Strike A Light: Let’s Create

This page summarises our current and upcoming activity and how it fits with the ‘Let’s Create’ Outcomes and Investment Principles. You can filter down to specific things you want to see by using the category buttons.

Outcome 2: Cultural Communities

IP1: Inclusivity and Relevance

IP3: Ambition and Quality

Outcome 3: Creative and Cultural Country

Outcome 1: Creative People

IP4: Environmental Responsibility

Making the arts better – for artists and communities

We want to see a world where EVERYONE can access high quality cultural events that are relevant and enriching to them. A world where the systems are fair, adventurous and open to everyone.

Sign reading "Smash the patriarchy" is held up in front of a grey sky by two hands — Why a programme to empower female arts leaders is so important

Last week I made a list of people to set up meetings with for a project. Because those meetings were with leaders of organisations, *there were more people called Richard on that list than there were women* It’s time for a new way of working.

Let Artists Be Artists

For too long, there have been massive inequalities in terms of who benefits from ‘The Arts’ – both as audiences and professionals. Artists go underpaid, under-heard and under-supported. And it’s not truly open to everyone. We want to change that.

Women Leaders South West

Shenice Ellis and Halima Malek: Gloucester women join arts industry leadership scheme

A group of 6 young climate activists posing with performers from coletivA ocupação. — Supporting young climate protestors

We’ve been working with the most *amazing* group of Youth Climate Activists over the last year or so. We went along to their Youth Strike 4 Climate and were instantly blown away by their knowledge, conviction, maturity, confidence and energy. In Gloucester they are a small but vocal minority and carry on with their protests in the face of aggression from adults in the street and public criticism on social media. It started us thinking…

Exec Directors of the Future

We believe that to affect real change in the industry, leadership needs to change. We are working with Artistic Directors of the Future to develop an Up Next Exec Director role at Strike A Light. Similar to their previous programmes it will be a paid leadership role in the organisation for someone from a Black, Asian or ethnically diverse background.

GL4

Since 2016, Strike A Light and GL4 have worked in partnership to support the engagement of new audiences and regeneration in the community.

An animated GIF. A group of people dance in a community centre while the lights fade through different colours. — 7 Principles for Great Cultural Events

Since 2013, we’ve been working in Gloucester to create great cultural events and experiences that can bring communities together, make life vibrant and exciting – and change things for the better. In that time, we’ve learned loads about what works and what doesn’t.

An iPhone held in a hand against a bright pink background. — Artist Support Sessions

We offer one-to-one support sessions for artists & producers at any stage in their career.

Youth Dance Company

Weekly classes, led by professional dancers from Rise Youth Dance. For ages 15+

A woman stands in front of a shop window with her arms folded and a big smile on her face. — Leading as a Woman of Colour

A Workshop on the Tools for Resilience Needed by Women of Colour in Leadership.

Woke Meeting

We’re issuing an invitation to arts organisations and allies to meet on 23 February at 5pm to discuss the “heritage summit” called by Oliver Dowden, our potential collective response as arts organisations and to offer support if appropriate to the heritage sector.

Gloucester Presents… SheSpoke

A small group of women took part in writing workshops to express themselves in poetry – which was then turned into a hand-sewn textile banner 🔥

GDIF

We are a national partner with the festival.org Global Streets Programme to bring large-scale outdoor international touring work to Gloucester. We are working with the city council and Gloucester Culture Trust to deliver this.

Young people from Gloucester practice their dance routine for the community fashion show in an empty hall, illuminated by pink and purple lights — Gloucester Presents… Fashion Show

Local residents teamed up with amazing artists to produce their own choreographed fashion show 🔥

An empty street in central Gloucester — 2020 Year in Review

A year of community x creative collaborations

I Stand For What I Stand On

Young people from Gloucester’s Student Climate Network present their own original protest performance, under Gaia at the Cathedral

Free online dance lessons for schools during lockdown

During lockdown, we are making our in-school dance provision available online to schools, for FREE!

Dani Harris-Walters sits on marble stairs looking down the camera lens. — Dani Harris-Walters: Nanny

Programming artists instead of shows: Dani is working alongside Gloucester community members to choreograph the fashion show, undertaking a residency, developing a new project here and developing his current work, Nanny.

