Good News
April 2024
Hello - Grace & Manli here from Horizons Collective.
We have some big news to share, but first let’s start with a bit of context!
In May 2023, we partnered with New Earth Theatre to help them shape and deliver their New Earth Academy+ programme for ESEA theatre makers from Greater Manchester and Salford. We did this as part of our day jobs at The Lowry and the Regional Theatre Young Director Scheme (RTYDS), working alongside theatre partners HOME, Royal Exchange Theatre, Z-Arts and Factory International.
The programme spanned nine months, with a group of 15 early career ESEA theatre makers coming together for monthly Masterclasses with industry leaders and to see work in and around Manchester. It culminated in a Scratch Night at The Lowry in February 2024, where five artists from the cohort were awarded seed funding and mentoring to showcase their brand-new ideas in front of a public audience.
With three successful cohorts of New Earth Academy Writers and Theatre Makers (2020-2022) in Salford and Greater Manchester under our belts, we thought this was the right time to build on the success of these projects.
With hopes to further enhance the legacy and impact for ESEA artists in the North West, we applied for an Arts Council National Lottery Grant. We proposed that Horizons Collective would formalise our collective structure, increase our online presence, and micro-commission four pieces of work - and we’re very excited to tell you that our bid was successful!
We’re so delighted that we have some resources now to put behind our ambitious plans to support and develop the ESEA creative community in the North West.
We have already put our plans in motion and in March 2024, we got together with 10 members of the Horizons Collective community for an Away Day in Salford. We used this day as an opportunity to listen to each other, think strategically, and collaboratively shape the future of the collective for the benefit of the wider ESEA creative community, whilst also honouring the ESEA trailblazers that came before us.
Stay tuned for more information about how Horizons Collective will develop!