What's on Upcoming events Devoted & Disgruntled 2021: What the f**k are we going to do about theatre and the performing arts now? (6 - 8 Feb) Join our 16th annual "unconventional convention" for everyone who loves, makes and lives theatre and the performing arts - this year, online for the first time ever. Devoted & Disgruntled (D&D) is an opportunity for everyone passionate about the arts — from audiences to artists, CEOs to FOH staff, grassroots groups to seasoned professionals — to get together and focus on the question: "What are we going to do about theatre and the performing arts?" Anyone and everyone is invited to take part, no matter how "experienced" you are. This year, the format of the event is a bit different because we're running it online. However, the fundamentals remain exactly the same: D&D is a two-and-a-half-day event in which you get to set the agenda and decide what conversations you want to be part of. Once you've booked your ticket, you can take part in as much or as little as you want. Jump to: What is Open Space? Invitations Pay-What-You-Choose tickets Timetable FAQs Access What is Open Space? How does it work? Devoted & Disgruntled is organised using a process called Open Space Technology, or Open Space. We will fully explain everything you need to know at the beginning of Day 1, including a briefing on all of the tech that we'll be using. However, if you've not been to an Open Space event before and want to know what you're signing up for, we've prepared a short video that explains the basics: You can also read a bit more about the principles of Open Space here on the D&D website (although bear in mind that some of the details will be different in a virtual space!) Invitations An invitation from Phelim McDermott, Co-Artistic Director of Improbable: What the f**k are we going to do about theatre and the performing arts now? Reimagining theatre in a time of uncertainty and crisis...We invite you to an event for collaboration, creativity and connection. Do you wonder if theatre might ever happen again?Are you wrangling with how to work creatively in new and different ways?Are you figuring out how to move your practice online? Are you currently feeling scared about how to get through financially?Do you have a dream of how to rebuild our sector from here?Are there artists and freelancers you don't want the sector to lose?Are you someone who has never been to D&D before and are wondering if now might be the time? 15 years ago, I wrote an invitation for our first ever Open Space event. It was called Devoted & Disgruntled – it was a cry of despair, an attempt to deal with what I perceived at that time to be a crisis. I had been working in theatre for 20 years, and I was shocked by the fact that people talked about a theatre community, but it didn't actually seem to exist. Since that time we've done a big D&D event every year, and hundreds more in between, in which we have supported groups of people in theatre and the arts to connect and collaborate, to change how theatre is and how we communicate about it with each other. So, 15 years later, where are we now? In 2021, theatre is not only still in trouble but in the biggest crisis it has ever seen in my lifetime. When the pandemic hit, at Improbable we realised that our most pressing, immediate concern was not how to put our performance stuff online but how to reimagine our Open Space events so that they could take place remotely. We held a series of Open Spaces called Time for Respair to help support the sector through the difficult period of waiting for theatre, as we knew it, to return - as you may have noticed, we are still waiting! Since the spring of 2020, we've held over 20 Open Spaces on the internet. These events aim to replicate as far as possible the unique atmosphere that is part of our in person D&D events, and to create a culture where diverse people can interact in a fluid, dynamic, horizontal online landscape, where they can collaborate, create solutions and nurture hope. D&D 2021 is a time for the theatre community to gather, once more. We will create an agenda together, build on the work that has happened, the conversations and movements that have grown over the past year, and plot a way through the current crisis together. Bring your grief, rage, hopes, dreams, frustrations and questions; join us for as long as you choose from 6th to 8th Feb and do the work that we can only do together. If ever there was a time to Open Space, it is now. --- An invitation from Griffyn Gilligan, D&D 2021 Access and Wellbeing Officer: Griffyn's video invitation is closed captioned - you can activate the captions in the YouTube player. You can also read the full transcript here. --- You can write your own invitations to this event and email it to us ([email protected]), or post it on your own platforms and social media. It's a chance to read why other people are coming, what experiences they've had