Let’s Talk… Towngate Ensemble. We are BACK!
Friday 16th August 2024
August marks the year anniversary of our Towngate Ensemble artist development programme. Over the past year, we have engaged with over 100 different artists, hosted over 25 events, put on a showcase performance with Performance Lab, plus 4 Scratch Nights. It was a busy year… So why not carry it on!
On the anniversary of the Ensemble, we thought what better time than now to share some good news that we have again been generously awarded funding from Arts Council England to support the programme for another year, and what a year we have planned. We have masterclasses, creative evenings, performances, and even our first ever festival!
Although the programme is for performers and artists in the area to develop, it has also been an opportunity for us as a theatre to develop ourselves and learn from the previous year. With this in mind, we have renewed the Ensemble offering from the feedback we have received from you, our community. From our new Ensemble programme, you can expect a myriad of workshops, performance opportunities, residency spaces, and networking opportunities to develop not only your creative practice, but also the cultural offering in the borough.
“I am really excited to be able to offer the next stage in our artist development programme to creatives in Basildon. Ever since I started my career in the arts, I always wanted to see something locally for creatives. I have been put in the fortunate position to be able to offer that now and cannot believe the amount of wonderful people I have met over the past year and cannot wait to see what new work comes out of the next year.”
One staple of our ensemble programme that will be staying is our Performance Lab weekly sessions, led by Terry Bird from New Town Films. The session will run every Thursday between 7:00pm – 9:00pm at the theatre, and all are welcome. From beginners to veterans, these sessions are for anyone who wishes to hone their skills and join a cohort of people looking to further their work. In March, the group performed their first performance together, Performance Lab: Work in Progress. This piece explored new work and also work developed by the group themselves. Since then, their creative works have got them new work on a social value project in the borough, and performance slots at different events throughout Basildon and the wider area. You can catch them at our Ensemble Festival in November – news coming soon!
The Ensemble programme is open to all creatives and performers who are looking for a place to meet and a space to develop. It will also include our new Creative Enterprise strand which will focus on those who are looking at the creative industries and looking to develop themselves into businesses or collectives. We hope there is something for everyone in this programme, and cannot wait to get back to work. Our sessions start back up again when the theatre reopens in September, but it is never too early to book your space on one of our events. Everything can be found in the What’s On section of our website.
To find out more about becoming a member of the Towngate Ensemble, the benefits you will receive, and what else we offer as part of the programme, head to dedicated Ensemble page on our website or contact our Tom via email at Thomas.Mason@basildon.gov.uk
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