Swiss Connection UK: Residencies 2023
Participating institutions
Fierce Festival Birmingham, Royal Court London, Brixton House London, HOME Manchester
Residencies – online or on site – at four different institutions in the United Kingdom: Fierce Festival Birmingham, Royal Court London, Brixton House London, HOME Manchester.
During the Covid pandemic, Pro Helvetia organised online residencies for Swiss arts practitioners at various theatres and festivals in the United Kingdom. The offer was met with great interest among all parties concerned and yielded some exciting results. It will therefore be continued and supplemented by on-site residencies.
There are significant differences between the British and the Swiss arts scenes. This applies to artistic expression, artistic production and relationships with audiences. Themes such as migration, diversity, and audience development have been topical for a long time in the UK – a fact that interested parties wanting to deal at greater depth with these subjects can benefit from.
In 2023, four one-week residencies at four different institutions are open for application. Each institution has a different focus in terms of content and genre of work. Participants will be selected directly by the institutions and provided with contacts to associated arts and dramaturgy practitioners.
The residencies will enable participants to expand their network, become familiar with an institution in a specifically British context, and reflect on their own artistic practice with the help of local arts and theatre-related practitioners.
FIERCE FESTIVAL, Birmingham (online residency)
Dates: September/October 2023
About Fierce Festival, Birmingham
Fierce is interested in new, overlooked, difficult and risky artistic practices. Fierce is informed by an intersectional queer politic (stemming from its original roots as Queerfest back in the mid 90s) and subsequently we’re very interested in embodied practices and embodied politics. We’re invested in presenting the work of marginalised artists, be that based on gender, race, class, sexuality, ability, or numerous other factors. Fierce isn’t an ‘issue’ led festival but knows that the best artistic work so frequently comes from a marginalised position. Fierce wants to challenge predominant hierarchies in the art world, asking questions about what art is deemed valuable, who it can be for and where it can be presented. They are interested in the relationship between the mainstream and the underground, and that of the allegedly low-brow and high-brow. To this end Fierce is interested in a range of practices that might be considered punk, outsider, trash, camp, or generally “alternative”. Fierce doesn’t take itself too seriously in the hope that audiences won’t either with the aspiration of making experimental arts practices more accessible to general audiences.
Fierce transforms the city and the way we feel about it: populating theatres, galleries and hidden, unusual or out-of-the-ordinary spaces like disused warehouses, swimming pools and car parks. You might see theatre, dance, performance art, music, installations, activism and parties or a combination of all those things in a programme of memorable experiences and events.
You can view previous editions of Fierce Festival on their website: www.wearefierce.org
About the residency:
Fierce Festival want to support artist/s to make connections with local artists & venues in Birmingham and connect them with their colleagues working at other UK International arts festivals. The virtual residency will include a number of activities as listed below, and the exact itinerary will be decided by the selected artist & Fierce Festival:
- Introduction to Fierce Festival and other UK international performance festivals
- Virtual meetings with UK based artists & industry
- Mentorship from Fierce Festival on your project or career,
- Support from creatives in the UK on your project e.g. dramaturgical feedback
- Online sharing of work
- Online workshops
- Creation of digital work such as a podcast
How does the residency work:
The residency takes place remotely over 5 working days, so artists will stay in Switzerland and connect with host via zoom, phone etc. Artists can participate from their home, or from a rehearsal/residency space in Switzerland.
Costs will be covered by Pro Helvetia, including fees & expenses.
Dates: September / October 2023, to be agreed with successful artist
ROYAL COURT, London (on-site residency)
Dates: September 2023
About Royal Court, London
The Royal Court Theatre is the writers’ theatre. It is a leading force in world theatre for cultivating and supporting writers – undiscovered, emerging and established.
Through the writers, the Royal Court is at the forefront of creating restless, alert, provocative theatre about now. We open our doors to the unheard voices and free thinkers that, through their writing, change our way of seeing. For more information please visit: https://royalcourttheatre.com/
About the residency:
The Royal Court want to support a playwright to make connections with creatives & the wider industry in London, develop their writing and connect them with the artistic team at the Royal Court in a dramaturgical conversation about their work. The residency will include a number of activities as listed below, and the exact itinerary will be decided by the selected artist & The Royal Court:
- time to write or focus on a new piece of work as the centrepiece of the residency
- dedicated dramaturgical discussion with the team at the Royal Court and meetings with the artistic team across different aspects of the building’s work
- meeting and building relationships with potential collaborators in the UK and peer writers
- seeing work at the Royal Court, in London and elsewhere and meeting with other organisations
- translation support to commission a translation of the writer’s work into English and begin a collaborative relationship with a translator as appropriate
- engaging with writers groups, participatory projects, script meetings and a range of activity across the organisation as appropriate
How does the residency work:
The residency will take place at The Royal Court, London and the artists will have access to a writing space Mon-Friday. They will stay nearby in London.