before, and what important topics they'd like to discuss this year. Let's start the conversation now. Pay-What-You-Choose tickets D&D thrives when there's a wide range of voices in the room. This year, we know that a lot of people are under serious financial pressures as a result of the pandemic. So we're continuing our commitment to run D&D as a Pay-What-You-Choose event. Each Pay-What-You-Choose ticket gives you access to all 2.5 days of D&D 2021 (although you can come and go as you please!) Devoted & Disgruntled 2021 needs to make around £5,500 in ticket sales to break even - an average of £12 per participant. To book your ticket, or to find out more about our costs and suggested payments, head to our booking page: Timetable You are free to come and go as you please throughout the event. However, if you've never been to an Open Space event before, we would strongly recommend joining for the beginning of Day 1. Day 1 (Saturday 6 February) 10am - 12pm: Opening Circle (including explanation of tech and Open Space process)12pm - 1pm: Breakout sessions1pm - 2pm: Lunch break2pm - 5pm: Breakout sessions5pm - 6pm: Evening News Day 2 (Sunday 7 February) 10am - 11am: Morning Announcements11am - 1pm: Breakout sessions1pm - 2pm: Lunch break2pm - 4pm: Breakout sessions4:00pm - 5:30pm: Closing Circle Day 3 (Monday 8 February) 9:30am - 10am: (Re-)Opening Circle/Check in10am - 11am: Report reading11am - 11:30pm: Action session calling11:30am - 1pm: Action breakout sessions1pm - 1:30pm: Final Closing Circle FAQs What will I need in order to join the event?We recommend that all participants join the event via a laptop or desktop computer if possible - unfortunately, it is much trickier to navigate the event spaces using a tablet or a smartphone. (However, if you only have access to a tablet or smartphone, don't worry! We will support you and make sure you still get the most out of D&D). Other things you'll need are a stable Internet connection and the free Zoom app. I'm not that tech-savvy, will I be able to take part?Yes! We'll explain everything you need to know at the beginning of the event. The Improbable team will also be around throughout the event and we can help you if you get lost or stuck with the tech. If you're feeling worried about the tech, we will be hosting two optional 30-minute orientation sessions on Friday 5th February 2021 (10:30am and 5:30pm) - if you would like a chance to familiarise yourself with the online tools we'll be using, we will explain how they work and answer any questions. We will send out more information about these orientation sessions to all bookers closer to the time - there's no need to reserve a place in advance, unless you have specific access needs. Can I call a session on anything I want to?Yes, nothing is off the table. You can call a session (or several sessions) on any topic you'd like. You don't need to be an expert - as long as you're passionate about it, we're here to help make space and time for it. If you call a session, we would also encourage you to create a report of your session - these reports can be in writing, but they can also be pictures, a recording or even a dance! It's up to you.Is it just a lot of talking and navel-gazing?D&D is about talking and exchanging ideas, but it also leads to a huge number of concrete actions every year. All sorts of artistic projects, initiatives, networks and companies have been born in D&D e.g. Fun Palaces and Bechdel Theatre. (Although if navel-gazing is your thing, we won't stop you.)Do I have to stay for the entire weekend?Nope. You can choose to come and go as you please, and you can take breaks whenever you want to. This means you can also drop in for a day or half-a-day if you have other things to do. However, if you've never been to an Open Space event before, we would strongly recommend joining for the beginning of Day 1. How much should I be paying?To help you decide, we've outlined some facts about our event costs and included some suggestions on our booking page. I can’t attend the event in person - can I follow what is happening online?Follow @DandDUK and #DandD2021 on Twitter. Reports from sessions will also be available to read and comment on at www.devotedanddisgruntled.com as well as a PDF download after the event. Access Click here to find out more about access at this event. We try our hardest to make sure D&D is accessible for Deaf, disabled, blind, partially-sighted, and neurodivergent participants. We will be providing a range of online access technologies, including BSL interpreters and live captioning. We will also be working with a dedicated Access and Wellbeing Officer who will be supporting participants throughout the event. If you have any further questions, please get in touch with [email protected] or call +44 0207 240 4556. (If you are using a textphone (or a textphone app), please dial prefix 18001 then our number). Booking for this event has now closed. Book