Artemis 18 Shakespeare Festival - Additional information
How the project ties in to Diversity and Inclusion in relation to the ACE strategy for Let's Create.
Who are our target participants?
Participant (on stage or creative role) age groups: The festival focus is on engaging adults reflecting Bracknell Forest's demographic where approximately 78% are over 18.
bracknell-forest.gov.uk.We already run a free summer programme for 16-18’s and want to offer provision to those outside that age bracket and funding stream with the Shakespeare Festival, to be as inclusive as possible with opportunity. Anyone aged 16-17 can still be part of the Artemis 18 Shakespeare festival, but they will be the minority of participant age/numbers on the project.
Ethnic Diversity: Bracknell has a growing non caucasian community with 14% of the population representing non-white minorities (compared to a U.K. average of 17%).
varbes.com. We hope to reach and engage a participant group that reflects or exceeds the 14%. We have a board member who specialises in EDI (as is part of the global majority herself), and will help us reach diversity both in the borough directly, but also extending the offer to people within a reasonable commute from Bracknell.Socioeconomic Backgrounds: We aim to include participants from various economic backgrounds, noting that while Bracknell Forest is generally considered affluent when looking in from the outside, in fact certain central areas (those tend to be the older communities established in the 1970s) fall within the 30% most deprived in England. It is those 30% we are really interested in reaching with this project.
en.wikipedia.orgCultural challenges and accessing arts: With 13% of the local adult community considered to have mental health challenges, 11% living alone, almost a quarter of working age adults are unemployed, and 65% of the borough considered medically obese, we feel there is a lot of potential, in concert with our working partners, to offer an applied theatre model to help give respite, encouragement, friendship and activity.
Audience development
General Theatre Audience Demographics:
Gender: A report by Arts Council England indicated that 70% of theatre audiences at National Portfolio Organisations from 2020 to 2021 were female.
Ethnicity: Individuals from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are underrepresented in theatre audiences.
Age: Older audiences tend to dominate theatre attendance, though there has been some growth in younger audience engagement.
Local Demographics in Bracknell Forest:
Ethnicity: Bracknell Forest has a diverse population, with 14% of residents identifying as non-white minorities.
Age Distribution: Approximately 22% of the population is under 18, indicating a significant youth demographic.
Socioeconomic Factors: While Bracknell Forest is generally affluent, certain central areas fall within the 30% most deprived in England.
Strategies to Engage Underrepresented Groups:
Inclusive Programming: Develop a festival that reflects the diverse cultures and experiences of the community.
Youth Outreach: Partner with schools and youth organisations to create programs that attract younger audiences.
Affordable Access: Offer discounted tickets or pay-what-you-can performances to make theatre more accessible to those in lower socioeconomic brackets.
Community Partnerships: Collaborate with local groups that serve ethnic minorities to promote performances and encourage attendance.
By implementing these strategies, we can work towards diversifying our audience and making theatre more accessible to all segments of the Bracknell Forest community and beyond.
Our Lets Create Strategy!
Creative People: We will foster personal creativity by providing workshops and interactive sessions and experiences for ages which represent 78% of the community, encouraging participants to explore and develop their artistic skills and confidence. The shows themselves will be family friendly and children and young people (as well as well behaved pets!) Are all welcomed into the outdoor theatre.
Cultural Communities: We will further build a sense of community by involving local artists and cultural groups (including being based at South Hill Park Arts Centre), ensuring the festival reflects the diverse cultural fabric of Bracknell.
A Creative and Cultural Country: We will contribute to the national cultural landscape by showcasing local talent, creating local/regional paid work, and creating opportunities for cultural exchange. By creating work in non traditional settings, by reframing old stories to be accessible and relatable, by integrating music and dance to draw in those with a language barrier, we make work for and with all.
Inclusivity Measures:
Diverse Programming: We will ensure the festival includes themes and music from various cultural backgrounds, appealing to a wider audience.
Accessibility: We will provide adjustments for individuals with disabilities, such as sign wheelchair-accessible spaces, hearing loop for performance, headphones for people with noise sensitivity. Scripts for performers will be available in audio format upon request, in larger print or with coloured sheets to facilitate dyslexic actors. Programmes will be online as well as hard copy and include audio descriptors.
Strategies to Reach the Unengaged:
Partnerships: Work with organisations like South Hill Park, Stepping Stones, and Involve to leverage their networks and attract individuals who may not typically engage with the arts.
Community Ambassadors: We have recruited local influencers and respected community members to promote the festival within their circles, encouraging attendance from diverse groups. We also have ambassadors on our own board who are part of an extended local amateur dramatic network and who will also help us reach those we need. We have corporate partners who will share with their employees (Bracknell is an industrial hub).
Tailored Marketing: Develop marketing materials in multiple formats (including audio only) and distribute them in schools, colleges, universities, community hubs, religious centres, and local businesses to reach a broader audience.
Community Outreach: We are already, and will continue, to collaborate with local organisations like Involve and Stepping Stones (se below on Partners) to reach underserved communities, including those recovering from substance abuse or facing social challenges. We understand that the arts can look elitist or daunting from the lens of someone who has no history or exposure to participation (for most a drama class at school may have been their only experience). Our job is to smash this perspective and get the communication right to make our festival welcoming to both those on stage and those who would want to enjoy watching the performances.
Accessible Programming: By offering free events (participants) and subsidised (audience) to ensure affordability isn't a barrier, followed by hosting ongoing workshops/classes in community centres to reach those who might not attend traditional venues. By making the initial festival and outside, site specific show, we can encourage informality with picnics and other friendly strategy to make the experiences on offer welcoming to all. By continuing later with an indoor performance option as a legacy of the first event, we embrace even more people who perhaps don’t feel comfortable in an outdoor setting.
Who are our creative community, corporate and charity partners in this project? What role will they take?
South Hill Park Arts Centre, Bracknell.
Our CEO and founder has been part of things at South Hill Park since 1976, growing up through youth theatre, returning post training to running resident companies, and now we run our Artemis Head Office and full time free sixth from there.
Each summer, Artemis and SHP collaborate on a youth project, attracting more than 100 young people aged 12-18 to produce and perform a full book musical in 2 weeks. Artemis funds 35 place for 16-18 year olds.
We have a demand for adult places however, and the young people funding cuts off at 18. This new festival, with Poppet Theatre, our brand new adults company is another summer collaboration with our friends at South Hill Park.
Housing two theatres, a dance studio, creative spaces and a cinema within the grounds of an 18th century mansion house in Bracknell – South Hill Park hosts over 300 shows, events and films each year, alongside a busy programme of over 250 courses and workshops.
Supported by the likes of Sir Kenneth Branagh, the Arts Centre offers both big-name comedians alongside nationally renowned ballet companies, quality in-house drama and an annual pantomime. We also provide a range of courses in arts and crafts, drama, dance and digital media – as well as numerous thoughtful and inspiring exhibitions.
How will they work with Artemis on this project?
South Hill Park will provide the amphitheatre, outdoor safe lighting kit/power for the week of the event. They will also provide house managers, professional stewards and public facilites. Once we move into the phase of classes (post show), they are offering rooms at a 50% discount as a goods in kind contribution. We will have a ticket split on show week of 70/30 in our favour.
If the festival proves a success, talks have already been underway for establishing a week in the main Wilde Theatre either in February or October each year for further adult traditional work in collaboration.
Registered charity no. 265656
Savannah Media
Alex is the man behind the lens of Savannah Media, founding the company originally as a Photographer back in 2010.
Savannah Media quickly evolved into a full-service video production company. Leveraging cutting-edge technology, including drone cinematography and motion graphics, we capture stunning visuals that elevate your brand’s narrative. We believe in offering something different, something special and something that will be truly beneficial to your marketing strategies.
How will they work with Artemis on this project?
Alex Harvey Brown, the founder of Savannah, is Artemis Alumni. He continues to support our work through his as goods in kind, and will provide video and photography services so we can keep a record of the events for everyone taking part. Alex is also the father of autistic children and understands the challenges faced by young people in engaging arts activities for people who are not nurotypical. This helps him help all those we work with feel comfortable around cameras.
https://www.savannahmedia.co.uk
Stepping Stones Recovery College, in Bracknell Town Centre. This is a very special place for anyone 18+ experiencing challenges to their mental health, physical and emotional wellbeing. This might be due to a diagnosed or long-term condition, recovery from addiction, homelessness, trauma or abuse. Or participants may not have any diagnosis but feel lonely, stressed or anxious and that their quality of life is not what it should be.
