Take Art Spring 2022

Word/Play
THEATRE
Our theatre team work year-round
supporting theatre development
across Somerset. This is one of
our key responsibilities and a
core offer to theatre-makers and
companies that includes advice,
information, brokering relationships
and networking opportunities.
Over the last few years, through
the BARN initiative supported by
the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation,
we’ve been able to offer additional
resources that have really helped
the sector to grow and flourish. This
includes showcases, scratch events,
training, a seed and growth fund
and BARNfest, which you can read
about on page 14.
Word/Play is a social prescribing
project for people experiencing
mental ill health. It uses
performance poetry to empower
individuals, giving them the freedom
and encouragement to tell their
stories and be witnessed.
We are partners with Spark
Somerset and Somerset Wildlife
Trust in Thriving Communities
Somerset, a community-based
project that aims to boost the range
of social prescribing activities
offered in Somerset, including
creative, nature-based and physical
activities. Through this initiative, we
are currently planning to deliver a
programme of Word/Play workshops
in Spring 2022, particularly to
support people experiencing the
effects on long-Covid on their lives.
The Rainbow Fish Speak Easy, is
a spoken word poetry platform that
has grown out of Word/Play and
become a hugely popular poetry
platform in Somerset. Featuring
people who have benefitted from
the project as well other writers and
performers in the area, each event
is topped off with a headline act.
Originating as a live event at the
Hub, Yeovil, throughout lockdown
we’ve taken it successfully
online. See the next dates for the
speakeasy on page 5.
DANCE
Our dance development
programme at Take Art provides
high quality dance performance
and participation opportunities
in Somerset alongside our other
specialisms. We are the strategic
lead for dance in Somerset and
represent the county at both a
regional and national level.
We provide a key role in helping
to shape, resource and sustain
the county’s dance sector offering
artistic and business support to
professional dance artists and
companies as well as providing
opportunities for networking,
professional development, training
and mentoring.
Our participatory projects, festivals,
workshops and platform events
provide opportunities for dancers of
all ages and abilities to be part of an
evolving ever-growing county dance
community. Further details about
these events from projects Little Big
Dance, and Spring Forward are on
pages 11, 13 and 18.
Our Turn:
Dance Sessions
for Dementia
Do you have a loved one living
with Dementia? Come along to
our friendly and inspiring dance
sessions every Monday afternoon
in Yeovil, Somerset.
Our Turn is a two-year arts
intervention using dance and
movement to help the health and
happiness of vulnerable adults
living with dementia or memory
loss. The session helps to support
participants with falls prevention
and includes a meet and greet and
social time with refreshments.
The weekly dance sessions are led
by specialist dance artists and take
place at St Peter's Community
Centre, Yeovil on Monday
afternoons 1pm - 4pm.
For more information or to join in
please get in touch: 01460 249460
or e-mail ourturn@takeart.org
January - June 2022 | Take Art
Book online at www.takeart.org
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