Neil Mackenzie

Lecturer at Manchester School of Theatre. Neil is also a creator of festivals and performances. They discussed with us the importance of touring our work and the opportunities that arise when taking performance out of the UK. They gave us an incredible list of venues and festivals we can contact and take our practice further.

Photo Credits to Michael Pinchbeck

Notes From Lecture...

Director of own Company. Arts Centre. Flare international festival of new theatre. Collating lists of companies and artists internationally. Video Material relating to artists. Experimental emerging European theatre. Dealing with artists and programming with artists.

Artist – Defining oneself as an artist – artist support.

Festivals to see other people's work alongside our own. Relationship and parallels to other artists. Defining practice. Putting oneself into new contexts. English ways of being a particular and limiting. Advocation of international work and broadening the work.

Flare Festival – Support for emerging contemporary artists (funding priorities)

Take control of the contexts we are performing in.

Present High quality, experimental theatre. Supporting new artists.

Experience of the artists in beneficial new theatre. Network, exposure.
Developing new audiences for contemporary theatre.
To provide invaluable experience and mentoring to a group of young arts producers. Employing them as paid team members with significant responsibilities.
Secure the future of the festival.
Expanding and exploring the potential of theatre.

Grow a profile.

ACE Assessment

Quality

Public Engagement

Finance

Management

How did it work working as a consortium/collaboration?

Venue matters. Sense of what you’re bringing to the venue and if you feel that you’re adding to the experience by being there.

For Me...

Neil helped me understand the importance of performing your work and making it accessible not for just a specific area. Involving yourself in festivals will grant the ability to showcase and network with other companies and build strong connections within the industry. He also helped me understand the importance of understanding the values of the theatre company, in order to access venues and festivals.