Community Post Type: Callouts

St Helens Borough Council Arts Service in partnership with the Cultural Department at the City of Stuttgart’s Council and GEDOK Women Artists’ Studios/Cultural Centre are pleased to announce an artist twinning opportunity. St Helens based women artist/s are invited to apply to undertake a residency at GEDOK, Stuttgart, Germany during June and/or July 2025 and a GEDOK associated artist will take part in a residency in St Helens later this year.

St Helens, twinned with Stuttgart, has a long history of collaborations including previous artist exchange projects between GEDOK and St Helens. This new twinning exchange is supported using public funding by Arts Council England and Stuttgart Council’s Cultural Department.

GEDOK STUTTGART

◾This opportunity is open to women practitioners of most arts disciplines that currently live in St Helens.

◾Free live/work accommodation plus an award of £2,500 per month to cover living expenses and travel costs.

❗Closing date for applications: 9.30am on Tuesday 22 April 2025.

For full information visit St Helens Arts In Libraries website – https://artsinlibraries.sthelens.gov.uk/article/12928/STUTTGART-Artist-Residency-Opportunity

Applications are now OPEN for the PLACED Academy Studio 2025/26, our flagship award-winning FREE programme of creative activities and professional development opportunities for young people who are currently in Years 9-12 who live in Northwest England.

The PLACED Academy is designed to tackle barriers young people face in accessing professional careers in the built environment, including architecture, planning, urban design and landscape architecture. They seek to support greater diversity in the sector, enabling young people to develop a wide range of skills, grow in confidence and feel empowered to shape the places of the future. The programme runs from July 2025 – March 2026 with monthly sessions and is funded by some fantastic practices and organisations and they can support travel costs (subject to circumstances).

Applications close Sunday 15th June, there are just 60 places available. The link to the application form is HERE.

As part of the programme, young people will;

Participate in monthly creative projects and professional development activities through collaborative sessions and independent work (face-to-face in Liverpool and Manchester)
Develop knowledge and skills in design, communication, problem-solving, leadership, teamwork and public speaking
Grow in confidence, input on real life projects, and feel empowered to shape future decisions about where they live
Learn more about careers in the built environment and opportunities available to them and be mentored by professionals from the sector, gaining unique insight
Gain experience that will enhance their CV and applications for higher education and employment, helping them stand out from the crowd.

YEARS 9-12 – FREE PROGRAMME FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE NORTHWEST
PLACED Academy Studio requires nothing from schools other than the young people to apply! See poster for teachers and youth organisations, and a separate poster to be given to young people, with a QR code to scan for the application form. Please share, forward, pass on, print, upload the poster anyway you like, we’re looking for people of all abilities and backgrounds. If you’d like us to pop in and chat to students, let us know.

The PLACED Academy is designed to tackle barriers young people face in accessing professional careers in the built environment, including architecture, planning, urban design and landscape architecture. We seek to support greater diversity in the sector, enabling young people to develop a wide range of skills, grow in confidence and feel empowered to shape the places of the future. The programme runs from July 2025 – March 2026 with monthly sessions and is funded by some fantastic practices and organisations and we can support travel costs (subject to circumstances). You can find out more about the programme and who sponsors us on the website (placed-academy.com)

Applications close Sunday 15th June, there are just 60 places available. The link to the application form – https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LMB2ZBT

As part of the programme, young people will;

– Participate in monthly creative projects and professional development activities through collaborative sessions and independent work (face-to-face in Liverpool and Manchester)
– Develop knowledge and skills in design, communication, problem-solving, leadership, teamwork and public speaking
– Grow in confidence, input on real life projects, and feel empowered to shape future decisions about where they live
– Learn more about careers in the built environment and opportunities available to them and be mentored by professionals from the sector, gaining unique insight
– Gain experience that will enhance their CV and applications for higher education and employment, helping them stand out from the crowd.

No prior understanding needed, just an interest in the built environment.

BBC Radio 1, BBC Introducing and BBC Radio Merseyside have teamed up with 3 iconic venues to find the most exciting new artists from Merseyside, ahead of Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Liverpool this May.

Sunday 6^th April: The Jacaranda – 6pm

Tuesday 8^th April: Future Yard, Birkenhead – 7pm

Wednesday 9^th April: Connolly’s Irish Pub, Southport – 6:30pm

Making music and you’ve not been played on BBC Introducing before? They want to hear from you! Come down to one of their Open Mic nights, showcase your songs and you could be played on Radio 1! They’re looking for young artists who haven’t had loads of exposure before – so if you’re at the start of your musical journey (rather than a seasoned pro) this is for you.. Register your interest to play via this link. 16+. 16 and 17 year olds MUST be accompanied by an adult.

