Wed 15 May 2019
HOME has announced that it will be working with Trafalgar Entertainment on a major new commissioning opportunity for theatre-makers wanting to expand their practice.
The HOME 2020 Commission provides a rare opportunity for theatre makers who have been working in smaller spaces to make a step change in their careers. Through an open call out to any artist who has been producing work at a small scale for at least three years, HOME and Trafalgar Entertainment will provide a full commission and comprehensive development opportunities.
Following a bespoke residency and intensive periods of R&D, HOME will then commit to premiering the new production in its 500 seat theatre.
The first HOME 2020 Commission is specifically for theatre-makers who make musicals or plays with music. There will be a further HOME 2020 Commission announced later in the year, which will be delivered in partnership with English Touring Theatre.
HOME’s Director & CEO Dave Moutrey said:
“All too frequently some of the most pioneering artists can find themselves ghettoised in terms of scale and budget. The larger stages in our institutions often feel like the domain of a limited number of practitioners. With the HOME 2020 Commission we want to provide a critical step-change in practice for theatre-makers to create on a bigger scale, and make work for a larger audience.”
The HOME 2020 Commission is just part of a new artistic approach which will see HOME provide opportunities for artists to take a step-up in scale. This will include a new show by acclaimed cabaret artists Bourgois and Maurice, which will form part of the programme next year. Moutrey believes presenting this as an “open call” to artists is critical:
“Speaking to artists from across the country, its not just the lack of opportunities to develop their practice that cause frustration – but that they only feel available for closed networks. We want to be clear that the HOME 2020 Commission is an open call to artists from across the country to make a show on our T1 stage. We want to meet new people, and discover new talent. Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not.”
Howard Panter, Joint CEO and Creative Director for Trafalgar Entertainment, said; “We’re delighted to be supporting the HOME 2020 Commission in discovering and developing home grown productions in Manchester, a city already bursting with creativity as a result of its incredible cultural heritage. We are huge admirers of the work HOME has been doing to unearth and nurture new talent and are very excited about the projects we expect to emerge. We share HOME’s commitment to helping artists make the difficult jump to the next stage in their careers and hope, ultimately, that both projects and artists involved in the initiative will soon be playing on our stages in London’s Trafalgar Studios and further afield as well.”
Applications open until Monday 10th June. Commissions will be announced in July.
More information on the HOME 2020 Commission, including how to apply can be found homemcr.org/opportunity/home-2020-commission