Following a call out for creatives to work with Papertrail, the company is announcing the appointment of two Associate Artists and one Emerging Artist they will be supporting to develop projects that capture under represented voices in Wales.
With the support of an Arts Council of Wales Creative Steps Grant, Papertrail has been expanding its vision and establishing itself as an inclusive theatre company that champions under-represented voices in the arts. It has created a new leadership model, combining the skills and talents of Founder and Co-Artistic Director, Bridget Keehan and Co-Artistic Director Jonny Cotsen. As part of its future vision and commitment to supporting and capturing under-represented voices in theatre, Papertrail invited Welsh and Wales based artists to apply for two Associate Artist positions with the company.
Papertrail is delighted to announce that Samantha O’Rourke and Catherine Dyson will be working with Papertrail as Associate Artists and Nia Gandhi will be supported as an Emerging Associate Artist.
“We had an incredible response to the call out for Associate Artists earlier this year and were really impressed with the amount and quality of applications and ideas we had from writers, theatre makers and musicians who all saw exiting opportunities for us to support them and develop ideas that they wanted to work on in order to bring attention to unheard stories.”
Co-Artistic Director Jonny Cotsen.
Samantha O’Rourke is a BAFTA nominated disabled queer northern writer-director based in North Wales, who has worked on commissions with Channel 4, BBC Wales and with Theatr Clwyd, Volcano Theatre, Boundless Theatre and Dirty Protest. Samantha is passionate about the unheard voices of Cleaners who work Wales and the way society treats them.
Samantha said, “I’m really thrilled to be developing my project called Cleaners with Papertrail. Cleaners will offer a heightened, immersive journey through the words and stories of Welsh female cleaners. Inspired by my incredible mam-in-law Clwyd—who is the most funny, brilliant, kind, and sharp person—the piece seeks to honour women like her whose work often goes unseen. To ensure the project reflects the voices of real cleaners with honesty and integrity, I’ll use interviews and verbatim dialogue and we will be exploring where to stage it, possibly in a building that typically feels formal or business-like—somewhere usually off-limits. I want the experience to feel a little anarchic, drawing audiences into an after-hours world that’s usually hidden. I want audiences to join the cleaners on their night shift—a magical space between fiction and reality—where stark, empty rooms are transformed by the women’s presence and voices. The piece will feature elements of installation, soundscape, movement, song, and audience interaction, creating opportunities for exploration, reflection, and discovery.”
Catherine Dyson is a Cardiff based writer and performer who has worked with RedCape Theatre, Sherman Theatre, BBC Radio 4, Riverfront Theatre and Theatr Iolo. She is currently on a writing attachment at the National Theatre.
Catherine had been volunteering at a local Food Bank the last few years and was inspired by the people who use it, their stories and the issue of food insecurity. The project she’ll be working on with Papertrail explores our interconnectedness through food.
Catherine said, “I am developing a performance around the idea of food supply chains and food insecurity, and the hidden stories contained within the food that ends up on our plates. The journeys that the foods we eat have taken often stretch across the globe and rely on the labour of many human beings. Via ships, lorries, in fields, in factories, we are connected to a fragile network which is vulnerable to the impact of multiple local, global and climatic events. I’m interested in the possibility of writing a play for non-theatre spaces, and the echoes and shadows to be found in warehouses, loading docks, supermarket aisles, food distribution centres and community kitchens. My ambition is to create a surprising, illuminating and entertaining encounter that will tell an intimate yet epic story, and inspire audiences to think about the multitudes contained with each mouthful, and how, through eating, our destinies are linked with people we will never meet.”
The Papertrail team were really impressed with an emerging writer’s application, Abergavenny actor, writer and producer Nia Gandhi. She has worked bilingually with Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru on Pijin/Pigeon, Cwmni Frân Wen on Corn Gwlad and with Kali Theatre at Birmingham Rep, Theatr Clwyd and National Theatre Wales.
As a writer she has worked with Dirty Protest, Sherman Theatre and recently started working with JHOOM – the first company creating work by and for the South Asian community in Wales.
Nia said, “I am so thrilled to be working with Papertrail as Emerging Associate Artist because of their ability to engage communities in a genuine way and their focus on true accessibility. I hope to benefit from their expertise whilst engaging in my project “Half Spaces”, a project surrounding what it is to grow up dual heritage and autistic in a border town in Wales; particularly looking at the community and engagement strand of this project.”
“We are really excited to be supporting Sam, Catherine and Nia, all of whom are passionate and dynamic artists wanting to share stories from rarely heard communities. Catherine and Sam are mid-career writers who were keen to elevate their practice, learn new skills and contribute creatively to Papertrail. We were hugely impressed with Nia’s application and over the next year we will be supporting her as an Emerging Artist. We had an incredible number of talented artists apply and it has been a sobering realisation of how many brilliant creatives need more opportunities to support their work in Wales.” Bridget Keehan, Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Papertrail.
Papertrail exists to dig out untold stories and present them to audiences in engaging ways. Each production blends distinctive writing with adventurous staging. Creative access is core to their work as is their ‘residency’ approach to creating projects. Papertrail works closely with communities to find the story that needs to be listened to. It empowers artists to make extraordinary theatre that challenges perceptions and connects with audiences throughout Wales and beyond.
Papertrail is supported by Arts Council of Wales, National Lottery and Welsh Government.