Community Post Type: Callouts

Join Kitty’s Launderette for a Free 10 Week Writing programme with local Author John Thompson. The programme will explore a variety of techniques working towards the group developing personal memoirs.

This programmed is aimed at men of all ages who are keen to explore their creativity and improve wellbeing through the art of writing. No prior experience is needed!

Sessions will take place on a Wednesday evening from 5pm – 7pm, starting Wednesday 28 February. We’re asking that if you’re interested in signing up to join the group you follow the link below or email creative@kittyslaunderette.org.uk letting them know that you’re interested.

APPLY HERE

Scrapyard Studios CIC are super excited to announce a 3-part series of workshops on gig photography.

Taking you from the beginning through to photoshoots with bands and live sets, these workshops will help you gain the skills and confidence to get out there.

The sessions are free of charge and we have cameras to use if you don’t have your own. Led by the fabulous @lens_of_a_wool & @rachtakespicsss we can’t wait to get started.

Dates: Mondays March 3rd, April 8th, May 13th. Message them via Instagram – @scrapyardstudioscic to book your place.

The Ant Clausen Fire It Up Fund wants to help young people break into their dream career.

As well as financial support, successful applicants will also be offered advice, opportunities and access that can be hard to come by when you are starting out.

You can apply for up to £5k in funding and the money can be spent on anything that will help further your career – kit, time to create a portfolio, a trip or training – and you can also let us know what wrap around support you think will help you over a 12 month period.

 The only criteria to apply for the fund are:

1)    That you were born between 09/05/1999 and 09/05/2008

2)    You live, work or study in the Liverpool City Region.

3)    You have no formal (university) education in the creative industries

 If this is you, then please click ‘APPLY NOW’ below and submit your application before 26 March 2024.

 If you have any questions about the fund then please email robin@fireitupfund.com

Find out more information and apply at fireitupfund.com/apply-now

We are currently accepting applications for a training opportunity.

This is a 10-week professional development programme led by Keith Saha, Co-CEO and Artistic Director for 20 Stories High, along with several incredible freelance specialists from around the UK. Presented by 20 Stories High, supported by Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse with support from LAMDA and Unity.

The programme will equip participants with the tools necessary to enter a rehearsal room with confidence in their craft – from demystifying jargon to practical skills building. The 10-week programme will culminate in a scratch night performance for an invited audience.

For more details and to access our application pack, visit: https://www.20storieshigh.org.uk/actors-training-programme/

The pack is also available in a range of accessible versions, including audio, large print, screen reader-compatible, and dyslexia-friendly versions, via the link above.

If you have any questions, please do get in touch with 20 Stories High’s Producer & Operations Manager, Natasha, on natasha@20storieshigh.org.uk

A new opportunity to join the National Festival of Making team through the Creative Alliance Paid Internship Programme.

The National Festival of Making is looking for an individual to join our team as part of the Creative Alliance Internship Programme. The administrative role will see you supporting the team in delivering our year-round programme and annual festival whilst receiving guidance from the team and experience in the varied roles across our organisation. You will work closely alongside our festival producers, education and marketing teams in assisting the day-to-day running of our growing organisation.

We are looking to work with an enthusiastic individual who has excellent communication skills, a keen eye for detail, an eagerness to learn and someone comfortable working in a small, fast-paced team. We will take time to mentor you and help you learn how to carry out the work we give you.

A significant interest in the creative/cultural sector is essential. Desirable interests include one or more of the following: community engagement, creative education, volunteer coordination, creative research, marketing and/or creative producing. We pride ourselves on delivering high-quality work and providing exceptional experiences for our audiences. We are looking for an individual who has the same passion, drive and ambition with a ‘can-do’ attitude.

Info / apply here: https://festivalofmaking.co.uk/news/creative-alliance-internship/

Closing date: 8 March

Heart of Glass, a Merseyside-based community arts organisation, are seeking to connect with freelance producers, technicians and facilitators, in the North West (particularly in the Liverpool City Region).

Heart of Glass produces work with artists and communities locally, nationally and internationally across our programmes of work each year, and celebrate their tenth anniversary this summer. Over the past decade we’ve commissioned thousands of artists and supported diverse communities and audiences to develop and engage with our work across our programmes of activities. Along the way, freelance support has been essential.

We are currently looking to update and make new relationships with freelance producers, technicians and facilitators, in the North West, with experience of working within the arts sector. We’ve just opened up a new office base in Huyton and are particularly keen to build relationships with local producers in Knowsley, as well as St Helens and the wider Liverpool City Region.

We are committed to supporting freelancers with paid opportunities wherever possible. We recognise that this is a very difficult operating context right now, so we’re keen to update our databases and get a sense of who is out there so that we can share opportunities when they arise.

