leicester a £99,950 grant towards In Good Company.
Four of the six companies are: LaPelle’s Factory, a Nottingham-based contemporary theatre company that explores performance through stories, dark humour and multimedia; Maison Foo of Derby that creates “mischievous new theatre that challenges audiences and tickles their imagination”; Nonsuch Theatre, an international physical theatre company from Nottingham which creates theatre without boundaries that aims to make the world a better place; and Spiltmilk, an East Midlands touring contemporary dance company that aims to "entertain audiences with intricate and charming performance”.
Making up the six will be two graduate theatre companies, Zealous Theatre, made up of graduates from the University of Derby’s theatre arts course, and a collection of practitioners from the University of Derby who specialise in issue-based theatre performed in educational settings.
Twenty applications were received. Sixteen companies were invited to pitch. The panel also offered a level of support to two short-listed companies: Leicester-based Mashi Theatre led by Trina Haldar and Derby-based Hubbub Theatre, an inclusive theatre company that specialises in drama and movement for all ages and abilities.
The associate companies will make one of the three venues their home for ten months.
In Good Company creative producer Natalie Ibu said, “Each company is unique in its aesthetic, endeavour and ambition and it will be a pleasure to work alongside them.”