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For the whole of this week, we're holding our paid online residency for experienced artists which we call Space/Time. Presented in partnership with Sanctuary Queer Arts, Space/Time is for artists working in any art form, and poses the question “How can you continue to thrive as an artist?”. The artists gathering remotely to discover the answers will be:
Drew Taylor-Wilson is a neurodivergent, queer creative working in TV, film, and theatre. They are an award-winning theatre director, playwright, facilitator, and theatre artist development specialist, trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Drew writes to advocate for seldom heard voices, creating bold contemporary queer stories that de-stigmatise mental health difficulties. Their plays have been seen across the UK, they are a former performance poet and frequently bend genre and form in both screen and stage writing.
They are one half of multi-art-form performance engine house COMPANY MANY, co-director of Sanctuary Queer Arts and Drew works freelance as a Director and Dramaturg, often with spoken word artists.
Nelly Kelly is a disabled theatre maker, playwright, dramaturg, drag artist, producer, and consultant. Their work resists traditional theatre structures - to encourage the centring of excluded audiences and improved access.
They are currently collaborating on the development of a new piece of work with fellow trans and non-binary theatre maker Afton Moran, a satirical, comedic piece about ‘the trans cult’, supported by Sanctuary Queer Arts.
Annabel Cooper is an art worker and drag artist based in Leith, Edinburgh.
Co-founder and co-director of Sanctuary Queer Arts; Annabel is also co-founder and co-director of Queen Jesus Productions; and co-founded and ran queer arts collective Dive Queer Party in the 2010s.
Annabel started performing in their 30s when running Dive cabarets, and carries the ethos and antics of that special collective with them in their work.
One half of drag king rock-n-roll tribute clowns Oasissy, Annabel rocks up to cabarets and festivals from New York to Newhaven causing mischief and mayhem.
Fraser MacLeod is a freelance theatre artist, director, facilitator, and project manager based in Glasgow.
He delivers and directs professional participatory experiences for children, families, and communities - ranging from one-off workshops to large scale events and projects. Frasers work often utilises drama and theatre to creatively explore socio-political themes. He strives to create supportive environments where everyone involved can discover, develop, and share their creativity skills and talents.
Fraser is currently Co-Director of Sanctuary Queer Arts; Founding Partner with Culture Junction; Education and Communities Associate with National Theatre of Scotland; and Associate Artist with Tron Theatre Participation.
Harry (they/she) is a queer, mixed-heritage writer, artist, wellbeing facilitator, and EDI consultant, specialising in intersectional access, inclusion and advocacy. Last year, they wrote their first play, The Brenda Line, which was commissioned by Pitlochry Festival Theatre. The Houdini Detectives, their first script for television, was recently optioned, and their debut novel is currently shortlisted for the Merky New Writers Book Prize.
Harry has worked in theatre for over a decade, most recently as Federation of Scottish Theatre’s first Policy and Public Affairs Lead. They are one of the team working in response to Edinburgh Council’s Edinburgh Slavery and Colonialism Legacy Review, and was a member of the working group who created two Harassment in the Performing Arts guides for freelancers and organisations for the performing arts sector in Scotland. Harry is a founding board member of Summerhall Arts, and is on the board of directors for Wonder Fools.
With the frost finally here, pour a mug of something warm and catch up on our artist announcements and opportunities to apply for as we head into winter:
Announcing the first artist selected for Coast to Coast
Magnetic North in partnership with Julian Forrester, and supported by the Craignish Trust, have selected artist Amy Beeston to develop an international collaboration focused around coasts, water and the impact of climate change.
Our goal for the collaborative project is to bring together three artists - one Scotland-based, two international - who can offer original insights into the impact of climate change on coasts and coastal waters. The three artists will then develop new work from the starting points uncovered through this project.
Amy Beeston is an Orkney-based sound artist and audio researcher working within an ecological context, with a background in interdisciplinary, collaborative work across the arts and sciences.
CALL OUT: Walden
In March 2023, we are reviving our adaptation of Henry David Thoreau’s book Walden for performances in the Warehouse at the Fruitmarket in Edinburgh.