We have projects and events that are developing throughout this year and would love to hear from freelancers (with short or long term availability) who have experience in one or more of the following areas:

• Working with schools, colleges and education settings on leading creative projects, workshops and supporting the creation of learning resources

• Event management and technical services online and in public space (including community venues and spaces).

• Leading on production and installation of artworks in public spaces.

• Working with community participants and artists in workshop settings, some examples could be; with young parents, children and young people, with people living in sheltered accommodation, working within addiction services or health settings.

• Developing collaborative relationships with and between Artists and Communities.

If you are interested, please send an up to date CV to info@heartofglass.org.uk by Friday 15th March.

The Brain Charity are currently looking to commission creative works by neurodivergent artists or works that directly address the theme of neurodiversity to form part of Liverpool’s Neurodiversity Arts Festival 2024.

These commissions are dependent on the notification of receipt of funding from Arts Council England.

What we are looking for

We are looking for artistic works from emerging or established artists, arts organizations or community groups with some lived experience of neurodiversity and/or that directly addresses themes of neurodiversity. Proposals in any creative medium are welcome, including theatre, music, spoken word, visual art, sculpture, technology, animation, installations, performance art, or a combination of these.

Proposals should be good quality, and able to engage a diverse audience. All proposals should consider issues of accessibility and attempt to make events as accessible as possible for all. The commissions will present opportunities for artists and arts institutions to support and create work that:

• Will be showcased during the Neurodiversity Arts Festival 20-29th September 2024.
• Able to reach a diverse audience with issues of accessibility of primary importance.
• Hosted by an established cultural organization or venue.
• Has been created by someone with lived experience of neurodiversity or addresses neurodiversity issues directly.

We hope that festival commissions will engage a variety of different audiences including adults, families, children and young people, D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people and people that don’t usually engage with the arts.

The work can take place at a single event, can be showcased across the festival, or take place in multiple locations at different times. Regardless of the format, the work should provoke discussion, challenge assumptions or start a conversation about neurodiversity.

The Brain Charity hopes to commission a wide range of different works and activities, so that the program is diverse and reaches as many different people as possible.

The Neurodiversity Arts Festival 2024

The term ‘neurodiversity’ was first used as part of the autism rights movement. It is derived from the concept of ‘biodiversity’, which views genetic difference and diversity as contributing to the strength and resilience of the population as a whole. Neurodiversity means that there are many different types of brain and ways of thinking and experiencing the world.

An individual should be described as Neurodivergent. Neurodivergence refers to brain function that varies from the majority and includes a wide range of profiles. We know that 15-20% of the population are neurodivergent, and the most common neurominorities include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia and Tourette’s.

The Neurodiversity Paradigm is situated within the Social Model of Disability, stating that disability is not an individual characteristic, but arises as a result of social and cultural barriers that prevent certain people from participating fully in society. It states:
Neurodiversity Paradigm

1) Neurodiversity is a natural and valuable form of human diversity.
2) The idea that there is one “normal” or “healthy” type of brain or mind, or one “right” style of neurocognitive functioning, is a social construct. Just as there is no “right” ethnicity, gender, or culture.
3) The social dynamics surrounding neurodiversity are similar to those for ethnicity, gender, or culture.
(Walker, 2020)

The Neurodiversity Arts Festival is wants to start a conversation that opens doors, buildings, and minds and showcases the full spectrum of neurodivergent talent. The main aims of the festival are as follows:

Mission Statement

1. Celebrating Neurodivergent Talent (showcasing neurodivergent talent, helping people to discover their unique qualities).

2. Education (informing the public, bringing awareness to social barriers, working with institutions to inform positive working practices around neurodiversity).

3. Opening Doors (accessibility – finding ways for neurodivergent individuals and families to feel welcome in arts institutions without fear of being judged).

Requirements

• Your proposal must focus on neurodiversity or celebrating neurodivergent talent.
• Commissioned work must take place during the festival (20th-29 September).
• Your proposal must show consideration of accessibility and efforts to reach a diverse audience through the proposed work.
• For individual artists and smaller commissions, please give details of any venues that you propose to work with.
• For larger organisations, please give details of any smaller organisations or individual artists that you prose to work with.
• For larger organisations, please give details of ways in which you will ‘Open Doors’ during the festival to make neurodivergent individuals and families feel welcome in your venue(s).
• Your activity must be delivered on time and within budget.
• Your activity must be covered by public liability insurance.

Artistic Commissions

All commissions are subject to funding. There will be 8 larger commissions of between £2-4,000 and 8 smaller commissions of between £500-£800. We anticipate that larger arts institutions will apply for the larger commissions to produce and program work across the festival, and that individual artists or smaller arts organizations will apply for the smaller commissions.
Once the deadline for the submission of applications has been reached, there will be shortlisting, and successful applications will be notified as soon as the grant has been confirmed.

