News: The Cultural Spring – Bitesize Commission

Award-winning arts project The Cultural Spring is looking to replicate the success of a similar project held in South Tyneside in 2018 and commission bite-size performances to tour a range of non-arts venues in Sunderland.

The project is looking for four commissions, with each piece must have the scope to include the local community in the creation of the final work in the development of a script, music, or performing in a show.

The successful commissions will be given a budget of up to £8,000 (which should include all production costs and engagement work with local people) and will need to do a performance at five separate venues between April and May 2023 in each of the five areas of Sunderland – Coalfields, East, North, Washington and West.  

Emma Horsman, Project Director of The Cultural Spring, adds: “The feedback for our bite-sized productions in South Tyneside was among the most positive we’ve had for any of our projects.

“We put on 20 performances over three months and engaged more than 300 people. The shows were very different and one of the key elements of the project was that they were delivered in venues you wouldn’t expect – so we used places like a Scout hut, a parish hall, a pub, a football club and social clubs. Audiences were in the range between 30 and 50, and we expect them to be the same size for our Sunderland project.

“Performing the shows in such venues really took art into local neighbourhoods and estates, and I think people enjoyed attending cultural events in venues that were local to them and felt comfortable in.

“We are interested in performances that are diverse and accessible to various audiences and age groups. We are particularly interested in proposals that include people currently under-represented in our programme, men, people from ethnically diverse backgrounds and children and young people.

A bite-size project can be a theatre, dance or music performance and key to them is that they’ve been co-created with local people as genuine partners in the work. The performances should be followed by the sharing of food after the show. The food element can be themed to the show’s subject.”

The expressions of interest deadline for the project is Wednesday 7th September. To find out more visit www.theculturalspring.org.uk