Our ethos
We believe that the arts have the power to change things. We recognise our responsibilities as arts gatekeepers and we are striving to ensure that our work is ever more inclusive, diverse, accessible and sustainable. We are always learning.
As a company we are committed to continual development, to active listening and learning and to being the change we want to see. We recognise the huge inequalities that are present in the arts sector and aim to be part of building a fairer, more inclusive culture.
Our shows centre young people, and we are growing our practice to ensure that young people's voices are at the heart of our work. We aim to inspire the next generation of change makers, both on and off stage.
Sustainability
Whilst we have always cared deeply about our environment, both personally and as an organisation, we recognise that we are in a Climate Crisis, and the time to act is now. We know that our audiences care deeply too, and so we are taking steps as an organisation to ensure that we are doing everything possible to meet our responsibilities.
We are excited to announce that on our next project we will be working towards the Theatre Green Book Intermediate standard, having achieved Baseline standard in 2023. The Theatre Green Book is an initiative that aims to get the whole theatre industry working more sustainably, committing to sustainability targets & sharing learning.
We are also co founders of a Sustainable Arts Network in the South West where artists network and resource share over whatsapp & will soon be establishing a sharing database. If you'd like to join our very informal whatsapp please get in touch.
Diversity & Inclusion
We recognise that there is an urgent need for People of Colour to be better represented in all areas of the arts sector in the South West. We also know that socio-economic barriers prevent many people from accessing the arts. We are committed to ensuring that historically ignored and under represented people are heard, seen, centred in our work and welcomed in our audiences. It is beyond time to ensure that the work that we present meaningfully represents our audiences.
We are learning from our peers in the sector, undertaking vital anti-racism training and collaborating with wonderful mentors & community organisations to ensure that we keep learning. We are also committed to offering meaningful employment opportunities & supported internships for People of Colour & those who may face barriers to pursuing an arts career.
From our hiring practices to the stories that we choose to tell, in our meeting rooms and on our stages, we aim to make meaningful, positive change.
Access
We believe that great cultural experiences should be available to everyone and recognise that there are a huge number of potential barriers to engagement for our collaborators, participants and our audiences.
We are proud to offer relaxed and BSL performances of our shows to our audiences each year at fully accessible venues. As our outreach work expands, we aim to ensure that our workshops and events are fully accessible too, and we have been proud to offer translated readings and BSL interpreted community events this past year. We have recently undertaken an accessibility audit and will be responding to recommendations over the coming months.
As an arts employer, we ensure our communications and hiring practices are accessible and open, and we welcome/actively use access riders. We are aiming to become a disability confident employer.
Reports & Learning
We are cultivating a practice of generous sharing, documenting our wins, challenges, failures and learning. We believe that, as a sector, we have become risk averse and prone to only sharing the shiny bits, and we think that greater learning, resilience and sustainability can come from sharing the failures too. This practice very much has it's feet in the work of the Failspace Project- we'd definitely recommend you check it out!
We are an unsalaried team made up of busy freelancers so will share as often as possible here- any questions or if you'd like to chat about our work, please get in touch.