Education and outreach

1. WORKING IN THE PERFORMING
ARTS SECTOR
Introduction to outreach work:
What, why, where, who and
how?

2. SESSION CONTENT
• What is outreach work across the performing arts sector?
Overview, definitions and context.
• Why do companies engage in outreach work? Small, medium
and LARGE
• Where does outreach work happen? Environments and what is
needed?
• Who delivers outreach work? Skills, opportunity, funding
• How is it delivered? Frameworks for outreach work.

3. WHAT?
Definitions of outreach more broadly:
- To connect with others
- To establish relationships with others
- Extending services beyond expected
limits
- The act of reaching out (to other
people)
- An act of sharing
- To help, uplift and support those who
need it
- It is public and often community
based
- Can provide particular expertise and
service to those who might not
What is outreach –
what does it mean?
Sometimes called
‘education
programme’ or
‘engagement’

4. IS OUTREACH THE SAME AS
COMMUNITY PRACTICE?
They share lots of traits – but are they the same thing?
The main differences are in terms of the ‘product’ or ‘performance’ that is associated with the ‘outreach’.
“There’s a big difference between one-size-fits-all outreach projects that exist to check a box on a grant
application and work that has a lasting impact. As more dance companies incorporate engagement efforts into
their seasons, they’re finding that truly purposeful projects require careful consideration of the communities
they serve.”
Rachel Caldwell (2019)
Community practice is community centred – the community it serves is at the heart of the artistic practice, and
subsequent work or practice produced. For example - This performing arts case study – LARGE Scale or this
company https://www.stutetheatre.co.uk/about - small scale. This means any output or performance is created
through and with the community and the practice shared between artist and participants.
Outreach work when connected to specific companies and their work – as in the practice you are exploring –
tends to be production centred. For example https://jasminvardimon.com/education/education-programme/

5. WHY?
MEDIUM/ MID
Some outreach is specifically focused on education
and promotion.
Workshops are designed for different age groups
and different experiences, might also tap into
qualification content.
https://www.geckotheatre.com/workshops
This is another revenue stream, but also builds
audiences for their work, which is mid scale touring.
The workshops very much focus on their practices
and their work as a company.
LARGE
It might not be called ‘Outreach
At The South Bank Centre it is called their
Creative Learning Programme
Engages a range of community participants –
engagement focused – come to the building and
supports a range of artists and their work.
• Believe in providing opportunities and education for others – contributes to the sector/ the field
• To help market their work and company, by enabling participants a more in depth exploration of the
practice and work – thus audience development
• To achieve certain criteria for funding

6. WHY?
Small scale
company
The outreach or education strand often forms the majority
of the funding for the company – in some cases it funds
the performance work.
Often the outreach offerings, extend far beyond the work
being created to provide an arts education independent
from a performance piece.

7. COME TO A VENUE
• This would tend to be larger scale companies
who have the finance to fund a building, that is
branded as theirs or that houses them by
association.
• This can be from large, mid or small scale
companies – where the outreach work goes to
the participants in either their school, studio or
hall. This is much cheaper than having your
own venue and enables you significantly more
flexibility – the company will be more willing to
travel further – than the participants
COME TO YOU
WHERE DOES OUTREACH HAPPEN?
A combination of both is that sometimes a touring company are performing at the same theatre for a few
days – so the theatre provides a space for the company to engage in ‘outreach’. What is needed?

8. WHO DELIVERS OUTREACH?
• Large scale companies often have an education, engagement and outreach department, or team.
They will often have an outreach manager who oversees all activity, outreach coordinators or
producers who create outreach projects and then a team of (usually freelance) artists/ teachers/
practitioners who deliver the workshops.
• Mid scale companies may have a smaller version of the above, or they have 1 outreach and
engagement employee who manages, plans and leads the majority of the sessions, perhaps with
some freelance support. Or some have 1 person coordinating and then the company performers
deliver the workshops alongside their performance work.
• Small scale companies, it is most likely the same 1 or 2 people, manage, plan and deliver the
outreach work as do everything else in the company.
• So much is finding dependent – it is an additional cost to deliver outreach, but without it, you may
not be eligible for funding, or are not able to access the funding possible through outreach activity.

9. HOW?
• Long term, large, ongoing, substantially funded schemes, partnerships or residencies that enable
those that engage as participants of the outreach work to feel part of the community of the
organisation, and possibly venue that is delivering. LARGE
Example - https://www.barbican.org.uk/take-part
• Mid term projects/ partnerships or multiple smaller projects/ outreach opportunities working, often
geographically specific relating to a tour and to specific venues in pockets of time to develop
audiences and interest in the work. This might be going into schools/ universities/ colleges in the
town where the show is showing for several nights as part of the tour. Or having a ‘strand’ of
practice – such as a youth version of the main company.
Example - https://www.chhayacollective.com/chhaya-youth
• One off workshops, classes or engagement with a group – often not relating to a piece, but forms
part of the work of a company that also make work.
Example https://www.babeltheatre.co.uk/take-part

10. SOME DON’T DO ANY ‘OUTREACH’
IF THEY FEEL THE WORK IS WHAT THEY DO AND IS
ENOUGH – DO THEY HAVE TO?
An example of this is DV8 – but they do provide a fairly comprehensive set of
resources to aid people to study the company and work.
https://www.dv8.co.uk/students
DISSERTATIONS
“Due to the sheer weight of the demands on his time and the hectic
schedule of the company, it is not possible for Lloyd Newson to answer
individual queries for projects or dissertations.”

11. SO WHAT DO YOU NEED TO
CONSIDER?
• Funding – do we have it to fund projects
or do we need outreach work to help
fund the company work?
• Who will deliver the outreach work and
where? Who will design and
administrate the project? Individuals/
team?
• What is the purpose of the outreach
work? What do you want to achieve with
it?
• Are the values of your company, the
work you make evidence in the outreach
work?
• Consistency across strands?
• Accessibility?
• Quality?
What do you need to
think about when you
are considering
outreach work?