1

activity report 2012 & 2013bac.org.uk

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thank youWe would like to thank all the funders, artists, staff, visitors, participants and audiences who have played a part in the story of Battersea Arts Centre during 2012 & 2013. Special thanks to funders who have enabled the organisation to have a positive impact. This activity report is dedicated to you all.

95.8 Capital FM’s Help a Capital Child

Arts Council EnglandBackstage Trust

BloombergCalouste Gulbenkian

FoundationChapman Charitable Trust

City Bridge Trust (The City of London Corporation’s Charity)Community Assets, Funded

by HM Government, delivered by BIG Fund

Creativeworks LondonCurrell Residential

Elizabeth & Reade GriffithEsmée Fairbairn Foundation

Fiona Mactaggart Foyle Foundation

Garfield Weston FoundationGolsoncott FoundationHamptons InternationalHanne & Co SolicitorsHeritage Lottery FundIan Mactaggart Trust

J Paul Getty Jnr Charitable Trust

Jerwood Charitable Foundation

John Ellerman FoundationJPMorgan Chase Foundation

National Endowment for Science, Technology

& the ArtsOranges & Lemons

Paul Hamlyn FoundationProvident Financial

Sir Cliff Richard Charitable Trust

SITA TrustThe Ashden TrustThe D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust

The Eranda FoundationThe Follett Trust

The Foundation for

Sports & the ArtsThe Funding Network

The Idlewild TrustThe Mactaggart Third Fund

The Pilgrim TrustThe Prince’s Foundation for

Children & the ArtsThe Space

The William Allen Young Charitable Trust

The Wolfson FoundationThistle Trust

Thomas’s Schools FoundationVeolia Environmental Trust

Wandsworth Borough Council

Western Riverside Environmental Fund

World Stages LondonYouth Music

Alison & Chris CabotAdam Kenwright

Anupam Ganguli & Paul CuttsBruce Thompson &

Fiona PearceCharles Bland

Christopher & Kate Morgan-Locke and Andrew & Annie

Smith (Child & Child)Craig Mawdsley

Dame Vivienne WestwoodDavid Jubb & Allegra Galvin

Fezzan AhmedEmanuele Rinieri and Francesco Marasco

Fred PonsonbyJane Lindsay Mactaggart

Jenny Nickels, Jane Cooper & Liz Stokes

Jenny SheridanJoanna MooreJoanna TrevesJohn Newbigin

John Nickson & Simon RewMichael Day

Michael Dynan-Oakley

Patrick & Rebecca DunneSally O’Neill

Samantha AndreadisSamantha Heath,

Joan O’Pray, Jeanne Rathbone & Anne ReyersbachSandra Ng, Aliceson Robinson

& Jonathan WakehamSandy Mactaggart

Sarah Burnett-MooreSarah Hall

Simon HooperSteve Tompkins & Kate Tyndall

Timothy West & Prunella Scales

Tref Davies, Thea Jones, Kane Moore & Jo Hunter

Victoria FarrarAdam Freudenheim

Alan CristeaAndrew Hindle

Annmarie MackayAnthony MorrisAudrey Jubb

Barbara RobsonBrian Smith

Brownen & Rob HunterCabe FranklinCaius House

Caroline SteaneCaspar AddymanCharlotte ValoriChris HeathcoteChristopher HallClaudia RuaneDavid MicklemDiana AlcroftEileen Kiernan

Elizabeth MadgwickEmily Goldner & Mike

HumphriesEric BensaudeGillian Birch

Gregory David GreenHarold ShielHarriet Hall

Jake TilsonJanice PriceJoanna Hird

Joanne BowdenJohn BarnesJulie Molloy

Justin ShinebourneKimberley Thomas

Laraby Bishop-SharpLesley Strachan

Liam Fisher-JonesLucy Ball

Lucy RidgwayMagali Guth

Marette KroonenbergMary Gibson

Mikko RautiainenNaomi Russell

Nick StarrNicky Hambleton-Jones

Nicolas RaynaudPatrick Harrison

Paul & Carter JacksonPaul Ellis

Paul InfieldPauline Grant

Peter GoffPeter HighlandPhilipp JungRavi GovindiaRobert ClarkeRussell Merrett

Ruth MacgillivraySally Wilton

Sarah MalychaScott & Laura MalkinStephanie RessortStephen BrowettStephen LawlerSteve MannixSue Cotterill

Tania ZarraluquiToby Jones

Tracy StarreveldAnonymous donors

contentsSection one: factS & StatS

Introduction Page 4Chair’s introduction Page 5Finances Page 6Programme Page 7The places we have visited Page 8-9The artists we have worked with Page 10-11The local organisations we have worked with Page 12Wandsworth audiences who attended The Good Neighbour Page 13

Section two: people & StorieS

An artist’s perspective Page 14An audience’s perspective Page 15A national partner’s perspective Page 16A volunteer’s perspective Page 17A groom’s perspective Page 18An apprentice’s perspective Page 19An architect’s perspective Page 20An archivist’s perspective Page 21A young person’s perspective Page 22A patron’s perspective Page 23

Section three: looKinG aheaD & fUnDraiSinG

Artistic Director: looking ahead Page 24-27Fundraising for our building Page 28-29Memberships & The Great Hundred Club Page 30-31

Activity Report design by Miranda Marcus and Jessica Clarke

Watching this reminded me how important Battersea Arts Centre is…What a lot the theatre owes to an old town hall.Susannah Clapp on Orpheus, The Observer, 2013

Battersea Arts Centre is one shining example of how families can still have a great time in London.

Daisy Bowie-Sell, The Telegraph, 2012

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introductionWe’d love to tell you about what goes on at Battersea Arts Centre...

For a start there’s the building, a beautiful old town hall, whose 80 rooms have a remarkable history. Now that we’re an arts centre, people use the building as an imaginative space to invent ideas for new shows and projects. There are opportunities for people of all generations to develop their creativity.

We invite you in to watch early versions of shows, to hear your feedback. We call this Scratch. Finished shows can use any room in the building, from the attic to the artists’ bedrooms to the Grand Hall.

Two or three times a year we tuck in to a feast of a show or a festival that takes over

the whole building, and for those who can’t make it to Battersea, we take out our shows to Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas.

The building is open all day for everyone to use and explore. We serve great food every day in the Scratch Bar; children and adults play together in our imaginative indoor playspace, The Bee’s Knees; school children and young people come here to develop their creativity, confidence and enterprising ideas; we host monthly tea dances and prepare huge banquets for all the unusual weddings, parties and conferences we host.

This activity report is a snapshot of the work of Battersea Arts Centre in 2012 and 2013. It also looks ahead to future plans. It is available as an online publication in the Support Us section of our website.

We hope to see you soon.

1927’s the animals & children took to the Streets, commissioned by and first performed at Battersea arts centre, has since toured to 60 venues, and had three runs at the national theatre. photo by nick flintoff.

chair’s introDuctionMichael Daychair

20I2 & 2013 were momentous years for Battersea Arts Centre – we met a number of challenges head on, produced some wonderful new work for our audiences and made important steps towards realising our vision for the future of our Victorian building.

For our local community, we produced The Good Neighbour in September 2012: three productions inside and outside for different audiences, making a welcome return for Christmas 2013. We launched a pilot of The Agency, an initiative to support local young people to create positive change in their communities. And we began unlocking the stories of Battersea’s former Town Hall thanks to an HLF funded project.

We exist to invent the future of theatre so it’s rewarding that artists and shows developed at Battersea Arts Centre are frequently picked up by other venues nationally and internationally. Of particular note was 1927’s The Animals & Children Took to the Streets which had a month long run at the Lyttelton, National Theatre, for Christmas 2012, as well as touring to 25 countries across five continents, and returned to the NT in 2014. Or more recently, Kate Tempest’s Brand New Ancients, which we co-produced, enjoyed successful runs at Battersea Arts Centre and St. Ann’s Warehouse in New York as part of a wider tour to ten London venues and eight venues across the rest of the UK.

We have also developed an innovative network of producers and promoters around

the country who are sharing and developing new theatre in six towns and cities where there are currently low levels of engagement with arts and culture. Thanks to Arts Council England, the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and Jerwood Charitable Foundation for enabling this to happen.

