Artist Development

The recent situation caused by the coronavirus has led to the closure of many venues, the cancellation of performances and exhibitions and a potentially devastating loss of income for many of those working in Hull’s creative sector. After an incredible few years for Hull’s art scene we think it’s time that we came together to show the freelancers who help to make this city so special just how much they mean to us, and help support them in difficult times.

That’s why we’ve just launched a crowdfunding campaign via GoFundMe, to raise money to support those artists who have provided us with so much joy. A donation of any size can help to ensure that Hull’s artists survive this crisis and continue making world-class work long into the future.

For context, many freelancers are about to enter into a particularly challenging time. Many artists make their living either by performance in front of groups of people, working together in rehearsals rooms or, often, by having another job to help support work.

With the oncoming disruption brought to us via the coronavirus it’s important that we bear in mind that many artists are about to be unable to work due to the closure of theatres, television and film production and the many industries that employ artists when they’re making their art such as restaurants, bars, and events.

Inspired by Middle Child associate artist Luke Barnes and his Liverpool fundraiser , we are aiming to be able to provide a minimum of 10x £200 hardship funds for any artists that cannot work during this time. These will be distributed on a first come first served basis and there will be no questions asked. If you need it, you can have it and once it’s gone it’s gone. If we make more additional money in this instance then that will also be made available. The first will be available in a month’s time when we have a better idea of how it will impact us.

Please note that no money donated as part of this fundraiser will go to Middle Child, nor will any of the money raised be used to pay those employed by Middle Child. We are merely acting as hosts of the GoFundMe page and will not profit from it in any way.

We understand that the present time may be difficult to navigate for many theatre makers, especially those who are freelance, so we thought we’d try to help somewhat by sharing a list of useful resources, below.

HM Government

See the government website for official guidance on various aspects, including staying at home, travel advice and information for employers.

Arts Council England

ACE have announced their intent to compensate freelancers and individual artists for loss of earnings, as well as continue to fund NPOs and CPPs. More info will be made available in the next week or so as they confirm their plans. See their Twitter thread too.

Independent Theatre Council

The ITC are signposting people to information through their blog.

Equity briefing on financial support

The union has published a briefing to help people understand their rights to the different kinds of financial support available during the outbreak and how to claim them. This includes government benefits, plus info on people working on an Equity contract.

Exeunt Magazine

Exeunt are collating their own list, which includes some of the resources named here.

Rehab 4 Addiction

A useful guide about improving mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mutual aid Facebook groups

For those of you based in Hull, our own Jamie has started a Facebook group to facilitate mutual aid in the city, connecting people able to offer support with those in need. There is also one in Beverley, set up by She Productions. If you are based further afield, here is a list of groups across the UK.

There is also a Facebook group specific to theatre makers.

#GigAid

Bryony Kimmings is looking to connect people who’ve lost earnings with those who can contribute some kind of financial support. Luke Barnes, a Middle Child associate artist, has set up a crowdfunder for Liverpool-based artists.

Edit on Tuesday 17 March: Inspired by Luke, we’ve created a similar crowdfunder for Hull artists.

+++

You may have seen us sharing our contingency plan on Twitter last week. This is already somewhat out of date, such is the speed at which things change, so we are no longer sharing that particular document.

However our emails and DMs are open if anybody would like to ask us any questions or share any concerns and we’ll help where possible.

We will also continue to share any useful info relating to theatre through our Twitter account.

Lots of love,
Middle Child
x

Starting in April 2020 we’re launching our new Theatre Social Quiz Night: a chance for people working in theatre in Hull to socialise and meet others without any of the awkward staring-at-name-badges that usually comes with networking.

We’ll pull up some pews, stock a bar with beers and soft drinks and throw down some pub quiz questions for teams of four (max) to get stuck into. No team? We’ll find you one on the night!

We’ve also bought a MASSIVE trophy for the winning team to keep hold of each month. Like seriously big. 46 centimetres tall big. *audience ooh* We might even put ribbons on it.

So come join us, meet other theatre people in Hull and romp home to victory as quiz champions.

The first night takes place on Tuesday 7 April at 7pm, then will resume on the first Monday of every month. RSVP through Eventbrite, then pay £1 on the night if you’d like to play along.

Daniel Ward in The Canary and the Crow at the Paines Plough Roundabout, 2019. Photo by The Other Richard.

Daniel Ward, has been named this year’s winner of the Writers’ Guild Award for Best Play for Young Audiences with his play, The Canary and the Crow.

