Commissioning by consortium

Quality indoor performance work for the under 5s has been flourishing over the last few years, but not outdoor work. Small Wonders is a new commissioning consortium made up of some of the country’s leading arts festivals, which has come together to boost what, until now, has seemed like a woefully small pool of innovative outdoor performance work for the under 5s. It was initiated by Kate Hazel, Co-Artistic Director of Alchemy Productions and Director of the Hat Fair, who in 2010 ran a pilot project with Dizzy O’Dare Presents… at Fuse Medway Festival, The Shimmy in Wandsworth and 3foot People Festival. This informed the direction of the project and recently Small Wonders announced its first appointee, performance company Fevered Sleep.

The consortium has seven festival partners – Mintfest, Activate Performing Arts, Norfolk and Norwich Festival, Hat Fair, IF: Milton Keynes International Festival, the 3foot People Festival and Fuse Medway Festival – and consists of five National Portfolio Organisations , who, crucially, are able to commit to three year’s funding. The commitment to the project by two local authorities also demonstrates the value they place on the project. Partners, together with Arts Council England (ACE), put money into Small Wonders and then programme the created work into their events. They are also signed up to an ‘active partner agreement’ which includes a role in the commissioning process, interviewing and shortlisting artists, plus acting as co-producers. Alchemy Productions is the overall producer and project manager, making sure that the project stays on track and ACE objectives are met, and acting as a facilitator and buffer between the consortium and the commissionees.

For Small Wonders, a major benefit is being able to fund the commissioning of work through shared costs – particularly important in the current climate. Partners can also share expertise; there is a huge wealth of experience within the consortium. In turn this makes the project more enticing and interesting for the artists involved and provides a ready-made touring circuit for the work that is created.

It is also beneficial for the commissioning companies – if you want to makes changes or develop work in a sector, you have seven voices pushing forward, not one. And it means more people get to know about Small Wonders. Kate says: “Speaking with my Hat Fair hat on, I can only say that this has allowed us to broaden our event in order to truly realise our claim that we provide a programme for all ages.”

Kate is honest about the possible pitfalls, though she clearly thinks that in the case of Small Wonders these have been far outweighed by advantages: “With seven different partners – and therefore opinions – there’s a danger of diluting the project with too much compromise. The role of the producer (in this case, Alchemy Productions) is crucially important, to filter out things that won’t help the project to move forward. Consortia work particularly well when they allow the producer to do this job – to listen to strongly held opinions and hold a straight course.”

And for audiences, the benefits are clear. Artists can create diverse work without having to take a risk on just one festival and audiences see a wider range of work. As with all performance expansion, the major advantage is always about programming for your audience.