ChocFest Artists’ Call Out March 2022
We are recruiting performer-musicians, as well as designers/makers, for upcoming international theatre and music community performance ChocFest (9th and 10th July 2022), part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival, for the Commonwealth Games cultural programme.
We are collaborating with local communities living and working in the vicinity of the Cadbury’s factory in the Bournville and Stirchley areas of Birmingham, as well as cocoa-growing communities and international artists from Ghana. Together, we will create new music and performances to get people meeting, talking, thinking about – and yes, eating! – all things chocolate. Reigniting and celebrating Bournville’s historic connection with Ghana – the Commonwealth country where Cadbury’s cocoa originates – ChocFest will tell the stories of working people across continents, who have all a hand in the journey from cocoa pod to Dairy Milk.
Key Project Dates:
April /May (exact dates TBC) – community workshops and schools exchange between Birmingham and Ghana
23rd – 27th May – Rehearsal phase 1
27th June – 8th July – Rehearsal phase 2
9th – 10th July – Performances
Because of the nature of the work, there will be some evening/weekend working.
Roles To Be Recruited
Performer – Musicians
We are looking for 1 – 2 performer musicians to join the core creative team and be part of our co-creation devising process with the local community.
You might be a musician, confident in holding your own as part of a devising theatre process, or you might be a theatre maker/actor with some skills in music. We are interested in both!
You will:
- Have some street theatre experience and enjoy performing in alternative spaces
- Be passionate about working in community settings
- Be grounded, a team player, warm.
- Have an interest in socio-political theatre.
- Have good comic timing.
- You might well have other skills in your portfolio e.g. spoken word, poetry, film, movement.
- Be confident in using your voice, even if you don’t consider yourself a singer.
- We don’t have a particular instrumentation in mind and are excited by the creative possibilities you can bring as a unique performer-musician.
- Be aged 30 or under (desirable)
- Be based in the Midlands (desirable)
Performer-Musician Project Fees:
Weekly £550
Daily £150
Plus expenses for those based outside the region.
Designer/Maker/Visual Artist
We are looking for a visual artist to join the core creative team and be a key part of our co-creation devising process with the local community.
You probably have a background in theatre design, and ideally in outdoor arts. As well as taking a lead on the vision for the design aesthetic of ChocFest, you will like being hands on, and enjoy making props and small pieces of set. (We don’t imagine working with a separate set maker).
You will:
- Be able to confidently communicate a contemporary design, that sensitively and appropriately reflects the project’s links to Ghanaian culture.
- Have experience of working with community groups to co-create aspects of the design.
- Have experience of leading workshops with primary aged children to input into the design.
- Have an interest in socio-political theatre.
- Be flexible, a team player and enjoy a creative challenge.
- It might be that we cannot find all the skills and areas of responsibility here within 1 person, and have to recruit 2-3 people to fulfil the role e.g. one designer and another workshop leader.
- Be based in the Midlands (desirable)
Designer/Maker/Visual Artist Project Fees:
To be discussed depending on whether the artist is covering all areas of responsibility or if we are dividing the role across multiple people. It would be helpful therefore if you could indicate your typical daily rate within your application.
Materials Design Budget:
£3000
How to apply for either role:
Please send a CV, as well as a cover email or short video (no more than 3 minutes), indicating clearly which role you are applying for, and setting out how you meet the person specification.
We are especially interested in hearing from artists of Ghanaian heritage, as well as artists who identify as being from the Global Majority. This is important to us given the cultural focus of our project and the need to ensure a diversity of lived experience in our team to better reflect the communities we serve.
Applications should be sent to our Producer Charlotte on [email protected] Please also email Charlotte to ask any questions you have in making your application.
Deadline:
Friday 25th March 2022, with informal interviews in week commencing 28th March latest.
Given the tight turnaround time on our project, we reserve the right to shortlist and interview in advance, should we receive applications meeting the criteria in advance of the deadline. We therefore strongly suggest you submit your application as soon as possible.