Daniel collected the gong at a ceremony hosted in London last night by writer, comedian and actor Katy Brand.

The Canary and the Crow is a semi-autobiographical piece of grime-inspired gig theatre that tells the story of a working class black kid who’s accepted at a prestigious grammar school.

It premiered at Hull Truck Theatre in July 2019, with Daniel taking the lead role of The Bird.

It then toured to Latitude Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in the Paines Plough Roundabout, where it also won the Brighton Fringe Award for Excellence and was nominated for a Total Theatre Award.

Daniel said: “It’s a massive honour to win this award and I couldn’t be more proud. I already feel like this play has been on a huge journey and I am so excited to be sharing it at the Arcola Theatre this month and later this year on tour with the bad bois Middle Child.

“This play means so much to me on a personal level. Part of the reason I wrote The Canary and the Crow was because, whilst I’ve always enjoyed the theatre, I felt there weren’t many stories that I could relate to.

“To have received this award and the recognition of my peers for a story that is about the lived experience of a young working class black man, is not lost on me. I’m grateful that this and other stories like it are being championed and excited for what the future of theatre holds.”

Daniel wrote The Canary and the Crow in 2014, later taking inspiration for its gig theatre form after seeing our production of Luke Barnes’ Weekend Rockstars.

After sending the script to Middle Child artistic director, Paul Smith, in 2017, Daniel was invited to workshop the script with the company in Hull for a week in 2018, as part of our artist development programme that year.

The same week-long residency also included Frankie Meredith’s 17, which went on to appear at London’s Vault Festival in 2019, produced by Wildcard Theatre.

After a scratch sharing of The Canary and the Crow at the end of the residency, Middle Child chose to take it further and in June 2019 rehearsals started in Hull.

Hull-based MC and producer Prez 96 joined the team for his first theatre project, co-composing with Middle Child associate artist James Frewer and also making his acting debut, alongside Laurie Jamieson and Rachel Barnes.

Prez 96 was later announced as the 2019 recipient of our Career Kickstarter Fund.

The Canary and the Crow is now about to embark on a tour throughout 2020, starting with a month-long run at London’s Arcola Theatre.

For all tour dates, including more to be announced, see the listing on our website.

Middle Child and Silent Uproar are delighted to announce the four writers who have been selected for Out Loud, our upcoming scratch night for Hull playwrights.

Hannah Leek, Sarah Penney, Chris Pearson and Hannah Scorer will all see a 15 minute excerpt of their scripts performed on Friday 25th January at Middle Child’s rehearsal space, Darley’s, in front of a friendly, invited audience.

Middle Child artistic director, Paul Smith, and Silent Uproar artistic director, Alex Mitchell, will direct two plays each, featuring paid actors from Hull. Each writer will also receive £50. Out Loud is generously supported by Hull playwright, Richard Bean. 

Hannah Leek – Gryffindors Make Great Friends!

A one-woman show about a generation’s search for purpose and self-worth in a complicated world.

Chris Pearson – Have You Read the Gazette?

Before this, all Brenda had ever wanted from life was some happiness and maybe a new front door.   

Sarah Penney – Cold Cups of Tea 

Fee has lost her mam. Jackson’s losing Fee. This is about grief and deconstructing the life-works of Britney Spears.

Hannah Scorer – Can We Be Friends?

A duologue about what happens when a five-year-old who wants to meet her dad takes matters (and her mum’s phone) into her own hands. 

Sarah, Chris and Hannah Scorer have all previously participated in the Middle Child Writers’ Group, in association with Tom Wells.

We received 21 scripts in total, which were read and selected anonymously, and we would like to thank all of the talented writers who submitted scripts. 

Details for submitting scripts to the next Out Loud scratch night, which will take place in the spring, will be announced shortly. 

Subscribe to the Middle Child artist development mailing list or follow Middle Child and Silent Uproar on Twitter to be the first to hear more.

Middle Child and Hull Truck Theatre are pleased to announce that we are working together to support a three-month Regional Theatre Young Director Scheme (RTYDS) placement in spring 2020.

Annabel Streeton, a University of Hull’s drama and theatre practice graduate, will assist both companies on a number of productions that will be performed in Hull and on tour. 

These include the touring version of Middle Child’s award-winning Edinburgh Festival Fringe show, The Canary and the Crow, and a new outdoor production that the company will present in Hull next year. 