Less visible but as important is the widespread influence Battersea Arts Centre has on the wider cultural sector. I have heard many personal stories of lives inspired and changed by Battersea Arts Centre’s work and I know in my own professional practice how much it is influencing the way heritage organisations approach the challenge of story-telling.

We have exciting times ahead – with our aim to secure the remaining funding needed for our major capital project, which will guarantee the future of this great organisation. The greatest joy in being involved here is to witness at close quarters the passion and skill of Battersea Arts Centre’s professional team, led so ably by David Jubb. To them and to all our supporters, especially Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery Fund and Wandsworth Borough Council, I offer the Board’s heartfelt thanks.

our trustees:Michael Day (chair)Rebecca BranchClara EisenbergCllr Paul EllisElizabeth GriffithSarah HallFiona Mactaggart MPJulie MolloyHarun MorrisonJohn NewbiginJoan O’Pray MBEFiona PearceCllr Guy SeniorBruce Thompson

finD oUt More:www.bac.org.uk | @battersea_arts | www.bacarchive.org.uk

Battersea Arts Centre has a fine track record for picking outfresh talents, nurturing them and then letting them bloom in

the nooks and crannies of its magnificent building. Alice Jones, The Independent, 2013

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Battersea Arts Centre’s London Stories is a simple idea, beatifully realised. Andrej Lukowski, Time Out, 2013prograMMe

april 2012 to March 2013

• Battersea Arts Centre was nominated for the Peter Brook/Mobius Award 2012 and went on to win the Dan Crawford Innovation Award in 2013 for its use of the building as a playground for artists and audiences.

• 62,000 audience members attended, which was over 50% more than the previous year

• 160,000 people were welcomed to the building

• 70% of revenue income was achieved from non-statutory sources compared to 60% in 11/12 and 50% in 10/11

• £1 million was invested in the building to improve public and performance spaces

Bac productions and co-productions:• The Good Neighbour was nominated for

an Off West End Award for best family show

• Brand New Ancients by Kate Tempest won the Ted Hughes Award for innovation in poetry and the Off West End TBC Award

• Odyssey by The Paper Cinema and Brand

New Ancients by Kate Tempest were part of the British Council showcase

• Orpheus by Little Bulb Theatre was selected to take part in the Salzburg Festival in 2014

regular seasons of theatre - cook Up:• 700 performances of 100 different

productions were seen by 20,000 people• 47 weeks of the year artists lived & worked

in the building• 1,500 12-25 year olds participated across

70 sessions and 1,000 primary school chil-dren engaged in 60 workshops

• Events were hosted 342 days of the year, bringing 68,000 people to the building

large projects that change the building - tuck in:• 80 performances of 4 different projects

were seen by 20,000 people• 30 Rio based artists lived in the building

for 30 days in the lead up to the Olympics creating new performances

on the road - take out:• 120 performances of 10 different

productions with were seen by 22,000 people which was 550% more than the previous year

2003/04 2012/13 increase % turnover excluding capital £1,779,849 £3,274,358 84%%

below offers a snapshot of the growth across key aresas of income & expenditure over the last 10 years:

statutory & fundraised income £760,828 £1,803,735 137 %

box office income £521,843 £807,914 55 % %

commercial trading income £493,760 £661,426 34 % %

investment in artists & activities £787,162 £1,382,844 76%%

we have also seen growth in capital fundraising and expenditure:

Battersea Arts Centre is a key partner for Southbank Centre - creating projects & researching talent that feeds & enriches our programme. It is a truly valued resource. Jude Kelly, Southbank Centre, 2014

During this 10 year period Battersea arts centre has:•signeda125-yearleaseonBattersea’s19thcenturyformerTownHall•beguntoopenupthebuilding’s80spacesandplanneda£13.3millioncapitalproject•deliveredthefirst£4millionofimprovementstothebuilding•integrateditstheatre,participationandeventsprogrammes•tripledthesizeofitsprogrammesforyoungpeopleandstartedTheAgency•launchedanewnationalandinternationaltouringprogramme•implementedanewprojectworkingstructurefortheorganisation

Battersea arts centre production the Great escape - a Borrowers tale by Kazuko hohki & andy cox, a top-secret mission for explorers aged 6-11 which returned in 2013 and toured to the Southbank centre in 2013. photo by James allan.

Battersea Arts Centre’s London Stories is a simple idea, beautifully realised.

Andrzej Lukowski, Time Out, 2013

Finances

investment into the building £152,030 £1,247,465 721%%

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the pLaces we have visiteD

Being a part of the Collaborative Touring Network, enjoying the generosity of Battersea Arts Centre in its sharing of ideas & its

work, shows practitioners locally what is possible.Suzy Humphries, Looping The Loop Producer, 2014

For me personally and for the emerging artists that I am working with the investment that has been made in our region and the association with Battersea Arts Centre has been truly life changing.Sarah Blowers, Strike A Light Producer, 2014

1. Edinburgh Festival Tour 2012 & 13:• Battersea Arts Centre and Kate

Tempest Co-Production Brand new ancients Scratch

• Battersea Arts Centre and Kate Tempest Co-Production Brand new ancients part of British Council Showcase

• Battersea Arts Centre and The Paper Cinema Co-Production odyssey part of British Council Showcase

• Battersea Arts Centre Commission: Made In China’s Gym party

2. Latitude Festival Tour 2012 & 13:• Battersea Arts Centre and Kate

Tempest Co-Production Brand new ancients Scratch

• Battersea Arts Centre and The Paper Cinema Co-Production odyssey

• Battersea Arts Centre Commission: Made In China’s Gym party

3. Battersea Arts Centre Production the present By Hannah Ringham • Unicorn Theatre

4. Made In China Production we hope that You’re happy (why would we lie?)• Dance Too Festival, Amsterdam• Exeter Phoenix• Hull Truck• ICIA Bath• Lakeside Theatre• Lantern Theatre• Parabola Arts Centre• The Basement• The Showroom, University of

Chichester • Warwick Arts Centre 5. Battersea Arts Centre and Hannah Ringham Co-Production free Show (please Bring Money)• Parabola Arts Centre• Pulse Festival

• Soho Theatre• Warwick Arts Centre

6. Battersea Arts Centre and Subject to_change Co-Production cupid•FierceFestival

7. Battersea Arts Centre and The Paper Cinema Co-Production odyssey• Brighton Dome• Contact Theatre• Galeri• Lakeside Theatre• Lincoln Performing Arts Centre• Norden Farm Centre for the

Arts• Norfolk and Norwich Festival• The North Wall Arts Centre• Nuffield Theatre• Parabola Arts Centre• Pier Theatre• Prema Arts Centre• Salisbury Arts Centre• Square Chapel Centre• The Point, Eastleigh• The Tolmen Centre• Tobacco Factory Theatre• Unity Theatre Liverpool• Warwick Arts Centre

8. Bristish Council International Tour of Battersea Arts Centre and The Paper Cinema Co-Production odyssey•Brazil•France•Georgia•Germany•Indonesia•NewZealand

9. Battersea Arts Centre Production the Great escape - a Borrowers tale•SouthbankCentre

10. Battersea Arts Centre Production Mouth open, Story Jump out by Polarbear•ARC

•BeafordArts•DublinInternationalFestival•FolkstoneQuarterhouse•FreedomFestival•JuiceFestival•macbirmingham•SouthbankCentre•TakeOffFestival•TheAlbany•theegg,TheatreRoyalBath•UnicornTheatre•WarwickArtsCentre•WestYorkshirePlayhouse

11. Battersea Arts Centre’s collaborative touring network 2013 - 2016 (two festivals per year)•DoorstepArts,Torbay•HeadsUp,Festival,Hull•JabberwockyMarket, Darlington•LoopingTheLoopFestival, Thanet•StrikeALightFestival,Gloucester•UnwrappedFestival,Great Yarmouth

