Documental Theatre is launching a freelancer-run pilot called #WhereTo? The aim is to disrupt traditional curation pathways for South West artists and WE NEED YOUR HELP. #WhereTo? is NOT a paid commission. It’s a means for SW writers, devisers and companies to reach 100’s of 1000’s of industry people with their ideas.

We’re supported by:

Theatre503, The Pleasance, In Good Company, Camden People’s Theatre, Kings Head, Bristol Old Vic, Diverse City, Theatre Bristol, Cardboard Citizens, Exeter Northcott, Theatre Alibi, Carn to Cove, Villages in Action, intoBodmin, Activate, Minack Theatre, MakeTank, Animate Theatre, Beaford Arts, Pound Arts, Forest Arts and the list is growing.

Once the submissions are reviewed, these venues will come together and post a selection of #WhereTo? films, exposing the artists to love-bombing from all their social media followers, across the industry. We DO NOT want people to incur costs. Make something new if you like, but equally you can submit a standalone section of an existing film, or speak into your about a new idea.

What do we want to receive?  

NO MORE THAN 3 MINS of your original work with a clear sense of your voice. This could be:

*a self-contained story  *a pitch  *a standout moment of performance  *a confessional film or audio piece  *a digital visual mash-up or collage on a theme  *a ditty or dirge *a pop video *a polemic to change the world  *a video diary *  *a scoop  *a hoax *a monologue

Keep it punk & low-production values. We want to free up traditional ideas of “creative quality”, and where it comes from. We want venues & their followers to click and think, “I love that idea and the way they expressed it.”

We hesitate to give you an example of what a #WhereTo video could be, as we don’t want to be prescriptive. HOWEVER as people have asked, here is an example video you can watch. The story/idea you choose to tell us could be on any subject, and in any style (sound/image etc.) There’s definitely no requirement for cutaways/sfx/C19 references as in this one. The videos where artists are simply sharing into their phones are some of the most compelling and intimate submissions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQyT5xFu5Uw 

How does it work?

You can watch this video from the Documental team for a how-to guide. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byhJ5oBN1C8

– If you are submitting an audio piece, use movie editing software to add an image/blackscreen so that you can upload it to YouTube

– Edit a postcard-style photo on the front of your film/audio piece to show where you’re based. There’s an example below. “THE CARNIVORE” is the title of the film.

– Caption this “postcard” with #WhereTo?, your name, Twitter handle & a title. Upload to YouTube. Email to
lucy@documentaltheatre.co.uk + julia.documentaltheatre@gmail.com with:
1. The YouTube link
2. The first part of your postcode (if you’re happy with that)
3. A sentence on you/your skill (e.g writer)
4. Any information about how you self-identify
5. A website (if you wish). This could include links to other past work.

Experience is NOT a factor in selection. You could be starting out in your career, in the middle of it, or have a mantlepiece bristling with awards. We hope everyone will consider submitting so that the rest of the country gets a snapshot of the rich talent we have here.

DEADLINE 10AM WEDNESDAY 30TH SEPTEMBER

• ALL videos/audio clips to be available to view on a database shared widely within the industry
• A montage of several videos will be posted widely on social media
• A limited batch of individual videos will be selected to spearhead the pilot. The partner venues will introduce and post these videos/clips across their platforms.

To decide what goes in this batch, we’ve worked out a fair and thorough process led by diverse freelancers including Emma Dennis-Edwards, Sarah Meadows & Rebecca Crookshank. We can’t predict the response, but hope the work of around 10 SW artists will be shared individually, with another 15 cut into the montage, and the others are viewable in the database

Why now? If you make work in the SW, you’ll know distance prevents programmers & reviewers seeing your stuff. Right now geography doesn’t matter and we’ve got their attention. We hope artists can pick up new follows from AD’s/directors/programmers and, use these to begin conversations.

Small print: We’ll follow up on individual outcomes. We can’t share anything offensive though a bit of swearing is ok. Please be proud of what you put out there to represent yourself (and the SW). Subtitle videos if possible (How-to: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2734796?hl=en-GB) Please don’t send a self-tape of someone else’s text or a show reel to this pilot. This time round we’re focusing on people sharing an individual idea they’ve authored, though we hope the scope of the experiment will grow. See FAQ’s below or email to ask for a chat. lucy@documentaltheatre.co.uk

@documentaltheat | Facebook.com/documentaltheatre

#WhereTo? FAQ

What constitutes the “South West”?

Answer

We are hand railing on the Arts Council definition of the SW region which includes Salisbury to the east, Land’s End to the west, the Dorset coast, Bristol and everything in between. We hope there will be particular take up from artists in places with less theatre infrastructure to support them.

Why isn’t there a commission or fee?

Answer

This is a freelancer-run pilot which is, as yet, unfunded. We hope it will get funded once we are further on and can be rolled out in other parts of the country. All the people involved are giving their time out of a desire to switch up how things work in the industry. Also, we don’t want to compensate some artists for the time, and not others. If you feel you can’t afford to create something, or don’t have anyone to create with, think about what you can do simply by yourself on your phone.

How will you select the batch of films & audio pieces which are posted individually by all the venues?

Answer

We got a lot of advice on how to avoid positioning ourselves as gatekeepers. This pilot is more of a signposting service. Submissions will not be reviewed by “gatekeepers” in the traditional sense (artistic directors, exec producers etc.) We have recruited a task force of respected theatre freelancers, mainly from the SW, who each bring a distinctive take on what arts access means. The task force includes POC, disabled, working class, gay and carer artists so far. They all regularly submit work to talent call outs themselves, and will be viewing with solidarity, staying true to the more flexible criteria in the call out.

To avoid unintentional outcomes because one video is hated by one person when it might well be adored by another, each video will be seen by three people and scored 1-5 for “interestingness”. After discussion, the videos with the higher scores go through to be viewed by a panel of artists who are passionate about access, and trusted by high profile supporting venues (director Sarah Meadows, writer Rebecca Crookshank, writer Emma Dennis-Edwards). It is a balance of avoiding elitism, whilst inspiring confidence in partner venues that they will be sharing genius pieces of work, so that you get to access their tens of thousands of followers.

How and when will I hear the outcome of submitting my piece?

Answer

The individual videos, compilation montages and database are currently planned to hit social media in November. We’ll let you know where your work is placed beforehand.

Does my film or audio piece have to be 3 minutes or under?

Answer

YES. Also, please ensure you include the other info in your email, except where we’ve flagged it as optional. These details help us build the database and evaluate the call out, its reach and what worked best.

Will the videos posted by venues be subtitled?

Answer

Yes.

What if DT receives virtually nothing, or there’s a lack of diversity in what you receive?

Answer

We’ll extend the deadline and publicise the call out further (we’re placing targeted call outs with orgs supporting under-represented groups). If we still get nothing, we’ll cry.

We will add more FAQ’s here as we’re asked them.