Tobacco Factory Theatre and Theatre Bristol are working together to provide a studio residency programme for 4 companies/artists in 2010/2011

Each SITE residency is bespoke. We will discuss your requirements and create a package for each company. This residency programme is intended to help you towards making a show but it will NOT cover final production costs.

Here are a few guidelines to let you know what we’re thinking:

• SITE is about time to work on a new show or show idea

• We’re looking for artists and companies who have made at least three professionally produced pieces.

• We’re looking for ideas that you are committed to taking to production in the fullness of time, even if they are in the early stages of development.

• Your ideas must be original, exciting and of the highest quality

• You must be clear about how this residency will help you develop the quality of the project at this point on its road to production. This might mean learning new skills, working with professional equipment, bringing in mentors etc

• We are interested in different kinds of performance work, including shows that might happen outside of a conventional theatre space.

• You do not have to bring any other funding to the project….

• …but you can if you want to. If your project is also funded from other sources you must tell us where this funding comes from and, if this funding is unconfirmed, when you will have it confirmed

• You should be committed to working in partnership with Tobacco Factory Theatre and Theatre Bristol

• We would like the resident companies/artists to get involved in the Tobacco Factory’s professional development initiatives, offering one workshop (or something similar) for other artists.

• It is not an absolute requirement of the scheme that shows developed through SITE will be presented in the Tobacco Factory Programme but it is expected on each side that there is a very good chance of their doing so. It’s not even out of the question that we would programme a project to run at Tobacco Factory directly after the residency, if that was appropriate.

Each resident company/artist will receive:

• Up to 4 weeks of rehearsal/making space in one of the Tobacco factory’s four spaces.
• A producer aligned to each residency, offering creative input as well as management support
• Marketing, technical and fundraising advice from the Tobacco Factory Theatre in-house team
• A small stipend, plus reasonable travel and accommodation expenses for artists living outside Bristol.
• An ‘expertise budget’ of around £1000 to spend on something special that will push and develop your artistic practice. Examples include inviting an artist you admire to work with you, learning new skills, experimenting with equipment to solve a technical or design problem.
• At least one work in progress performance opportunity with an invited audience who can feed back and feed in to your process.

We are expecting to offer 4 residencies in 2010/2011. The Tobacco Factory Theatre will aim to be as flexible as it can with residency scheduling, given its programming commitments. It is likely that residencies will be taking place in July, August, December/January, plus one which could be staggered throughout the year.

How do you apply?

1. Write a short proposal telling us what you want to do (max 2 sides of A4). Please use these prompt questions:

• Tell us about the project you will develop during this residency. Please tell us about the idea behind the work and how you currently imagine the finished show might be like. What might your audience experience?
• How would you like to use the ‘expertise fund’
• What makes this residency the right one for you? What makes you the right artist to be working with the Tobacco Factory and Theatre Bristol?
• Name 3 artists who have inspired your work and why?

2. Tell us how much studio time you would like (up to 4 weeks) and your preferred time of year (July, August, Dec/Jan or spread over the year)?
3. Please briefly set out a draft work schedule for the 4 weeks
4. Please enclose a professional c.v.
5. You MAY attach links to online information about your work and/or up to 3 still images of previous work, but this is not compulsory. Please do NOT send DVDs.

Email your proposal to SITE@theatrebristol.net by 9am on Monday 22nd March 2010.

Shortlisted applications will be invited to meet the panel to discuss their proposal on Monday 12th or Tuesday 13th April 2010.

If you have any further questions, please check the FAQ sheet below. If you can’t find the answer there, please email your question to SITE@theatrebristol.net and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

Theatre Bristol and Tobacco Factory Theatre want to be as fully accessible as possible. If you would like this information in a different format, or would like to complete your application in an alternative format, please get in touch with us to discuss this.

FAQs Tobacco Factory Theatre and Theatre Bristol SITE residencies

Q: I’m not Bristol based. Can I still apply?
A: Yes, this is an international call. But please note, as SITE is funded by Arts Council England, only one residency can be offered to an artist/company from outside England.

Q: I am in the middle of fundraising for a project. Can I use SITE as match funding?
A: If you have other money coming in then we will be delighted to consider your proposal. However, this is not a replacement or duplication of grant schemes from other funding bodies. We want SITE to be a real partnership, so we are interested in artists who want to build the relationship with Tobacco Factory Theatre and Theatre Bristol, through this process.

Q: Can I send supporting material alongside my proposal?
A: Please do not send us anything more than we have asked for as we will not have the time to look through additional material and we cannot guarantee being able to return supporting material.

Q: Do I have to apply with a written proposal or can I use an alternative format?
A: In order to keep the selection as fair as possible, we would like all applicants to submit a written proposal. If you have a disability which makes this difficult, please get in touch with us so we can agree a suitable alternative.

Q: Who will be on the panel?
A: The selection panel will be made up of Katie Keeler, Mike Martins, Tanuja Amarasuriya from Theatre Bristol, and Ali Robertson from the Tobacco Factory Theatre.

Q: If I’m asked to come in to discuss my proposal, what will I need to prepare?
A: This will be entirely dependent on your proposal. The discussion is an opportunity to talk more about your ideas and clarify any questions you or we have about the project. If we need you to prepare anything, we will let you know once you have been selected.

Q: Why do I have to have made 3 professionally produced pieces to apply?
A: We see this as an opportunity for artists/companies who have established their practice to refresh and push their artistic ambition and skills.

Q: Will you be offering the opportunity again next year?
A: We want to open up opportunities for artists to make excellent, ambitious performance work. If it’s successful, we’re committed to running it again in the future.

Venue:

Locality: United Kingdom

Contact Details

SITE, site [at] theatrebristol.net |