12. Battersea Arts Centre and Kate Tempest Co-Production Brand new ancients•BrightonDome•ContactTheatre•HarrowArtsCentre•LyricHammersmith•macbirmingham•Mayfest,BristolOldVic•RoyalCourt•RoyalOperaHouse•SouthbankCentre•SpitalfieldsWinterMusicFestival•St.Ann’sWarehouse,NewYork•TheAlbany•TheNorthWallArtsCentre•WestYorkshirePlayhouse•YoungVic

13. Battersea Arts Centre and Little Bulb Co-Production orpheus•SalzburgFestival,Austria

1. EDINBURGH FESTIVAL TOUR 2012-13 S H O W S : • B A T T E R S E A A R T S C E N T R E A N D K A T E T E M P E S T C O -

P R O D U C T I O N B R A N D N E W A N C I E N T S S C R A T C H , 2 0 1 2

• B A T T E R S E A A R T S C E N T R E C O M M I S S I O N : M A D E I N C H I N A ’ S

G Y M P A R T Y , 2 0 1 3

• B A T T E R S E A A R T S C E N T R E A N D T H E P A P E R C I N E M A C O -

P R O D U C T I O N O D Y S S E Y P A R T O F B R I T I S H C O U N C I L

S H O W C A S E , 2 0 1 3

• B A T T E R S E A A R T S C E N T R E A N D K A T E T E M P E S T C O -

P R O D U C T I O N B R A N D N E W A N C I E N T S P A R T O F B R I T I S H

C O U N C I L S H O W C A S E , 2 0 1 3

2. LATITUDE FESTIVAL TOUR 2012-13 S H O W S : • B A T T E R S E A A R T S C E N T R E A N D T H E P A P E R C I N E M A C O -

P R O D U C T I O N , 2 0 1 2

• B A T T E R S E A A R T S C E N T R E A N D K A T E T E M P E S T C O -

P R O D U C T I O N B R A N D N E W A N C I E N T S S C R A T C H , 2 0 1 2

• B A T T E R S E A A R T S C E N T R E C O M M I S S I O N : M A D E I N C H I N A ’ S

G Y M P A R T Y , 2 0 1 3

3 . B A T T E R S E A A R T S C E N T R E P R O D U C T I O N

T H E P R E S E N T B Y H A N N A H R I N G H A M U N I C O R N T H E A T R E , 2 0 1 3

4 . M A D E I N C H I N A P R O D U C T I O N W E H O P E T H A T Y O U ’ R E H A P P Y ( W H Y W O U L D W E

L I E ? ) D A N C E T O O F E S T I V A L , A M S T E R D A M , 2 0 1 2

E X E T E R P H O E N I X , 2 0 1 2

L A N T E R N T H E A T R E , 2 0 1 2

H U L L T R U C K , 2 0 1 2

P A R A B O L A A R T S C E N T R E , 2 0 1 2

T H E B A S E M E N T , 2 0 1 2

W A R W I C K A R T S C E N T R E , 2 0 1 2

L A K E S I D E T H E A T R E , 2 0 1 2

I C I A B A T H , 2 0 1 2

T H E S H O W R O O M , U N I V E R S I T Y C H I C H E S T E R , 2 0 1 2

5 . B A T T E R S E A A R T S C E N T R E A N D H A N N A H R I N G H A M C O - P R O D U C T I O N F R E E S H O W

( P L E A S E B R I N G M O N E Y ) P U L S E F E S T I V A L , 2 0 1 2

S O H O T H E A T R E , 2 0 1 2 W A R W I C K A R T S C E N T R E , 2 0 1 2

P A R A B O L A A R T S C E N T R E , 2 0 1 2

6 . B A T T E R S E A A R T S C E N T R E , A B I G A I L C O N W A Y & S U B J E C T T O C H A N G E C O -

P R O D U C T I O N C U P I D F I E R C E F E S T I V A L , 2 0 1 2

7 . B A T T E R S E A A R T S C E N T R E A N D T H E P A P E R C I N E M A C O - P R O D U C T I O N O D Y S S E Y

NORFOLK AND NORWICH FESTIVAL, 2012

PARABOLA ARTS CENTRE, 2012

PREMA ARTS CENTRE, 2012

NORTH WALL, OXFORD, 2012

UNITY THEATRE LIVERPOOL, 2012

PIER THEATRE, 2012

NORDEN FARM CENTRE FOR THE ARTS, 2012

SQUARE CHAPEL CENTRE, 2012

BRIGTHON DOME, 2012

LAKESIDE THEATRE, 2012

LINCOLN PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE, 2012

THE POINT, EASTLEIGH, 2012

CONTACT, MANCHESTER, 2012

SALISBURY ARTS CENTRE, 2012

WARWICK ARTS CENTRE, 2012

THE TOLMEN CENTRE, 2013

GALERI, 2013

NUFFIELD THEATRE, 2013

TOBACCO FACTORY THEATRE, 2013

8. BRISTISH COUNCIL INTERNATIONAL TOUR OF

BATTERSEA ARTS CENTRE AND PAPER CINEMA CO-

PRODUCTION ODYSSEY G E O R G I A , 2 0 1 3

B R A Z I L ( F E B , 2 0 1 4 ) I N D O N E S I A ( M A R , 2 0 1 4 )

F R A N C E ( M A R , 2 0 1 4 ) G E R M A N Y ( 2 0 1 4 )

N E W Z E A L A N D ( 2 0 1 4 )

9 . B A T T E R S E A A R T S C E N T R E P R O D U C T I O N T H E G R E A T E S C A P E

S O U T H B A N K C E N T R E , 2 0 1 3

1 0 . B A T T E R S E A A R T S C E N T R E P R O D U C T I O N M O U T H O P E N , S T O R Y J U M P O U T B Y P O L A R

B E A R D U B L I N I N T E R N A T I O N A L F E S T I V A L , 2 0 1 3

U N I C O R N T H E A T R E , 2 0 1 3 S O U T H B A N K C E N T R E , 2 0 1 3

F R E E D O M F E S T I V A L , H U L L , 2 0 1 3 T A K E O F F F E S T I V A L , D U R H A M , 2 0 1 3 J U I C E F E S T I V A L , N E W C A S T L E , 2 0 1 3 W A R W I C K A R T S C E N T R E ( F E B , 2 0 1 4 )

B E A F O R D A R T S ( F E B , 2 0 1 4 ) A R C S T O C K T O N ( M A R , 2 0 1 4 )

T H E A L B A N Y ( M A R , 2 0 1 4 ) T H E E G G , T H E A T R E R O Y A L B A T H ( M A R , 2 0 1 4 )

M A C B I R M I N G H A M ( A P R , 2 0 1 4 ) W E S T Y O R K S H I R E P L A Y H O U S E ( A P R , 2 0 1 4 )

F O L K S T O N E Q U A T E R H O U S E ( A P R , 2 0 1 4 )

1 1 . B A T T E R S E A A R T S C E N T R E ’ S C O L L A B O R A T I V E T O U R I N G N E T W O R K

2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 6 H E A D S U P F E S T I V A L , H U L L D O O R S T E P A R T S , T O R B A Y

J A B B E R W O C K E Y M A R K E T , D A R L I N G T O N S T R I K E A L I G H T F E S T I V A L , G L O U C E S T E R L O O P I N G T H E L O O P F E S T I V A L , T H A N E T U N R A P P E D F E S T I V A L , G R E A T Y A R M O U T H

1 2 . B A T T E R S E A A R T S C E N T R E A N D K A T E T E M P E S T C O - P R O D U C T I O N B R A N D N E W

A N C I E N T S T H E A L B A N Y , 2 0 1 2 ( & M A R , 2 0 1 4 )

M A Y F E S T , B R I S T O L O L D V I C , 2 0 1 3

S P I T A L F I E L D S W I N T E R M U S I C F E S T I V A L , 2 0 1 3 Y O U N G V I C , 2 0 1 3

R O Y A L C O U R T , 2 0 1 3 S T . A N N ’ S W A R E H O U S E , N E W Y O R K , ( J A N , 2 0 1 4 )

S O U T H B A N K C E N T R E ( J A N , 2 0 1 4 ) L Y R I C H A M M E R S M I T H ( J A N , 2 0 1 4 )

