SPARK supported artist programme

Pegasus is committed to supporting creative works with, for, and by young people through the SPARK supported artist programme.

About SPARK

Over the course of two years, we provide artists and companies bespoke support to cultivate new ideas across an array of creative disciplines.

How we support artists:

Rehearsal space
Fundraising & marketing support
Artist development sessions
Performance and programming opportunities

Applications for SPARK are currently open.

Current SPARK artists

T(ART) Productions

Cabaret

T(ART) Productions is a queer not-for-profit events company specialising in cabaret, arts, and social events. They create inclusive, accessible events with a fun and campy twist. They are best known for their long-running cabaret show OxPHWOARd.

Creating safe spaces for everyone is a core part of T(ART)’s philosophy. They are proud to be a company led by trans and neurodivergent people, and strive to centre marginalised identities in all they do. T(ART) believes in intersectionality and that queer experiences are hugely diverse, and that diversity deserves to be showcased.

Their signature style is unmistakably camp, queer, and eclectic.

T(ART) Productions will be working with Pegasus to create an inclusion project for teenagers and a new show for children.

Noah Silverstone

Actor-puppeteer

Noah Silverstone is an actor-puppeteer and puppet designer who trained at East 15 Acting School, the Grotowski Institute, and the Little Angel Theatre.

He loves all things playful, joyous, childish and magical. His practice often veers into the grotesque and the political.

His designs are inspired by fairytale creatures and children’s book illustrations. Each puppet is built using recycled, reclaimed and sustainably sourced materials.

leo&hyde

Musical Theatre

leo&hyde is a multi-award-winning musical theatre duo set up in 2016 by Stephen Hyde and Leo Mercer, after meeting at the University of Oxford. We create electronic-pop musicals, expanding the possibilities of 21st century musical theatre.

SPARK Applications

Applications for SPARK are now closed. Keep an eye on the website for any further updates.

Pegasus is excited to open application for the SPARK supported artist programme – inviting three artists and/or companies to work with Pegasus from October 2022– October 2024 to develop their practice around creating work for young audiences aged 0-25.

Pegasus is a pioneering force creating the present, challenging and shaping the future and making an enduring impact on the vitality of the performing arts locally, regionally and nationally.

We believe passionately that young people are the changemakers of the future. We nurture young artists and companies providing unique opportunities for them to be influential in the arts and wider community.

The SPARK supported artist programme provides artists and companies of all levels with the space and skills development needed to turn their bold new ideas into a reality.

We’re looking to support new work for families and young audiences (aged 0-25). We are particularly keen to showcase work by under-represented groups within the arts, such as artists from the global majority, trans artists, and disabled artists.

We are also keen to support locally based artists and companies that represent the diverse community of East Oxford  and will prioritise up to two places for artists / companies living or working in the area (dependant on suitability, quality and fit).

This two-year programme will provide bespoke support for three artists/companies based on their individual needs to cultivate, catalyse and develop innovative new work with, for and by young people.

Through the scheme Pegasus will provide:

Access to rehearsal space (free of charge)
Training and development sessions with industry professionals including fundraising, marketing and producing
Showcase events and performance opportunities
Opportunities to collaborate with Pegasus Young Companies and youth groups
Access to artist and creative networks both locally and regionally
Up to £1,000 seed funding in the second year

The application deadline is Tuesday 13 September 2022.

Interviews will take place w/c 3 October 2022.

If you’d like to apply for the SPARK supported artist programme 2022-24 you can either:

1) Complete & submit the form below or

2) Submit video responses to the prompts below

All submissions should be returned to director@pegasustheatre.org.uk

Download the application form

Artist Spotlight

Richard Chappell Dance

We became Spark Artists to develop and tour our first full length work At the end we begin in 2018. Since then, our ensemble has gone from strength to strength, embarking on two years of national touring with the production, alongside the creation of our latest show Still Touch, which we recently performed at Pegasus Theatre with support from the venue and Dancing’ Oxford Festival.

Pegasus is a rare and special theatre, whose vision for supporting artists feels rooted wholeheartedly in both their local community and in fostering artists to push themselves, with warmth and generosity. The staff, theatre and audiences are immensely dear to me.

Find out more

Clown Funeral

We have developed two shows since becoming SPARK artists: Things We Chose To Save and A Pattern Of Bad Behaviour. We have toured the first and have begun the tour for the second.

Two of our members were born and bred in Oxford and were heavily involved in Pegasus’ youth programmes; we have a deep love for the theatre and the opportunities it has afforded us. Pegasus is like a hometown in many ways and for those of us who had no prior association with Oxford or Pegasus, it feels like we’ve been adopted into the family.

Clown Funeral provides quirky, pithy theatre by examining human characters in weird situations or worlds. We love approaching serious and sometimes difficult topics with levity and sometimes sardonic humour, to shine a light on the multifaceted nature of the topics we tackle; nothing is ever simple.

Find out more

“Pegasus’ energy and belief gave me the boost I needed to apply for funding; their space and financial support helped me to get it.”

Rachel Betts, SPARK Artist 2018-19

PEGASUS