We create opportunities for local community involvement in all of our projects and lead on compelling devising projects.
We recently led on two digital projects with young people in partnership with The Dukes, Lancaster & Ideas Test in Medway.
Here's a peek at what we created with young people at The Dukes:
People have opportunties to take part in our projects, or train with members of our team in a variety of ways, including:
- Performance opportunities alongside our professional teams, such as guest performers in our production Take On Me. This involves training through rehearsals, workshops with Dante or Die associates and opportunities for mentoring from the Dante or Die teams
- Outreach & engagment workshops alongside touring productions.
- Community workshops & conversations form a major part of our Research & Development for new projects. Most recently this has included conversations with LGBTQ+ Support groups as part of an R&D exploring the LGBTQ+ experience in UK prisons
- We invite members of the community of all ages to symposiums & sharings of work-in-progress. This is often targeted at groups who may have specific interest in the subject matter. Feedback sessions influence the decision-making for the project's next steps
- We are passionate about creating opportunties for young people to gain experience in the arts, and helping them to begin their careers. We regularly host placement students through college work experience, university placement schemes or the Santander graduate programme
- Have a look at our Work With Us page for information on available roles
We regularly run a range of site-specific theatre-making workshops & residencies, tailored to a variety of different groups from students of all ages to theatre-makers. Recently we have run week long residencies & masterclasses for Hong Kong Arts Centre and Belltable: Connect in Ireland, as well as shorter sessions for Central School of Speech & Drama, Mountview Academy & De Montfort University. Please contact our Participation Producer Lucy at lucy@danteordie.com to chat about our team working with your students or young people.
Take On Me included over 70 people in Surrey as guest performers. Some were core ensemble members who toured to seven different leisure centres, whilst some performed for just one or two performances. Members of Dramatize, for example, joined us at three leisure centres. Everyone took part in workshops, conversations and training sessions during the project. Some members of the guest cast continue to work with us, such as Sophie Gunn who will perform in the new tour of Take On Me, embedding BSL into the production. Sophie has also been funded by Michael Grandage Bursaries to collaborate with us as an Access Associate on embedding captioning into User Not Found. Others have begun their professional careers, are in drama training schemes or making their own projects happen.
The role of sixteen year old Miki was played by a local young actress everwhere we toured Handle With Care. In I Do, the role of 10 year old flower girl Kitty, was also performed by a local young actress at each touring location.
In 2014 we collaborated with the V&A Museum to create a show directed and performed by professional Dante or Die associates with members of Pimento Group in Westway. Treasure was inspired by Handle With Care, exploring what objects are treasures to you. Director Clare Dunn and performer Stuart Barter delivered workshops at the V&A alongside Dante or Die's Associate Artist Anna Woolhouse, creating stories and characters for a brand new promenade performance through the corridors of the V&A.
University or schools workshops often invite students to be part of our development of narratives, form, scripting or choreography. We offer a range of site-specific creation workshops from 2 hour devising sessions to day and week-long residencies. Using directors Daphna Attias and Terry O’Donovan’s unique blend of space, movement, text and music the company will tailor their workshop programmes to your participants’ needs. Recent workshops include Belltable:Connect in Limerick Ireland, University of Reading and Central School of Speech and Drama.
Workshops are available to outreach and community groups as well as students and professional actors, dancers, directors, choreographers and artists. Projects include:
- Creating performance in alternative spaces
- Choreography of buildings
- The audience's role in promenade performances
- Crash course in site-specific devising
- Site-specific & promenade performance skills for actors
Please get in touch with our Participation Producer Lucy at lucy@danteordie.com, to organise a session.
The company is also available to direct performances, or to mentor students and companies.
We recently collaborated with The Lowry's Theatre Makers company, to create a site-specific show inspired by our style of performance; see that tab for more info.
If you're interested in discussing directing or mentoring opportunities please contact Terry at terry@danteordie.com.
What happens to your digital life after you die?
If there was a magic button, would you delete your online existence?
USER NOT FOUND is an immersive video podcast about what happens to our online identities after we die. For this digital adaptation of the 2018/19 critically acclaimed live show, the company have created a virtual site-specific world.
“digital theatre really does have the ability to reach through the screen and touch our hearts” ★★★★ A Younger Theatre
- The 50-minute experience was available from September 2020 - June 2021 to experience on demand, without charge.
- The experience has been created for ages 14+ and for smartphones & headphones.
Additional Learning Opportunities: Available Virtually or In Person - Virtual Talk: on the creation of digital theatre, focussing on User Not Found as a case study
- Online Workshop: on making theatre for the digital sphere; using writing & devising exercises to explore the online world as a landscape to make theatre within.
All sessions will be run by Dante or Die’s Co-Artistic Directors who have a wealth of experience creating and facilitating sessions & working as guest lecturers for a variety of settings, from the University of Reading to Central School of Speech & Drama.
Sessions will be tailored to the specific area of study of your students. They can take place in person or via a digital platform of your choice.
For more information or to book a session, contact our Producer Sophie on sophie@danteordie.com
Skin Hunger on Film, a new documentary about our need for human touch, is available for screenings & accompanying workshops now.
The 20 minute documentary is a collaboration between Dante or Die and award-winning documentary film-maker Pinny Grylls. The film follows three audience members as they interact with, and respond to, a performance installation about the power of touch - a vital aspect of humanity that so many of us didn’t realise we needed until it was restricted.
We're working with arts venues across the UK to share the film with their audiences. This can be accompanied by a Q&A and/or workshop for targeted community groups alongside the screenings led by Dante or Die artists. These workshops explore the idea of touch, through inviting creative responses to the film from the group and explore the creation of this 1 on 1 performance installation.
Available from November 2021 - July 2022.
More information here. Please contact our Participation Producer, Lucy at lucy@danteordie.com to discuss organising a session.