W E S T Y O R K S H I R E P L A Y H O U S E ( F E B , 2 0 1 4 ) C O N T A C T , M A N C H E S T E R ( F E B , 2 0 1 4 )

T H E N O R T H W A L L , O X F O R D ( F E B , 2 0 1 4 ) M A C B I R M I N G H A M ( F E B , 2 0 1 4 )

R O Y A L O P E R A H O U S E ( M A R , 2 0 1 4 ) B R I G H T O N D O M E ( M A R , 2 0 1 4 )

H A R R O W A R T S C E N T R E ( M A R , 2 0 1 4 )

1 3 . B A T T E R S E A A R T S C E N T R E A N D L I T T L E B U L B C O - P R O D U C T I O N O R P H E U S

SALZBURG FESTIVAL, AUSTRIA, 2014

The national & international partners we have worked with from Jan 2012 to Dec 2013

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*Map indicates where we have presented new work that has been commissioned, co-produced or produced by Battersea Arts Centre

GERMANY

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KEY - SHOWS & VENUES

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Anna Beecher, Kate Tempest, Tin Box, Wish

Experience Theatre Company, Lundahl & Seitl, Greg Wohead,

Little Bulb Theatre, Bad Host, Gemma Brockis, Silvia Mercuriali, Tim

Clare, Nonesuch Theatre, Amy Draper, Pippa Evans, Rondo

Theatre, Sara Pascoe, Jarred Christmas, Dan

Antopolski, Jigsaw, Joel Dommett, Chris Martin, Alyssa Kyria, Jo Selby, James Acaster, Milton Jones, Tom Deacon,

Tom Adams, Carl Donnelly, Matt Roper,

Nabokov Theatre, Bunty and Metaluna,

Made In China, Theatre Damfino, The Dead Victorians, Polarbear, Subject to_change,

Bad Physics, Caroline Horton, Victoria

Melody, Nic Green, PatternFight, Fish and

Game, Unfolding Theatre, Hannah Reade, Rhiannon

Armstrong, Francesca Millican-Slater, Coney,

John Hegley, Uninvited Guests, Ray Lee, Tom Marshman, 30 Bird, Jo Bannon, Craig

McNair, Kieran Hurley, Richard Marsh, Molly Naylor, Josie Long,

Harry Hill, Malika and Gwen, Daniel Kitson, John Moran, Ross

Sutherland, Sally Marie, Unfinished Business,

Andy Field, Peter McMaster,

Caroline Williams, Berlin Nevada, Ammar Haj Ahmad, Bootworks,

Steve Beresford, Tania Chen, Stewart Lee, Alan Tomlinson, Lucy Ellinson, Clout

Theatre, Tim Etchells, Hollie McNish, Boho Interactive, Forced

Entertainment, Kneehigh, Ryan Van Winkle, Mabel Jones, WildWorks, Caketree Theatre Company, Christiane Jatahy,

Alessandra Maestrini, Anna Azevedo, Andrea

Capella, Bernando Stumpf, Breno

Pineschi, Bruno Vianna, Dina Salem Levy,

Domenico Lancellotti, Eddu Grau, Eduardo

Nunes, Emanuel Aragão, Eric Fuly,

Felipe Rocha, Gustavo Ciríaco, Gringo Cardia,

João Brasil, João Penoni, João Sánchez,

Laura Lima, Luciana Bezerra, Marcela Levi,

Paulo Camacho, Pedro Miranda, Pedro Rivera, Ramon Mello, Ratão Diniz, Robson Rozza,

Siri, Stella Rabello, Sweetshop Revolution, Alyn Gwyndaf, Melanie

Abrahams, Anya Johnson, Harper Ray, Hayley McPhun, Li-E Chen, Matt Burman, Deirdre McLaughlin, Simon Startin, Darren

Pritchard, Jo Hammett, Luke Pell, Fiona Leslie,

Nicky Petto, David Sheppeard, Heidi

Hinder, Katherine Jewkes, Marie

McPartlin, Jenni Roditi, Lewis Gibson, Simone

Kenyon, Conrad Murray, Lakeisha

Lynch-Stevens, Bryony Kimmings, Tom

Bowtell, Kirsty Harris, Matthew Blake, Ruth Paton, Andy White,

Thomas Martin, Monique Duchen

Pandora Street, Little Angel Productions, Deborah Pearson, Mark Arends, Ellen

McDougall, The Paper Cinema, Crank Theatre,

David Parkin, William Carabine-Glean, John Osborne, JPP, Allegra Galvin, The Honest

Crowd, John Joseph, David Rosenberg, Maddy Costa, Jake Orr, John Moran, Chris Gylee, Toria

Banks, Rosie Heafford, Alexandrina Hemsley,

Helena Webb, Gehring and Ketelaars, Foxy and

Husk, Molly and Me, Adrian Howells, Sheila

Ghelani, Sleepwalk Collective, Tim

Hopkins, Sh!t Theatre, Holly Rumble, Julian Fox, RashDash, Sarah Johns, Rosana Cade, Dom Coyote, Alex

Horne, Stuart Bowden, Peacock and Gamble,

Abandoman, Show and Tell, Max and

Ivan, Richard Herring, SHATTER RESISTANT, Claudia Jefferies, Joy

and Wonder, Antler Theatre, Michael

Pinchbeck, Hannah Nicklin, Mark Dolan,

Rev Billy and the Choir of Stop Shopping, New

Art Club, Ahir Shah, EekNGrr Productions, Sue Maclaine, Andy

Zaltzman, Ardal O’Hanlon, Hannah Jane Walker, Chris

Thorpe, Tom Frankland, Keir Cooper,

Último Comboio, Fergus Evans, Katie

Richardson, Shlomo, Brian Lobel, Innua

Ellams, Teatr Zar, Make/Shift Productions, Screen Bandita, Melanie Wilson,

Seth Kreibel, Yaron Engler, Domenico

Angarano, Ira Brand, Rachel Chavkin, Will

Dickie, Fuel, Jon Haynes, Il Pixel Rosso, Abigail Conway, Nina Smith, Tara Boland, Kazuko Hohki, Nao

Nagai, Shelia Ghelani, Contact Theatre, Katie Bonna, Greg Mclaren,

Hannah Ringham, Tashi Gore, Finger in

the Pie, tomtom, Andy Brooks, Amy Letman,

Dan McGowan, Susan Kingsman,

Matthew Heseltine, Andy Cox, Junior

Bonnick, Alexandra Donnachie, Asta Parry, Anne Langford, Linden Walcott-Burton, Lamek Ogwal, Marcus Faustini,

Bruno Duarte

the artists we have workeD with

Having support for your ideas - when you largely feel like they’re not worth bringing into the daylight - has made the most enormous difference to me. Lucy Ellinson, Artist, 2013

Because of the trust I developed with Battersea Arts Centre I ended up applying for the London Theatre Consortium Creative Apprenticeship

Scheme and now work as an apprentice producer at the Bush Theatre.Desara Bosnaja, 2013

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wanDsworth auDiences who attenDeD the gooD neighbour a Bloomberg Bac futures projectfunded by arts council england & wandsworth Borough council Of the audiences who attended the Christmas run of The Good Neighbour in 2013, 48.4% came from the Wandsworth borough. This map shows how that percentage breaks down across the borough.

local organisations we have workeD withAllfarthing Primary SchoolRiversdale Primary SchoolFalconbrook Primary SchoolSacred Heart Primary SchoolSt Faith’s C of E Primary SchoolShaftesbury Park Primary SchoolHornsby House SchoolWix Primary SchoolBelleville Primary SchoolSt Joseph’s R C Primary SchoolThe Dominie SchoolThe Roche SchoolBurntwood SchoolErnest Bevin SchoolSouthfield Primary SchoolThe Salvation Army WandsworthProvidence House Youth Club

KumonWandsworth Older People’s ForumCaius HouseHestia Age Activity CentreKatherine Low SettlementWandsworth MuseumWansdworth Young Carers’ ProjectThe Battersea SocietyElays NetworkThrive Battersea Garden ProjectPeabody EstateGreater Winstanley Estate People’s OrgResidents’ AssociationsUniversity of the Third AgeWandsworth Arts FesitivalWomen of WandsworthBattersea Book Club

I am going to recommend Battersea Arts Centre’s primary schools projects to all schools I talk to! We really want to work with Battersea Arts Centre again please. Assistant Head Teacher at St Joseph’s R C Primary School, 2013

There is something rather wonderful about a show that suggests it is the power of memory that keeps us alive.

