Alongside their smash-hit show Bloody Mary: Live! that is currently touring the UK, Part of the Main is delighted to present an exciting series of accessible theatre training workshops called Part of the Grid. Designed to empower artists and budding creatives in the theatre sector, this series of practical and affordable workshops will be led by experienced instructors, and held both in-person and online commencing on Friday 29th March 2024.
Part of the Main are an innovative and exciting upcoming theatre company based in London that curate political, provocative, and accessible work. Their current touring production, Bloody Mary: Live! has been shortlisted for the 2020 Les Enfants Terribles Award and they have completed a successful run at VAULT Festival in 2023, earning the show OffFest Nomination and Part of the Main the Excellence in Accessibility Award.
As Pleasance Associate Artists for 2022- 2024, the first round of workshops will be held at The Pleasance Theatre, kickstarting on Friday 29th March. The first of these will be an introduction to intimacy led by Christina Fulcher, who will guide directors, theatre makers, movement directors/choreographers and actors to reflect on their artistic practice and gain insights into applying intimacy guidelines. This will be followed by a budgeting and fundraising workshop later that day led by Part of the Main’s Artistic Director, Olivia Munk. Olivia will show participants how to build a budget for a theatre production and different avenues available to them for funding. This workshop will also be held on Zoom on Monday 22nd April.
The other workshops will run online via Zoom throughout April, and will cover a diverse range of skill sets and careers in the arts. Championing all things marketing, on Wednesday 10th April female-led agency Cup of Ambition will discuss the fundamentals of how to sell your theatre show, advising on top tips and tricks to reach audiences and fill seats. On Monday 15th April award-nominated designer Will Alder, will lead a masterclass on QLab, the leading software for audio in live performance, introducing participants to all things sound design, showing participants how correctly building cues can lead to a show that is streamlined and slick. On Tuesday 16th April, join Creative Captioner Rachel Sampley (National Theatre, The Barbican), on creating captions that make theatre productions accessible for deaf and hard of hearing patrons. The following day, audio describer Roz Chalmers MBE will introduce participants to audio description, which renders live performance accessible to patrons who are blind or visually impaired.
Part of the Main Artistic Director Olivia Munk comments, During lockdown, Part of the Grid went online as a way for artists to learn and connect. Now, we are thrilled to have secured Arts Council funding to deliver a new round of workshops in-person and online. These workshops, led by leading practitioners, will allow participants to gain important professional development skills that are often difficult to come by as a freelance artist. We aim to provide affordable, practical, and efficient opportunities to gain new skills that will ensure artists feel confident making their own work. We’re excited to bring back perennial favourites, such as QLab, Marketing, and Budgeting & Fundraising, as well as new access-focused workshops on Intimacy, Audio Description, and Captioning.
