Out Of Joint and Fen Present HOW TO START A FIRE

As part of the national UK touring theatre initiative Signal Fires, leading companies Out of Joint, Bristol Old Vic Ferment, Rising Artrs Agency and Prime Theatre Company are working with with Bristol based Fen and director and dramaturg Maisie Newman on a digital performance piece which responds to the current crisis and offers a manifesto for the future.

Recognising that the world is experiencing a watershed moment and acknowledging the fact that real change is both far from achievable and tantalisingly close, How To Start A Fire aims to provoke people up and down the land to respond series of challenging questions:

• How Do You Start A Fire?
• How Do You Re-imagine The Future?
• How Do You Ignite A Fire In People And Spark Action?
• How Do You Keep The Flame Going And Ensure That Your Voices Ring Out As Loud As Possible?

Participants are being called upon to respond creatively in writing to the challenge in order to add their contributions to a template for tomorrow. Their submissions will be combined and crafted by Newman to produce a collection of incendiary writing that demands a better future. The work will be performed by an actor at a streamed event on the evening of 5th November and submissions will then be available in an online archive as a collective manifesto for change. More information on how to get involved can be found on the Fen and Out of Joint websites.

Newman stresses that no experience is necessary to make submissions and that the brief is broad.

"There are no rules", she says. "Everyone is welcome and everything is allowed. You could build a set of instructions, a cry for action, a poem, a monologue, a song, a statement, a collection of diary entries ... anything. You can submit a piece you have written already or something written especially for this."

"When real change feels like a continuous, exhaustive battle, how can we keep sparking conversation and action so that we can collectively re-imagine our future?"

Out of Joint artistic director, Kate Wasserberg says: "At this time of profound change and challenge, Maisie has responded with a project that gives voice to the power of the young to make change and take us forward into a brighter, better future. We are delighted to have worked on this brilliant idea with Maisie and our partner companies, and to be part of the visionary Signal Fires project."

Out of Joint executive director, Martin Derbyshire adds: "This is a wonderful initiative, bringing artists around the country together to celebrate creativity in these difficult times. We're delighting to be partnering with such wonderful companies and excited to see what Maisie creates."

Those who wish to make submissions to How To Start a Fire are asked to do so at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScUd2qYqgcOEsGUyhZPf_bKRy_0X1P6MEJbwmijdD5alhepWA/viewform.

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