Annabel will also assist in rehearsals for Hull Truck Theatre’s new production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which will include a community cast of 90, as well as work on the theatre’s Grow Festival, for emerging artists in the region. 

Annabel said: “I’m really excited and grateful for this opportunity to work with Middle Child and Hull Truck Theatre over three months next year, two producing companies who I really admire. 

“Working on such varied shows as small scale gig theatre, to large scale outdoor productions and a classic told with a community cast will be invaluable and transformative. 

“I can’t wait to learn and grow as a director and bring these new skills and experiences to my own work in the future.”

Middle Child artistic director, Paul Smith, said: “Having met Annabel through the RTYDS Introduction to Directing programme we hosted earlier in the year, we are in no doubt that she is a director of exceptional promise. 

“Annabel combines a clarity of vision and purpose with passion and determination. We are thrilled to have her join the team for three months, and look forward to working alongside Hull Truck in giving her the support and opportunity necessary to growth as a young artist.”

Hull Truck Theatre associate director of creative learning and director of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Tom Saunders, said: “It’s really great to have Annabel on board for A Midsummer Night’s Dream. As a member of our Box Office staff and a local creative she is already a familiar face so she’ll be a great addition to the team.

“RTYDS is a wonderful, nationally acclaimed scheme and we’re delighted to give this talented young director a chance to get their foot in the door. We at Hull Truck Theatre are committed to offering support and development for local artists, so this collaboration with Middle Child and RTYDS is a match made in heaven.”

Middle Child are delighted to announce that Johnny Moorhead has received this year’s First Show Fund to create a play that tells stories from the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. 

Johnny, also known as Border Boy, is a Hull-based poet who applied to the fund to develop his monologue about the legacy of the 1987 Remembrance Day bombing in Enniskillen 

He originally wrote the script for the Middle Child Writers’ Group earlier this year and now plans to turn it into a performance styled like a rural Irish Cèilidh, a social gathering that blends folk music, story telling and poetry.

Johnny said: “I am delighted to receive Middle Child’s support through the First Show Fund, who have invested in my show not only financially, but also with their time and resources too.  

“Their advice, mentorship and belief in my creative development has so far proved invaluable, and we’re only just getting started.”

Johnny, who is originally from Northern Ireland, is part of the No Larkin About poetry collective in Hull and a University of Hull drama and theatre practice graduate.

The First Show Fund will provide him with dramaturgical and writing support, technical and musical direction advice, guidance on marketing plus funding to hire a venue and cover other costs associated with putting on a show.

The idea for the show was inspired by Brexit negotiations about the Irish border and Johnny plans to speak to Irish people in Hull about their own experiences of the border. 

“Hull has a community of Irish expats so I feel it would be a marvellous opportunity to explore the best of our shared cultures, whilst providing a warning of how close we could be to reigniting a dark chapter of our history,” said Johnny.  

Middle Child artistic director, Paul Smith, said: “We were really impressed by both Johnny’s script and his plans to turn it into a show that captures the essence of a good night out, but with a really important and timely story at the heart of it.

“We can’t wait to get started on helping Johnny realise his ambition and look forward to joining him in the ceilidh sometime next year.”

Middle Child are pleased to announce that Nigel Taylor, aka Prez 96, has been awarded our 2019 Career Kickstarter Fund, designed to help new, working class actors get a foot on the acting career ladder,

The fund will pay for Nigel’s Spotlight membership for a year and his first set of professional headshots. He will also benefit from one-to-one audition workshops with Middle Child artistic director, Paul Smith.

Nigel only began acting in 2019 after Middle Child chose him to co-compose the music for Daniel Ward’s The Canary and the Crow with James Frewer.

With a background in performance as a rapper and hype man with endoflevelbaddie and as a solo artist, Nigel also soon found himself cast in the show as Snipes.

Following the success of The Canary and the Crow at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this summer, Nigel decided to further pursue a career in theatre.

Nigel said: “Being awarded the Kickstarter Career Fund couldn’t have come at a better time after an amazing year in theatre.

“After my debut in The Canary and the Crow I’ve had a lot of interest from film makers and theatre creators and this fund will help me enormously to promote my services in a professional and industry standard manner.”

Paul Smith said: “Nigel is a hugely talented performer and musician who gave a brilliant performance as Snipes in our recent production of The Canary and the Crow.

“He is incredibly driven and determined to succeed and I know he’ll put this fund to good use as he forges a career in the arts. Everyone at Middle Child had a great time working with him and we can’t wait to do so again well into the future.”