September 6, 2016 by katie
Young male performer sought for new interactive performance in Birmingham
The Other Way Works – a new theatre game – ‘Agent in a Box’
We are looking for a performer to play ‘Hussein Kissar’ in a new theatre game we are developing, who fits the character brief below.
The part would suit a student performer, or someone with a playing age of 19-21. Ideally Birmingham/West Midlands based. Must be aged 18+.
The part
– Short Voice recordings of voicemail messages
– Live performance (observed by audience sitting in parked cars)
– – Walking around a multi-storey car park, agitated, on the phone
– – Potential meeting with ‘Michael Makerson’ in the car park, argument/hug/kiss etc
– – Potential delivery of envelope to audience members in parked car and short dialogue with them from back seat of car.
The character
“Hussein Kissar”
Age: 19
Nationality: Saudi Arabian
Hussein Kissar is a Saudi-born young man. The son of a wealthy Saudi businessman, he has been privately educated at top UK boarding school.
He is now a University student in London. He is independently wealthy and free to enjoy his life.
He has a keen interest in environmental issues and the green agenda.
He is a homosexual and is ‘out’ to his peers in the UK, but not to his family, or to friends in Saudi Arabia. He is therefore discreet about his sexuality in public contexts where this might attract unwanted coverage.
He has been having a secret affair with the politician and Environment Secretary ‘Michael Makerson’ for over a year. Makerson met him when giving a speech at his school, where Makerson’s own children also attend. Aged 17, he was invited by Makerson to shadow him as part of the school’s work experience programme.
When
– We’d like to make voice recordings in mid September, in Birmingham (or remotely)
– Performances as part of a public ‘playtesting’ event in central Birmingham on Monday 26th September 10am – 6pm
Potential performances in London on 12 & 13th November (under separate agreement)
Fee
£100
To cover 1 day of rehearsals and performances on 26 September 2016 and recording of short vocal recordings before that, inclusive of travel.
Contact
Katie Day, Artistic Director, The Other Way Works
www.theotherwayworks.co.uk
info@theotherwayworks.co.uk
Please send an email to info@theotherwayworks.co.uk telling us about your performing experience and why you would like to be involved by WEDNESDAY 14th SEPTEMBER 2016.
Please make the Email Subject: Hussein Kissar Role.
Please attach a CV and links to any photos/showreels/profiles online.
Thanks.
May 10, 2016 by katie
We are very pleased to have been selected by the Caravan Curatorial Team to be part of the 2016 Caravan Showcase.
The showcase presents a programme of the best new English performance to a selection of international promoters, festival organisers and presenters as part of the Brighton Festival.
We will be presenting a pitch about our new project Agent in a Box, on Monday 16th May 2016 at 10am in Brighton.
May 5, 2016 by katie
We’re really pleased to announce that Arts Council England have awarded us a grant to support the development of a prototype of our new project: Agent in a Box.
Currently at concept stage, Agent in a Box will be a new kind of spy-themed narrative game. Players provide back room support to an agent live in the field, on the brink of closing a tricky case. The paper fragments enclosed in the box together with a cheap mobile phone that accesses an automated interactive sms, voice call and message system deliver the hour-long narrative experience.
Artistic Director Katie Day will be collaborating with John Sear, an experienced game designer and software developer to create this new kind of narrative game.
We’re excited to be developing the project at BOM Lab, as an R&D Residency there over the summer.
The first port of call for us will be the Caravan Showcase in Brighton later this month, where we’ll be pitching Agent in a Box to a selection of top international promoters, alongside ‘England’s most exciting artists’.
October 12, 2015 by Mary Helen Young
The Other Way Works is delighted to announce the appointment of new Executive Director Mary Helen Young. Mary Helen will support Artistic Director Katie Day, leading on business development and fundraising for the company.
Mary Helen will bring to the role almost 15 years of diverse experience working in the US and UK in the performing arts and international working sectors. She has a strong background in fundraising from EU funding programmes, having previously worked as a consultant on Creative Europe and Erasmus+ bids, and as Information Officer for the UK Cultural Contact Point. She is also Operations Manager for Visiting Arts, working to expand their professional development offer and build stronger links to multipliers in the sector. Mary Helen drove the re-launch of VA’s international networking site and leads on user experience and creating value and resources for the sector to thrive, overseeing the addition of over 15,000 members and profiles. Additionally, she previously managed sales and business development for the Louise Blouin Foundation. Her arts management career began as a theatre box office manager in 2001 at The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, DC.
Of her new role, Mary Helen said “I am excited to collaborate with Katie Day on the rich creativity of The Other Way Works to create a sustainable future for this inspiring company. I am very much looking forward to returning to work directly with a performing company after having worked widely across sectors for a number of years. TOWW already has a strong reputation for creating and developing progressive immersive theatre and technology to bring experiences to audiences in new ways. I will be looking to platform this ground-breaking work nationally and internationally, and along with the TOWW team, re-invent the way people engage with culture.”
Katie Day, Artistic Director of The Other Way Works, said “I am excited to have Mary Helen on board for this phase of development of the company. Building on the momentum of our sold-out 2015 tour of Black Tonic, we are looking to expand our capacity to create, produce and present new work and to broaden our reach. Mary Helen will bring the experience and structure needed to TOWW to allow us to be flexible, responsive and ambitious with our future artistic goals.”
September 14, 2015 by katie
We are thrilled that Black Tonic has been featured in this week’s The Guardian Stage “Top Tickets”
“The Other Way Works are touring the very intriguing Black Tonic to hotels around the country starting in at the Radisson Blu hotel in Birmingham.”
We open the show this Wednesday in Birmingham at the Radisson Blu Hotel, in association with Birmingham REP, before heading off to The Grand Hotel Bristol in partnership with Watershed, and ending our tour at The Bradford Hotel in partnership with Theatre in the Mill.
by katie
We are producing two ‘Making Of’ events to accompany the 2015 tour of Black Tonic.
These informal Q&A events provide an opportunity to find out more about the making of Black Tonic.
The making of Black Tonic: The science behind the show (Birmingham)
Discussion event: Friday 18th September 4-5pm
Meeting point: Birmingham REP foyer, by the Box Office
Free entry (but pre-booking is essential): through Eventbrite
Join Katie Day, the Artistic Director of The Other Way Works, and Elise Facer-Childs, Doctoral Researcher working at the University of Birmingham on circadian rhythms and human performance, in a discussion of the scientific concepts behind the show, and discover why the subject matter is even more relevant as we re-tour the show in 2015.
The making of Black Tonic: Where technology meets a theatre adventure in a hotel (Bristol)
Lunchtime Talk: Friday 2nd October 1-2pm
Venue: Pervasive Media Studio, Watershed, Bristol
Free entry, more details here
In this Lunchtime Talk, Artistic Director of The Other Way Works and Pervasive Media Studio resident Katie Day will take us behind the polished hotel exterior and spill the beans on what its like to create and produce an interactive theatre production in an operational hotel.
Katie has been collaborating with Watershed’s Creative Technologist David Haylock to build a magical card table interface for the 2015 tour, and we’ll discuss the research, design and implementation of this and other technologies employed in the production.
August 6, 2015 by katie
We are delighted to announce that the stylish Radisson Blu Birmingham will be our Official Hotel Partner and performance venue for Black Tonic’s Birmingham performances.
Check them out on Twitter & Facebook
The Radisson Blu Hotel, Birmingham soars above the cityscape in an impressive 39-storey structure that’s located near the business district, convention centre and shopping complexes. Designed by Matteo Thun, the 211 superb rooms and suites showcase exceptional accents and furnishings. Delicious dining options include Filini, an award-winning Italian restaurant, and guests can order their drink of choice at one of two on-site bars.
June 3, 2015 by katie
The Other Way Works is seeking an Executive Director
About the Company
The Other Way Works creates playful theatre that immerses our audiences in the story.
The intimate scenarios we create allow our audiences to explore places and perspectives anew, provoking them to change the way they live their lives.
We believe that the depth of an experience is as valuable as the breadth of people reached.
We are part of a new wave of theatre makers re-inventing the way people engage with culture, utilising new technologies and creating theatre out in the real world.
It’s an exciting time in the development of the company, we are about to re-tour our successful 2008 production ‘Black Tonic‘. Projects in development include ‘Agent in a Box’ a narrative game, and ‘Afterlife’ a creative retreat, and an expansion of our ‘Bandstand’ project.
A key aim for our organisation at this time is to speed up the rate of output and increase the reach of our work, by developing an effective, sustainable, and appropriately resourced operating model to enable this.
To make this happen, The Other Way Works is creating the new senior management role of Executive Director.
About the Role
You’ll work alongside Artistic Director Katie Day to lead and manage the company, working on strategy, organisational development and fundraising, as well as market development and administration.
We’re looking for an ambitious person who loves to make things happen, who supports and champions artists, who is looking for a new challenge at a company where they can effect change and growth, and who enjoys the variety of a workload that goes from strategy and networking to bookkeeping and answering emails. We want someone to join us, who wants to grow with us and build a future for the company that has them in it.
