Incubator 2011
PCI Graduate Company Incubation and Mentoring Scheme
The School of Performance and Cultural Industries is delighted to announce that the following companies have been selected for the Incubator scheme between January 2011 and December 2011:

Northern Creative Theatre:
Joanne Hartley, Jonnie Khan, Dean Murray
“Northern Creative Theatre are a theatrical think tank who employ new approaches to writing by blending traditional play writing with experimental technique.  Story and character form the foundation of Northern Creative Theatre’s work, ensuring that it remains accessible as they innovate with structure, style, form and process; their objective is to explore play writing and the role of the writer in contemporary theatre performance. ”
Northern Creative Theatre will be receiving support for Company Development and Professional Mentoring in the coming year, and will be presenting works in progress at stage@leeds as well as other venues.

Ellie Harrison (Solo Artist)
“Although themes and approaches to making recur, my practice is varied in form. The work sits between site-based work, Live Art and more mainstream genres such as standup. In my work I strive to unpick media imagery, finding joy in the domestic and mundane, searching for sincerity in the seemingly synthetic. At the centre of my practice is a desire to reflect upon, and in some way catalogue the times in which we live in a way that is accessible and inclusive. The interplay between the ephemeral nature of live performance and how to creatively document work is an ongoing source of inspiration. What characterizes my work is its appeal to both Contemporary/Live Art audiences and more traditional theatre audiences.”
Ellie Harrison will be supported in the development of her ‘grief series’ of works, and particularly her tour of Etiquette of Grief, and will receive additional business and financial support and advice.

What is Incubator?
Incubator is a pilot scheme, co-ordinated by Dr Tony Gardner which is supported by the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF IV). It is designed to provide unique support for graduates wishing to create performance companies, and who would benefit from specialist professional mentoring as well as the financial means to develop a firm foundation for the company’s current and future work.  The definition of company here includes collaborative ensembles as well as individuals wishing to establish themselves on a business footing.
How does it work?
Financial support is available via the Higher Education Innovation Fund in two distinct strands administered by PCI staff for a period of one year maximum per company.  These are:

• Professional Mentoring: joint advice and support will be offered by PCI staff in collaboration with specialist professionals chosen through negotiation with the eligible companies, involving meetings throughout the year at key stages, feedback on works in progress, and opportunities for presenting work within PCI and stage@leeds.
• Company Development: this strand is intended to contribute to the costs of company formation, short training courses focused on company management, additional business and legal advice, as well as developing contacts with potential venues and producers, festivals and platforms, etc.

One of the key innovations of this scheme is that the exact ways in which the company’s activities may be supported within these two strands is negotiated with the company depending on their current needs as well as their plans for the medium and long term.
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/pci/Incubator.html