Dates: September 2023, 5 days TBC with successful writer.
Costs will be covered by Pro Helvetia, including fees & expenses.
Please note, this residency is for one writer only.
HOME, Manchester (on-site residency)
Dates: 3.7.-7.7.2023
About HOME, Manchester
We work with international and UK artists to produce entertaining, extraordinary experiences, creating an exciting mix of thought-provoking film, art, drama, dance, and festivals, with a strong focus on new commissions, and talent development.
HOME’s ambition is to push the boundaries of form and technology, to experiment, have fun, take risks and share great new art with the widest possible audience.
HOME supports artists to develop cutting edge contemporary theatre, new writing and musicals.
HOMEs Theatre Spaces:
Theatre 1 (447 seat, three tier)
HOME’s Theatre 1 space is at the same time both epic and intimate. Given the past few years of upheaval, our larger space hosts productions that aim to restore hope and joy by offering moments of escapism, space for reflection and to boost our well-being.
Theatre 2 (130 seat, flexible)
Theatre 2 at HOME is a flexible 130 seat space where artists and theatre-makers perform work that explores and questions contemporary society. The work staged in this space is innovative, experimental, and varied in its approach and form, but always with issues of social justice at its heart.
For more information visit: https://homemcr.org/
About the residency:
The artist will be in residence at HOME for 5 days in one of their rehearsal rooms. Artists can use this time & space to:
- Rehearse a project
- Experiment with new ideas
- Meet with Manchester based artists and industry
- Receive mentorship from the team at HOME
- Collaborate with UK/Manchester based artists
- Engage with activities in the building, see shows
- Explore the Manchester theatre scene.
- Present work to an invited audience at HOME
How does the residency work:
The residency will take place at HOME and the artists will have full use of a rehearsal space between the hours of 10am – 5pm Mon-Friday. They will stay nearby in the local area.
Dates: 3rd –7th July 2023
Costs will be covered by Pro Helvetia, including fees & expenses.
BRIXTON HOUSE, London (on-site residency)
Dates: 4.9.-8.9.2023
About Brixton House, London
Brixton House will host an international artist residency in partnership with Pro Helvetia – Swiss Arts Council. The residency will take place in September 2023.
We want our town, city, and its many diverse communities to be reflected in our shows, events and participation programmes regardless of class, ethnicity, language, ability, sexuality or gender identity.
Brixton House is a home for a new generation of makers, artists, writers, producers, technicians and audiences to inspire experiences that develop community solidarity and passion for social change. Located in the heart of Brixton, London, the theatre has a long legacy of ground-breaking theatre and continues its legacy of championing innovation and creative expression and presents work that is rich in stories that resonate with its local, international, and intergenerational communities. We encourage applications from people of colour and disabled people and those from underrepresented communities.
For more information please visit: https://brixtonhouse.co.uk
About the residency:
The artist will be in residence at Brixton House for 5 days in one of their state-of-the-art rehearsal rooms. Artists can use this time & space to:
- Rehearse a project
- Experiment with new ideas
- Meet with London based artists and industry
- Receive mentorship from Brixton House
- Collaborate with UK/London based artists
- Engage with activities in the building, see shows
- Explore the London theatre scene.
- Present work to an invited audience at Brixton House
How does the residency work:
The residency will take place at Brixton House and the artists will have full use of a rehearsal space between the hours of 10am – 6pm Mon-Friday. They will stay nearby in the local area.
Dates: Monday 4th September – 8th September 2023
Costs will be covered by Pro Helvetia, including fees & expenses.
Conditions
The offer is aimed at practitioners from the fields of stage directing, dramaturgy, performance making/live art and choreography whose work is primarily based in Switzerland. A very good knowledge of English is a further prerequisite. Arts practitioners can apply alone or in pairs and must choose one of the proposed residencies.
Selection criteria
- Suitability of practice/artist for the host venue
- Impact residency will have on the artist at this moment in time
- Potential for future /programming in the UK
Applications must be written in English.
Composition of application dossier
- CV
- Motivation letter that includes answers to the following questions
- How would you describe your practice and the work you have done to date? (300 words max, you can provide up to 3 links to previous work)
- What would you like to focus on during your residency? (300 words max)
- Why would this residency support the development of your work at this moment in time? (300 words max)
- What long-term international goals do you have for your practice? (300 words max)
- Why do you think your work is a good match for the host organisation? (300 words max)
Important: Arts practictioners applying for the residency with the Royal Court will also need to submit a 3-page extract of a script they have written. The extract can be submitted in the play’s original language. Please provide the title of the full piece and if necessary a short contextual paragraph in English.