Lyn Gardner on The Good Neighbour The Guardian, 2013

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an audience’s perspective Sophie roseExperiencing theatre at Battersea Arts Centre isn’t about sitting on a chair in a room; it’s an invitation into a story. Watching The Coming Storm by Forced Entertainment in the Grand Hall followed by a Scratch of Brand New Ancients by Kate Tempest in the Council Chamber epitomises why – there are few venues across London where you can experience such a spectrum of storytelling in one night. Whether the performers are 40 rows away, behind a mic and a drum kit, or sitting in your lap, each theatrical experience at Battersea Arts Centre feels like a conversation; I think that this has much to do with the generosity offered throughout the building. The experience begins as soon as you pick up your ticket. Battersea Arts Centre is a place that encourages bravery and celebrates the intimate, offering a variety of access points for audiences: to watch, participate and, ultimately, invent theatre together. alyn GwyndafAs an audience member, artist, organiser and local resident, I experience Battersea Arts Centre in different but always interconnected ways. This is where Battersea Arts Centre’s value seems to lie: in building bridges. It is more than one

special show or a rough but rich Scratch: it is that I might see the same show again in the future on the Southbank or in Cardiff or in a festival field. Or discover that the artists who created it are working with local children. Or find them open to discussion in the bar after a show. Battersea Arts Centre is helping to connect the wider social and creative environment, disguised as a building.

Jonathan wakehamBattersea Arts Centre’s mission is to invent the future of theatre. And that’s certainly true: in the past year I’ve enjoyed genre-stretching, boundary-breaking, technically adventurous work from companies as diverse as Little Bulb Theatre, Made In China, Sh!t Theatre, The Paper Cinema, Forced Entertainment, Molly Naylor, and more. But it’s not just the work that’s innovative. Battersea Arts Centre is also inventing the future of going to the theatre. This can be a one-on-one experience, or a Dialogue discussion, or taking part in a show. It’s also joining their digital Scratch community, seeing work beyond the building, or having a drink in the bar with an artist whose work you’ve enjoyed. Theatre happens in the fleeting, tingling spaces between artists, work and audience, and just as Battersea Arts Centre has opened up the myriad environment of rooms in the building, so they’re creating new spaces — vivid, virtual, often vulnerable but always memorable — where theatre can be born, and grow, and thrive.

an artist’s perspectivealex Scottartistic Director, little Bulb theatre

We started working with Battersea Arts Centre on Orpheus in 2011. We didn’t know what story we would be telling, only that David Jubb was interested in a challenging project for us that would respond to the building. This freedom was very important to the creative development of the piece because it allowed us the necessary time to find the right story to tell and the right way to tell it. We began a series of residencies, each one in a different room. We started exploring the music of Django Reinhardt and the classical myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Battersea Arts Centre is an inspirational place to create work. We were able to stay in the artist bedrooms which was immeasurably useful and helped us immerse ourselves in the architecture of the building which then fed into the show.

The Scratch methodology provided us with lots of opportunities to test drive material and the piece began to take shape as an operatic concert set in the 1930s. One of

the Scratches took place in the Grand Hall and it gave us the confidence to pursue an altogether grander vision for the show. I think that, for a young company, if there had been the pressure to do this from the start we would have felt daunted and constrained. Instead we were encouraged to explore our vision for the piece.

A major benefit of the Scratch approach was that the ideas were tested with an audience and we were able to grow a team naturally around the needs of the piece. At every stage Battersea Arts Centre was there to ensure that we had the help and guidance we needed. In the final stages we were working with the front of house team, the box office, Homegrown volunteers, Scratch Bar staff, the organ repair team and the technical department. The spirit of everyone in the building allowed both the company and the work to thrive. That dynamic is very rare and special.

Orpheus was a Battersea Arts Centre and Little Bulb Theatre co-production:16th April to 11th May 20138th April to 17th May 2014

A Bloomberg BAC Futures projectFunded by Arts Council England

info for artiStS:

theaj@bac.org.uk | www.bit.ly/artistsandVenues

info for aUDienceS:

020 7223 2223 | boxoffice@bac.org.uk | www.bac.org.uk

Battersea arts centre & little Bulb theatre co-production orpheus which ran in our Grand hall in Spring 2013 and 2014, before going onto Salzburg festival Summer 2014. photo by James allan.

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a national partner’s perspectivecaroline pearceproducer, Jabberwocky Market

Working with Battersea Arts Centre to create a brand new festival in Darlington has been a fantastic experience over the past 18 months. The Collaborative Touring Network is made up of six towns around England that have low levels of cultural engagement. We are all working with Battersea Art Centre to create a twice yearly festival offer for the next three years. Our festivals are made up of homegrown talent, alongside artists and shows from Battersea Arts Centre. I think it’s absolutely ground-breaking because together we are touring work around the country but in a way that responds to each area’s individual traditions and needs.

Jabberwocky Market is a festival that now happens in the town of my family and my youth. It brings the very best contemporary theatre makers from London to the people of Darlington. These people are largely culturally conversant and don’t feel deprived but compared to their peers in other towns and cities around the country, there is very little offered to them. For me, bringing this work and ultimately this festival to venues around the centre of Darlington is about righting a wrong, helping to raise awareness of the world outside, raising aspirations by the proximity of success and brilliance, and developing

our own capacity to develop and produce new ideas and work. I am able to articulate these aspirations because of my collaboration with Battersea Arts Centre. Without this, I would not have reached a stage at which I even knew that this is what I want to do, that I have the passion and the unique combination of skills, interests and networks to make this happen. collaborative touring network 2013 to 2016:

Andy Pearson, HullHeads Up Festival www.headsupfestival.org.uk

Caroline Pearce, Darlington Jabberwocky Market www.jabberwockymarket.org.uk

Erin Walcon, TorbayDoorstep Theatre www.doorsteparts.co.uk/theatre

Laurie Miller-Zutshi, Great Yarmouth Unwrapped Festival www.seachangearts.org.uk

Sarah Blowers, GloucesterStrike A Light Festival www.strikealightfestival.org.uk

Suzy Humphries, ThanetLooping The Loop Festival www.loopingtheloopfestival.org.uk

Funded by Arts Council England, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation & Jerwood Charitable Foundation

a voLunteer’s perspectivetara osman Volunteer

I found myself in need of a bit of a change, so I went to the Battersea Arts Centre website for inspiration. There were some volunteering opportunities on offer for a show called The Good Neighbour and having emailed some information about myself I went along to an induction evening to find out more. There were several different roles available for volunteers. I started out behind-the-scenes, then after a couple of days I was encouraged by the Volunteer Coordinator to take on the role of stewarding.

Twice a day we went on a theatrical tour of Clapham Junction, exploring the history of the area with a cast of local characters. My job was to shepherd the audience and to encourage them to chat in between scenes about their own local memories. I saw audience members moved to tears in a solicitor’s office next to Debenhams where we gathered to hear the dramatized words of a 14-year-old girl who got caught up in the riots because she wanted to be accepted by her classmates. This kind of theatre was something I felt proud to be involved in. There were several other volunteer stewards and there was a fantastic sense of fun and camaraderie. We were extremely well supported and I felt at home.

I got so much back from the time I put into the show, gaining a real insight into how a theatre works, and learnt things that I have taken back to my own work in local mental health services. I would not hesitate to recommend volunteering at Battersea Arts Centre to anyone.

A Bloomberg BAC Futures projectFunded by Arts Council England & Wandsworth Borough Council

info for toUrinG:

katied@bac.org.uk | www.bac.org.uk/ctn info for VolUnteerS:

volunteers@bac.org.uk | www.bac.org.uk/volunteers

Battersea arts centre production the Good neighbour, directed by Sarah Golding, ran across our building and on the streets of Battersea September 2012 and christmas 2013, with shows and installations by Bryony Kimmings (pictured), abigail conway, Matthew Blake & Kirsty harris, Sheila Ghelani, coney, Kazuko hohki and Uninvited Guests. photo by James allan.

