CASE

STUDIES

Vintage Theatre Company

Aware that comedy is something for everyone and not just about “swearing, getting drunk and falling over”, we wanted to develop a project which would involve older people. Working with partners we formed Vintage Theatre Company, a company exclusively for the over 50’s. In the early years we found funding for the company to work with professional writers and directors so they could rehearse plays to perform as part of the annual festival. We also found them rehearsal space which enabled the company to meet regularly and develop their skills. After a couple of years the company was set up as an independent organisation and sought its own funding and base. More recently we have developed this thinking into a project called Funny Old World with partners at Age Concern and East Midlands Teaching Public Health Network.

Street Petite Street Arts Festival

Derbyshire Arts Officers Group wanted to develop a programme of high quality and professional street arts across the different districts of the county. The programme needed to compliment existing events and projects, including the rural touring programme, whilst also offering opportunities for residents and visitors to engage in cultural activity. The client also wanted to encourage new audiences and demonstrate, particularly to non-arts sectors (e.g. regeneration partnerships, economic development, market towns, elected members), the value of street theatre and the arts as a useful facility and resource at community/celebratory events. The programme included performances in Derbyshire by companies including Walk the Plank and The World Famous who worked on the finale performance at Shipley County Park.

Ditch the Chips

Children are often told what foods are best for them and educated on the benefits of fitness. Ditch The Chips explores their views on exercise and reasons for certain unhealthy eating patterns. It also provides the children with a basic grounding on nutrition and the principles behind exercise. This work encourages them to cut down on unhealthy food and choose exercise more frequently than computer games. The participants either create a humourous animated film or series of sketches with the support of professional animators, editors and performers. The film is then premiered at a high profile venue and the sketches can be used as peer education in schools and other community settings.

Darley Park World Music Festival

Derby enjoys a very successful annual open-air orchestral concert in Darley Park each year. The concert showcases the Sinfonia ViVA and attracts up to 30,000 people to the natural amphitheatre provided by the historic park. Derby City Council wanted to add to this concert with a one day world music festival. The contract was for an organisation to enlist support and participation by local arts communities, take part in the planning of the infrastructure and direct operations on the Festival Day. Our pitch was successful and the day included performances by BBC Radio One DJ Bobby Friction and Jazz Jamaica ("one of the UK's leading good-time bands" The Independent) performing their Motown set.

Groundwork Leicester & Leicestershire

The client (formerly known as Environ) is an independent charity and member of the national organisation, Groundwork UK. They provide information, advice and practical help to encourage individuals and organisations to take practical steps towards a more sustainable future. The organisation wanted to raise awareness of composting amongst school children and their family networks. We designed and ran a project which engaged primary school children in writing and performing short sketches on the theme of composting. They worked over a period of days with Rob Gee who coached them in joke writing and puns. The children then performed the sketches to their peers whilst their parents and family friends enjoyed a night of “Composting Comedy” at a local sports club. The comedy night included performances by Windsor and Rob & Skatz, who performed specially written comic songs on the theme. The audience are unlikely to forget the performance of “Feed Coalville” with the chorus “let them know it’s compost time” to the Band Aid tune!

Highcross Leicester

The retail and leisure destination, Highcross Leicester, is a £350 million scheme by Hammerson and Hermes and is the biggest regeneration project Leicester has ever seen. The previous Shires has been transformed into a new destination incorporating over 120 fashion retailers including John Lewis who have taken a high profile site for its flagship store, the largest in the Midlands. The centre has over 100,000 m2 of space and also includes cafes and restaurants. The contract to design and deliver the main opening ceremony was won by us and Spirit Marketing Group. We worked on specific elements of the opening day including the lunchtime “River of Silk” procession, the evening lantern procession which involved hundreds of local people. We also installed a mini-Leicestershire & Rutland exhibition which featured minature clay models made by local people at workshops promoted across the summer months. The exhibition was installed in a specially created environment in an unused shop unit.

Games Village and Social Programme for Special Olympics Leicester

Leicester City Council requested bids to manage and design the Games Village and Social Programme for SOL. The Special Olympics GB National Summer Games will be held in Leicester between the 25th and 31st July 2009. Over 2,700 athletes representing 18 Special Olympics regions across the UK will visit the city of Leicester over the seven day period along with 1200 coaches and 1500 volunteers. We were awarded the contract and plan a range of cultural activities throughout the week, based at the Games Village. We will install the infrastructure required for the village, working closely with colleagues at Walkers Stadium, as well as working with community groups and performers to provide an appropriate programme across the 7 days.