Hello, I've been asked to pass along the following information (see below). Basically, The Yard theatre in East London has a number of opportunities for productions this year. It's programming its main season at the moment but will also be hosting a couple of short festivals, including The Theatre of Great Britain in which they would particularly like some Welsh representation.

From a personal point of view, I wrote the libretto for a show there last year (Manga Sister with liveartshow) and will be part of a new production this year (Rhinegold). We had a good experience as a company, it's a great space and they were very helpful with marketing, rehearsal space (provided free), with a box office split.

Anyway, here's the info (there's a bit of bumpf at the start but it soon gets down to the details)....

The Story So Far...
In the spring of 2011 we built a theatre in a vacant warehouse in Hackney Wick. We called it The Yard Theatre. In the summer we hosted a season of theatre, dance and opera. We estimate that a total of 190 artists made work and 8,000 audience visited us.
After opening submissions at the end of last year for our 2012 season, the program is now beginning to take shape. We received over 250 submissions for what amounted to five three-week runs at the theatre. The process of choosing who we commission has taken slightly than anticipated because the number of submissions greatly exceeded our expectations. (There were so many exciting proposals.) We will be announcing our decisions shortly...
In the meantime we would like to open submissions for the short runs and Sunday in the Yards.
This document is written for those artists who want to perform short runs and/or curate a ‘Sunday in the Yard’. The short runs will sit within two different festivals that will take place in July and October of this year. Details about those festivals (and about Sundays) are below.
Before submitting please do spend a bit of time reading about what we do and how we do it. Looking forward to reading your ideas...

“At The Yard, the future has arrived in Hackney Wick”
The Guardian
“The Yard is making innovative, creative use of otherwise unoccupied spaces, taking advantage of materials and space to create something beautiful”
What’s On Stage

Building & Architecture
We worked with Practice Architecture and Chris Daniel to build a performance space in a vacant warehouse in Queen’s Yard, Hackney Wick.
The warehouse has been split into two sections – one housing the theatre, and the other holding the bar, to which the back ‘bowl’ of the seating rake is fully visible.
Made with recycled and reclaimed material, the theatre seats 130 in a fully raked amphitheatre. The stage is large, there are four performer entrances and exits, and there are excellent acoustics. In keeping with the honest aesthetic of the architecture, the dressing room is a semi-transparent light box that sits in the bar, making visible silhouettes preparing for the stage.
We think there is a beauty that lies in the collision between Greek and Elizabethan architecture and its juxtaposition in an industrial warehouse space where the concrete floor and corrugated roof are clearly visible.
“The Yard is a fantastic, all-consuming idea”

Do The Green Thing
Programming
We do our best to be fair and transparent when deciding what to program. We program artists through a combination of invited and open submissions. Last year we met approximately 40% of the people who applied to perform work at The Yard. If we decide that we don't think an application is right for us then we will explain our reasons.
We like to take risks, rather than attempting to assume audience preferences. During the two festivals we would like to program work that
challenges theatrical and narrative forms
And in doing so we would like that work to
explore how different disciplines can influence performance

The Festivals
We are now opening submissions for our two festivals. We are asking each submitting artists to respond to the titles of each festival.
The titles and dates of the festivals are as follows:
As well as theatre we hope to be able to host opera, musicals or dance wherever appropriate. It is also worth noting that we are mostly interested in the development of new work, rather than the transfer of material that has been presented elsewhere.
During the festivals we will be offering runs of between one and five nights.
We would like each festival to comprise of companies and artists who have significant followings and reputations alongside first-time performers with relative inexperience – but all who fit into a coherent whole of challenging, surprising and excellent work.
The Dates
The Titles
2nd July – 28th July
‘The Theatre of Great Britain’
&
9th October – 20th October
‘Heaven is a Place on Earth’ (Belinda Carlisle)

Sundays in The Yard
As well as our regular Tuesday to Saturday evening performances, we are also inviting submissions for artists to curate a ‘Sunday in the Yard.’ On a 'Sunday in the Yard', we hand our theatre and other spaces over to artistic groups. The brief is deliberately kept open and the day can be structured as each company desires.
The dates for each Sunday in the Yard are as follows:
On Sundays we are able to open the theatre from 11am, and we need to close at midnight. This should include get-in and get-out time.
It is worth noting that we are also interested to hear from companies who might want to design days for children (and their parents).
“Demonstrating an enormous amount of adventurous spirit and resourcefulness, bringing real vivacity to an area that is usually rather neglected on the cultural scene”
Exeunt Magazine

Sundays in the Yard
20th May
10th June
16th September
11th November
3rd December

How We Work
What We Offer We want to make it easier to create new theatre in London. To do that The Yard:
Does not charge artists anything for the hire of the performing space Does not charge artists anything for use of one of our many rehearsal spaces Support artists with free marketing and technical support Gives back 51% of the net box office takings to the artist or company Offers artists the opportunity to become part of The Yard’s ensemble

Technical Support
The Yard offers companies superb technical support, free of charge. Our production manager and technician help each show, to ensure shows run smoothly and technical facilities are used to their full potential, but we do recommend that all artists submitting for the festivals and Sundays in the Yard keep their technical requirements to a minimum.
There is 100 amp three phase power supply and the theatre’s rig has dimmers, a lighting desk, and a minimum of 12 lanterns. The space will also include stereo sound facilities and a projector.
The theatre’s floor is concrete & beautiful.
“What a joy it is to visit this obscure corner of Hackney Wick and discover not only a pop-up theatre that actually lives up to its potential but also, finally, a decent fringe venue for east London”
Time Out

An Ensemble of Artists
We try to create a supportive environment for all those who we commission. We do this by encouraging everyone to share processes and ideas.
Midway through their rehearsal process each company is invited to holds a 'workshop performance'; each commissioned artist is invited to attend and respond to the work through carefully facilitated feedback sessions. We hope this is mutually beneficial for both company and invited artists.
At the opening night of each show we get everyone back together to share a meal and to continue the conversations (the meal is on us).
In adopting these practices we hope to create an ensemble of artists who make work at The Yard. Rather than be a receiving house for lots of different companies, we want The Yard to be a home for artists, offering a safe and exciting place to make work. But to operate the way we do - and to give artists the opportunities we offer - we also rely on volunteers. To that end, we ask everyone invited to rehearse and perform at The Yard to give a bit of time to help make the building tick.

Rehearsals & Community Participation
One of the main reasons The Yard’s first season worked was because we started a dialogue with the people who live nearby. This dialogue happens because we work and rehearse in different community centres around the local area. The centres make their spaces available to our artists to rehearse in, and in return our ensemble deliver workshops to those who regularly use the centres.
This model means that artists are given access to excellent rehearsal spaces without the hiring expense, and in return community groups have benefited from a wide range of expertise that they may not have experienced before. This model of exchange has supported the work of local community centres and been key to us developing a local audience.
During the season we are always talking with artists about how we can encourage the locals to visit us. We are hungry for new ideas, and want to support those who have new approaches to developing new audiences for theatre. So if anyone in the ensemble has an idea, we will always do our best to make it happen.
.
“A performer’s paradise”
The Hackney Citizen

How We Sell Tickets
Last season we sold lots of tickets, which was a fantastic beginning. Next season we are exploring ways in which we can harness and develop this success.
1) Pricing
The Yard makes theatre affordable to make, we also want to make theatre affordable to see. High ticket prices put people off seeing a show by a director, performer or writer who they know nothing about. And in turn, this affects the risks theatres are willing to take on artists who have no track record. And so to encourage audiences to take risks we have set our prices relatively low.

Our Ticketing Structure
We hope that because no ticket price exceeds £10, more people will be encouraged to come to the theatre to see work that is different from anything they’ve ever seen before.
3 Week Runs
£4 tickets on Tuesdays,
£9 tickets for rest of week
Short Runs
Flexible pricing, up to a maximum of £10
Sundays at The Yard
Flexible pricing, from £5 and up to a maximum of £15 for a ‘day
ticket’'.

2) Marketing Support
The Yard employs a marketing officer and a press manager who will give their full support to each company. We try to develop unique marketing campaigns, tailored for each show and, if required, make contact with, and then be a point of contact for, all press. To keep our carbon footprint small the theatre will continue to focus its efforts on electronic marketing via its e-mailing list, Facebook, Twitter and viral campaigns, rather than paper flyers and leaflets.

3) The Bar
We are not just a theatre. We host exhibitions of local artists' work, we serve delicious drinks and we cook great food. (And we have also been known to throw parties at weekends.) Food and drink are very reasonably priced with meals generally costing less than £8 and drinks priced at £3. Non- production events, e.g. art exhibitions, play readings and musical performances are all offered to the public free of charge. The bar, and what happens in the bar, will continue to bring audiences to The Yard next season.
And in conclusion...
In its first season, The Yard converted a vacant warehouse into a superb theatre that delivered dozens of newly commissioned productions to thousands of visitors. It offered a supportive environment for artists and audience to take risks together. In its short life it also developed innovative ways of engaging with local community centres. Next year we will build on this early promise and deliver something even more extraordinary.
“The buzzy bar and restaurant support the programme of work by theatre- makers whose most consistent attributes are youth; bright, slightly bonkers ideas; and a willingness to be part of a shoestring collective enterprise”
Time Out