Recovery Colleges have been around for a while and they enable people to grow beyond negative life experiences by providing opportunities learn more about them and discover a new sense of optimism, meaning and purpose in life. There now are over 90 recovery colleges in the UK and have been remarkably successful in showing how life transforming it can it can be to learn together and from each other as equals. Studies have shown that learning about our own and others experiences can also help to build stronger personal relationships and support a more complete and long-lasting recovery.
Each of the courses and workshops is led by a professional or peer facilitator who has been trained in the subject and may also have had similar mental health challenges. Facilitators are also carefully selected for their abilities to deliver the courses in a collaborative, supportive way. And everyone, including the facilitator, is learning from each other.
They offer a wide range of free courses and workshops which they hope will inspire participants to embark on an exciting journey of self-discovery and help them to find renewed purpose and meaning in their lives.
How will they work with Artemis? For three years we delivered weekly applied theatre acting sessions for between 8 and 14 adult participants on behalf of Stepping Stones. Funding for the free classes we offered in collaboration had finished in 2024 and currently there are no acting classes on offer. In 2025, where funding is more challenging, we would like our offering to develop to include Stepping Stones participants in our summer festival and beyond. We will work with Stepping Stones to re-enage those who enjoyed our classes, and encourage new people to join in on and off stage, while they still enjoy the additional support and scaffold of Stepping Stones to help with life.
Stepping Stones, like Involve (see below) help us find and engage the hardest to reach adults, and encourage and nurture them into participating in rewarding theatre based activity.
Stepping Stones Collaboration for Recovery and Wellbeing is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation.
Charity Number:1189763
Involve Community Services, Bracknell and Wokingham.
We are an infrastructure support organisation which essentially means that we work to help other charities to develop and grow. We do this by providing multiple support services for organisations, as well as various community wellbeing schemes. We aim to support causes that benefit the community and our hope is to act as a beacon the third sector can rely on for all kinds of important information, support and advice.
Our values underpin what we stand for and the way we work. They support the sustainable achievement of our mission and aims, confirm internally and externally what we stand for, and guide the way we behave, operate and communicate. We do this by providing various support services and schemes:
Infrastructure Support – Providing voluntary and community sector organisations with constitutional, managerial, administrative, developmental and networking information and working as an advocate for the third sector.
Training & Workshops – Providing affordable workshops and webinars for all members of local charities.
Funding Advice – Sourcing and applying for grants, including bid writing services and fundraising ideas.
Trustee Board & Governance Support – Sourcing suitable professionals to volunteer on charitable committees and boards to offer support and guidance at a governance level.
Volunteer Recruitment – Matching volunteers to suitable opportunities at recruiting organisations.
Wellbeing Services – Providing certain services to support the health and wellbeing of the general public via community signposting and a cancer support network.
How will they work with Artemis? Involve have been supporting us in multiple ways since 2014, when we were a non profit, and since 2023 as a full charity. We would not have secured ACE funding during covid (£50,000) without their free bid writing support. For this project, they will help us find volunteers to support the essential logistics of running the shows - such as stewards, and backstage volunteers to back up the crew and creative teams. They have a huge pool of local volunteers who alredy have Enhanced DBS.
Registered Charity: 1061373
SPH Services
Providing Production Management, Design and Technical services to the theatre, live and virtual events industries. Full-service production management, from conception through to opening night, on productions from studio installations to international tours. Lighting, Video and Projection design.A full range of technical services, covering AV, lighting, filming, live streaming and video production.
Current clients include the BBC, Kylie Minogue, Glastonbury, Jingle Bell Ball, Orchid Digital, Centre Stage Partnership.
Owned and run by Artemis Co-Founder Stephen Harrison. https://sph.services
How will they work with Artemis?
SPH will provide Stephen himself and members of his SPH team. Stephen will production manage the project for us at local technician rates (saving £100s a day) as well as suppplying some technical equipment for free (saving £100s).
Our core creative Shakespeare Festival team.
We will also be recruiting technical creatives, and volunteers to support the work. In addition, Artemis College will offer our summer 2025 graduates aged 18-21, a chance to work on the show as deputy creatives mentored by a professionals.
