Birds of Paradise Theatre Company is seeking an experienced artist with a socially-engaged practice to join the company during our benefits focused production Don’t. Make. Tea. The aim of the attachment is to create a space for further artistic interrogation and response to the themes within the work that engages with the company and the public.
Don’t. Make. Tea. Associate Artist
Overview
Responsible to: Executive Director
Period of engagement: August – December 2022
Fee: £5000 (this is a freelance role, and you will be resonsible for paying your own tax)
Deadline: Monday 18th July, 8am
We are keen to hear from applicants who traditionally have experienced barriers and identity as coming from a mixed heritage background or a person of colour, LGBTQ+ or from a low socio-economic background.
Role
We are seeking an experienced artist to join the company as Associate Artist from August – December 2022. This time period covers our return to live theatre with the play Don’t. Make. Tea. by Rob Drummond. We are interested in creating a space for a disabled artist with a socially engaged practice to work alongside us in response to this production and in particular the reaction and experience of audiences to the themes and issues within the work.
The benefits system impacts hugely on the lives of many disabled people and how society views and treats them and we want to create a space ancillary to the production where discussion can take place, reactions can be explored and the outcomes potentially contained and communicated through further artistic output.
We are open with regards to the content of activity, or how the Associate Artist may work with BOP, its audience and stakeholders, as we would like for this to come from the artist, their ideas and practice. During the period of the attachment the Associate Artist will be considered to be ‘in residence’ with BOP and as such has access to the company and our activities.
Our requirements are:
- The artist’s work responds to the themes present in Don’t. Make. Tea. (see below for information about these themes)
- The artist finds ways to engage with potential and attending audiences to enrich their engagement with the play and the company
- There is artistic output resulting from the work
- There is a focus on engaging with disabled people
- The work must take place in Scotland
The work should be proposed in three phases to help us assess how it fits with the company and our objectives:
- Planning / research
- Delivery / activity / artistic output
- Evaluation / reflection
You will be working independently but you will be required to report back to the BOP management team fortnightly throughout the period of engagement.
Access
BOP understands that Disabled people may experience barriers to the delivery of their artistic practice.
In addition to the fee of £5000.00, we operate access budgets within the company to cover any costs the Associate Artist may incur that relate to their access requirements. These will be agreed upon in advance of the work starting.
Budget
In addition to the Associate Artist’s fee, you will have access to a budget of up to £2000 to cover any production, making, engagement and/or travel (outwith agreed company contact time) costs. There will also be additional budget to cover any costs associated with the access requirements or travel of the participants you may wish to work with and engage. You will be responsible for proper budget management.
Eligibility Criteria
Essential Criteria:
The selected candidate will be able to demonstrate:
- a developed and established artistic practice, with a focus on a socially engaged, activist or community based practice
- experience of working with communities or collaborators – for example organising and running workshops or events
- experience of making work in response to or with others or a given context
- experience of managing a budget
- excellent organisational, administrative and documentation skills
- experience of thorough evaluation processes
- must have a home-base in Scotland & be able to be present in Edinburgh during w/c 3rd Oct 2022
- identify as Disabled – see BOP’s definition of disabled here
Desirable Criteria:
We would like for the candidate to also:
- have experience of working as an artist in the education, charities and/ or voluntary sectors
- have a grounding in disability equality theory and an awareness of issues disabled people experience around the benefits system
- have experience of working in a manner that is considerate of a range of access requirements
- can demonstrate knowledge of how to mitigate barriers to participation people might experience
- have a base in central belt of Scotland but we are open to applicants from across Scotland
How to apply
Please complete the application form by Monday 18th July, 8am
We understand that some people may experience access barriers while undertaking our application process, so we are providing three different ways that people can apply. Please use the process that is the most accessible to you.
You only need to complete one of these processes.
1 - Digital Application Form
If you would prefer to complete the Digital Application Form in a different window, you can do so by clicking here.
2 - Word Document Application Form
If the Digital Application Form is not accessible to you, please download and complete the Word document version of the form, found below.
Please send you completed form into Callum Madge via callum@boptheatre.co.uk
3 - Video Submission Applications
If you would like to send in a video application, please use the Word Document Application Form (above) as a guide to the questions you should answer. Please make sure you answer all of the questions outlined in the Word Document Application Form.
Please send your video and any supporting material in to Callum Madge via callum@boptheatre.co.uk
When you have completed the application form, please also complete our Equal Opportunties Form
Any further enquiries please contact our Engagement Manager, Callum Madge via callum@boptheatre.co.uk
Useful information
About BOP
BOP (Birds of Paradise Theatre Company) is a disabled-led professional theatre company based in Scotland, working across three main areas: BOP Theatre; BOP Development; BOP Strategic.
BOP Theatre focuses on putting the stories of disabled people on stage and creates a space in the professional theatre sector for disabled to people to work as writers, directors and actors.
BOP Development focuses on developing future disabled artists and sector professionals through dedicated projects such as our BOP Young Artists programme.
BOP Strategic is the umbrella for our work that impacts on the wider arts world, from our income strand of training and consultation through to our production of Access Scottish Theatre.
The company was originally established in 1993 with the aim of creating opportunities for disabled people to act on stage, and it now makes professional theatre productions that tour Scotland, the UK and abroad.
Starting as a small grassroots organisation on the periphery of the professional theatre sector, BOP is now recognised as a professional theatre company and a leader in international disabled-led, accessible theatre work.
About Don't. Make. Tea.
The year is 2030 and the world is … similar. The benefits system has been overhauled, again, and Chris has been declared fit for work under the new criteria. But there must be some sort of mistake. Chris is disabled. She needs support. She doesn’t like it, but it’s true. Perhaps Ralph, from the Department, can help her. He’s come to her house to assess her. To decide what her future will be. He seems fair minded. Sympathetic. He is absolutely certain that ‘Omni-Cred’ will tackle all of the problems the old system created. But once the interview begins it becomes clear that Chris’s problems are only just beginning.
Is this system really designed to help her? Perhaps she is capable of more than she thinks. How can getting more people into work be a bad thing? And how far will she go to make sure she gets what she needs?
Don’t. Make. Tea. asks serious questions about our disability benefits system and about how we value disabled people. This might not sound like a lot of laughs, but with murder and lies on the table, the stakes are higher than usual!
Find out more here