We are casting for an actor with a playing age of late 20s/early 30s and of any gender or ethnicity to perform in this one-person show, which is designed to be performed in the round in non-theatre spaces.
Applications closed on 12 December 2022.
CALL OUT: SPACE / TIME artists’ residency
Space / Time is part of our Artist Development programme and is aimed at experienced artists. Over a hundred artists have taken part in the retreats since the first one in 2012. It is a group creative retreat for five experienced artists from any art form that asks the question “How can you continue to thrive as an artist?”
The residency is led by Nicholas Bone and Alice McGrath. Participants are paid a fee of £550, unless they are employed by a Regularly Funded Organisation and are undertaking the retreat as part of their work for that organisation. This time around, the residency will take place at Cromarty Arts from 20-24 February 2023.
Applications closed on 19 December 2022.
This week we're running a paid online residency for experienced artists. Space/Time is a creative retreat for artists from any art form that asks the question “How can you continue to thrive as an artist?”. The artists gathering together remotely are:
Kevin Cameron is an artist and filmmaker. A graduate of the Universities of Glasgow and Bristol, he has an eclectic practice that embraces drama, animation and documentary modes of filmmaking. Credits include directing a feature length film about Alasdair Gray that has screened twice on the BBC; and lead artist on Make Strange, a live hand processing film studio with Eritrean asylum seekers as part of the Director’s Programme of the Glasgow International Arts Festival. Recent work has included installation work for Renfrewshire Cycle Arts Festival, a time capsule for Paisley Town Hall, and, a stop frame animation series for Education Scotland.
Julia Croft is a live artist and performance maker based in between Auckland, New Zealand and Brussels. Julia’s practice draws on feminist and queer theory to create performance works exploring matter and materiality. Her work is concerned with creating imaginative cracks in pervasive power structures, slippery and leaky spaces, the scientific-poetic and bad pop music. Since 2015 she has created 10 full length works including 4 solo works: If There's Not Dancing at the Revolution, I'm Not Coming, Power Ballad, Working On My Night Moves and Terrapolis. These works have toured extensively throughout NZ and internationally including to the UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, Mexico and Singapore. Working On My Night Moves began its life as part of magnetic North Rough Mix residency in 2018 and was awarded a prestigious Total Theatre Award at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe Festival as well as an Auckland Theatre Award for Excellence. This work was most recently presented as part of the acclaimed Melbourne Rising Festival.
Alice Dansey-Wright
Alice Dansey-Wright is an artist and designer with an interdisciplinary practice including mural painting, textiles, set design, jewellery and performance.
Drawing is the driving force behind all of her creative work and she uses the act of drawing as a thinking and figuring-out process as much as the final outcome. Alice’s practice is intuitive, abstract and symbolic and she is fascinated by playing with scale, illusion and trompe l’œil. She often works collaboratively, combining her skills and experience with those of other makers.
ADW Custom is Alice’s garment painting service where she transforms pre-worn pieces and creates limited edition second hand collections.
Katherine Mendelsohn - translator & dramaturg
Translations into English include contemporary francophone plays by writers from Belgium, France, Libya, Québec and Togo. Translations of classics include Jean Cocteau’s La Voix Humaine, a 1970s play by Jean-Michel Ribes, and a Molière short.
Recent writing on theatre includes a programme article on Ionesco for Omar Elerian’s production of The Chairs with Kathryn Hunter and Marcello Magni at the Almeida Theatre,
London.
Works as a dramaturg for professional writers, creators & translators. Most recently for Mariem Omari on Revolution Days, and as on-site 'Ferryman' Facilitator (traductrice-passeuse) for LE STUDIO EUROPÉEN - international creation residency at La Chartreuse – Villeneuve-lez-
Avignon.
Previously Literary Manager, Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh and The Gate, London.
Omikemi is a writer, poet, creative mentor workshop facilitator and community organiser. They currently run The Gatherings and work as a freelance writer and editor for DAO. Their recent collaborations include Spare Tyre Theatre, Arika and Serpentine Gallery London.
