Episode 3: Social & Political Performance for Public Realm, Socially Engaged Arts & Safeguarding Self with Anthony Briggs, Sarah Lockwood and David Forrest

In this episode Ludus Dance Co-Artistic Director and CEO Anthony Briggs invites local colleagues and collaborators Sarah Lockwood and David Forrest into the Ludus Dance studios to chat about making social and / or political performance work for the public realm, socially engaged arts and how to safeguard yourself as an artist creating and producing challenging semi-autobiographic content.

Sarah Lockwood is a North West based dance artist, facilitator and maker, as well as a dance lecturer at The University of Salford. Along with Anthony, she makes and performs outdoor and public space performance work for Maelstrom Theatre.

David Forrest is a filmmaker, animator and video marketer based in Lancaster, Lancashire. He has previously worked in the broadcast TV sector as well as in independent film production and distribution. He produces a wide range of creative video and animated work with clients of all shapes and sizes, including social enterprises, local businesses, large online retailers, arts organisations and independent artists. David also volunteers his time to a number of local Morecambe events and festivals, such as the Morecambe Carnival.

Anthony Briggs is a multi-disciplinary performance maker, producer and facilitator based in Lancaster, Anthony is currently Co-Artistic Director and CEO of Ludus Dance. When not leading a charity, Anthony spends his time developing live performance work with different artistic collaborators.

With an interest in making accessible socially driven work in unusual (public) spaces and for new audiences, play and improvisation form the bedrock of his practice. He also has a keen interested in the intersection between performance and participatory practices.

LISTEN NOW:

 

Things we talk about in this episode:

  • Sarah and David talk a little bit about their practice and interests
  • We discuss the benefits and pitfalls of making socially driven live performance work for public spaces
  • Detail some practical tips on what to consider when making work for the public realm (in or outdoors) and engaging new audiences
  • How to safeguard yourself (reputational, mental, physical, psychological) when drawing from personal experiences and/ or choosing challenging themes

 

 

Links mentioned in this episode:

Arts Lancashire

Ludus Dance

Briggsy Produces

Maelstrom Theatre

David Forrest