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a groom’s perspective Ben & Murray cooper-Melchiors Married april 2012

Holding an event in an arts centre means you’re working with people who deliver experiences, not just logistics. We are an untraditional couple, yet we appreciate traditional values and the importance of roots. We were able to design and enjoy a wedding day that was unusual, modern and eclectic while feeling rooted in a building with strong heritage and beautiful spaces. Our families were astounded by the creative uniqueness and dignity of an event in an arts organisation, housed in an old Victorian town hall. All day our wedding guests noted

a shared feeling of modern grandeur and down to earth happiness.

On one of the first days of planning our wedding day, Murray had the idea to hang 1,000 origami cranes above the staircase: a Japanese tradition. We folded them ourselves in our living room for nine months, and the events team at Battersea Arts Centre were willing to support us, designing and installing sloping strands of an artistic installation above the wedding party. It gave us a brilliant setting and creatively illustrated a very personal journey. The benefit of having our wedding in Battersea Arts Centre was that we could creatively fill a space that expressed everything we care about: roots, family, friends, happiness, playfulness, loyalty and love. And it left us and our family beaming with “how lovely that entire day was” echoed again and again since.

an apprentice’s perspective

anne wareing apprentice 2012/13

Armed with little experience and a lot of passion, I applied for an apprenticeship at Battersea Arts Centre. I learned how to work on box office, in the café bar and duty manage the entire building. I also got to work in the producing and fundraising teams. I developed skills and confidence in my work and varied roles taught me how to manage multiple priorities, how to speak to people confidently and how to lead a team.

I used my apprenticeship to specialise in fundraising. I learnt how to research trusts and foundations, how to match funding

prospects to Battersea Arts Centre’s needs, and how to draft funding applications. As I grew into the role, I realised that I had found my niche. In summer 2013 a job came up in the fundraising team and I applied. I began my contract as Development Officer for Individual Giving and Sponsorship at Battersea Arts Centre in September 2013. I have found a home here, and the skills I learned during my time as an apprentice were fundamental in preparing me for this role. The apprenticeship set me on an exciting career path that I think I would not otherwise have found.

The Battersea Arts Centre apprenticeship ran between 2011 and 2013 for 18 apprentices. Battersa Arts Centre is now part of the London Theatre Consortium Creative Apprenticeship Scheme, which will create 38 apprenticeships over two years.

info for VenUe hirerS:020 7326 8211 | venues@bac.org.uk | www.bac.org.uk/hire

info for apprenticeSrecruitment@bac.org.uk | www.bac.org.uk/placements

wedding on Battersea arts centre’s foyer staircase. events including weddings, wakes, parties, fairs, conferences, filming and community hires happen year-round in spaces across the former town hall. photo couple’s own.

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an architect’s perspective Steve tompkins haworth tompkins architects

Throughout the long relationship between Haworth Tompkins and Battersea Arts Centre (seven years and counting) we have found we work in similar ways: instinctively collaborative, willing to take creative risks, happy to improvise and as interested in the creative process as the polished end product. As a team we have imagined a new sort of arts building where these qualities are embedded and we can invent the future of theatre. Throughout our time here we have tried to apply the same Scratch methodology of improvisation, testing and feedback to the architectural project that is familiar to artists and audiences developing other creative projects at Battersea Arts Centre. To an unusual degree even in our experience, we have shared authorship of ideas, re-worked design proposals in response to improvised testing and mock ups, and incorporated new voices within the conversation, so that the results have the sense of a constantly evolving playful dialogue with Mountford‘s beautiful town hall architecture.

We have learned to see the building through the eyes of performing artists, beyond the visible spectrum of architectural resolution, coherence and static completion, seeking out more nuanced connections and allowing the artists more creative latitude to inhabit and adapt their spaces in different ways. Battersea Arts Centre is a natural home for this sort of experimentation, where improvisation, fluidity and play are a serious and indivisible part of the creative process. It’s an exhilarating and occasionally exhausting way to work.

The experience has been properly challenging, on both sides of the conversation, and we have all had to adapt to ways of working that by the normal standards of professional service can sometimes feel inefficient or repetitive, but in fact have resulted in a dense, quite radical and amazingly cost effective scheme. What we have all learned is that the end results of this joint process nearly always feel work hardened, always embedded in the artistic life of the organisation, always turned towards the community of Battersea and therefore much more likely to endure.

Funded by Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation, Foyle Foundation, Elizabeth & Reade Griffith and many others.

an archivist’s perspective foteini aravani Digital collections Manager

Entering a low-ceilinged room for the first time in an imposing building that was full of dusty carton boxes was both challenging and exciting because thousands of documents, stored there for decades, were waiting to be discovered and unfolded. It turned out that some boxes labelled with titles from historical shows were disappointingly full of electric cables. But plastic bags hidden in the corners were full of photographs with Princess Diana and Jude Kelly, Allen Ginsberg and Bruce McLean.

The first thing that came to my mind was to merge the historical documents of the Town Hall with the documents that represented the building’s history as an arts centre. Some archivists would disagree

with this approach, but I immediately felt the need for this fusion because I thought that this was the best way to tell the story of the building, digging into the past to reveal the stories of the present. The archive was bursting with stories: the first black mayor of London walked the building’s long corridors, The Jam played one of their best gigs in the Grand Hall and the lady across the street met her husband at a tea dance eating an egg sandwich.

We developed the idea of creating a platform that works both as an online archive of historical records, as well as a space for anyone to contribute their own stories and experiences of the building. I wanted to create a visually enriched interface that would create a trail of breadcrumbs for the user. The outcome is a fully and freely accessible digital platform with more than 10,000 digitised images and even more catalogued items, including the opportunity for people to curate their own collections.

Funded by Heritage Lottery Fund

info for people intereSteD in the capital proJect:trefd@bac.org.uk | playgroundprojects.bac.org.uk

info for people intereSteD in the archiVeS:foteinia@bac.org.uk | www.bacarchive.org.uk

charlotte Despard, labour candidate for Battersea north, 1918. Battersea town hall has been the scene of many events of political significance including the election in 1913 of John archer - the first black mayor in london, a regular meeting place of the suffragette movement, and the seat of Mp John Burns. photo from wandsworth heritage Service and viewable on our Digital archive, www.bacarchive.org.uk

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a young person’s perspectiveosmond, 15I joined The Agency because I wanted something to do in the holiday and so I could get the £30 bursary. At first I felt shy to meet people I didn’t know and slightly uncomfortable with playing games. But over time I felt good and confident and I was proud that I was the first to say what my idea was. Meeting with experts and getting feedback from them and learning about concepts such as Monsters really helped me to develop my idea.

Seshie, 18The Agency has helped me mature. Now I see myself as a businessman. I feel more confident in expressing my ideas because I take myself more seriously. I feel professional as I know a lot more about business and can write professional emails. I have been able to approach businesses and other venues and they treat me well

and respect my ideas. I feel that people are there to help me which I never felt before. The group has supported me and I value this.

Desara, 22Since being on the Young Producers programme at Battersea Arts Centre I have managed to achieve things that I didn’t think I could. I learnt a lot from the programme and grew in confidence and had a better idea of the path I wanted to take. At the end of the programme I was offered a paid role to facilitate other Homegrown groups. I am now working full time as an Apprentice Producer at another theatre in London. This new role has opened up many opportunities and allowed me to grow as a young professional in the industry. Without Battersea Arts Centre I would not have ended up where I am now.

Funded by Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Youth Music, Provident Financial & 95.8 Capital FM’s Help a Capital Child

a patron’s perspective toby Jones actor

In 2013, I accepted the invitation to become patron of Battersea Arts Centre. This is the latest phase in my twenty year relationship with the building that dates back to my completion of drama school. I can declare with pride, surprise, excitement and a tiny degree of mortification that I have done virtually everything it is possible to do on, off, above, below and around a stage in that building. Over the years I have watched and participated as this warren of halls

and corridors, offices and stairwells have been adapted, abstracted and reconfigured in service to the vision of performers, designers, puppeteers, composers, children and pensioners.