Pirita Tuisku is a Finnish Dance artist living in Scotland. She has been working as a Dancer, Choreographer and Teacher in Finland, Scotland, South Africa and Hong Kong. She is a versatile artist who already has over decade of experience working in different fields in dance. Her passion is to create work that will engage with audiences, emerge with different art forms and bring alive topics from daily life. She gets inspired working in a diverse collaboration with curious and open mindsets. Her own curiosity is about how she can push her own boundaries as a mover. And also on the other hand she has always been interested about other cultures and how that is affecting our dancing. Away from dance, Pirita has a passion in upcycling jewellery making, aerial yoga and learning new languages.
Life feels a bit like a never-ending disaster movie at the moment, so we wanted to spread some good news for a change by sharing a few updates and artist opportunities which are now open for applications.
If you have any questions about our residencies or artist callouts, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
CALL OUT: SPACE / TIME Artists’ Residency
Space / Time is part of our Artist Development programme and is a group creative retreat for five experienced artists that asks the question “How can you continue to thrive as an artist?”. The residency combines facilitated dialogue – built around a series of self-generated questions – with time for individual reflection. The next residency will take place online from 7-11 November 2022.
Applications closed on 26 September 2022.
CALL OUT: Coast to Coast
Magnetic North in partnership with Julian Forrester, and supported by the Craignish Trust, are looking for an artist to develop the first stage of an international collaboration that is focused on coasts, water, and the impact of climate change.
Applications closed: 12pm on 3 October 2022.
CALL OUT: Walden
We are seeking proposals from artists who identify as being part of the Global Majority for an artistic response to Henry David Thoreau’s book Walden. The resulting work will be shared alongside Magnetic North’s own adaptation during performances at the Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh in March 2023.
Applications closed: 12pm on 10 October 2022.
NEWS: Lost in Music cast announcement and Scottish tour
Lost in Music is a gig-theatre show inspired by the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice: the story of a talented musical couple’s journey to hell and back, told using the voices of young musicians. The cast for our 2022 Scottish tour are: Robin Campbell, Xenia Garden, Alex Neilson and Jill O'Sullivan. Lost in Music is touring Scotland from 16 September - 7 October. Tickets are on sale now.
NEWS: Introducing Our Seed Fund Artists
Earlier this year we received an award from Creative Scotland’s Recovery Fund to support independent artists through a Seed Fund which will give four grants of £4,500 each. We’re thrilled to announce the recipients:
Lauren McLaughlin
Lauren will use the seed fund to develop research in response to the undervaluing of care which has negatively impacted single mothers. The grant will allow her to facilitate workshops with other artists who are, or have been, single mothers. The workshops will lead to the development of a visual manifesto through the production of sculptural objects, discussion, performances and text.
Amy Conway / Melanie Jordan
In their project Blood Moon, a wolf makes the agonising transformation into a human woman each month under the light of the full moon. Inspired by the “wild woman archetype”, a belief in the need for the re-wilding of our psychological landscapes, and the menstrual cycle; Amy and Melanie seek to challenge preconceptions about both wolves and the human menstruator.
ButhoTheWarrior
For black history month, ButhoTheWarrior will commission people who contribute to the music scene in Glasgow to make radio shows for their Clyde residency. They will also collaborate with DJs to play at a party which will be streamed on their YouTube page.
Emma Jayne Park
Content Warning: suicide, death.
Preparing to Die is an autobiographical work told from the perspective of someone who is preparing to die by suicide - but only once their affairs and belongings are arranged in a way to make the aftermath of their death as simple as possible. The seed fund will be used for further devising and written work and to prepare the piece for the next stage of development.
Next week we're running another paid online residency for experienced artists. Space/Time is a creative retreat for artists from any art form that asks the question “How can you continue to thrive as an artist?”. Although we're all easing back into real life after the stress of COVID-19, we know that participants value the flexibility of being able to take part in our residencies online. So, the artists gathering together virtually will be: