occupying complex and contested cultural spaces,
occupying complex and contested cultural spaces,
Army at the FringeContinuing our reputation for occupying complex and contested cultural spaces, we worked for the Army in Scotland to produce arts and engagement projects from 2021 - 2024. Bridging the gap between the Arts and the British Military, the company invited and displayed diverse creative perspectives on the existence of the Army, asking the public consider what their Army is, and what it should be for?
The main focus of this engagement effort was Army at the Fringe, that became an anticipated part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The programme included not only newly commissioned work from early career artists, but also theatre workshops, role playing games, visual art and virtual reality; all commissioned and programmed to find new ways to engage with the audience.
This diverse and ambitious programme saw one of our productions, Everything After the Sun, win a Fringe First and Leading Light award in 2023. See the full commission list here.
Army at the Fringe benefitted from our extensive expertise in immersive and site specific theatre to adapt a working reservist centre into an integrative cultural space. This allowed not only the audience members to interrogate and explore their impression of the Army, but also for the service personnel to participate in the cultural sector.
As with other large scale, culturally significant projects (see Suffragette city, CommonSounds), the crux of this project was the sensitive handling of a constructive environment. This was one where the British Army could interrogate their own past and present, along with some 2500 live annual participants.
