Making Space Online Festival
January – March 2021
18-25 years
Digital Residency Project
Making Space is Scottish Youth Theatre’s residency project for young artists ready to drive their own creative practice. Over 3 months, we supported 18 residencies (solos, duos, trios, and new collaborations) from a wide range of arts practices to engage in bespoke artistic development and make cross art form work for a brand new, innovative online festival. During their residencies, the young artists considered the sustainability of digital theatre in the future, looking at new ways of using digital platforms for live and recorded performances, while developing an original performance experience for diverse audiences.
The Making Space Online Festival took place from 18 – 20 March 2021. The festival of performances and live events was co-curated and delivered by Scottish Youth Theatre and a team of Young Producers. Find out who participated in the programme as Young Producers, Mentors and Resident Artists.
Scottish Youth Theatre is committed to reducing barriers to access and arts provision and promoting positive wellbeing. As such, each residency included:
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Bespoke mentorship from a professional creative specialist.
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A small resource budget.
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Financial support for digital access and creation.
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Optional free 121 and group wellbeing sessions throughout the project with wellbeing partner Pure Potential Scotland.
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A budget was put in place for Sign Language Interpretation, Captioning, and other access requirements that Residency Artists identify.
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As well as a digital participation budget for anyone concerned about online connection, data or equipment.
Making Space Digital Residencies followed one of four pathways:
Solo artists will have an established performance practice in any medium.
They will be matched with a professional mentor where we feel there is synergy in their areas of practice or enquiry. Between January and March they will be supported to develop an original piece of performance to be shared as part of the Making Space Online Festival.
Artists are encouraged to consider ways in which this work might reach an audience in a COVID-safe manner: How could it use digital technologies? Could it happen outdoors at social distance? Could it be installed somewhere?
Artists are expected to find their own space to work. We anticipate that for many this will be their own home. The development and mentorship process will take place remotely via digital platforms.
A small budget is available for resources for each residency, to be allocated in discussion with the Scottish Youth Theatre core team.
Duos will comprise two artists who have an established performance practice in any medium. They will know each other and each other’s work but may not have made work together before.
They will be matched with a professional mentor where we feel there is synergy in their areas of practice or enquiry. If appropriate, the selected mentor(s) may be an established duo. Between January and March they will be supported to develop an original piece of performance to be shared as part of the Making Space online festival.
Artists are encouraged to consider ways in which this work might reach an audience in a COVID-safe manner: How could it use digital technologies? Could it happen outdoors at social distance? Could it be installed somewhere?
Artists are expected to find their own space to work. We anticipate that for many this will be their own home. The development and mentorship process will take place remotely via digital platforms.
A small budget is available for resources for each residency, to be allocated in discussion with the Scottish Youth Theatre core team.
Trios will comprise three artists who have an established performance practice in any medium. They will know each other and each other’s work but may not have made work together before.
They will be matched with a professional mentor where we feel there is synergy in their areas of practice or enquiry. If appropriate, the selected mentor(s) may be an established collective. Between January and March they will be supported to develop an original piece of performance to be shared as part of the Making Space online festival.
Artists are expected to find their own space to work. We anticipate that for many this will be their own home. The development and mentorship process will take place remotely via digital platforms.
Artists are encouraged to consider ways in which this work might reach an audience in a COVID-safe manner: How could it use digital technologies? Could it happen outdoors at social distance? Could it be installed somewhere?
A small budget is available for resources for each residency, to be allocated in discussion with the Scottish Youth Theatre core team.
This residency pathway recognises that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on young artists’ ability to network and work together. These residency artists will be matched into duos or trios with artists they have never met before and supported by a professional mentor to create a brand new work together for scratch performance.
Responding to a prompt created by the whole cohort of New Collaborators, artists will make innovative work for live or recorded media that explores the intersections between their creative practices – they will take risks, be generous, be playful.
Artists are expected to find their own space to work. We anticipate that for many this will be their own home. The development and mentorship process will take place remotely via digital platforms.
Artists are encouraged to consider ways in which this work might reach an audience in a COVID-safe manner: How could it use digital technologies? Could it happen outdoors at social distance? Could it be installed somewhere?
A small budget is available for resources for each collaboration, to be allocated in discussion with the Scottish Youth Theatre core team.
Find out more about the Making Space programme pre-COVID via our archive.
Making Space is supported by the Foyle Foundation and Creative Scotland.
