Professionals NORTH companies 2019 In Spring 2019 five North East-based theatre companies and makers were invited to join our second cohort of NORTH companies. NORTH companies receive tailored support throughout the year to create a new piece of work. This includes a week of R&D time in our Byker rehearsal space; a day with our Associate Director Mark Calvert to support the R&D process; and six essential skills workshops throughout the year covering Finance, Fundraising, Marketing, Producing, Participation and Technical Theatre. Want to join our NORTH scheme? We hold open applications to join our NORTH actor training and NORTH company schemes twice a year. Check out our NORTH training page for more information and keep an eye open for our Spring and Autumn calls for applications here. Meet the companies: Anna Robinson & Matthew Tuckey Anna graduated in summer 2018 from Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and is a scenographer, a self-described theatre maker with an eye for design. Anna has recently designed Chicken Licken a Tale Jam with a previous North Artist Ruth Johnson, Northern Stage’s Young Company show Where Do We Belong and Live Theatre’s Youth theatre production Turning Points. Matthew is a sound designer and multi-disciplinary performance maker. Matthew’s practice is founded in an experimental application of sound design, abstract composition and devising, working collaboratively with other artists and theatre makers who are driven by a love for storytelling and creating immersive experiences. Recent sound design and associate sound design credits include: Trolley Boy, Walter (Alphabetti Theatre), Smoke & Mirrors, The House of Lost and Found (Enchanted Parks), A Christmas Carol (Northern Stage) and Stella (Filskit Theatre).arobinsonscene.commatthewtuckey.co.uk CIRC Motif CIRC Motif is a North East based contemporary circus theatre company which pushes the boundaries of performing arts. Blurring the lines between movement, dance, theatre and circus, CIRC Motif create powerful and moving performances through extreme physicality and engaging narratives. This new innovative circus theatre company collaborates with artists of a variety of mediums, building strong ensemble arrangements to deliver originality and diversity in their performances. circmotif.co.uk Melody Sproates Melody is a non-binary writer & performer who makes comedy & cabaret performance work that challenges, educates and offers an audience a different type of narrative. Melody has a BA HONS in Drama and Scriptwriting, was the winner of Live Theatre’s New writing prize in 2018 and was a part of Northern Stage’s Young Company in 2017. Melody’s work strives to advocate positivity about transgender representation in the theatre, especially focusing on raising awareness for non-binary and genderqueer people.@grohllikeatroll Your Aunt Fanny Your Aunt Fanny are an all-female comedy sketch group made up of seven young women from the North East of England. Originally founded in 2013 through Live Youth Theatre, Your Aunt Fanny are now producing their own work and have performed to sold out audiences across the North East including Live Theatre, Northern Stage, Alphabetti Theatre and The Stand Comedy Club. Most notably the company boast an incredibly successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2015. Your Aunt Fanny celebrate the fabulous, ridiculous and thoroughly inappropriate; their gigs vividly capture a night out on the town with your wildest, oldest, filthiest friend. Your Aunt Fanny are currently touring their new show Minge Unhinged. @yourauntfanny Woven Nest Woven Nest is a new workshop-led theatre company directed by Poppy Crawshaw and Liv Hunt. Poppy and Liv have both worked in care homes, special educational needs schools and disability arts venues for the past three years. By working with creative ageing charity, Equal Arts, they have developed a unique drama and storytelling method to encourage creativity in older people. During this time, they noticed a lack of theatre opportunities for the people they work with, especially older people, who are bed bound or living with advanced dementia. They want to fill this gap, by working with older people to create multi-sensory bedside or chairside theatre performances. They want to transform the living spaces within care settings for people who are unable to access mainstream theatre by creating a pop-up theatre show that can be transferred to bedrooms and lounges. One of their aims is to bring the stories created within care settings to theatre-going audiences.@wovennesttheatreInstagram: @wovennest_theatre Our 2018 NORTH companies were: Bonnie and the Bonnettes Jake Jarratt and Andrea Scrimshaw Blowin' A Hooley Ruth Mary Johnson Caroline Liversidge North is supported by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation