Read on to hear about the latest jobs and a performer call-out, see how we animated a struggling town centre, and find out what more is in store this summer.
The Tower of Light returns and midsummer mischief in Norway
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As the skies brighten and the outdoors come alive, Walk the Plank is preparing to create magical moments for audiences near and far.
Bodø24 – Midsummer Mischief R&D
Research begins on 20–24 June 2023 for a commission from Bodø24 European Capital of Culture. Our creative team will collaborate with talented practitioners recruited locally – designers, performers and wooden sauna builders – to develop the work through trying out ideas in the landscape of northern Norway on the coastline at midsummer, when the sun doesn’t drop below the horizon.
The Tower of Light at Hartlepool’s Tall Ships Festival, Friday 7 July
After touring all over the world in the past 25 years, there’s another chance to see one of Walk the Plank’s best-loved shows: The Tower of Light, which celebrates the lighthouse keepers who kept sailors safe for centuries until the last of Britain’s lighthouses was automated in 1998.
Tate Liverpool originally commissioned The Tower of Light to mark the end of that era – and we're delighted to announce that this dazzling display of performance, pyrotechnics and music will be presented once more in Hartlepool, home to the world’s first lighthouse fully powered by electricity, on Friday 7 July 2023. The following evening will see our team let off a spectacular fireworks display designed by Pete Finegan.
‘We are thrilled to welcome Walk the Plank back to Hartlepool… it’s been too long! The Tower of Light and its nautical focus is so appropriate to launch the Tall Ships Races Hartlepool on 7 July. It’s particularly fitting since we have pledged to be the greenest Tall Ships event to date – and of course, WtP are leaders in the outdoors sector for all things sustainability, including the magnificent pyro.’
Maddie Maughan and Stella Hall, Creative Producers, Tall Ships Races Hartlepool
Discover more about The Tower of Light coming to Hartlepool’s Tall Ship Festival
Manchester Day – On Holiday
Although the Manchester Day Parade isn’t happening this year, Manchester City Council is planning a different free event in the city centre from 12noon to 9pm on Saturday 29 July 2023, and we’re helping to produce it.
Some of the UK’s best street acts will be appearing alongside the North West’s most talented young musicians and carnival artists from Global Grooves, disco classics from Chic Le Freak, a huge helter-skelter and a few giant snails. We promise you plenty to delight your friends, captivate your kids and kick the school holidays off to a great start.
Manchester Day
Serious Nonsense Festival in Knowsley
Programming and producing the second Serious Nonsense Festival on 11–13 August 2023 for Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council allows us to encourage all sorts of nonsensical literature, music, comedy and street entertainment to spill on to the streets of Prescot around the Shakespeare North Playhouse.
‘What a great opportunity to pay tribute to the imagination of Edward Lear and his connection to Knowsley by seeking out and programming the best sort of nonsense, made by the UK’s most talented street acts, writers and comedians,’ says Bev Ayre, Walk the Plank’s Senior Producer. ‘It’s great that Knowsley MBC has continued to invest in this festival, which is only in its second year and already attracting national attention.’
One Amazing Day lives up to its expectations!
St Helens is this year’s Liverpool City Region’s Borough of Culture, and we were commissioned to programme and produce a one-day festival as the first major event in their calendar.
Local artists showcased a ‘Try Not Buy’ market, dance and music acts wowed the crowds, and a spirited parade saw Mrs Beecham, purveyor of Beechams Powders (made in St Helens since 1848), arrive on a pedal-powered Stephenson’s Rocket – a nod to the world’s first inter-city passenger railway line, which ran through St Helens.
‘It clearly was an Amazing Day and one that will live long in the memory… our local businesses really benefited from the footfall during the day and were pleased with the way the whole event was organised. Feedback from our local politicians and senior management was also good.’
Dave Boocock, Head of Culture & Wellbeing, St Helens Borough Council
We were able to offer an apprenticeship to a young person from St Helens, recruiting Bradley Roach as a trainee producer and helping to build a meaningful legacy – ‘You all made me feel super comfortable and made it easy for me to get out of my comfort zone… the education you have given me has been a true inspiration in terms of my decision to take producing further.’
One Amazing Day, St Helens Borough of Culture 2023, Mdot Photography
Cobden Works workshop in full swing
The Tower of Light was erected in the yard last week and rehearsals got underway with director Carrie English working with performers Fran Widdowson, Joe Fleming and Fionnuala Dorrity.
Our team has also been working with Decordia, our neighbours in Cobden Studios, to build structures for Parklife, which their team is painting in our workshops for Manchester’s premier music festival on 10–11 June 2023.
And fabrication for the Lost Village Festival (24–27 August 2023) – is underway. We’ve been collaborating with the festival since 2016 – and while we can’t reveal what we’re working on, let’s just say it’s a showstopper.
Building the capacity of teachers in Salford
A Creative Directions training session for teachers and other creative professionals – Designing and Making with Limited Resources, led by artist Sophie Tyrell – kicked off our Salford programme, with two small events coming up in June 2023.
The Veg Show with The Lovely Farmers will pop up at We Invented the Weekend at Salford Quays (3–4 June 2023); and The Emperor’s New Stage will be making an appearance at Swinton Sounds at Victoria Park in Swinton (Sunday 18 June 2023). There’ll be more appearances at community events around Salford later in the year.
Irwell Weekender, Kersal Wetlands 2022, Rachel Beeson
Sustainability in practice – Arts Marketing Association
Two members of our Marketing & Communications team, Helen Palmer, Marketing Consultant and Tanica Powell, Marketing & Communications Officer, will be speaking at the AMA conference in June 2023 on the subject of ‘Tackling Your Digital Carbon Footprint on a Large-Scale Outdoor Event’ – using Green Space Dark Skies as a case study. Delving into the environmental impact of digital marketing on last year’s Green Space Dark Skies project, they’ll share learnings in planning, measuring and reducing our carbon footprint across all digital communications, including creating our own digital emissions calculation tool.
Helen Palmer and Tanica Powell portraits 2023, Rachel Beeson
Continuing the Green Space Dark Skies legacy
Four bursaries will enable four community groups to connect with the landscape once again: the North Wales Africa Society will be heading to Llanberis in Parc Eryri/Snowdonia National Park in June; Healthy Lives Project and Powys People First will be visiting Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons National Park) in July; A Creative Expression Ltd, based in Luton, will go to the Norfolk Broads, also in July; and Bradford’s Mind the Gap will visit the North York Moors National Park in August.
We are excited to see what they get up to and we will be sharing their stories with you on our social media channels throughout the summer.
Liz Pugh, Creative Producer, penned the article ‘Green Space Dark Skies – Using Lighting to Reconnect People with Nature’ for Cities & Lighting, a magazine run independently by the LUCI network, of which we are members.
Last year, Liz attended the annual LUCI conference in South Korea, where much pioneering research is being done around the environmental impact of light pollution.
We’ve been shortlisted!
pro-manchester has shortlisted us for a Trailblazing Tech Award for our geo-locating lighting technology, developed with Siemens and CORE Lighting, as part of our GreenSpaceDarkSkies project. And the Salford Business Awards have shortlisted us for a Sustainability Award for our work on the project.
Learn about our Geolighting technology, and get in touch with us at [email protected] to learn how you could use them for your event.
You can also read the Sustainability Impact Report into Green Space Dark Skies that we recently published, sharing best practice with organisations delivering outdoor events.
Green Space Dark Skies, Dunstable Downs 2022, Phil Young
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