CREATIVE PARTNERS AND SPONSORS

Inspired by London 2012

‘INSPIRE’ - Severn Project was awarded the ‘Inspire’ mark as part of the Cultural Olympiad leading up to the Olympics in London 2012. The Project was funded by the National Lottery, through Arts Council England, and Gloucestershire’s local authorities.

‘QUEST’ – is a region wide programme for the Cultural Olympiad, led by Desperate Men and Cirque Bijou. Their performance journey across the South West in 2012 will trigger innovative local ‘quests’ and cultural adventures. The ‘Quest’ seeks to inspire individuals, communities and organisations to make a difference between now and 2012.

Creative Partners

Alice Oswald - named by The Times as one of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945, Alice won rave reviews for ‘A Sleepwalk on the Severn’ her poem for many voices. This original new work, commissioned for the Severn Project and published by Faber & Faber, captures the moonlit world of the river.    

TaurusVoice theatre company - collaborated with Alice Oswald to animate ‘A Sleepwalk on the Severn’ a poem for many voices, as magical physical theatre. TaurusVoice are a highly respected group of actors and singers from Stroud, who have been performing and teaching since 2000. Their work inspired Alice to write a poem for performance by their company. www.theatregloucestershire.net

Desperate Men -  Britain’s legendary International Street Arts Company – soon to be touring China and Europe  with their ‘Darwin and Dodo’ show. The ‘Severn Mud Larks’ outdoor performances were inspired by the rich heritage of the river and Alice Oswald’s poem. For this event they worked in collaboration with Cirque Bijou as part of The Quest - a series of performance journeys across the South West celebrating the region wide programme for the Cultural Olympiad. www.desperatemen.com

Cirque Bijou - one of Europe’s leading creative event and performance companies, producing shows and festivals around the world. www.cirquebijou.co.uk 

Gloucestershire Dance works to increase the quality and diversity of, and access to, dance activity across the county. www.gloucestershiredance.org.uk

Marie Louise Flexen – is a contemporary dancer and choreographer, creating innovative site specific dance works, often in collaboration with composers and musicians Steve Skinley and Rick Morton. www.marielouise.webeden.co.uk

Gloucestershire Music - is the Local Authority music service for the county, providing instrumental and vocal tuition to schools in the area, running ‘out of school’ activities for children and young people and developing opportunities for adults to make music in bands and orchestras at different levels. www.gloucestershiremusic.co.uk

Pa-Boom - is a collective of artists, sculptors and designers that produce spectacular outdoor shows combining theatre and sculptural installations animated by pyrotechnics, fire and light displays. Previous work for the Severn Project includes ‘Sabrina and the Engineer’ at Bridgnorth in Shropshire. www.pa-boom.com

Spaniel In The Works theatre company founded by John Bassett, specialise in high quality educational performances for museums, galleries and archives. Their popular show ‘Dark Tales of Gloucestershire’ will be touring later in the year. www.spanielworks.co.uk

Roses Theatre - championed the Severn Project from the outset. The Roses provides a programme of performing arts, entertainment and film. The theatre has pioneered an innovative youth and community programme effectively tackling social exclusion, which has won national recognition. See the Roses Appeal on the Theatre Page – or visit: www.rosestheatre.org

SARA - The Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA) is an Inshore Rescue boat and Land Search organisation covering the Severn Estuary and upper reaches of the River Severn. SARA is the largest independent lifeboat service in the UK, second only to the RNLI, with 8 operational boats and approximately 150 personnel. The membership is made up entirely from volunteers, with no paid staff. As a registered charity, all funding is raised by way of donations.