Exeter Northcott Theatre announces partnership with university to explore loneliness

Exeter Northcott Theatre has announced a new partnership with academics at the city’s university to explore loneliness and community.

This is expected to be the first of a series of formal collaborations between the theatre and the university, as part of a long-term partnership.

Daniel Buckroyd, artistic and executive director of the Northcott, hopes the theatre will ”become a place where artists and academics can come together to explore the interplay between creative practice and research”.

For the initial project, the theatre will partner with the University of Exeter’s Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health over the next year as the research centre carries out a project exploring experiences and causes of loneliness.

Exeter Northcott Theatre has submitted a call-out for three artists to be a part of the project, each of whom will be paid a fee of £1,500 for an anticipated 10 days of work.

Between June and January 2020, the artists will spend time with academics and participate alongside students at the university in workshops and activities.

Drawing on these experiences, the artists will be asked to develop ideas for an original performance work inspired by the research.

At least one of the concepts will be developed into a full production.

Buckroyd said: “We’re interested in the way in which artists can have a positive impact on research, by being able to think of creative ways in which to carry out the research, and also in how this will support artists to make new work.”

The deadline for applications for artists to involved in the project is April 1.

Mercury’s Daniel Buckroyd appointed to lead Exeter Northcott Theatre