BET mailing list

Submit your email

BET on Twitter

Loading feed...

Charity number: 1077161

Company number: 3724349

Blue Elephant Theatre Privacy policy.

We use cookies for Google Analytics, but these can be disabled via your browser configuration.

News

The Blue Elephant Theatre never ever does things by halvesIn-SpirelsMagazine.co.uk

Please see our past programme section for reviews of past shows.

News

Help and resources for our local community

Date published
Thursday 19 March 2020

In these strange and difficult times, we wanted to collate some resources that we hope will be a practical help for local families and visitors to our theatre. Please feel free to share this list widely, and look after yourselves. We hope to be welcoming back our brilliant audiences and participants to our theatre as soon as we possibly can.

Food and Practical Support

Southwark Foodbanks - locations include Camberwell, Peckham, Bermondsey and Walworth.
- Details of locations
- Details of referrals
- Details of opening times

Covid Mutual Aid UK is a group of volunteers supporting local community groups organising mutual aid throughout the Covid-19 outbreak in the UK. They focus on providing resources and connecting people to their nearest local groups, willing volunteers and those in need. They recognise that some people are more vulnerable than others and are working to support that.

Click here for a Central Mutual Aid Group where you can access your local group either to help out or to receive help.

Southwark Mutual Aid
- Information on how to find your local WhatsApp support group
- Local queries and questions
- Requests for support if self-isolating

Southwark Council Coronavirus Information Page - Local-focused information from Southwark Council that advises how you can help or receive help.

General Advice

NHS Guidance on Coronavirus
- Stay at home advice
- How to avoid catching and spreading Covid-19 (social distancing)
- See more here.

111 Online
Check your symptoms online, no need to call unless urgent

Mind - Information on how to look after your mental health and well-being during this time.
- General advice on coronavirus anxiety
- Advice if you are self-isolating

MindSet

A new free programme set up by charity Body & Soul in response to the current situation, Mindset is a regular livestream for young people aged 16 - 30 who are looking for help managing emotional distress. Email enquiries@bodyandsoulcharity.org to register.

Official Government guidance
- What to do you if you have symptoms
- Number of cases
- Risk level
- Recent Government action
- Further information

For activities and resources for young people, please see our spreadsheet here

News

Q&A with David West of EQ Dance Company

Date published
Thursday 12 March 2020

David is Artistic Director of EQ Dance Company and has choreographed the two pieces they are showing on Friday 13th March as part of "Love Your Mind".

How did you form EQ Dance Company and what does the name mean?

Having my own company was something I wanted throughout the whole of my dance training, but having had depression, and poor mental health, I realised that rather than just being a company, I wanted to create a community, a collective of artists/people. A company where they feel that their boss does have their best interests in mind. EQ stands for emotional intelligence (people smart). It’s been said by some to be the true intelligence. The company started up in June 2018.

Why is mental health so important to you?

I feel like it's important as it can have such huge impacts on you, including physically. If it's bad enough even just doing the laundry can feel daunting. Suicide is one of the biggest killers, especially of men, which why I've made a work about this as part of this upcoming show.

Tell us about P.S: Ama-te and Ana De Albuquerque?

P.S: Amate cover elements such as loneliness, and solitude so it was a good fit for our evening. For myself this was a great opportunity to give one of the members of the company (Ana) the chance to show something, rather than just me producing work. This has something I've wanted for my members for a while now. I want to create more of these opportunities for my members down the road, as an effort to support those in my company. Creating that environment is another step forward to creating a positive, healthy community within EQDC.

How long have you been dancing/creating dance performances?

I've been dancing since I was 16 but I only took it seriously when I was 18, and started professional training. In terms of creating work, I've been doing that from the beginning. Being a creative is my passion, not just as a choreographer, but as an artistic director too. The trifector for me has been learning to produce over last year and putting that back into the company. I feel complete as a creative now, and more hungry than ever to put all my skills to use.

News

Call Out for our 2020 programme

Date published
Tuesday 10 March 2020

We're excited to be putting a call out for work to be programmed in 2020 and beyond at Blue Elephant Theatre.

