Opportunities

We’re offering 8 bursaries for Global Majority creatives from a wide range of disciplines to take part in a series of workshops, mentoring sessions and networking opportunities exploring how to use interactive and playful practice to engage diverse audiences with complex topics.

The offer

We have recently received funding from Arts Council England to support our Playful Heritage programme, exploring how immersive, interactive and playful practice can help engage diverse audiences with complex topics, including stories of race, empire, colonialism and migration.

We are offering small bursaries for 8 Global Majority practitioners to attend a programme of workshops and practice sharing, including:

4 half-day workshops taking place between October and December 2023, exploring

• Introduction of how to use interactive and immersive formats to spark change
• How to use play to engage diverse audiences with colonial history and complex topics
• Co-creation methods, with a focus on working with young people and communities
• Coney’s use of interactive digital and technological tools.

These workshops will take place on Tuesday 31 October, Monday 13 November, Monday 27 November and Monday 11 December – from 2-5pm each day. Two workshops will be on Zoom, and two will take place in east London.

2 days of work on specific projects related to our Playful Heritage programme, to be discussed based on the availability and interests of the selected makers, to take place between December 2023 and March 2024.

Mentoring with the Coney team and networking with other artists.

Invitations to see our work, including an invitation to a sharing of 1884, a new, interactive game-theatre show inspired by the legacy of the 1884 Berlin Conference – on Friday 13 October at Shoreditch Town Hall (optional).

We are offering a fee of £625 per artist (based on 5 days at £125 a day), as well as up to £80 to cover travel expenses.

Who we would like to meet

We are looking for Global Majority makers/artists who have:

• a creative practice in any discipline (which could include but is not limited to writers, directors, set, sound or game designers),
• an interest in making immersive and/or interactive work, working collaboratively, and sharing Coney’s mission to make play to spark change.

This opportunity is open to both emerging and established artists, with or without previous experience of making interactive work.

Apply

If this sounds like you and you are available on the workshop dates listed above, please complete the short form below by Monday 25 September 2023, 10am.

You’ll need to have a Google account in order to access the application form. If you don’t, please email Kit Denison [email protected] and we’ll reply with an application form in a word doc. If you require any additional information or support, or would like to apply in a different format – e.g. by video – please send an email to [email protected] and we’ll try our best to help.

Are you a designer with experience of creating immersive, interactive and/or playable set design?

We’re looking to expand and diversify our network of set designers, with a particular interest in meeting creatives from the Global Majority, migrant or working class backgrounds.

We have several new immersive theatre, site-specific projects and games taking place in the next two years. This includes 1884, a new immersive game-theatre piece exploring the lack of memorialisation of anticolonial protest movements; as well as new projects as part of our Playful Heritage and Towns, Boroughs and Neighbourhoods programmes.

Does this sound like you? If so, please send an email to [email protected] with:

• a brief description of your practice and relevant experience in immersive, interactive or game-based theatre,
• a link to your website or portfolio.

We will add you to our database of artists, and will be in touch to discuss potential collaborations as and when relevant projects arise. For 1884, we would like to start conversations with designers as soon as possible – please contact us by Monday 25 September to be considered. However, we welcome emails after this date to be considered for work on our other projects. You can see our Freelancer Rates for 2023-24 here.