We have some money earmarked to support the role in a freelance capacity for the first few months, but we are clear that the key deliverable will be fundraising to support the Executive Director Role and finding a way to make this role sustainable in the long term.
Key Responsibilities as the role develops
– Building a package of income to deliver activity and support core staff fees/wages over the next 2 years, from mixed sources including Arts Council England, Trusts & Foundations, Research Councils, Consultancy, and Fees & Commissions;
– Opening up new markets for our work including: international touring & co-production; working with brands and other partners; expanding our consultancy offer;
– Taking responsibility for the good running of the Company, enabling it to be risky, ambitious & bold with its theatre work, and freeing up the Artistic Director to spend more time making theatre, delivering workshops, speaking, and mentoring.
Person Specification
Ideally, you will have:
– An interest in interactive and immersive theatre, and the integration of theatre and new technologies;
– 5 years experience of working in the UK Theatre sector, or wider creative sector;
– Experience of writing successful funding bids;
– Experience of driving strategic development in similar organisations;
– Demonstrable experience of setting and managing budgets;
– Good organisational skills;
– Ability to represent the company locally, nationally & internationally.
At the beginning we are flexible about how this role works in terms of location and number of days per week worked, but in the long term we would like the role to be mostly based in Birmingham.
Application Process
Application is by CV and 1-2 page cover letter. We’d like to hear why us and why now, how you work and what motivates you, and what you think you could do with and for us.
Email to: info@theotherwayworks.co.uk
Subject: Executive Director Application
Deadline: 5pm 10 July 2015
The next stage is likely to be an informal meeting with Katie the Artistic Director.
This might be followed by a more formal interview with the Board of Directors
If you have any questions, or would like to clarify any points, please do drop Katie an email to info@theotherwayworks.co.uk.
Information you might find helpful……
The Other Way Works is a company limited by guarantee, with a non-executive board of directors. Founded in 2001, based in Birmingham UK, and led by Artistic Director Katie Day, supported by a team of loyal and talented freelance artists and production staff.
Mission Statement
The Other Way Works creates playful theatre that immerses our audiences in the story.
The intimate scenarios we create allow our audiences to explore places and perspectives anew, provoking them to change the way they live their lives.
We believe that the depth of an experience is as valuable as the breadth of people reached.
We are part of a new wave of theatre makers re-inventing the way people engage with culture, utilising new technologies and creating theatre out in the real world.
The Other Way Works Strategic Objectives 2015-2018
1. Develop an effective, sustainable, and appropriately resourced operating model;
2. Deliver excellent theatre experiences;
3. Create work that develops and re-imagines the theatrical form;
4. Explore how technologies can be used to help us deliver and scale our work;
5. Build a strong national and international reputation for the Company’s work.
Opportunities to see our work
Black Tonic 2015 Tour in September & October to Birmingham (REP), Bristol (Watershed) & Bradford (Theatre in the Mill) http://www.theotherwayworks.co.uk/portfolio/black-tonic/ ;
Bandstand – http://www.theotherwayworks.co.uk/portfolio/bandstand/ – get the app, or download the MP3s from http://www.bandstandaudio.net/bandstand-mp3-files/
Video documentation of shows and projects can be found on our website www.theotherwayworks.co.uk, and longer filmed versions of Black Tonic & Avon Calling can be accessed online with passwords – please email for these.
February 27, 2015 by katie
Our hotel-based interactive thriller Black Tonic is coming back for 2015. And our Kickstarter campaign to support the tour is now LIVE!
Black Tonic is a theatre adventure in the bedrooms and corridors of a hotel for 4 people at a time, Black Tonic explores the chaos caused by a disrupted body clock.
We have already raised 95% of the money we need to tour Black Tonic in 2015. We are launching this Kickstarter campaign to raise the final £3,000.
We’ve created some beautiful hotel-themed rewards, to thank you for backing this project. The Tea Towel, Limited Edition Framed Print, Card 3D Model Hotel Kit, and Do Not Disturb Door Hanger, all feature original hand-drawn illustrations created just for this Kickstarter.
Other rewards include: priority booking, a signed copy of the script, a pair of tickets to see Black Tonic, having a name of your choice featured in the show, a hotel mini-break, and privileged access to the creative process.
We’re really excited about bringing Black Tonic back for more people to enjoy. We want you to be a part of making that happen.
Make your pledge today!
February 11, 2015 by katie
We’ll be launching a Kickstarter campaign soon to raise the final £3,000 we need for our upcoming tour of Black Tonic.
More soon…
#backblacktonic
