A Moving Grove

A project by: Jacky Crosher Gillian Roberts

Successful

WE RAISED £2,136

from 30 donors

This project received pledges on Sun 12 Sep 2021
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Fusing Shakespeare's Macbeth and Midsummer Night's Dream to create an innovative outdoor performance

A MOVING GROVE - A short summary 

Theatre makers Gillian Roberts and Jacky Crosher have teamed up to create 'A Moving Grove', a outdoor promenade performance that brings together characters from Macbeth and Midsummer Night's Dream. With an all-female cast this atmospheric mash-up will combine Shakespeare's text, physical action, a sprinkling of comedy and a musical soundscape, exploring and colliding themes of dream and nightmare, power, desire and death. It will be the Final Major Project for their respective MAs, leading to a short run of performances at the Newton Park campus in September 2021.

THE CREATIVE TEAM

Gillian Roberts has many years’ experience in theatre as a performer, producer and writer. After initial training at the Royal Welsh College of Music, Gillian has trained in Javanese mask dance, with many performance projects in the UK and Indonesia. Returning to one of her first loves, Gillian is studying for an MA in Performing Shakespeare at Bath Spa University. She developed an audio version (which can be discovered on the Echoes app) of A Moving Grove as part of research and development for this project. 

Jacky Crosher has devoted her career to fusing circus and theatre, a former trapeze artist, she has worked as writer, director, teacher, performer with some of the leading contemporary circus companies and schools. Alongside this she also created her own touring portfolio: comic cabaret acts; solo trapeze performances; and dynamic children's shows with Hinged Theatre. In 2019, wanting to deepen her knowledge of theatre, she began to study a part-time MA in Directing at Bath Spa University as well as continuing to work at Circomedia (Bristol's contemporary circus and physical theatre school). For this project and in the future Jacky will use her industry experience and new knowledge to pursue a career in directing exciting engaging theatre.

BACKGROUND

Gillian and Jacky wish to raise money to support their collaborative performance project. 'A Moving Grove' will bring together their skills, interests and passions in a piece that seeks to explore new ways of presenting Shakespeare outdoors in exciting, innovative and accessible ways.

Gillian and Jacky have been working together since 2019. and formed Fire and Air Theatre in 2021 to develop 'A Moving Grove'. With Gillian's background as a Shakespearean actor and Jacky's extensive experience in physical theatre and contemporary circus, they aim to present engaging theatre that stimulates, surprises and entertains. 'A Moving Grove' will not only give them the opportunity to use their existing skills and expertise. It will enable them to extend their theatre practice and give opportunities to other performers.

The funding raised will ensure that the people we work with on the project can be paid for their time; including actors' fees, costumes, media recording, and other expenses eg. PA hire. 

In the last two years the arts have been hit extremely hard, meaning that most freelance actors cannot give their time cheaply or for free in between contracts as they are trying hard to just make ends meet. Most freelancers, on whom the industry relies, have had no work in the arts for 16 months and have had to take alternative employment to make ends meet, which is often more hours for less pay, leaving no time to develop and refine their craft.  

For this project we will work with emerging and established actors and feel strongly that it is important to pay them for their dedication and experience. 

The impact of donations will be crucial in ensuring that 'A Moving Grove' can go ahead successfully. Donations will provide seed funding to achieve our aim of showcasing our work to new audiences and industry professionals; with a view to securing funding for a fuller production in the future.

DONATIONS RECIEVED 

The funds raised will pay for direct costs for the project. At our minimum target of £750, our priority will be to pay actors’ fees, and beyond that costumes/props, photographer and film maker to record the project. Documentation of the project would support Fire and Air Theatre company to secure partnerships and funding for the future. All funds raised will go towards the direct costs of the project; should we exceed our target, we will prioritise further payments to actors, then costume/props/PA hire, and after that, work to support development of the production for the future.

STRETCH FUNDING TARGET

  • 14 rehearsal sessions for 7 actors = £700
  • Performance day actors fee = £50 x 7 = £350
  • Film maker, one day's filming and editing of short promo video = £200
  • Photographer one day's work and photo editing = £200
  • Costume hire = £50
  • Total = £1500

reWARDS

We have some fantastic rewards to offer everyone who donates. You’ll make all the difference to our success, and it’s our way of showing how much we appreciate your support!

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There are other ways you can help us to succeed !

  • Please share this project with anyone you think would support us – on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, by email, telephone, in a chat over the fence or on your blog.
  • We’d love you to share it with as many people as you can. The more people who know about it, the more likely we are to attract audiences and be able to pay our actors properly.
  • And we know we said you don't need to give money to help us, but we'd love it if you did! Please donate and help make 'A Moving Grove' happen….
  • … and look out for more information coming soon about our cast and performance dates!