Blue Elephant Theatre is located in South East London, off Camberwell Road. It is an intimate, friendly venue and our programming seeks to support emerging artists creating new work.
We work on a 50/50 box office split basis. We give fundraising, press, marketing and general support to our companies and artists, and rehearsal space where feasible

Edit: We are now unlikely to programme shows in April. There is obviously a lot of uncertainty about planning events in the next few months but we are looking to begin conversations anyway. We may also look to relax our programming guidelines for later in the year if shows start being cancelled now and cannot be rescheduled at their original theatre when the threat around Covid-19 has lessened.

Things to Note:

• We are particularly interested in work that reflects the London we live in – the communities here, issues we face, all the juxtapositions this large multicultural city throws at us.
• We are also particularly interested in working with artists who will really benefit from working with us – we want to help artists get to the next step, whatever that is for them at that time.
• We want everyone to feel welcome at the Blue Elephant – we work with artists from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences and want to continue to support emerging artists who may not feel altogether ‘welcomed’ into the arts industry for whatever reasons.
• If you consider yourself to still be an ‘emerging’ artist in some way, you are welcome to apply to us – it’s a tricky term to qualify! We do try to mostly support people at the start of their careers or the start of a new development in their careers but recognise that it is tough being an independent artist/company and you may feel that you are ‘emerging’ for a long time.
• We generally do not programme new productions of established scripts which have had runs in London previously or work which has been presented in London before and has not changed or developed significantly. We do, however, often programme work that we have seen as rehearsed readings, scratch pieces or works-in-progress as they go on to a further stage of their development.
• We usually programme theatre, dance (generally contemporary) and some comedy. Our stage is reasonable largely for a 50 seat venue (5.5m x 7.5m) and we have dance flooring although it has seen better days. There’s more information about our venue on our website under Info for Companies.
• We are looking to programme work at all stages of development, from scratch pieces looking for one night showings to three-week runs. We are happy to look ahead and work with a company as they develop a show and support them to secure funding.
• We cannot produce any scripts submitted to us as an in house show – our monthly Writers Group is the best way to work on a script with us. If you are submitting a script to us, please indicate that you intend to arrange for it to be produced if programmed (we will support with this!); otherwise we will be unable to read it.
• Our theatre space downstairs is wheelchair-accessible and there is an accessible bathroom but our bar/café area upstairs is not wheelchair accessible. We have one small dressing-room and it is unlikely that a wheelchair could fit through its doors easily but there may be workarounds.
• We currently have some space for performances in April, early May and June and from September into 2021.

To apply to put on a show at the Blue Elephant, please email Niamh and Jimmy at submissions@blueelephanttheatre.co.uk with:
• An outline of the proposed show and some background information on those involved
• Proposed dates
• A script if it exists yet
• Footage of past work
• We are based in Southwark and supported by Southwark Council so it is always useful to hear if you live or work in Southwark!

For more information about what we are looking for, please read our Blue Elephant Theatre 2020 Call.

If you have any questions, including about applying in a different or more accessible way, please email submissions@blueelephanttheatre.co.uk or call 020 7701 0100.

Unfortunately, we cannot accept applications from artists and companies based outside of the UK.

News

Call Out for Elefeet Dance Festival

Date published
Wednesday 20 November 2019

Blue Elephant Theatre is looking for dance performances for our Elefeet Dance Festival in early 2020 (late February – early March 2019).

We’re looking for dance pieces created by emerging artists and/or companies, ideally which haven’t been performed in London before.

We are a 50 seat black box venue, and our performance space has a 42m2 stage area (5.5m x 7.6m). We offer a 50/50 box office split (no other fees except a small, returnable deposit), and support with press and marketing.

Our performance space is on the ground floor and is wheelchair accessible, however unfortunately our bar upstairs is not. Blue Elephant Theatre welcomes applications from all sections of the community regardless of race, colour, ethnic or national origins, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, disability or religious beliefs.

To apply, please email submissions@blueelephanttheatre.co.uk etc with some information about the piece, your past work and dates available. If you have footage of the proposed piece or past work, please include that.

Please aim to email by December 9th although there is no strict cut off date.

News

Casting Call for The Christmas Quest

Date published
Wednesday 16 October 2019

Blue Elephant Theatre is excited to be mounting an in house family Christmas show The Christmas Quest.

