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Creative Talent Programme

In 2010 Creative Youth launched its CREATIVE TALENT programme, supported by The Foyle Foundation.  Over the last two years this programme has continued to expand and now supports 10 young companies.

The Creative Talent programme identifies young and emerging artists and organisations who have the potential to become excellent creative practitioners and gives them the artistic, business and strategic support to become flourishing, challenging, exciting organisations of the future.  The programme provides year long support and encourages the artists to push their boundaries, create new work and work in collaboration with other organisations to create inter-disciplinary work as well as developing and mentoring their core skills and products.  Importantly Creative Youth works in partnership with key sponsors and partners to ensure that these young companies are equipped with key business skills allowing them to turn theirvisions into commercial ventures ensuring that the arts continue to prosper and be a fundamental part of the future of Britain.

Through Creative Talent we are investing in the future of the arts and putting our faith in the young people who will inspire future generations.  The ten key companies that Creative Talent is supporting are:

 

Our Friends Records (http://ourfriendsrecords.com/)

 

Our Friends Records are a Kingston based music promotions company who have been working with IYAF since its inception in 2009.  Since the formalisation of the Creative Talent programme in 2010 our support has allowed OFR to receive training and mentorship from internationally renowned festival programmers, Continental Drifts, has assisted in expanding the number of events they run monthly in the borough to 8 per month and has invested in capital equipment allowing them to become a self sufficient company.  This year they are programming a phenomenal and record breaking number of events during the festival!

“Creative Youth has been the engine behind the growth of Our Friends Records, allowing us to develop our company from a small-time hobby into a much larger scale venture,

The continued support and mentorship,  as well as investment, has helped us grow into an organisation which will continue to  provide essential artistic opportunities for Kingston’s youth.  We would certainly not be the company we are today without the support of IYAF and we are so excited about the future!”

Our Friends Records can provide music events for any occasion including PA Hire – details available here.  Full details of all OFR’s events and services can be found on their website.

OFR will be running Mosaic at The Rose Cafe on the 14th March 2013 and the Ski trip send off at Woody’s Bar on the 20th march 2013.

 

 Circus Suburbia (www.circussuburbia.co.uk)

 

Circus Suburbia are a dynamic, young, contemporary circus company providing high quality entertainment at events and festivals as well as circus training, workshops and community engagement. Creative Youth’s support has allowed Circus Suburbia to co-ordinate a community circus show performed for the finale of IYAF in 2010 and in 2011 raised the funds to allow the research and development of an aerial act which they could continue to tour nationally and generate income for the company.  In 2012 we secured funding from the GLA Mayor’s Outer London fund to convert an unused space into a contemporary circus space which Circus Suburbia took responsibility in programming and animating.

“Before we met Creative Youth we had plans to grow a small entertainment company, and to teach evening circus classes in Surbiton. This however all changed when IYAF gave us the challenge of a full scale circus project which would really push us in areas we previously had no experience in! IYAF has certainly given us challenges this last year, which at times have been daunting to say the least, but there has always been the support there to help us and the belief that we can pull these challenges off. So thanks to IYAF we have learned a great deal about the industry we work in and have grown a huge amount in the last year.”

For more information on the classes that Circus Suburbia run, click here.

To look into booking a circus act for your event, click here.

 

 

Smoking Apples (www.smokingapplestheatre.com)

 

Smoking Apples aims to create physical, visual, puppetry based theatre that specifically aims to engage the adult imagination. Over the last year Creative Youth has provided Smoking Apples with collaborative opportunities to devise new work for multiple projects and is currently working with the Apples to secure a permanent rehearsal space for all Creative Talent companies.

“Smoking Apples have been working with Creative Youth as part of their Creative Talent programme for the past 2 years. During this time, they been a constant source of support a

nd helped us to deal with the reali

ty of turning a theatre company into a viable business.

”

 

Smoking Apples are next performing The Wordcatcher at The Brighton Fringe Festival in May 2013. For tickets and information, please click here.

 

Dumbshow (www.dumbshow.org)

 

Dumbshow is an ensemble of actors, directors, writers and musicians who come together in various combinations to make theatre with a vibrant physical aesthetic, using live music alongside text to create and tell stories.  Dumbshow worked as artists in residence during IYAF 2011 before taking three shows to Edinburgh.

Michael Bryher, Artistic Director described Creative Youth’s help as a ‘godsend.

“We couldn’t have achieved what we have done without them,” he said. “To put trust in a young company to develop their work is so, so important. IYAF took a leap of faith in us, for which we are extremely grateful.”

Dumbshow are currently plotting and planning a new show and will be performing their smash, The Pearl, throughout the summer. Watch this space for dates!

 

Little Cauliflower (www.littlecauliflower.co.uk)

 

Little Cauliflower is a Canterbury based company with residencies at the University of Kent and Creative Youth. The company was founded in 2010 by former MDrama students Carly McConnell and William Aubrey-Jones.

They aspire to make theatre for all ages that leaves audiences feeling uplifted and entertained. Much of their inspiration comes from silent films who tapped into a unique vein of storytelling and comedy that could be appreciated by all ages. They love to make things and as such their work often features animated objects, puppets and elaborate sets

They are currently touring with their 5* Edinburgh show, Street Dream, click here for information on dates and how to book.

 

 

StemKu (http://stemkudance.wordpress.com/)

 

StemKu Dance Company is a London based dance company, which has emerged out of Kingston University’s Undergraduate Dance Degree, and are their touring resident company.  They are a collective of dancers and artists from various training background, who work together to create exciting, fun and engaging performances.  Patrons include Matthew Bourne and Jonzi D.

StemKu performed Illuminations at Dorich House on the 14th July 2012, at Kinetic Visions, Rose Theatre on the 14th July 2012 and Selina Welter, Director of StemKU programmes the Dance and Circus stage at Eagle Brewery Wharf alongside Circus Suburbia.

 

byMoonlight (www.bymoonlighttheatre.com)

 

byMoonlight’s aim is to create exciting, innovative and fearless theatre to encourage audiences to re-visit classic texts with them in fresh settings.  Their engaging and open ensemble style is full of energy and movement which is quickly becoming its trademark.

 

byMoonlight are currently in rehearsals for The Pardoner’s Tale which will be premiered at The Brighton Fringe Festival (click here for tickets) and at IYAF 2013.


New Members

 

Tankus the Henge (www.tankusthehenge.com)

 

The world of Tankus the Henge is uplifting and wild, dark and heartfelt.  A six piece powerhouse of a band drawing visual and musical influences from old time Fairgrounds to modern day Circus; The Beatles to Tom Waits and Gogol Bordello to Radiohead, they embody a look and a sound that lies somewhere between their South East London home and the carnival town of New Orleans.

With their charismatic frontman, Jaz Delorean, looking like a lost character from a Terry Gilliam film and the pump and grind of the Tankus the Henge sound generating a groove that makes it impossible to stand still, their live show ebbs and flows like a small boat on a turbulent sea.

Tankus have just commenced on The Rotten Boots Tour around the UK, click here for dates and tickets. This is not to be missed!!

 

 

EDDance (http://eddance.co.uk/)

 

EDDance is a London-based company of dance artists under the direction of choreographer Edd Mitton.  They enjoy working in a variety of styles and spaces, but always share a commitment to making work for performance which is beautiful, intelligent and accessible.

Recent pieces have included Stabat Mater, a non-narrative work danced to music by Vivaldi, The Renewable Trilogy - a trio of pop-up dances celebrating all things eco-friendly, and a scratch performance of Liaisons - a narrative ballet relocating the action of the infamous Les Liaisons Dangereuses to a 1920s soiree.  We continue to seek inspiration from a wide range of sources, and are always eager to hear from other artists or companies interested in collaborating.

 

Filskit Theatre (www.filskittheatre.com)

 

Filskit Theatre are an all-female ensemble with a passion for micro-projection. With our innovative use of technology we aim to create work that ignites the imagination of children and adults alike. By mixing original music with shadow work, adding a dash of light and a sprinkle of movement, we create our very own Filskit blend of show.

Sarah Gee, Katy Costigan and Victoris Dyson formed Filskit Theatre after meeting on the European Theatre Arts Course at Rose Bruford College.

Filskit are current working on a new production, The Feather Catcher and will be touring it in Autumn 2013.

All Creative Talent companies will be artists-in-residence for the duration of the International Youth Arts Festival.  They will each be performing already established shows during the festival at various theatres and will also b e collaborating, developing new work, leading workshops for the public and testing new work in ‘scratch’ nights.  If you would like a tailor made workshop, a Q&A session or any advice and tips from any of our artists in residence then please get in touch at hello@iyafestival.org.uk and we will do our best to accommodate your requests!

Previous Creative Talent Companies

Pants on Fire (http://www.pantsonfire.moonfruit.com/#)

Pants on Fire is a theatre company based in London. The company was formed in 2004 and creates a variety of work from original devised shows to re-workings of classical texts, their performances focus on the ensemble, visual storytelling, energetic play and magical theatricality. Live original music and song is a distinct element in all of their work. Puppets, masks, inventive props and costumes, mime, dance, projections of original film are all theatrical tools at their disposal. In addition to producing and performing theatre, they provide unique training and performance opportunities for actors.

In 2010 Pants on Fire bought their show Ovid’s Metamorpheses to IYAF, which went on to win the Carol Tambor award at the Edinburgh festival, securing them a month-long run on Broadway, New York.