Support

As well as the commissions, the Brain Charity will be available to support you on the lead up to the festival. We will be able to provide practical help and guidance, including marketing and PR for your event as part of the festival programme and may be able to help you secure a venue for your work if necessary.
In addition to the steering group meetings for the event, there will also be a regular artistic group meeting which will meet to discuss the content and artistic strategy for the festival. As a commissioned artist, you will have the opportunity to take part in these meetings.

Submit a Proposal

If you would like to discuss a proposal before making a submission, please feel free to contact christina.beaumont@thebraincharity.org.uk in the first instance.
Your proposal should be no more than 2 sides of A4 for a small commission, and 4 sides of A4 for a larger commission. Video/audio submissions will also be accepted. Please ensure recordings are no longer than 4 minutes long.

Please provide us with:

• An outline of your proposal and how it explores the theme of neurodiversity or celebrates the work of neurodivergent artists.
• What the expected audience would be.
• How you will address issues to accessibility to make sure that the performance or activity is as accessible as possible.
• Proposed times/dates for the activity i.e. daytime/evening, and the venue, if known.
• Budget breakdown, including all costs for artists fees, planning, delivery, travel, materials and equipment.
• Any in-kind support that will be provided by venues, institutions or arts organizations associated with the work.
• Confirmation of Public Liability Insurance.
• Details of one or two relevant past projects to demonstrate the ability of your organization to produce high-quality work. This can include links to digital media online.
• Full name, address and contact information for a primary contact.
• For individual artists, details of a referee.
• Links to supporting information as necessary/relevant.
• Suggestions for a proposed venue if required.
• Details of any proposed organizations that you would like to work with.

Commissions will be granted based on the quality of the idea and demonstrated ability to deliver the proposal on time and within budget to a good artistic standard, as well as the way in which the proposal addresses neurodiversity issues and/or celebrates neurodivergent talent.

Please email your completed proposal to christina.beaumont@thebraincharity.org.uk by the deadline at 5pm on 22nd March 2024. Shortlisting will take place following the deadline and successful commissions will be notified immediately once confirmation of funding has been received.

ingemeng is a new play in development, to be written and directed by South African writer/ director Ameera Conrad, Associate Director of 20 Stories High.

Aimed at intergenerational audiences, it is a coming-of-age play, following the story of a young mixed race British woman in Liverpool as she tries to unpick her heritage and reconcile with her family’s complicated (and sometimes secret) history. With both her parents being of mixed heritage, she has struggled with understanding where she belongs, but through excavating her lineage and calling upon her ancestors, she finds power, beauty, and strength.

The show explores intergenerational trauma that women carry which has been passed on from slavery, using folklore and mythology as the vehicle for the story. A key theme in the piece is South Africa’s legacy of slavery and how it connects to Liverpool (and the rest of the UK), as well as how family histories can become more like myths and legends.

WHERE THE PROCESS IS AT:

We are casting for our second R&D week, which follows on from a successful R&D period in Spring 23, where the piece’s key themes and characters were developed, and sound palette was formed.

This second R&D week will include returning creatives Ameera Conrad (writer and director); Sudha Bhuchar (dramaturg); Matthew Xia (outside eye) and Eliyana Evans (composer). In this second R&D we will be exploring storytelling forms; testing the piece’s structure; and detail of the storyline.

We are seeking 3 female or non-binary performers who are comfortable playing female characters, with a playing age of 18-21. The role of the actors will be to perform newly generated material, and respond to the creative team’s direction in the space.

The use of the words ‘female’ or ‘women’ is inclusive of trans women.

We are particularly keen to hear from Merseyside/Northwest-based performers.

ROLES WE ARE CASTING FOR:

Leila

Young mixed race woman (18-21) from Liverpool. She left home to study, and has had to come back because she’s currently under investigation at the university. An activist with a strong sense of justice. Funny, clever, independent, socially conscious. She loves stories and mythology, has her head in the clouds, but was forced to grow up when her mother passed. She feels under a lot of pressure to succeed, a perfectionist, but at her core a big dreamer. She feels lost in the world, but is holding onto the idea that she’s doing “what she’s supposed to do”.

Performer should feel comfortable singing, but need not be a trained singer.

Accent – Scouse / North West

Fatima

Young Cape Malay* / Cape Coloured** woman (18-21). Fatima is one of Leila’s ancestors who is summoned. Fatima is an enslaved person who was born into slavery in the Cape, but whose parents originated from South East Asia (Malaysia/Indonesia/Java). She lives in the 1700s. She is sharp and hardened by her life, but believes in something better.

Performer should feel comfortable singing and moving, but need not be a trained singer or dancer.

Accent – South African, Cape Coloured / Cape Malay

*Cape Malay refers to a South African person from the Cape Muslim community.

