Clean Break Premieres New Film HOPE to Launch Online Knowledge Hub

Clean Break is launching its new online Knowledge Hub - an extensive and ever-growing source of information and resource for the company's multiple audiences, developed with the support of Bloomberg Philanthropies' Digital Accelerator for Arts and Culture.

Connecting and promoting Clean Break's artistic, community, and training activities, the Hub is an invaluable home for in-depth content, learning, and experiences. This curated online space engages with:

• theatre audiences - through behind the scenes materials from its productions, content exploring the themes of its plays, premieres of new work, and exclusive interviews with theatre makers and playwrights from Clean Break's canon;
• practitioners and students of theatre and the arts, and the criminal justice and women's sectors – providing expertise and training opportunities such as access to free and paid for learning materials sharing Clean Break's industry-leading trauma-informed practice;
• Clean Break's Members and other women who similarly have experience of the criminal justice system or at risk of entering it – creating a safe, digital space that platforms its Members' voices, connects women to the programme and provides creative wellbeing resources.

The Hub launches at 12 noon on Wednesday 22 November with the international premiere of Clean Break's new film HOPE - a story of personal growth and community activism that explores what hope means to women facing adversity. The film was co-created by Clean Break's Members with director Kirsty Housley, funded by the Big Give Women and Girls Match Fund 2022. A preview of the film was hosted by Zawe Ashton at the Kiln Theatre on 30 October and at Storyhouse, Chester on 4 November.

Erin Gavaghan, Clean Break Executive Director and co-CEO: “After months of hard work from our team, we are delighted to launch our Knowledge Hub and immensely grateful to Bloomberg for its support in making this possible, through the Bloomberg Digital Accelerator Programme. Investment in strengthening our organisation's technological infrastructure will support our strategic ambitions. The Hub will enable us to expand our role as a leading force in the sectors we work in - sharing our practice, sparking compassion and action in our audiences, and investing in and nurturing the voices of our Members who are at the heart of Clean Break. We now have the perfect home for all the incredible content we have and plan to develop to reveal the depth of our practice and deepen understanding of the experiences of women who are marginalised in society. Our new digital space will also enable us to grow our digital audience and diversify our income streams through training and leadership opportunities.”

Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 700 cities and 150 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organisation focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: the Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health.

Bloomberg Philanthropies has invested $43 million in the Digital Accelerator Programme to help strengthen arts organizations through strategic improvements to technology infrastructure. The programme supports leadership development and infrastructure investment that builds audiences, increases fundraising, drives revenue, delivers dynamic programming, and helps develop best practices to share across a network of non-profit cultural organizations.  The programme currently includes institutions in the U.S. and U.K.

HOPE is available to stream from 22 November 2023 at www.cleanbreak.org.uk/hub

Price: sliding scale from £1 to £20

Age guidance: 12+