Monday 19 December 2011

Improbable's invitation

Do you love theatre?
Do you find it frustrating?
Do you wish it were different?
Do you feel like an outsider in your own profession?
Have you just started out and need support?
Have you been in the profession for years and feel jaded?
Is your sector always left out of the discussions?
Do you usually dread discussions and meetings?
Are you looking for a sense of: community, eldership, mentorship?
Are you looking to change things?


DEVOTED AND DISGRUNTLED 7
What are we going to do about theatre?

“The annual Devoted and Disgruntled open space….keep the dates free; it’s the most energizing event in the theatre calendar.”
Lyn Gardner, The Guardian



This February will see the 7th Devoted and Disgruntled annual event.
D&D was born out of an invitation I made back in January 2005 because I was frustrated with the theatre world I worked in not being all that great at communicating with itself. I wanted to improve that, to find new ways for us to connect to each other and bring about change.

Now, 7 years on, in these times of economic scarcity it is more important to me than ever to maintain a space that is open for possibility and optimism, a space which engenders a depth of discussion and creativity other events don’t give. D&D is not just about debate, it’s about authentic conversations: a place where we can be surprised by as yet unimagined solutions, relationships and creative collaborations. D&D provides a genuine opportunity to follow impulses, find support, gain new insights, share knowledge, make things happen.

I want to invite the people who have never been before, the people that come every year, the people that keep on meaning to come and never quite manage it, the people that came once and thought that was that, the people that have come to one of our D&D Satellite events and never been to the big annual one.

Improbable will again open and hold the space for this event but it isn’t our event. D&D belongs to the people that turn up, to the community that has grown over the last 7 years and continues to grow.

D&D is not designed for any particular sector of the theatre community, simply for those who choose to turn up. It’s your event, open to anyone. So this year I’m inviting you to make an invitation.

Let me know, and let other people know:-
Why you come to D&D?
Why somebody else should come to D&D?
Why D&D is important to you and important for theatre?

The collected invitations are published here:
http://dandd7.tumblr.com/archivehttp://dandd7.tumblr.com/archive

See you there,

Phelim

Phelim McDermott
Co-Artistic Director, Improbable

Please distribute this invite and the information below to practitioners, colleagues and anyone else who you think might be interested.

DEVOTED AND DISGRUNTLED 7
What are we going to do about theatre and the performing arts?

Facilitated by Phelim McDermott
A 3 day event.
25th & 26th February 2011, 10am – 7pm
27th February 2011, 10am – 2pm
York Hall, Bethnal Green, Old Ford Road, E2 9PJ

Open Space has been used successfully all over the world. It is an exciting open-ended event that enables a self-organising group to use its collective imagination to deal with complex issues and it will achieve this in an incredibly short space of time. By the end of the event the following will have occurred:

Every issue of concern to anybody will have been raised, if they took responsibility for doing that. All issues will have received full discussion, to the extent desired. A full report of issues and discussions will be in the hands of all participants. And YOU will have taken part in making it happen.

ACCESS

Improbable are committed to ensuring that Devoted and Disgruntled 7 is a democratic and accessible event so please contact the Improbable office to discuss your access requirements.

Voice: 020 7240 4556
Email: office@improbable.co.uk
SMS: 07939 378607
Devoted and Disgruntled 5 is wheel chair accessible We are offering sign language interpreters Our information is available in a range of formats Assistance dogs are welcome

TICKETS

We ask all participants to commit to the Saturday and Sunday. We do hope that you will return for the Monday morning but understand that the beginnings of weeks bring new commitments.

£20, £15 concession (student, unwaged, over 60). All support workers / access assistants are free.
Group discount: five tickets for the price of four. A group of five gets five tickets for £80.
(All proceeds are to cover direct costs of this event including the hire of the space, refreshments and equipment hires.)

ONLINE BOOKING: http://improbable.eventbrite.com
You can pay via Paypal, Google Checkout or Cheque.
Full ticket options and payment methods are available via the above link.

If you experience any difficulties booking online then please email on: devotedanddisgruntled@improbable.co.uk or call on 020 7240 4556

Tickets will be offered on a first come first served basis so please book early to ensure your place. We regret that we will be unable to offer a refund if you are unable to attend.