Our dance, drama or music projects take many shapes including a set of performances, an artistic collaboration, an installation, an arts and culture for development programme, a workshop, a residency, an artist exchange or an education programme.
Our in-country performing arts programmes are put together based on:
But even if a project fulfils all criteria we may still not be in a position to help with support due to other plans and budgets.
WHAT ARE OUR AIMS AND OBJECTIVES?
Our work aims to:
- Help build and develop relationships between the UK and other countries in order to foster partnership, mutual understanding and tolerance
- Challenge stereotypes and attempt to change out-of date perceptions of the UK
- Promote contemporary UK creativity and innovation
- Present the UK in all its diversity and multiculturalism
Local objectives and target audiences depend on specific priorities decided in-country.
WHAT ARE OUR TARGET AUDIENCES?
- Young adults - roughly defined as being aged between 16 and 35. This is the age group that research indicates is most willing to countenance changing its impressions of another country and culture.
- We also frequently engage with older and younger audiences, depending on the population demographic in a particular country.
WHAT WORKS WHERE?
What we programme in particular countries depends very much on audience taste, considerations of language, current perceptions of the UK, any need for developmental work and the cultural situation locally. Our UK arts team and arts officers in each country have extensive knowledge of all of these things and continually update this knowledge through dialogue with our partners, advisors and contacts.
What work will best reach our target audience will vary from country to country, for example contemporary opera is a very successful way to reach 18-year-olds in Romania whilst DJs do the job better in Russia.
WHAT ARE OUR CURRENT GEOGRAPHIC PRIORITIES?
We work across the globe in the countries in which we have offices, but we do also always have specific geographic priorities. Particular priorities at present are:
- The Islamic World
- China
- EU borderlands (countries that physically and geographically border with countries in the European Union such as Poland and Latvia and countries that are looking at joining the European Union in the near future such as Cyprus, Malta and Slovenia)
- Sub-Saharan Africa
Other countries are not ruled out.
HOW DO WE WORK WITH UK ARTISTS?
We put together a performing arts programme of UK work and collaborations in each country. This is planned over a year or longer with our office overseas and in-country partners. We do not publish project guidelines or application forms for UK artists because each country’s context and programme is different.
Only very occasionally can we support artists wanting to go abroad following an invitation from overseas and generally only if they fit in with our programme of work in that country and if there are funds available. Our programmes are our priority and therefore we are not often able to support or subsidise tours or bookings from third party sources (for example, an invitation to perform at a festival or a tour that requires subsidy).
Some British Council offices will support large arts programmes; others may only support one or two arts events a year and concentrate their resources on areas like AIDS-awareness programmes or English teaching.
So the most important thing UK artists should do is to keep us up to date with the work you are doing – where and what you are touring, whether you are planning to tour a performance, new partnerships you have forged, etc. We need to know when you are performing so we can try and come and see the performances for assessment purposes. Contact details are at the end of these pages.
HOW DO WE ASSESS WORK?
Within the UK offices, we have teams of performing arts specialists for drama and dance and music who frequently go and see performances, keep in touch with the performing arts scene and network with UK and overseas contacts and audiences. We also have specialist advisory committees for drama and dance and music with whom we communicate regularly. Through this work we build up a picture of the UK performing arts scene and work being created and an idea of whether a particular piece of work would be appropriate overseas.
HOW DO WE LET OUR NETWORKS KNOW ABOUT BRITISH PERFORMING ARTS?
As well as supplying a great deal of specific ‘cold’ information about the wide variety of British work suitable for touring, members of the Performing Arts department are part of those international networks that exist to disseminate information and best practice to each other. International producers and presenters, even those not in need of financial support from the British Council, will use members of the department, our advisors and overseas arts managers as ‘honest brokers’ who are asked for, and give, informed advice about the quality of a piece of work or an act. It is crucial that these relationships and networks are built on trust and honesty, as many pieces of work and acts will be booked ‘sight unseen’ by the promoter on our recommendation.
If work is seen which seems particularly suitable for an overseas market we will actively promote it to our overseas partners and colleagues. New opportunities for British artists are constantly being created through this continual dialogue and advocacy.
Furthermore, we also help overseas promoters and our own arts managers overseas coming into the UK all year round, to see and choose work but also to build up a broader, more accurate context for the work they see. We organise specific visits to some music, dance and drama showcases/festivals. On top of this, the Performing Arts department itself organises some showcases including a biennial drama showcase at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Via the internet, briefings, the Selector radio show and publications we let a wide global audience know what is going on in the arts world of the UK. We send out regular news bulletins and updates overseas as well as producing one-off directories and resources on and offline. The department publishes a number of publications to help keep overseas Arts Officers and contacts informed about the UK arts scene. These are:
- On Tour – Bi-annual drama and dance publication with features and information on British companies, forthcoming events/productions and British Council events
- Performance In Profile – British Council annual directory of British dance, drama, live art and street arts.
- Arts and Culture for Development In Profile - Our newest publication contains details and projects from over 70 dance, drama and music companies working in this field.
- New Routes – Bi-annual music publication focusing on a wide range of UK music and its role in society.
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This information is also available to download: How We Work in Performing Arts Downloadable Version.doc
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