The West Yorkshire Playhouse has opened its new creative space, the First Floor. It offers a flexible performing arts studio and a visual arts studio (pictured), and aims to engage vulnerable young people through the creative arts. It will also offer insights into the range of jobs available within the arts industry and help young people to access placement, apprenticeship and training opportunities.
e: first.floor@wyp.org.uk
The Orchard Theatre in Dartford (pictured), which attracts almost 200,000 visitors a year, is being taken over by HQ Theatres, part of the Qdos Entertainment Group. The decision was taken by the Council's Cabinet committee, adding a seventh venue to HQ Theatres’ portfolio. Jeremy Kite, Leader of Dartford Borough Council, said that the selection of new management partners has been a complex process because of the importance of The Orchard to local people: “Residents quite rightly see The Orchard as the cultural heart of the borough and we can now combine the certainty of council ownership against the excitement of an ambitious commercial management company.”
The British Council is calling for young performing arts entrepreneurs in the UK to sign up to its inaugural UK Young Performing Arts Entrepreneur Award, which is the newest part of its Young Creative Entrepreneur programme. Candidates aged 25–35 who can demonstrate their innovation in the UK performing arts industry, and have a vision for extending business and cultural relations through performing arts, are invited to apply. The deadline for applications is 2 March.
w: http://www.creativeconomy.org.uk/ukypae
There will be a shortage of skilled theatre and live music technicians in Scotland by 2012, according to Creative and Cultural Skills, unless action is taken. The Creative Blueprint Scotland calls for the Creative Apprenticeship to bring fresh talent into the sector, and recommends a Technical Theatre Skills Academy. The apprenticeship is due to be launched this year. CCSkills is currently exploring the potential for the academy.
w: http://www.creative-choices.co.uk/apprenticeships
Mission Models Money and the Cultural Leadership Programme will deliver action research for the arts and cultural sector through a new partnership. Working with individuals and organisations already participating in the MMM programme, including funders, the research will seek to identify the 21st century competencies that drive success in the arts and cultural sector, and understand how they can be further developed. The project team will include the Institute for Cultural and Creative Entrepreneurship at Goldsmiths College, University of London.
w: http://www.missionmodelsmoney.org.uk; http://www.culturalleadership.org.uk
The Crafts Council is inviting applications for its flagship event, ‘Origin: The London Craft Fair.’ Origin returns to London in October and will present craft including furniture, textiles, ceramics, glass, jewellery and metal.
w: http://www.craftscouncil.org.uk
Safle, the Welsh public art agency, has been cited as one of very few organisations to offer substantial budgets for artists’ commissions, in a report for a-n, The Artists Information Company. ‘Who employs artists?’ shows that during 2007 Safle offered £1.24m for artists’ commissions and residencies. St David’s 2 Partnership, which comprises of Land Securities and Capital Shopping Centres, has contracted Safle to commission a series of public art projects.
The Clore Leadership Programme is inviting applications for its 2009/10 Fellowships. Each Fellow will follow an individually tailored programme, starting in September 2009 and lasting at least a year. The programme consists of two intensive residential leadership courses; professional development through mentoring, tuition and group learning; time for research and debate; and a period of secondment, including experience of managing a high level project. The deadline for applications is 12 noon on 2 March.
w: http://www.cloreleadership.org
The National Campaign for the Arts (NCA) has published its response to ‘Cultural Metropolis’, the Mayor of London’s cultural strategy. The NCA’s members “broadly welcome many of the proposals in the document”, but point out that there is a need to “increase support to the arts during times of recession”. The document also covers responses to the Cultural Olympiad, the London Skills Fund, propositions for young people, and the economic implications of the strategy.