About Us
Theatre Orchard Project is the only arts development organisation that has a specific commitment to North Somerset. Our mission is to enable and support imaginative new performing arts projects and productions for people of all ages and backgrounds in this region. We draw upon a wide range of extraordinary performing artists and arts organisations - actors, storytellers, writers, musicians, visual artists and dancers – to champion fresh, passionate, thought-provoking live arts projects in North Somerset, performed in surprising locations. Whether small scale or epic, inspiration for our work comes from the people, places and stories hidden in the landscape.
Vision
Confident, fulfilled and cohesive North Somerset communities, connected through active engagement in a locally rooted performing arts ecology.Goals
GOAL 1: To provide performing arts frameworks for people in North Somerset.
GOAL 2: To build audience, artist and arts facilitator networks.
GOAL 3: To develop a sustainable, well-managed, flexible organisation.People
Creative producer Fiona Matthews has worked on a number of major national and regional arts projects across the art forms, having previously managed Sainsbury's Arts Sponsorship programme which included such initiatives as 'Check Out Theatre' for young audiences and 'Pictures for Schools' in conjunction with BBC Education. She has recently worked as Arts Development officer for North Somerset Council developing a number of performance-based projects with a strong community-focus. Fiona also freelances in the public art field.
Producer Becky Chapman has worked in the area of live arts and audience engagement for over 3 decades. She returned to the UK in 2010 after 10 years in Australia where she worked as Artistic Associate for the Australian Theatre for Young People in Sydney and in Arts Development for Accessible Arts, the peak body for arts and disability in NSW. Previously Becky was Education Director for Theatre Centre, the UK's National Touring Young People's Company; Education Director for Tamasha Theatre; Youth Theatre Director for Shared Experience Theatre and Creative Learning Director for arts organisations throughout England. Becky is also working as Festival Producer for World Stage, England's first international festival of performing arts that will take place in Bristol in July 2011.
Board of Trustees: David Fairclough, Katie Keeler, Liz Milner, Sue Pearce and Bob Walton.
Theatre Orchard Project would like to thank Liz Milner for use of visual images and photos from Festival of Eight.
Theatre Orchard Project is supported by Arts Council England, Quartet Fair Share, North Somerset Council.
