Supported by:
Charioteer Theatre Company,Goode-for-a-Giggle, Out of Darkness Theatre Company, Roadrunner Theatre Company & Zenwing Puppets
HITN has agreed to initially concentrate on the following four projects in support and development of the member companies:
- Northern Periphery collaborative project with Norway and Sweden (described in Section 5.1 of the Business Plan);
- Festival of Highland Theatre 2007 (described in Section 5.2 of the Business Plan);
- Marketing Support Initiatives (described in Section 5.3 of the Business Plan);
- Theatre Masterclass Training programme (described in Section 5.4 of the Business Plan).
Northern Connections – The Highlands – Northern Sweden
The Northern Connections Project aims to create the opportunity for 20 artists from the two countries to work together intensively over two 3 day workshops, the first workshop taking place in the Highlands of Scotland and the second taking place in Sweden. The workshops are intended to assist in the development of at least one fully collaborative project which could tour in each country, as well as learn from and share ideas with artists from Sweden.
One of the principle aims of the project is to develop a piece of work which has particular relevance to the rural communities of Scotland and Sweden. Participating artists will be expected to attend the workshops armed with thoughts and ideas that they think would have relevance to their own remote communities. They should also consider what elements of theatre technique and practise they would most like to develop during the workshop process.
The three-day workshop programme will initially take place when the Swedish artists visit Ullapool (Highlands) on the 2nd to 4th December 2005. The second development workshop will take place in Umea (Sweden) on the 3rd to 5th February 2006.
If you would like further information please contact: Muriel-Ann Macleod at HITN c/o Hi-Arts. Suites 4&5. 4th Floor, Ballantyne House, 84 Academy Street, Inverness, IV1 1LU, or by e-mail to [email protected] .
Check out the images from the Ullapool
Workshop, 2 – 4 December 2005
Festival of Theatre in the Highlands 2007
The Highlands and Islands Theatre Festival (HITF) is a proposed unique Festival, celebrating the wealth and diversity of high quality contemporary theatre and dance from rural cultures featuring the work of National companies, visiting International companies and Highland and Island producing companies as part of the Scottish Year of Highland Culture in 2007.
The proposed timing would be in September 2007 and would include a Forum, Masterclasses and open Workshops for the interchange of ideas and sharing of experiences.
A working group has been set up, reporting to the HITN Board and Members. This group, the Festival Implementation Groug (FIG), is made up of the following participants:
HITN Members: Ian Brown (HITN Chair and Chair of FIG), Dolina MacLennan (HITN Board Member), Matthew Zajac/Hamish MacDonald (Dogstar Theatre Company), George Gunn (Grey Coast Theatre Company), Simon MacKenzie (TOSG).
Observers: representatives from each of the following bodies – Eden Court Theatre, National Theatre of Scotland (NTS), HI~Arts, Highland 2007, Scotland’s Playwrights’ Studio, Federation of Scottish Theatre, YT Scotland.
Vision:
“Celebrating the best of today’s theatre in the Highlands and Islands; offering a forum to learn, create and debate.”
Aim 1:
“To celebrate, share and promote the highest quality theatre and build links between the Highlands and Islands and national and international practitioners”
Aim 2:
“To create opportunities for the involvement of the wider communities, including young people and children.”
Aim 3:
“To provide an environment for Scotland’s theatre community to learn, debate, innovate and create.”
Marketing Support Projects
HITN will develop specific projects to make impact in terms of Marketing, these may include:-
- DVD produced annually featuring video clips of the professional companies product for the year. Development of promotional powerpoint for presentation at events, press conferences etc. ;
- Development of the Website. Although currently the HITN Website is part of the Hi – Arts site and for the next year this may prove to be the most effective way to operate. However the existing site does require updating and developing. However as projects come on stream it may be advantageous to develop our own site, reinforcing the Network branding and the marketing of the companies;
- Development of a collaborative Marketing distribution programme that supports what is in place with local promoters and companies themselves, but is an inter-agency and inter-organisation collaboration aiming to give blanket Marketing across the Highlands and Islands, across Scotland and beyond;
- To develop one off specific marketing initiatives which promote the work of the network companies. Video or television promotions – adverts, tasters, billboard advertising and other high profile presentations.
Theatre Masterclass Training Programme
This programme would bring into the Highlands and Islands internationally recognised theatre practitioners to present intensive weekend training programmes in all theatre disciplines with the aim of:
- To encourage experimentation by Northern based artists;
- To encourage opportunities for collaborations and dissemination of ideas;
- To bring other artists into the region for short periods – assert idea of Highlands as place to experience, conducive learning environments;
- Events would utilise and put more theatre related events into our training centres, (Sabhal Mor Ostaig, Northern College. Lionacleit Community School, etc) as well as utilising some of the recently developed Highland venues and creative spaces such as the Evanton resource (Arts in Motion);
- Encourage the wider theatre community to view the Highlands as a potential enclave for creativity.
This project will be developed in association with other National agencies who regularly bring International practitioners to Britain, Organisations like International Workshop Festival and Centre of Performance Research (Aberystwyth). Contact has already been made with these organisations with the view of linking in to proposed events potential routes of collaboration are currently being negotiated.
Other National based tutors and practitioners interested in delivering intensive training workshops in the Highlands include, John Wright, Jos Houben, Mark Rylance and Frankie Armstrong. Montreal based practitioner Oleg Kissilov would also be interested workshops in the Highlands, (recently working with Stellar Quines in Edinburgh).