In the Pipeline...

The company’s creative driving force is the Creative Associates, and, to an extent, its creative direction will depend on their interests and aptitudes. That is why the association changes periodically and why we actively seek new members. However, Common Players have developed a particular expertise in devising and delivering environmental performance projects for specific locations. Inspired by a desire to help people make real connections with the world about them, these events range from collaborations with The National Trust with whom we created Keep Off The Path, to a commission from the National Youth Arts Festival to create an environmental performance in the North Devon seaside town of Ilfracombe.Creative Associates are currently working on a number of projects which we hope will come to fruition in 2010:

Longshore Drift – Stage 2:

Having finalised the production of a teaching pack for schools an evaluation exercise will be held to include a trial of the materials with a class of Year 6 pupils at Seaton Primary School and a 5-10 minute video documentary recording the outcome. The second phase of this project, which it is hoped will be realised in 2010, is a professionally-acted tour of East Devon schools of the dramatic script which forms part of the teaching pack. This is, of course, subject to acquiring additional funding.

LEAD ASSOCIATE – Jon Croose

The 200: A community play for Princetown:

The 200 is a heritage arts project which involves the local community in research into historical stories which will form the basis of a community play performance in the high Dartmoor town of Princetown. Working alongside the Duchy Square Centre for Creativity, Common Players CA Jon Croose has secured outline approval for a Heritage Lottery Fund application for the project which seeks to uncover the real stories of people from Princetown’s past which are often overshadowed by its dominant identity as a prison town. Duchy Square Centre for Creativity has given Common Players invaluable support in-kind by providing us with new office accommodation at subsidised rental, for which we are grateful.

LEAD ASSOCIATE: Jon Croose.

Uncommon Players:

This project aims to develop an amateur performance group in Exeter to develop the theatre skills of non-professionals, whatever their background, over a period of a few years. A mixture of workshops on performance techniques would be available to people who proved themselves keen to commit to a group which had the ambition of mounting top-notch productions of classic plays in established indoor venues. Workshop and learning activity would be tailored to the proposed productions. The participants would be drawn from enthusiastic non-professionals, keen to develop their skills and ambitions through workshop and performance in an ensemble environment. Because of geographic limitations they would probably be drawn from a 25 mile radius of Exeter, but this would be for participants to self- regulate. It is envisaged that the workshop aspect of the project would begin in February 2010 with a view to a performance the following autumn.

LEAD ASSOCIATE:  Anthony Richards