The Christmas Quest is about a quest to fix Santa’s Letter-Machine and ensure a happy Christmas. It is also about celebrating difference and inclusivity, while being full of slapstick humour and playfulness. It is aimed at ages 4+

Dates:
Rehearsals: November 14th & 15th (exploratory/workshop days from 10am – 6pm – some flexibility may be possible around these days but if you can’t do the morning of the 15th, you will need to come in on a Tuesday instead for a costume fitting)
Sunday December 1st – Tuesday December 3rd, Thursday 5th & Friday 6th (all approx. 10am – 6pm – potentially a late evening on Friday 6th
Get-in day: Friday 6th December

Performance Days: December 7th to 17th (excluding the 11th) with two shows a day. On weekdays, the performances will be at 10.45 and 1.30 (except for Friday 13th when they will be at 1.30pm & 4.30pm) and on weekends they will be at 2pm and 4.30pm. There is a possibility of a third show being added on some days.

Total Payment: £1655 including holiday pay for the above schedule.

Casting Breakdown:

Elf – A perfectionist, comes across as very efficient but gets anxious about doing everything right. Can be a little blunt.

Reindeer – Friendly and a little clumsy. Brings a lot of slapstick comedy to the play but can also be very earnest.

Good comic timing and movement skills are helpful for both parts and actors should be comfortable leading Christmas carols. Puppetry skills/experience may also be helpful for both parts. Ideal applicants will have considerable experience of children’s theatre and the ability to react quickly and ad-lib in response to audience interaction.

We have no gender, age or ethnicity in mind for these characters. However, we would encourage actors of BAME backgrounds to apply as we aim for our casting to reflect our multi-ethnic local community.

***Applications for this opportunity have now closed***

Please apply via our audition notice on Mandy or by emailing submissions@blueelephanttheatre.co.uk by end of day on October 25th with a CV/spotlight link and short cover note outlining your suitability for the project. If emailing, please entitle the email ‘Christmas Quest Application’ and address it to Niamh de Valera and indicate which character you are more interested in. It would be helpful if you could indicate if you have had a DBS check within the last three years and could fill out and send the monitoring form below.

We aim to hold auditions at Blue Elephant Theatre on the evening of November 1st.

For more information about Blue Elephant Theatre, please visit our website www.blueelephanttheatre.co.uk. Please email Niamh at niamh@blueelephanttheatre.co.uk if you have any further questions.

Blue Elephant Theatre welcomes applications from all sections of the community regardless of race, colour, ethnic or national origins, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, disability or religious beliefs.

Click here to download The Christmas Quest Casting Call and Monitoring Form

News

World Mental Health Day: Q&A with Caldonia Walton

Date published
Thursday 10 October 2019

We caught up with Caldonia Walton for World Mental Health Day about Weight/Wait, the dance show she and Katharine Richardson have created. It centres around a young woman called Karen who is at her first counselling session.

Why did you want to make Weight/Wait?

Weight/Wait came from my own experiences and many of my friends of trying to navigate unnecessary and bombarding thought patterns throughout a chaotic London life. It’s had many iterations from a trio to a solo to this duet, and came out of a time when I personally struggled to leave the house because I just couldn’t make a decision so therefore would just stay indoors battling it out with my thoughts. Weight/Wait is a response to this experience that I started making in my living room, through the link of dance and text it hopes to demonstrate the confusing thoughts and feelings you can go through that are hard to put into words. It asks the audience to think about their own mental well-being too and seeks to show hope even when Karen (the main character) feels underwater.

What do you mean by the title, Weight/Wait?

The literal and figurative ‘weight’ of the mind on the body and how your thoughts can make you feel heavy. How those thoughts can make us ‘wait’ and procrastinate as we can’t make a decision.

What have been the most memorable responses to the show?

A lot of tears at Brighton Fringe! We were surprised and touched that the work had spoken truthfully to a lot of people about their own experiences with mental health and well-being or of those of people they know.

Weight/Wait is choreographed by Caldonia Walton and Katharine Richardson, and will be on at Blue Elephant Theatre on Friday 25th October. More information here.

Photo Credit: Mickael Marso Riviere

Weight/Wait - Production Trailer from caldonia dances on Vimeo.

News

Residency Opportunities at the Blue Elephant

Date published
Wednesday 9 October 2019

The Blue Elephant is delighted to be able to offer week-long residencies to two emerging artists/companies. These residencies are for the live performing arts, particularly theatre and dance, to provide research and development time. The offer is:

• 5 days space in Blue Elephant’s Theatre (Monday to Friday, 10am – 5.30pm) for research and development of a new piece. The piece can already be a work in progress or be completely new. These weeks will be in January 2020, ideally Monday 20th – Friday 24th and Monday 27th – Friday 31st.
• £300 bursary towards the expenses of those taking part
• Artistic, marketing, press and fundraising mentoring
• Some technical support and the opportunity to present a showcase in our professional theatre

We are always excited to meet new emerging artists and hear about new work. We also love when artists who have worked at Blue Elephant previously look to come back to develop new ideas because they find the space nurturing and supportive. For these residencies, we have decided that one will go to an artist/company who is completely new to us and one to an artist/company who has done work at BET before.

Please see here for more information and for the application form. Please apply by October 25th.

News

Call-Out for Elephantology Shows!

Date published
Wednesday 9 October 2019

Elephantology is Blue Elephant Theatre’s festival for recent graduates. After a successful first year in 2018, it is returning to the Blue Elephant as we welcome the performance-makers of the future to our stage. We often hear from recent graduates from drama and dance schools and universities who have created final pieces for their courses which they believe have life beyond their assessment dates. So we created our Elephantology Festival to offer such pieces showcase opportunities as a supportive step into the arts industry. The selected shows will be offered one professional performance slot on a box office split basis at our venue in South-East London in early 2020 and we will support with press and marketing.

For more information and to apply, please see here. Application forms should be received by October 31st.

News

Development Officer Opportunity with Blue Elephant Theatre

Date published
Wednesday 11 September 2019

This is a new part-time role within the organisation, made possible by funding from the Evening Standard Dispossessed Fund: Save London Lives. Part Fundraiser/Community Liaison Officer, this role will work to support Blue Elephant Theatre to have a positive impact on discouraging young people locally from becoming involved in crime, particularly knife crime and gang related violence. The post-holder will do so by raising funds for projects, brokering and maintaining partnerships and relationships locally and working with Blue Elephant to evaluate our work in this area and identify room for development.

Further information can be downloaded here.

We have a goal of raising £50,000 over the year. This will feed directly into projects run in schools for disadvantaged young people and also to create opportunities for 18-25 year olds. We also expect this employee to create longer-term relationships and opportunities which can continue to be developed in the future to add stability to the organisation.

Blue Elephant Theatre currently receives core funding from Arts Council England and Southwark Council and has a successful track record of securing funding from trusts and grants and maintaining positive relationships with funders and other stakeholders so there is a strong basis on which to begin fundraising.

This is a flexible post and may suit an experienced fundraiser looking for a more varied project than usual or a youth worker or drama facilitator with some fundraising experience looking to develop these skills. A small amount of working from home will be possible although the post-holder will be expected to spend time in the office and to visit the various projects that we run locally and work alongside a variety of project leaders and volunteers, sharing knowledge and resources.

Salary £130 per day
Hours 55-60 days over one year
Holiday Entitlement Statutory
Probation Period 3 months
Pension Option to join our NEST pension scheme (auto-enrolment will also apply if earnings threshold is reached)

Reporting to Executive & Co-Artistic Director & Participation & Co-Artistic Director

Duties and Responsibilities

The successful candidate will work alongside our committed and ambitious team, to support their work with the local community and have a positive impact on reducing crime.

Specific Responsibilities:

Fundraising

*Fundraising will form the largest part of this role*

• Investigating BET’s suitability for potential funding opportunities
• Writing funding applications
• Ensuring reports are submitted by the deadlines given
• Seeking out new/creative ways to raise funds
• Raise £50,000 project funding (or alternatively agreed targets appropriate to the final agreement)
• Working alongside project staff to ensure that information for applications is accurate.

Project Support

• Visits to projects to become familiar with BET’s work
• Supporting evaluating the impact of projects
• Being a ‘critical friend’ to help identify areas we could develop to meet our aims

Relationship Building

• Seeking out partners and other contacts specific to developing this work
• Brokering meetings between BET project staff and contacts developed
• Developing and maintaining relationships with partners, stakeholders and other contacts

Other

• Act as Key holder, including responsibility for opening up and locking when required/agreed
• To actively promote equal opportunities
• Adhere to the theatre’s Health and safety policies
• To represent BET at networking events if necessary
• To undertake any other duties reasonably requested
• To support the implementation of BET’s Business plan, including its aim to be a safe space which supports the expression of creativity.

The above list is not exhaustive and reasonable duties may be added to it especially as this is a new role.

Person Specification:

Essential
• Proven record of strong fundraising skills, especially with written applications. Please be prepared to discuss specific examples.
• A self-motivator, able to work independently
• Interest in the work of our charity, in particular work around keeping young people safe
• Excellent communication skills, including good grammar and spelling
• Interest in seeking out new/ creative ways to raise funds
• A quick learner

Desirable
• Knowledge of trusts and foundations relevant to our funding needs
• Experience of working with disadvantaged young people
• Experience of working to reduce crime amongst young people

As part of the application procedure, applicants should create a proposal/work plan considering their own commitments (eg a parent may want to work only during term-times) over the coming year alongside the needs of a successful fundraising plan.

We wish to see a brief work plan spanning one year from the start of the employment. The plan should include how you would use the hours for this post to make the most of the opportunity so that our income target is met. This could range from spreading out the days at regular intervals across the year, or working for shorter intense periods. Please indicate why you feel that this work plan will be successful and enable you to meet targets.

To apply: Please send us your CV, a covering letter detailing why you would like the role, your suitability for it and brief work plan to recruitment@blueelephanttheatre.co.uk. Please also download and complete a monitoring form and attach this to your email. Please note the final agreement on targets will be made with the successful applicant – we feel that the above is indicative of what is realistic and appropriate but that it is best to set targets etc with the post-holder.

Deadline for applications: 10am Friday 27th September
Interviews will be held on either Friday 4th or Monday 7th October

For more details or if you require a different format please call 020 7701 0100 or email jo@blueelephanttheatre.co.uk.

Blue Elephant Theatre welcomes applications from all sections of the community regardless of race, colour, ethnic or national origins, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, disability or religious beliefs.

News

Q&A with Chica Michelle

Date published
Tuesday 27 August 2019

We're very excited to be showing Chica Michelle Concert this Saturday, which promises to be an exciting night of vibrant emerging singers and musicians.

We got in touch with the creative force behind it and headline performer Chica Michelle to find out more about what inspired her to organise this new music platform.

How long have you lived in South London?

I have lived in South London for over 10 years.

What’s the best thing about living here (apart from BET, obviously)?

I love the diversity and easy transportation.

Why are you passionate about live music?

Live music plays a huge part in bringing music lovers together. The audience appreciates the different genre and culture attached to the different sound they hear. Established and upcoming artists understand the importance of live music event and uses that platform to reach their fans and gain new ones. I am passionate about creating that opportunity, new and original songs are heard.

Who should come to Chica Michelle Concert?

Emerging artists and new talents (unsigned single, duos and bands) in the music and dance industry. Artists can use the CMC platform to promote their news songs too. People who love and appreciate great music are welcome to attend.

Chica Michelle Concert is on Saturday 31st August, starting at 6pm. Tickets start from £10 for Southwark residents (or just £5 for students), and come with free refreshments on the night. Find out more and book here.

For a flavour of what to expect, listen to Chica Michelle's Youtube channel.

News

Q&A with Rees Jenkins, Writer & Director of Justice

Date published
Tuesday 21 May 2019

Justice is the first show Rees has written and directed, initially writing the play to raise awareness of knife crime after it affected him and his family. Justice runs at the Blue Elephant from May 21st to 25th.

How did you come to working with the Blue Elephant?

Before this show, I would always hear about the Blue Elephant Theatre being very welcoming and strongly connected to its local community. Romy Iris Conroy (Associate Director) had worked with the Blue Elephant in the past and highly recommended getting in contact with them as the theatre felt appropriate for the play that we were planning to do.

What is Justice about and why is it important now?

Justice is story about what certain young people face in today’s climate with regards to knife crime. It focuses on a young Black male who is not only a victim of knife crime but feels betrayed by those he should be able to trust. It was important to me originally as knife crime has affected my family. With the drastic increase in knife crime in the last few years and the extensive research I did with the subject, I realised that this issue is now more important than ever.

How do you approach the subject matter in performance?

Theatre is such a wonderful place. A liberal and safe space where there are rarely any limitations. Whereas the news is very much sensationalised and doesn’t provide the context that people really need to see. When they talk about knife crime it feels very emotionless, as if the next victim is just another statistic. They never really explore the affects it has on families and communities and, most importantly, the root cause of why it has become a prevalent issue in today’s society. As part of my research I read the book Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge. The book goes into great detail about the faults in our justice system over the years and the racial bias that comes with it. This book gave me so much insight and informed the staging of the play, which aims to subtly suggest the ways in which this predominately white justice system affects our society. Performance doesn’t just tell a story, it gives so much more.

What moments in rehearsal have stood out for you?

I think the most interesting yet challenging part of rehearsals have been staging the non-naturalistic parts of the play. Within the play there are poems paying tribute to real life victims of knife crime and what they achieved as people. These moments draw away from the naturalism of the story’s narrative. We’ve done a lot of playing and exploring with how we want to present these poems as we are performing them through physical theatre. These are being coordinated by our Movement Director, Kieton Saunders-Browne.

Why should audiences come see Justice?

Everyone is welcome to come see Justice. I think the audience that should come see Justice are the ones that aren’t aware of this issue or at least see it in a one-dimensional way. After all, that’s what raising awareness is all about.

News

Trustee Call-Out

Date published
Tuesday 23 April 2019

Blue Elephant Theatre seeks new trustees to join our Board!

Registered charity Blue Elephant Theatre (BET) is a vibrant 50-seat theatre in Camberwell, which aims to offer a wide range of exciting creative opportunities, especially to those who may not otherwise access them. It seeks to nurture new and emerging artists across the performing arts and to provide free participation opportunities for our local communities. After a period of uncertainty, BET became a National Portfolio Organisation in April 2018, meaning that it is now regularly supported by Arts Council England and making it an exciting time to join the theatre. It remains, nonetheless, a small organisation with only two full-time members of staff.

Blue Elephant Theatre is based on the Wyndham & Comber Estate off Camberwell Road in SE5. Our audiences and artists come from all over the world although generally artists are UK-based and we particularly focus on reaching Southwark-based artists. We work with approximately 1500-2000 local people each year, largely through our flagship primary schools programme Creative Minds and our Young People's Theatre which is funded by BBC Children in Need. Our local area is diverse and we are keen to recruit trustees who are representative of the area and/or who are closely tied to Southwark. Our Board of Trustees is predominantly male so we are hoping to recruit more Trustees who identify as female or non-binary at this time.

Joining the Board of Trustees is a voluntary role with no payment although out of pocket expenses may be claimed. Trustees have a legal responsibility for the charity’s management and administration although on a day-to-day basis the running and management of the Blue Elephant is devolved to the senior management.

Joining the Board of the Blue Elephant will involve duties such as:

• Supporting BET to achieve the goals set out in its Business Plan and Equality Action Plan
• Leading and supporting particular projects or subcommittees around particular needs
• Offering support and advice to staff, particularly senior management and particularly around the Trustee's area (s) of special knowledge
• Attending a range of BET events and work to keep in touch with the organisation and its work to ensure it is carrying out its mission statement
• Being a 'critical friend' to the organisation and staff
• Being an Ambassador for BET
• Supporting BET in its fundraising and audience development efforts

The Time Commitment is expected to be:

• Attending Trustee meetings approximately every six weeks and sending apologies if unable to attend
• Reading and commenting on documents sent out (approximately two hours a month)
• Attending a range of Blue Elephant events throughout the year to keep up to date with its work; trustees would normally be expected to attend at least three professional shows and three participation showcases/workshops a year
• Take on additional responsibilities on an ad-hoc basis when able to do so, eg chair a subcommittee, take responsibility for the Youth Board

We are seeking to diversify the skills and experiences on our Board of Trustees and so are particularly looking to recruit:
• Those with legal expertise
• Parents
• Surveyors/Construction workers
• Artists within the performing arts
• Those with knowledge/expertise around Disability Awareness and improving accessibility

Blue Elephant Theatre welcomes applications from all sections of the community. This is generally regardless of race, colour, ethnic or national origins, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, disability or religious beliefs but as explained above, we are looking to address a gender imbalance on our Board at this time.

