Lancaster Arts is seeking proposals for our 2023 Test Residency: On Circus running from the 6th to the 13th of September 2023. This is an opportunity for contemporary circus practitioners based in the north of England. Fee: £1300-2000
Description
The Lancaster Arts TEST residency (formerly The Nuffield Residency) is a practice based initiative offering one artist, company or collective the opportunity to undertake a supported residency at Lancaster Arts. In 2023, this will be for artists or collectives who include contemporary circus in their practice; this may include circus, theatre or dance artists and may involve taking your practice in a new direction. This will enable a period of research to test new ideas with the support of an established contemporary circus mentor. We are seeking to support artwork that is innovative, contemporary, and cross artform, and requires a large theatre space for its development. The residency will include technical dramaturgy, producer support and an opportunity to engage with the full Lancaster Arts team and may engage directly with research and academics the University if this is relevant to the development of your work.
The Opportunity
A fee of £1300-£2000 for a 7-day residency in the Nuffield Theatre. This fee is inclusive of a budget for accommodation and travel, and the fee offered will depend on whether the successful applicant is an individual or a company/collective. Lancaster Arts can help to arrange accommodation on the university campus, if this is preferred but costs will be within the fee.
2 days mentoring from a nationally established contemporary circus artist
Professional documentation of the residency commissioned by Lancaster Arts
Support from across our whole team with particular emphasis on dramaturgical support and feedback from our creative producers and technical expertise from our production team
Connections with academics at the university or local relevant groups, if useful
If required, extra financial support will be made available as a contribution towards access costs. Specific needs to be discussed with the successful artist/s
What we are looking for:
A track record of working with contemporary circus or an element of circus for at least 2 years
An exciting idea
An articulation of how the idea extends your practice in some way
Artists who are interested in collaborating with us
Artists whose work is primarily based in the north of England
Technical information: This opportunity will take place in the Nuffield Theatre, a ‘black box’ space of approximately 22m wide/deep. The effective playing area is 10-12m wide and 6 – 10m deep, with a grid height of 6m. The residency will be supported by a Lancaster Arts technician and there is potential for simple lighting, audio feedback, and projection. We will support proposals that include ground-based circus skills and working with free standing equipment. Any aerial work will be subject to agreement through a more detailed conversation with the Lancaster Arts production team.
What we will ask you to do during the residency:
Present some outcomes of your residency week in a public context (e.g. a work in progress, an ideas or performance sharing etc.)
Contribute some material for Lancaster Arts’ online archive that gives insight into your process and learning from the week (a blog, a podcast, a video diary, pages from your sketch or notebook etc.)
Please complete an application form by 9 July 2023:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1CydLv1sqFz2Z4AwNsUvS01z5XNAi3_iEzkVb06y-bEI/edit?ts=6482ec68
Timeline:
• Interview shortlisted applicants (online) 18/20 July 2023
• Site visit to Lancaster: Week of 14 Aug
If you would like to submit your application in a different format for access reasons, please contact us directly.
We will be asking you to address the following questions (we suggest max 250 words per answer):
Ideas and experience:
1. What is your project idea and how does it link to our annual themes of Ritual or Flight?
2. Why are you interested in this particular residency?
3. What is your experience in working with contemporary circus?
4. How will this residency extend your artistic practice?
Practical:
1. Describe what in detail what circus equipment/rigging you’d like to use, and what you can bring with you, and your experience using this equipment
2. Propose an outline budget
3. Include a short biography /
- Contact name: Alice Booth
- Contact email: alice@lancasterarts.org