How Artists Engage With Us
We are accepting submissions for The Theatre of Great Britain, Heaven is a Place on Earth (Belinda Carlisle) and Sundays in the Yard.
If you think you have an idea or production that fits our ethos and works well with our space and what is on offer, we would love to hear from you. If you are applying for a short run, drop us a line telling us about your idea and how it responds to the title of the relevant festival.
If you want to curate/perform a Sunday in the Yard then please tell us about your idea and how it would work as a day-long event.
In both cases please tell us about experience you think is relevant. And finally, don’t forget to write which weeks you are available to rehearse and perform your work.
Please don’t send us full scripts to read – sadly, we won’t have time to read them. If there is a text that you think is key to your proposal, do send us a short extract.
So, in brief, your proposal should include the following:
1. 1 side of A4 outlining your idea – this should include a. HowyourideacomplementsTheYard'sartisticpolicy(andfestivals,if
relevant). b. The preferred dates of your production. c. Your rehearsal requirements. How long would you ideally like to
rehearse? (Please bear in mind that we sadly won't be able to support long development periods. An average rehearsal period is between 1-2 weeks for short runs.)
2. 1 side of A4 giving information about the submitting artist or company. 3. Internet links, photographs or recordings of previous work
At this stage, don’t sweat over a long and detailed proposal: just send us your idea and we’ll take it from there.
Last year lots of people got a bit enthused with their applications and sent us lots of pages to read. We're really pleased you're excited about your idea, but to be fair to everyone, we only read two sides of A4. Please bear this in mind. And, like most people, we would like to look after our trees, so we are only accepting submissions by email. Please send submissions to info@the-yard.co.uk
We will be arranging a time to have coffee with applicants sometime in early/mid March. Please send submissions by 2nd March.

Where Is The Yard?
The Yard is 5 minutes walk from Hackney Wick Station, and two minutes from a number of local bus routes that take people into town.
2011 Season (in chronological order)
Visiting Artist / Company
Name of Production    Description
Stationery Excess    Two productions fusing shocking physical Made in China    / Dreams of a House on a    performance with witty and humorous writing
High Hill
Nina Feldman    Walking and Waving
Dance-based one-woman show , about personal memories of South Africa and her parents’ divorce
Flick Ferdinando    The Caroline Carter Show Comic    musical    performance    about    a    fictional country singer
Hannah Price    Fragile / Cello
Two new plays by David Greig including a world premiere at The Yard
Jackub Porkari Corporation
Stewart Melton
Helen Chadwick
A performance about an audience enslaving actors. Half Pork    By a Polish company who were invited from
Warsaw to perform at The Yard
Imagine You Are Everyone Performance    by    a    huge    community    cast    using and Everything    tweets relating to the imprisonment of Ai Weiwei
Dream Through Your    Beautiful, original musical compositions, sung Singing Mouth    alongside surprising anecdotes
Miki Kelland    Last Stand / Rethink
Tess Seddon    Git
Two original choreographed dance pieces based on a range of texts, including a comic-book
Newly-devised play based on Peer Gynt, with Peer being played by four different actors
Sasha Milavic-    All Night I Dream About New play about the existential questions facing Devies    Being Good    performers back-stage
Kanti Biswas    Fret
Alex Rennie    The Fall
Eve Parmiter    Property of Sand
A newly devised piece about angst in young nightclub-goers in London.
Newly devised piece based on Milton’s Paradise lost, performed by a dancer, cellist and actor
One-woman show relating a personal story of falling in love with another girl
Using drawings and projection, a one-man show Greg Wohead    I Never Even Killed A Bird about an truly eventful night in a prison jail in
LiveArtShow    Manga Sister
Texas
World premiere of a new, fantastically received, opera
New, insightful adaptation of The Tempest, Theatre6    Shiver    imagining Prospero and Miranda 12 years after the
Jay Miller    A Bacchae
first play
Radical re-interpretation of the classic Greek text, in a modern setting
2011 Sundays in the Yard
Cat Gerrard    Stories    Storytelling-based    Sunday    in    the    Y ard performed by various companies
Bill Aitchinson    2012    Political Sunday in The Yard involving debate and performances relating to current
affairs
Erik Perera    Matyoshka    Sunday in the Yard devised and performed by a wide range of performers and visual artists
from the local area
Elysian Quartet    A Birthday Party    A Sunday in The Yard of musical performances to celebrate 10 years of this
famous, avant-garde classical quartet
Harry Giles    This Is Not A Riot    Sunday    In    The    Y ard    using    theatrical performances to examine and challenge
recent current events in London
‘An underused industrial estate in Hackney Wick has blossomed into a makeshift cultural hub – exactly the sort of batshit-mental enterprise you'd hope to be taking place in the middle of a big pile of reclaimed scrap in this desolate Olympic Park adjunct’
Time Out
The Team
Jay Miller Tarek Iskander Erik Perera Practice Architecture
Associate Artists
Alexander Rennie Martin Constantine Greg Wohead
Trustees
Charles Bradley Chris Daniel Joe Fredericks Gabrielle Vautier
Personnel, Associates & Partnering Organisations
Artistic Director Associate Artistic Director Production Manager
Partnering Organisations
Arts Council England Tower Hamlets Council Hackney Council Olympic Park Legacy Company
The Yard is a registered charity (no. 1144028)
A Statistic
Between August and September 2011 we attracted more than 8000 people to our building.
A Fact
Next year we hope to do better.

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