Your reports Find reports Life outside Cardiff - issues about making work outside of the major cities Life outside Cardiff - issues about making work outside of the major cities jo munton, 16 September 2012 Are people aware (even within our own communities) about the work that is going on across Wales. If not,how can they be informed? Feeling like a cultural waste land. Not having a vibrant creative community to support itself - so we lose all the up and coming practitioners to the cities. We want rural communities to be empowered to make work for themselves but are continually losing the practitioners that can enable it. What can be done ? Is their an audience for work? If there is little or no work going on how do we know there is not an audience? What do audiences in outside the city want? Is it very different from city folk? issue of audience development - Are there not many stories that are universal? There are not very many venues and even less that support their local artists. Do we need to move away from a conventional approach to theatre space? Do venues need to change their aims and objectives to supporting local artists? Do they need to become more responsive rather than perscriptive. They need to create a conversation with their artists and audience. Can we bring artists back from the city to work in residences. Bringing the best acts from around the world. Its up to us to create the world view perspective and also create an atmosphere of being creatively supported. An exchange. Bill from Small world talked about how he had found it -working both international and locally, based from Cardigan. What did they do that proved to be a success. Essential for this is good teamwork, perserverence and passion. He says it evelved over years and organically Also focused on the fact that there is so much performing arts potential does happen in rural communities in very different than the classic theatre space. importance of thinking outside the box. Need for marketing, whats on! information distribution! The conversation continues Tags: rural, rural communities, towns, country, countryside, rural theatre, Touring, touring, rural touring Comments: 2 richard huw morgan, 16 September 2012 I'd recommend the following: http://www.articulture-wales.co.uk/ http://www.culturecolony.com http://therhod.wordpress.com/ for furthering the enquiry richard huw morgan, 16 September 2012 ...and another thing that i've just been told about (in Llandudno), coming up this thursday (and a bit expensive) Giant Step 2- "Hosted by MOSTYN, this conference looks at the role of institutions within contemporary culture. We bring together artists, curators, creative practitioners and others to discuss and debate how institutions or individuals stimulate and encourage the cultural dynamics of a location or society, particularly in areas with a less prominent critical audience." http://www.giant-step.org/