**Cape Coloured refers to a South African person of mixed race African, Asian, and European descent.

Doris

 Young Afro-Caribbean woman (18-21). Doris is one of Leila’s ancestors who is summoned. She is an activist who was prevalent in the uprisings in the UK during the 70s and 80s. She is strong, and rebellious, but hides her feelings behind her walls. She is funny and charming, a pillar of the community. She loves music, food, and dancing. Her parents were part of the Windrush Generation, but she was born in the UK.

Performer should feel comfortable singing and moving, but need not be a trained singer or dancer.

Accent – Scouse, comfortable with Caribbean dialects.

Content warnings/wellbeing: ingemeng will investigate themes including – Intergenerational trauma inherited from slavery, feminine rage and anger, migration and displacement.

We work with wellbeing in mind and provide access to an Artist Wellbeing Practitioner during the R&D.

Dates:

Research & Development week: Monday 15th of April- Friday 19th April 

Fee: £572.25 per week (ITC Contract)

Travel and accommodation will be covered as required

HOW TO APPLY:

Please send one of the following submissions to roxy@20storieshigh.org.uk 

• Written expression of interest
• Filmed or audio expression of interest

In your expression of interest please provide your Name, Location, and what about the work sparks an interest in you.

In addition to: 

• A CV or online examples of your work (youtube, soundcloud etc)

Deadline: Friday 1st March, 12-noon. 

ACCESSIBILITY:

The audition venue will be hosted in a wheelchair accessible building.

Please let us know if you have any access requirements and we will work together to meet them.

We will provide travel expenses to the audition venue if you require them.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

We welcome artists with all levels of experience.

To find out more visit 20storieshigh.org.uk/casting-ingemeng

Growing Sudley is gathering stories and memories from the local community in Liverpool to bring the past to life as part of a major heritage project to discover the hidden history of the walled garden. As well as the stories, they are looking for 12 history detectives to help delve into the history of the walled garden, changing rooms and greenspace at Sudley Estate.

• Does your family have a connection to the original walled garden?
• Did you use the changing rooms?
• Was this your old hang-out spot?
• Who is Ray B ’74 from the graffiti pictured below? Where is Brod?
• Do you have any old photographs?
• Do you enjoy local history, researching and digging up stories?

Growing Sudley CIC is a not-for-profit community business using nature to support community health and wellbeing. They have painstakingly brought the walled garden at Sudley Estate in Mossley Hill, Liverpool back to life as widely cherished Therapy Gardens. This has grown from the original work of the Friends of Sudley Estate and extensive community consultations.

Growing Sudley are now converting the old changing rooms building next to the garden into a Therapy Centre. They have been awarded a National Heritage Lottery grant to undertake research on the gardens and changing room building to find out as much as possible about the little documented greenspace. We are looking for your stories and 12 history detectives to help with the heritage research project. Maybe you have memories or information about the walled garden or the park, or even photographs?

The project will delve into the past of the Sudley greenspace throughout its life, including its Colonial past and the development of the walled garden as a showcase for the botanical acquisitions of the Holt family shipping merchants. The Holts lived in Sudley House from the 1800’s and bequeathed the house and land ‘for the benefit of the people of Liverpool’.

The house and estate have since been protected for public benefit, with the house operated by National Museums Liverpool and the public greenspace maintained by Liverpool City Council and the Friends group. The changing rooms were originally the pigsties, converted later to be used by the many sports teams playing on Sudley Fields before they fell into disrepair. Growing Sudley have almost completed a refurbishment of the derelict building into a low carbon Therapy Centre using air source heat pumps and eco materials.

History detectives will need to be available for 8 weekly afternoon sessions from 21 March to Thursday 9 May, 2024. Sessions will include an introduction at the garden, and visits to archives at Liverpool Record Office and other locations.

If you are interested in helping research the history of the garden and changing rooms please contact us by Friday 8 March 2024

If you don’t fancy being a detective but have any stories or photographs to share please send them to us as soon as possible, latest by Friday 3 May (the more the better!)

To send information, register as a history detective, or for any further information please contact growingsudleyheritage@gmail.com

https://growingsudley.com/

How we use and develop land affects many aspects of our lives. It is therefore important that the people, communities and businesses of the city region have chance to influence and shape this. Have your say on a wide range of draft policies in this new survey.

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority is preparing a Spatial Development Strategy (SDS). This will set out a framework for the future development and use of land in the city region looking ahead to 2040. This includes planning for homes, the economy and jobs, infrastructure and natural environment.

‘Towards a Spatial Development Strategy for the Liverpool City Region’ is a document presenting the next stage of the SDS’s development. It seeks to build on both feedback received from earlier stages of engagement, and the evidence base prepared to date.

We need your input in getting this Strategy right. This engagement is an opportunity for you to have your say on a wide range of draft policies making up the Spatial Development Strategy. We’ll then use this feedback to help refine and improve these policies as we prepare a final version of the Strategy.