As patron I’m aiming to integrate the building’s past with its future by reuniting the many and various theatre-makers who have established Battersea Arts Centre as the seedbed of British theatre. I meet them everywhere. Battersea Arts Centre continues to transform itself both physically and culturally: it is the most flexible theatre in the country. I am thrilled to be associated with this spirit of change and innovation. Spirit that is rooted in Battersea Arts Centre’s past and future: from town hall to theatre.

info for YoUnG people:homegrown@bac.org.uk | www.bit.ly/bachomegrown

image from the homegrown company show #importantpeople developed with Made in china. homegrown runs throughout the year with activities including workshops, beatbox, and professional performances. photo by rUler.

info for people intereSteD SUpportinG US: annew@bac.org.uk | www.bac.org.uk/supporters

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artistic director: Looking aheaD David Jubb artistic Director & ceo

Over the past four decades, the community that has worked and volunteered at Battersea Arts Centre has helped define the future of the arts in the UK. One outcome is that some of the UK’s leading arts organisations are now run by Battersea Arts Centre alumni. The current Artistic Director of the Southbank Centre was testing out her ideas in Battersea in the ‘80s while the new Artistic Director of the National Theatre was exploring his approach to theatre-making in Battersea in the ‘90s. During all this time, thousands of genre-bending artists have shaped new ideas in the nooks and crannies of Battersea’s former Town Hall.

In 2006, Battersea Arts Centre set itself the mission to invent the future of theatre. Since then companies and artists like Kneehigh, Punchdrunk, Blind Summit, Coney, Nic Green, 1927, The Paper Cinema, Ontroerend Goed, Little Bulb Theatre, Kate Tempest and many more have contributed to Battersea Arts Centre’s mission. Each has explored a new kind of relationship with a quickly growing audience. Some of the most successful new ideas for theatre have been developed using Battersea Arts Centre’s Scratch process, as described by Alex Scott from Little Bulb on page 14. And the Scratch process (like so many of the artists who have developed their work at Battersea Arts Centre) has gone on to have a much bigger impact: you can now find adaptations of Battersea Arts Centre Scratch in theatres across five continents.

In the UK in the 21st century, the programmes of theatres have begun to open up with a wider range of shows for audiences. The future of theatre is no longer a passive spectator sport, it is alive with possibilities, and everyone involved with Battersea Arts Centre, including our audience, can be proud that they have made a contribution to that future.

Alongside the exciting developments in staging theatre, there has been another shift. Perhaps more subtle and less visible but a shift that will have a more profound impact on the future of the arts. At Battersea Arts Centre, this has been characterised by three gradual changes over the last eight years: 1) bringing together producers who previously worked on two sides of our activity programme – participation and performance – we now see them as one; 2) using the Scratch process and other creative techniques in a variety of other contexts, such as the development of our building or starting up social enterprises; 3) experimenting with creative exchange projects between artists and people working in other professions, finding new ways to tackle different challenges in our community.

The shift has been about a change in attitudes to theatre and the arts. At Battersea Arts Centre this has been about using theatre to open up a more creative and playful dialogue with our whole community.

No one owns your creativity, it’s yours. And you can express it in any way you want. You can make art. But you can also express your creativity through your family life, your relationships, your business or your work. Creativity can improve our Council services, the way we fight campaigns, the way we learn and remember or the way we cook our dinner!

Personal creativity is something that is available, on tap, to every single one of us, regardless of our views about culture or art. Our creativity can help us when we are in a corner, when we need to think differently, it can help us imagine and invent a better future. Creativity is a superpower.

By championing and nurturing everyone’s creativity, arts organisations can become central to the lives of everyone in their community: by being drivers for change and at the heart of civic life.

In the next five years, Battersea Arts Centre will seek to use theatre and theatre-making process to help people imagine and invent their future and the future of their community. We will do this in classrooms, businesses, homes, in government offices, in public spaces and in community centres.

theatre will stand for...

th for Town Hall

e for Education and Employment

a for Artists and Audiences

tr for Transforming Relationships

e for Everyone and Everywhere

We will run a series of activities that represent each of these strands, as described below. We want our approach to have national and international reach by being adopted and adapted by arts organisations all over the world.

th STANDS FOR town hall:

• a creative building open seven days a week with adult, child and digital-friendly spaces to eat, drink and play;

• a programme of dialogue called food for thought that will engage visitors, audiences and participants in conversations about creativity and how we can work together to champion creativity in public life;

• a public events programme celebrating births, weddings, wakes, blood donors, conferences, elections, filming and public sales;

• a currency of Battersea Bread which enables people to share skills and time with each other;

• a public programme of exhibitions, tours and digital archive in partnership with Battersea Library and Wandsworth Museum to celebrate the political, social and cultural history of the local area;

• a Manifesto for creativity to explore different ways in which imagination and invention can have a positive impact in our community;

• a capital programme of developments to the building that will be a partnership between designers and users of the Town Hall to open up the building for more people to access and explore.

For its unique use of space in converting the entire building to original development of new works from Scratch to finish.Dan Crawford Innovation Award, 2013

watch an extract of Brand new ancients on film: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlwlB3ib7ZM

Battersea arts centre & Kate tempest co-production Brand new ancients had sell-out runs at Battersea arts centre in 2012 and

2014 and toured across the UK to 18 venues and 10,000 audiences in 2013 and 2014. the show was awarded the ted hughes award for innovation in poetry and Kate tempest has gone on to feature

on the 2014 next Generation poets list and gain a Mercury prize nomination for her album everybody Down. photo by rUler.

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artistic Director: looking ahead cont.e STANDS FOR eDUcation & eMploYMent:

• apartnershipwithQueenMaryUniversityofLondon(QMUL)andotherhighereducationinstitutions, to assess the impact of creativity on our personal and professional lives under the banner of UBac;

• a UBAC programme of practice and research that engages with local residents, businesses, young people, schools and our local council;

• a UBAC programme of short- and long-term residencies for creative companies to occupy administrative facilities, including opportunities for workshops and experiments for the benefit of the wider community;

• a UBAC programme of knowledge exchange that includes sharing programmes for the public, for students, businesses, funders, policy makers and theatre sector;

• a partnership with Chapel Street Schools on a programme of artist-headteacher exchange, investing creativity in schools;

• a series of schools’ residencies and performances for both primary and secondary with performances all year round in our Cook Up seasons;

• a weekly programme of creative drop-in sessions called homegrown for young people aged 12-29 years;

• a programme of homegrown Special projects, performance projects working with artists through Cook Up;

• a Beatbox academy with workshops and performances for young people aged 13-21 years, including opportunities for paid professional work;

• an annual festival called My time that provides a showcase of all our young people’s work;

• a programme of continuing professional development for staff who work for the organisation;

• an apprenticeship as part of the London Theatre Consortium Creative Apprenticeship Scheme that will create 38 jobs over the next two years in London theatres for individuals from traditionally under-represented demographic groups.

a STANDS FOR artiStS & aUDienceS:

• an emerging artists programme for aspiring performance makers, aged 18-29 years, developing independent practice;

• an annual Young producers programme offering Arts Awards for those aged 16-25 years, offering the opportunity to devise, curate and deliver a festival;

• a programme developing hundreds of ideas for new theatre from Scratch in dialogue with the public alongside finished productions;

• a year-round artist residency programme with artists living and working across the building;

• a BaMer & Disabled artist commissioning programme to develop more work and cultural leaders from more members of our community;

• partnership with BBC’s The Space to develop Digital Scratch, enabling artists and public to develop ideas for digital art together;

• a new sliding scale of support for artists that provides a transparent offer to artists of support and resources from Battersea Arts Centre;

• a programme of co-productions that emerge from Scratch and define the future of theatre;

• a national partnership celebrating the work of theatres and theatre companies from around the country under the banner of a nation’s theatre.

tr STANDS FOR tranSforMinG relationShipS:

• a mixed intergenerational programme for young people, families and older people to share creative ideas;

• a programme called the agency to enable currently disadvantaged young people to establish social enterprises, part of a broader partnership with Contact Manchester to promote young people’s ideas nationally, supported by People’s Palace Projects (PPP);

• a cross-disciplinary programme, agents of creative chaos, exploring applications of creativity in business, education, social services, youth services and environmental services;

• a local arts partnership, clapham Junction Venues, exploring how grassroots local venues can work together, including Wandsworth Museum, Theatre 503, Omnibus, Doodle Bar and Testbed, Pump House Gallery and Tara Arts;

• a partnership with local social action centre, Katherine Low Settlement, to develop an annual fun palace in Battersea, led by the community;

• a programme of Sustaining communities that looks to develop our ideas around remuneration and adapt our energy use to the 21st century;

• a partnership with the london theatre consortium of 13 off-West End venues to explore how we can better connect, collaborate and share resources.

e STANDS FOR eVerYone & eVerYwhere:

• a creative Museums programme to enable the curators and directors of museums to Scratch ideas in partnership with their visitors;

• a programme called create that will provide a regular, supportive framework for members of our local community to come together to create, develop and deliver new ideas;

• a play and performance space for under 5s called the Bee’s Knees;

• a regular programme of family theatre and workshops, including Family Saturdays;

• an elders’ network for over 60s who enjoy working creatively with young people;

• a partnership with established regional producers to co-commission or co-develop independent artists;

• a partnership with six independent regional producers, the collaborative touring network, developing festivals in areas where there is less arts infrastructure: Hull, Darlington, Great Yarmouth, Thanet, Torbay and Gloucester;

• a regional, national and international touring programme, Strategic Touring Partnerships for work developed at Battersea Arts Centre;

• a partnership with LIFT developing new international Voices through residencies and international dialogue.

Orpheus is a just about perfectly calibrated balancing act of sweet humour, unexpected gravitas and unpretentious beauty.Donald Hutera, The Times, 2013

find out more about the agency in our film: www.youtube.com/watch?v=cY1XmnwJlyM

the agency, working in collaboration with contact theatre and people’s palace projects, piloted in 2013/14 and used creative approaches to support 30 young people to develop their own social enterprises. their ideas were pitched to a panel which included peter ainsworth, ali niaz, tim cambell, paul Martin and Sunita pandya. photo by robert logan.

28 29to GiVe to the Bee GeneroUS caMpaiGn:www.bac.org.uk/beegenerous

to finD oUt More aBoUt GiVinG to oUr capital caMpaiGn: kanem@bac.org.uk | 020 7326 8235

FunDraising For our buiLDingSince 2007 we have been working with RIBA Stirling Prize winning architects Haworth Tompkins on a phased £13.3 million capital project.

The main phase of our capital redevelopment commenced this September and is due to complete in April 2016. These works will restore the fabric and heritage of the building, whilst enabling new facilities to better support theatre-makers and improve access and sustainability.

we have less than 7% of our overall £13.3 million capital fundraising target left to raise.

if any of the stories or stats that you’ve read in this report have inspired you, excited you or moved you, we would be delighted if you would contribute to our fundraising campaign:

1. to make a one-off donation, visit our Bee Generous page: www.bac.org.uk/beegenerous2. to give regularly through a membership, turn over to pages 30-31 to find out more3. to discuss a larger one-off gift, contact Kane Moore on kanem@bac.org.uk, 020 7326 8235

Thank you to Arts Council England, Big Lottery Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund, Alison & Chris Cabot, Backstage Trust, Biffa Award, City Bridge Trust (The City of London Corporation’s Charity), Elizabeth & Reade Griffith, Eranda Foundation, The Foundation for Sports & the Arts, Foyle Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, Ian Mactaggart Trust, J Paul Getty Jnr Charitable Trust, Mactaggart Third Fund, Pilgrim Trust, SITA Trust, Veolia Environmental Trust, Western Riverside Environmental Fund, Wolfson Foundation, The Great Hundred Club members and all other supporters who have already generously given to the capital project.

Battersea arts centre is based in Battersea’s former town hall. the Grade ii* listed building celebrated its 120th birthday in november 2013. photo by Morley Von Sternberg.

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MembershipsBattersea Arts Centre receives approximately a third of its annual income from local and national government. Another third is raised from earned income: ticket sales, events sales and café bar income. The other third is raised from fundraised income: memberships, trusts and foundations. We are also raising money to complete a £13.3 million restoration and redevelopment of our venue, Battersea’s Grade-II* listed former Town Hall.

As you have read in this activity report, Battersea Arts Centre is ambitious, and in order to fulfil our ambitions we aim to grow our earned and fundraised income. We have built up our commercial operations, and through the redevelopment project want to maximise our ability to earn income from our building.

Our building has always called on the support of its community, from the subscriptions paid for the Town Hall to be built back in 1893 through to campaigns to save the building in the 1970s and 2000s. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who supports Battersea Arts Centre at every level. We have improved current memberships and introduced new ways of giving so that even more of our visitors and audiences can be part of Battersea Arts Centre.

As a member, £24 per year is all it takes to get closer to Battersea Arts Centre and enjoy special benefits.

BatterSea artS centre frienDS (£24+ per Year) receiVe:• £5 discount on your first ticket purchase• 10% off your ticket for Battersea Arts

Centre shows• Priority booking• 10% off food and drink at Scratch Bar,

our café bar• Exclusive e-news

BatterSea artS centre SUpporterS (£100+ per Year) receiVe: • £5 discount on your first ticket purchase• 10% off tickets for you and a guest for

Battersea Arts Centre shows• Priority booking• 10% off food and drink at Scratch Bar,

our café bar• Exclusive e-news• Invitations to Supporter events and

press nights• Your name on our website

BatterSea artS centre inVentorS (£250+ per Year) receiVe: • £5 discount on your first ticket purchase• 10% off tickets for you and up to three

guests for Battersea Arts Centre shows• Priority booking• 10% off food and drink at Scratch Bar,

our café bar• Exclusive e-news• Invitations to Inventor events and press

nights• Your name on our website and Funders’

Wall• An invitation to our annual drinks

reception with our Artistic Director David Jubb

to BecoMe a MeMBer:www.bac.org.uk/supportus | 020 7223 2223 | boxoffice@bac.org.uk

to Join the Great hUnDreD clUB: www.bac.org.uk/thegreathundred | thegreathundred@bac.org.uk

- The 10% discount applies for 1 ticket per order per show for Friends, 2 for Supporters, 4 for Inventors. It will not apply on top of the £5 discount on your first order.- Gift Aid and VAT Information: For Gift Aid your entire payment represents a donation without encumbrance for the general purpose of Battersea Arts Centre. However different regulations apply for VAT where your contribution is split between a donation and a payment for benefits as follows: Friend Membership - Donation: Nil / Benefits £20.00 (+ VAT)Supporter Membership - Donation £73.00/ Benefits £22.50 (+ VAT)Inventor Membership - Donation £220.00 / Benefits £25.00 (+ VAT)

the great hunDreD cLubUp until the 18th century a great hundred meant 120. Our home, Battersea’s Grade-II* listed former Town Hall, is currently celebrating this milestone. We are working with Haworth Tompkins architects to restore and redevelop our building, creating a 21st century theatre environment within a 19th century building. In support of this we have launched a fundraising campaign called The Great Hundred: a collection of 120 figures who have helped imagine the future of

Battersea and of the building over the last 120 years. For as little as £67 per month over three years (or £16.75 per month if you join with friends) you can symbolically ‘match’ yourself to one of these celebrated figures, from DH Lawrence to Kate Tempest and from Charlotte Despard to Jude Kelly. You will be part of a new group of 120 individuals who will play a part in securing our building for future generations.As a member, your name will be featured alongside your nominated Great Hundred figure’s in a commissioned artwork for our foyer. To say thank you, we will invite you to a series of special conversations hosted by acclaimed Battersea Arts Centre alumni and some of theatre and film’s biggest names. You’ll also be invited to our grand re-opening party in 2016.

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activity report 2012 & 2013bac.org.uk