Against the odds and bordering on crazy? Maybe. But yes YOU CAN!

Photo credit: Janina Sabaliauskaite

learn the tools for a career in producing with Newcastle’s award winning puppetry and alternative theatre organisation

by Kerrin Tatman, Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Moving Parts

Engaging young people in the work we do at Moving Parts Arts is essential to the growth of the North East visual theatre scene and to develop a pool of upcoming producers and arts administrators. There are few avenues in the North East region for young people to enter the world of producing, programming and event organisation and we are thrilled to have partnered with City of Dreams to start creating real opportunities for young people to enter this rewarding field of work.

Read the full blog post

Moving Parts: Newcastle Puppetry Festival returns 6th-14th April 2019

Moving Parts Arts is more than a visual theatre development organisation. We are a promoter of grassroots art creation, inclusion and community spirit, and want to unite people through unique experiences seen nowhere else in the North East. We are committed to national and international visual theatre sector development and are aiming towards making Newcastle a hub for puppetry and alternative theatre, whilst actively beginning to tackle issues such as lack of diversity within the industry.

Our main outputs are the biennial Newcastle Puppetry Festival (second edition happening April 2019); one-off performance and training events in the city; and the Moving Parts Scratch Space – a mobile venue which travels to national festivals to give visual theatre artists performance opportunities to showcase new work.

Moving Parts Arts is a new organisation run by young people and we are slowly building our capacity and reputation as a leading provider of visual theatre experiences in the North East, which was recognised in early 2018 when we won The Journal Culture Award for ‘Best Newcomer’. We want to give other young people opportunities at this stage in our own development, so participants can get first hand experience of what it takes to set up an arts organisation, how to run ambitious events, how to problem solve with limited resources, and how to build an audience for an art form that the public most likely have little previous contact with.

Moving Parts is all about a ‘can do’ attitude against the odds. We believe that if you want something enough, even if the task at hand seems too big of a challenge bordering on crazy, with the right support and determination you can make it a reality.

We want to help inspire other young people to fulfil their ideas and goals within arts and community engagement, no matter their background, experience or financial situation. Through mentorship and hands on experience we aim to give our interns the drive and some of the transferable tools they might need to start their own projects or to work confidently in related positions.

We are interested in giving internships to young people with active interests in pursuing a career in producing and events management. Participants don’t need to be massive puppetry fans (although they will be by the end of an internship!) but should have a desire to make a difference to Newcastle and the North East through working with a team to create unique cultural experiences.

We can be flexible with internships – they can be a couple of days to a couple of months – and can be tailored to cover areas of particular interest. Most internships would take place in our office on the second floor of Alphabetti Theatre, which regrettably is currently not wheelchair accessible. This is something the theatre is actively working towards changing.

If you are interested in interning with Moving Parts between November 2018 and April 2019 please get in touch and submit a CV and cover letter to info@newcastlepuppetryfestival.co.uk 

Fore more information on the festival visit www.newcastlepuppetryfestival.co.uk