D&D Roadshow Newcastle-Under-Lyme

D&D Roadshow Newcastle-Under-Lyme

New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme

Theresa Heskin's invitation

Hello

 

If, like me, you’ve been trying and failing to get along to a Devoted & Disgruntled event, then I hope you’ll be glad to hear that the D&D Roadshow will be visiting the New Vic on Friday 13th July.

 

It’s a unique opportunity to have the conversation about theatre that you want to have.  

 

If you’ve never attended an open space event, please make this your first.  It will change your way of thinking about conferencing, and I guarantee you’ll go away inspired.  It’s an open-ended event that enables a self-organising group to use its collective imagination to deal with complex issues.  

 

Although you’ll set the agenda when you come along, there are plenty of thing I already want to get talking about:

 

In the face of the Institute for Economic Affairs’ suggestion that £1.6bn could be saved by cutting DCMS, how can we as an industry make the case for continuing subsidy of the arts?

 

With a catchment area that includes a city with some of the highest levels of multiple deprivation in the country, including literacy levels amongst primary aged children that stand out as being the poorest in the country, our work in the fields of education and social change is some of the most important the New Vic does.  We’re not alone: throughout North Staffordshire, there seems to be a clear emphasis on art for social change rather than for art’s sake.  What does this mean for artists? For the society we make art with and for?  For the local economy?

 

If you’d like to hear more about the event, and for details of how to register, travel, catering etc, visit the D&D website at http://www.devotedanddisgruntled.com/events/dd-roadshow-newcastle-lyme/ 

 

Please pass this email on to anyone you think may be interested, or write your own invitation.

 

Looking forward to seeing you on the 13th July,

 

Devoted & Disgruntled at the New Vic

13th July

10am-6pm

New Vic Theatre, Newcastle under Lyme, North Staffordshire

 

Theresa Heskins

Artistic Director

New Vic Theatre

Phelim McDermott's invitation

Do you love theatre?

Do you find it frustrating?

Do you feel audiences don't get a voice?

Do you feel like an outsider in your own profession?

Have you just started out and need support?

Been in the profession for years and feel jaded?

Is your region always left out of the discussions?

Do you usually dread discussions and meetings?

Are you looking to change things?

In 2012 for the first time ever, you have the opportunity to take part in a unique nationwide conversation. 

In 2006 I wrote a heartfelt invitation and the first ”Devoted & Disgruntled: What are we going to do about theatre?” took place. This was an open and collaborative conference, a chance to check in with the theatre community, share the news about what we were doing well, talk about what we could be doing better and take action on how to improve things.  

Devoted & Disgruntled has subsequently become an inspiring annual three day event and since then there have been over 100 offshoot D&D events. Some have been monthly themed satellites, some have been regionally based like D&D Scotland and D&D North East, some have been international events like D&D New York and Vancouver. These conferences have kept the important conversations alive and have lead to companies being formed, venues being opened, festivals started, shows created, and many other projects and initiatives. 

The Devoted and Disgruntled Roadshow has come about in response to numerous requests for these conversations to reach beyond London, and engage with all parts of the UK.  So as part of the Cultural Olympiad we are going on the road, holding D&Ds in twenty different locations round the country, and we are going online, launching a new interactive D&D website, which will record and connect all the D&D events. 

In theatre, as in so many things, it can feel like the agenda is set, and the decisions are made by a faceless, unreachable "them". We wait for "them" to talk about what we think needs talking about and for "them" to solve our problems. Guess what? "They" aren't going to do it. But you can, and D&D is the place to start - so if there are questions that you think should be asked, projects you want support on, things you want changed, join Improbable this summer on the Devoted & Disgruntled 2012 Roadshow in a conversation that could reshape the theatre landscape. This is a unique chance for your voice to be heard and for us to listen to each other, face to face and online, locally and nationally. Join us and let’s work together towards making theatre better and making better theatre.