Pick Up Your Pen is an online writing club. It’s for a whole host of writers including –

Authors with a manuscript to finish or a business book to get over the line.
Writers of all genres who need a bit of confidence sharing work.
Authors or writers who need a bit of accountability to keep them focused.
Writers who love being creative and want to make more time for that in their lives.
Writers who want to learn new skills and enjoy guest talks from a range of people including industry specialists.

The opportunity is available to anyone who wants to focus on their writing instead of procrastinating.
The sessions are all held online via Zoom.

Dates for sessions are as follows – either 1st or 2nd Monday of the month 7.30pm-9.00pm, 2nd and 3rd Thursday of the month 7.30-8.30pm and last Friday of the month 9.30am-11.00am.

There is also a Facebook group for members which has regular post full of information, writing prompts and writing tips.

More information can be found at https://littlelambpublishing.co.uk/product/pick-up-your-pen-membership/

Sefton Pride are leaving their inbox open until the end of this month for artists to apply.

They can then review submissions and confirm acts by the end of April and enjoy announcing the acts throughout May!

Keep following them for news of other Pride related events through the borough this pride month.

Sefton Pride 2025, held 14th June, Salt & Tar, Bootle.

Contact via Facebook here

Closing date: 31 March

Outer Waves are opening an artist call-out for a handful of performance slots and exhibition spaces available at the event.

Outer Waves features boundary-pushing music and underground art. The artist call-out is open to:

– musicians/bands
– visual artists
– performance artists

To apply, send an email to outerwavesfestival@gmail.com (include Artist Submission in title) with info about yourself or project, and links to your work.

Please note applicants must be based in the Liverpool City Region

Application closes 28th March

Position Title: Intern for Oral History Collection Project: Funny Stuff – LipService Theatre Duration: April 2025- February 2026

Employment Type: [Contract] Fee £125 per day (predicted c.6 days work)
Location: (Manchester), with potential for some travel to London as well as Zoom interviews

About the Project:

LipService aims to capture the memories of thirty 1980’s Manchester artists.
This project involves the recruitment and training of 5 contemporary emerging artists to conduct oral history interviews with 1980’s emerging artists, helping to preserve and share these valuable stories, gain perspective and create a comprehensive archival and exhibition resource.

Role Purpose:

Oral History interviewers will play a crucial role in collecting and preserving the personal experiences of individuals connected with the Manchester Fringe Forum

They will interview candidates chosen by the Project Team and record their memories via digital recording equipment.

Interviewing people about their creative journeys, sparked by the Manchester Fringe Forum movement

Utilise basic audio editing to prepare recordings for depositing in the archive

Summarise recordings and highlight keywords.

Noting interesting excerpts that could be featured on our website and in our symposium

Contributing an evaluation of their experience to our final symposium

Training and Development:

Attend 2 days of oral history training covering oral history techniques.
Participate in follow-up training and mentoring sessions as needed.

Documentation and Archiving:

Help digitise, catalogue, and archive interview materials for future use.

Commitment:

Interns are expected to commit to conducting at least six interviews over the course of the project.
Participation in initial and follow-up training sessions is required.
Attending Oral History training (2 x days)
Have ability to get online.

How to Apply

Closing date for applications 17 April 2025 at 5pm.

Please submit a CV and letter outlining your interest in the project, your background and work you would like to make in the future. If you prefer, you can submit a video in place of the letter.

Send your application FAO Sue Ryding, Artistic Director LipService Theatre

info@lip-service.net

Call Out for Actors

Valley Theatre have cast four actors for their play “Unity” to be performed at Hope Street Theatre on 6^th-8^th June but are still looking for two more male actors to play the following roles:

Alex – Ex bank manager, lower middle-class, good actor, coming through am dram ranks 50-70

Alf – A working-class man with mild learning disability which affects his ability to remember lines and keep up with script. 20s-40s

Play description

A rough and ready hall in a Northern Town. A 1930s Left Theatre Group rehearse their latest agitprop play. The presence of one actor, the character of Alf, creates a dilemma that is all too recognisable between inclusivity and the search for excellence. . But other tensions within the group, personal and political, are also soon apparent, showing once again how hard Unity is to achieve.

If you are interested in trying for the parts, contact info@valleytheatre.co.uk saying a little about yourself and they’ll get back to you.

Liverpool Theatre School is aiming to discover some of the city’s most promising young performers as the centre of excellence launches its latest round of auditions. Future stars are being invited to showcase their talent in front of a panel of judges to be in with a chance of earning a coveted place on an elite training course at the prestigious stage school, whose alumni can be seen performing on stages around the world.

