Gary Clarke Company creates transformative, life-changing experiences with and for people from working-class and marginalised communities.
Since 2015, the integration of local Community Casts into our professional touring shows have become central to our artistic practice, values and long-term vision.
We have built an outstanding reputation for our pioneering engagement models which seeks to place community voices at the heart of public discourse, presenting this as activism, demonstrating to communities nationwide that they can express the issues and stories that are important to them through co-creation and live performance.
The people whose stories we seek to represent are directly involved in the research, development, performance and evaluation of each show. From this process come authentic stories, told with respect of individuals and communities’ struggles, resilience and perseverance.
Since 2015, we are proud to have integrated hundreds of people nationwide (many from areas of low engagement) into our professional shows, providing experiences that are transformative.
“It was exciting, exhilarating and emotionally rewarding...the team could not have been more welcoming... we were in it together. The bond we developed with the professionals was beautiful... COAL has changed my entire interpretation of theatre.”
“Being involved has re-energised me. It is very easy in retirement to slip into comfortable ways and pull back from engagement with current society. This has pulled me out of my comfort zone. It is important for people like me to engage with and encourage younger generations.”
“I have experienced nothing less than professionalism, friendliness, a welcoming and truly collaborative stance as a community cast member and a wonderfully shared experience.”
Community Cast - DETENTION. Photo: Hannah Boothman
Community Cast - DETENTION. Photo: Hannah Boothman
We also integrated over 100 brass players from 16 championship and colliery bands into COAL and WASTELAND (recruited locally in each area) adding further relevance and authenticity. Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band, Grimethorpe Colliery Band and Tredegar Town Band were amongst the bands we collaborated with, many whom had never been involved in a professional live dance theatre production before.
For more information on our Community Cast opportunities please contact Laura Barber on engagementgcc@gmail.com
“It felt like we were representing brass / mining culture from a local perspective within an exciting art form which is totally different from our normal experience.”