Luke Jerram's Gaia

See a huge replica of planet Earth floating in the middle of Gloucester Cathedral

Hear Me Out

During lockdown, spring and summer 2020, we worked with a fabulous group of young people, alongside The Venture Project in White City, meeting weekly via Zoom, listening to and watching music videos together, and discussing thoughts, feelings and opinions on music, and life in general.

Conrad Murray leant against a brick wall next to metal boxes with stickers on them. He is wearing a black hoodie, black jeans, red trainers and a red cap on backwards. — Artists on lockdown: Conrad Murray

A conversation with actor, writer, director, rapper, beatboxer, singer and theatre-maker Conrad Murray

Workers lift carrier bags of food out of boxes — Hungry Nation

This project is dependent on funding. If successful we will be commissioned by Coventry City of Culture to co-create a nationally significant performance event with food bank users, food poverty researchers and artists

Lit Match — Freelance task force: an open letter to theatre and performance makers

We’re joining more than 100 other arts organisations across the UK to help establish a ‘freelance task force’ – one way of supporting freelancers working in the arts while in-person events can’t happen.

Producer (co-created programme) Call Out

We’re looking for an experienced producer to join our team and lead on our co-created programme of work.

A stately home is perched in the background, nestled by trees. Before is a two tiered lawn, separated by brick walls. Wild flowers grow and a bench, occupied by no one, stands in wait. — Artist Residencies

About three years ago, Alicia from Hawkwood and Emma Jane, our Co-Artistic Director, cooked up a cunning plan to offer artist residencies in the beautiful setting of Hawkwood, with producer support from Strike A Light.

Smiling group of Roof Top Festival volunteers wave their hands enthusiastically. — Education and career development

If you’re based in Gloucester and interested in the arts, we can help support you in your arts education and career development in loads of different ways

black claw hammer on brown wooden plank — Changing Charity Leadership #1: Activism, The Arts And Politics

This is the first of a short series of rants and resolutions about why charity boards/governance structures are often a pale imitation of what they should be, and what we intend to do to change that.

Joshua Nash in a striking dance pose — Krump training with Joshua Nash

A community collaboration: Joshua Nash x Shenice Ellis x Ambitions Dance

7-11 year olds from our Youth Theatre enjoying one of the sessions — Gloucestershire Arts Award Discover at Home

Check out our first digital arts award challenge from Strike A Light youth theatre practitioner Tom who will lead you through a magical corridor of games and improvisation to ignite your imagination.

The World Awakens

Pupils from schools in Gloucester have created a brand new piece of music alongside The Multi Story Orchestra.

Take part: youth theatre

We run weekly Youth Theatre sessions for three different age groups: 7-11s, 11-16s and 16+

5 participants in the Communities in Conversation panel discussion sit, socially distanced, in a large semi-circle of chairs at the All Nations Community Centre in Gloucester — Gloucester Presents… Communities in Conversation

A filmed panel discussion, where the guests are all Gloucester residents – sharing their stories of life in the city 🔥

Three people jump gracefully into the air in a dance studio — Bromance

We’re a partner in a county wide initiative to develop a strategy for circus performance and working with Gloucester Culture Trust to stage a socially distanced outdoor performance of Bromance by Barely Methodical Troupe

Gloucester presents: White City x Conrad Murray x Lucy Wilcox

What happens when you team up a group of local residents with a pair of incredible artists?

Artists on lockdown: Viv Gordon

A conversation with theatre-maker, survivor activist & arts and mental health campaigner Viv Gordon

New Programming Approach

For 2021, and possibly for 2022, we will programme artists rather than shows. We want to focus on giving artists paid time and space to work alongside communities to develop creative projects – and to explore how they can make and create in a COVID/ post-COVID world.

Large white letters saying Of Earth and Sky in a field with views over Gloucestershire. — Of Earth and Sky

Gloucester goes Hollywood – watch as giant letters appear across the city!

A person in a red sweater looks to the right of the frame. They hold a red curtain in their hands. — Artist Support

Over the last few years we have worked with more than 300 artists, offering support from a one-off advice session to producing national tours. You can find out about our current opportunities, learn more about how we programme and read about the artists we are currently working with.

Lit, burning match — Strike A Light #PullUpOrShutUp

We completely support the call for action for greater transparency regarding Black representation in the British Theatre industry.

Joined-Up: Exploring Co-Creation Practice in Bristol, Gloucestershire and Somerset

An online event to find out who is co-creating in our area and to share stories of brilliant people working together creating positive social change