Year one will see the company work with up to three emerging artists or companies, each of whom will be paired with one of three venues across Wales. Theatr Iolo is delighted to announce the partner venues for year one are Cardiff’s Chapter Arts Centre, Parc & Dare in Treorchy and The Welfare in Ystradgynlais. From September of this year, artists will be embedded across these communities and will work on a number of creative projects and happenings with local people, schools and community groups in partnership with their venue.
The culmination of these residencies will be three bold and original programmes of work created with and for young people. Platfform artists will be supported by Theatr Iolo’s Associate Producer, along with a pool of mentors and will be given a bespoke package of training from the company and external training providers. The company is delighted to be able to share its passion for live theatre in this way with an exciting contingent of theatre-makers.
Of the artists she’s hoping to bring onboard Olivia Harris, Associate Producer says "We’re opening up the definition of emerging artists for Platfform. We’re interested in ideas from artists at the beginning of their career as well as those who are more established, but will be emerging into the market of young people’s theatre for the first time. We’re looking for bold, exciting proposals from artists across performative disciplines including theatre, dance, circus and aerial, cabaret, puppetry, spoken word, comedy - the list goes on! We’re really excited to see what the wealth of creative talent in Wales comes up with."
At the core of Platfform is a commitment to place young people at the heart of all Theatr Iolo’s activities. The programme, which is jointly funded by Arts Council of Wales and Esmee Fairbairn is also committed to exploring new ways of creating theatrical experiences for families and young people, and widening access to theatre across Wales and the UK, particularly for children and families experiencing barriers to accessing the arts.
Cathy Boyce, Chapter Arts Centre’s Theatre Projects Co-ordinator: ‘It’s great to be working so closely with Theatr Iolo, one of our resident companies. Chapter is committed to supporting a range of makers, and through Platfform we’re keen to nurture the work of an exciting new artist committed to making interdisciplinary theatre for family audiences."
Theatr Iolo is excited to be launching a major call-out for artists and companies interested in being involved in the first year of Platfform. Check out Theatr Iolo’s website for more information on the programme, and how to apply: www.theatriolo.com