Liverpool Theatre School has helped launch the careers of many professional dancers and musical theatre performers, with graduates going on to star in West End shows such as Mamma Mia!, Frozen, SIX and Wicked. Closer to home, former student Timothy Lucas, is currently appearing in Love’s Labour’s Lost at Shakespeare North Playhouse, while Cameron Patmore, who also trained at Liverpool Theatre School, is appearing in the Blood Brothers UK tour, which is running at the Liverpool Empire until 22 March.

The highly regarded performing arts school, which counts Wayne Sleep OBE and Anita Dobson among its patrons, accepts only the most gifted students on its professional dance and musical theatre courses. A number of fully funded places and bursaries are awarded every year to help make professional training opportunities more accessible for talented students from working class backgrounds.

Maxine Ellis, Principal at Liverpool Theatre School, said: “The audition process allows us to uncover real talent as our panel of judges look out for stand out performances. It can be incredibly rewarding to find unique talent and we always look forward to meeting prospective students during the auditions for Liverpool Theatre School. I would encourage anyone who is serious about a career in dance or musical theatre to get in touch.

“All places on our elite training courses are allocated based on talent, ambition and audition performance, and there is financial support available for students who would otherwise struggle to afford the cost of full-time professional training. We hope to see some exceptional performances during our search for gifted students as we aim to identify and train the next generation of industry professionals.”

Liverpool Theatre School provides a range of elite training programmes, designed to provide students with the skills they need to succeed in the performing arts industry. These include diploma courses in dance and musical theatre (accredited by Trinity College London), BTEC courses in dance, musical theatre and performing arts, and a new BA Hons dance degree, delivered in partnership with Middlesex University, which is taught by industry professionals in both Liverpool and London.

As part of the professional training programmes at Liverpool Theatre School, students are regularly invited to perform at theatres across the region including the Hope Street Theatre and the Floral Pavillion. Students recently appeared on the main stage at the iconic Move It dance convention, headlined by Diversity, which took place at Excel London earlier this month.

As well as providing elite training, Liverpool Theatre School also offers coaching for under 16s through its Junior Academy. Established in 1939, Liverpool Theatre School is one of the city’s longest running performing arts schools. The centre of excellence is located on the edge of the creative quarter at Liverpool Central Studios, 35 Sefton Street, Liverpool, L8 5SL.

Auditions for professional training at Liverpool Theatre School will take place on 23 March and 27 April.

To register, please visit liverpooltheatreschool.co.uk. Follow Liverpool Theatre School on Instagram and Facebook to keep up to date with the latest news.

BA (Hons) Fine Art Painting Course – https://www.instagram.com/ucshfineartpainting/

Entry Requirements: 80 UCAS Tariff Points

Course Information:

This unique Fine Art degree specialises in painting and is offered at only a few institutions in the UK. They teach traditional painting techniques and processes and more expanded ways of painting, allowing students the freedom to cross disciplines and follow their individual pathways. They absolutely embrace this approach! There is always lots of discussion about art, ideas and culture, creating a great atmosphere of active learning in their studios.

The course is studio, workshop, lecture, seminar, and critique-based, which means you receive lots of guidance and support and form a solid group identity. Their groups are relatively small, too, so you will get lots of one-to-one guidance while you learn, build your confidence, and develop the independence to maintain your practice and gain employment when you leave.

Here are some of their unique selling points:

• Their studios are huge, airy and light! 
• You will be taught by practitioners who are passionate about their research and teaching.
• They have great connections with professionals in the industry that keep their knowledge and experience current. They also provide excellent opportunities for our students.
• You will be able to exhibit your work in a public and professional context.
• Most of our students receive high grades on completing their degree!

Some examples of Alumni Success and Career Development Choices:

• Rebecca Ainsworth is now ‘Creative Lives Officer’ at St Helens Arts in the Library Service
• Karla Rimaitis is a self-employed illustrator who has worked with Diabetes UK, the Steve Morgan Foundation, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research.
• Rhyannon Parry works as a Producer for the Heart of Glass – Creative People and Places. 
• Rosie Woodruff is doing an MA in Fine Art at Manchester Metropolitan University.
• Olivia McIntosh has just completed her MA in Fine Art at Liverpool John Moores University.
• Saudina Wilson was longlisted for the Freelands Painting Prize (London), which celebrates outstanding painting from art schools and universities across the UK.

To Apply and for more information about the course: https://www.sthelens.ac.uk/course/ba-hons-fine-art-painting-full-time-2025-entry/

For further information on application deadlines, contact Fiona Stirling via https://www.instagram.com/ucshfineartpainting/ or by email at fstirling@sthelens.ac.uk