If you are interested in becoming a trustee of Blue Elephant Theatre, please send a letter explaining your interest and a copy of your CV to recruitment@blueelephanttheatre.co.uk, addressed to Mr Chris Lawrence, Chair of Trustees. Please also complete and send a monitoring form which can be downloaded here

News

TRUNKATED SCRATCH NIGHT- Call out for submissions

Date published
Tuesday 9 April 2019

The Blue Elephant is seeking submissions for its next scratch night, Trunkated, on May 15th at 8pm. Are you developing a live performing arts piece that would benefit from an opportunity to perform it in front of a supportive audience?

The details
Date: Wednesday 15th May (8pm-10pm)
Location: Blue Elephant Theatre, 59a Bethwin Road, SE5 0XT
Payment: £10 per act regardless of number of people involved)

Tickets will be free and the audience will be asked to share feedback.

Guidelines
- The work has to be performative but can be of any genre (new writing, live art, devised, dance, poetry, rap, magic etc.)
- It must be work in progress, no longer than 15 minutes, with minimal technical requirements.
- The main performance space will be the Blue Elephant Theatre, and so selected work will be chosen to suit this space.

Please apply by Friday 19th April.

To find the application form and more information click here here

News

Special Skills Workshop Facilitator: Call Out

Date published
Friday 8 February 2019

Friday 8th February 2019

Are you an artist with a special skill?

Do you have experience of delivering workshops in your skill?

Do you have experience of working with young people?

If yes, then the Blue Elephant Young People’s Theatre are looking for you!

WHO ARE WE? We are a youth theatre funded by Children in Need providing free drama workshops for young people aged 7-18years in the local Southwark area.
WHAT DO WE DO? Every term we invite specialist practitioners in to share their skills with our young people, who will then use these to create their own devised pieces to perform at the end of each term.
WHEN DO WE DO IT? We run sessions every Saturday 10-6pm. The day has 4 sessions for 3 age groups:

Group A1 (7-11yrs)- 10-11am
Group A2 (7-11yrs)- 11.15-12.15am
Group B (11-14yrs)- 1.30-3.30pm
Young Company (14+ yrs)- 4-6pm

HOW TO APPLY: Email Louise (louise@blueelephanttheatre.co.uk) with details of your skills/experience/ DBS/ and why you’d like to work with us. Please be succinct. This is a one off paid opportunity.

The Blue Elephant Theatre welcomes applications from all sections of the community regardless of race, colour, ethnic or national origins, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, disability or religious beliefs.

News

The Balancing Act: Call-out for submissions

Date published
Tuesday 15 January 2019

Our window for submissions is now open for The Balancing Act Scratch Night; held in the run up to International Women’s Day in March to celebrate the achievements of women.

This is a call out for emerging artists based in or with a strong connection to Southwark, who have material that they would like to showcase which responds or relates to the aims and impetus of International Women’s Day. The Balancing Act is particularly interested in work along the themes of taking action against gender inequality around the world #balanceforbetter. The Balancing Act will take place in Blue Elephant Theatre; this is an opportunity for you to try out new ideas in front of an audience and get a bit of feedback to help you develop your work in the future.

We are particularly seeking artists at the very early stages of their career. Artists of all genders are welcome to apply.

The details
Date: Tuesday 5th March (8pm-10pm)
Location: Blue Elephant Theatre, 59a Bethwin Road, SE5 0XT
Expense: Partial travel bursaries available (£10 per act regardless of number of people involved)
Space: There will be a rehearsal space available on Monday 4th from 10- 6pm and before Tech rehearsals on Tuesday 5th to be shared amongst all acts. Tech will begin at approximately 3.30pm.

Tickets will be free and the audience will be asked to share feedback.

Guidelines
- The work has to be performative but can be of any genre (new writing, live art, devised, dance, poetry, rap, magic etc.)
- It must be work in progress, no longer than 15 minutes, with minimal technical requirements.
- The main performance space will be the Blue Elephant Theatre, and so selected work will be chosen to suit this space.

To apply
Please write no more than two pages including the following information:
- Name and contact details
- Location
- Brief summary of the work you would like to present
- Technical Requirements (as much as you know/think at this point)
- Brief summary about you and your previous work (links and examples are welcome)
Deadline

Please apply by 12pm on Friday 1st February
Please send applications to: Elizabeth Adejimi, Trainee Producer & Events Manager at submissions@blueelephanttheatre.co.uk
If you have any questions about the event please do not hesitate to ask via email.