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A FESTIVAL OF WORKS IN PROGRESS AND EMBRYONIC IDEAS FROM THE NEXT GENERATION OF THEATRE-MAKERS IN THE NORTH WEST

CO:LAB FESTIVAL

Co:LAB is a response to local artists who say that they need time, space and money to begin to explore ideas and collaborations. Open Exchange artists can apply for a small amount of funding (between £300-£2,000) to develop a scratch performance for a public audience. Whereas REACT is about exploring process risk-free, Co:LAB – or the Collision Laboratory – is a chance to test the work on a live audience.

The Festival aims to showcase theatre made in non-traditional ways with unexpected creative collisions and collaborations. As with all of our opportunities the festival has been curated via an open call out to Open Exchange members. In some cases, Co:LAB will further develop ideas which had their origin in REACT.

The inaugural Co:LAB took place on 21 - 23 July 2017, and the second festival took place on 20 - 22 July 2018. 2019 will take place 21 - 23 June. More info to come soon.

Co:LAB Festival 2018 Images

A PART OF ME

By New Vision Theatre Company | Performed & Written by: Andrew Duffy, Natalie Amber, Stephanie Riches. Directed by: Grace Cordell

A PART OF ME

By New Vision Theatre Company | Performed & Written by: Andrew Duffy, Natalie Amber, Stephanie Riches. Directed by: Grace Cordell

A PART OF ME

By New Vision Theatre Company | Performed & Written by: Andrew Duffy, Natalie Amber, Stephanie Riches. Directed by: Grace Cordell

AFTER BIRTH

By Highlight Collective | Nicola Schofield, Naomi Kendrick, Jennifer Hardy, David Haworth, Sara Abanur, Amy Hailwood.

AFTER BIRTH

By Highlight Collective | Nicola Schofield, Naomi Kendrick, Jennifer Hardy, David Haworth, Sara Abanur, Amy Hailwood.

AFTER BIRTH

By Highlight Collective | Nicola Schofield, Naomi Kendrick, Jennifer Hardy, David Haworth, Sara Abanur, Amy Hailwood.

AFTER BIRTH

By Highlight Collective | Nicola Schofield, Naomi Kendrick, Jennifer Hardy, David Haworth, Sara Abanur, Amy Hailwood.

ALTAR/ALTER

By Lydia Cottrell & Michael-Jon Mizra

ALTAR/ALTER

By Lydia Cottrell & Michael-Jon Mizra

ALTAR/ALTER

By Lydia Cottrell & Michael-Jon Mizra

ALTAR/ALTER

By Lydia Cottrell & Michael-Jon Mizra

BAAL

By Knaïve Theatre & Impermanence Dance Theatre

BAAL

By Knaïve Theatre & Impermanence Dance Theatre

BAAL

By Knaïve Theatre & Impermanence Dance Theatre

BAAL

By Knaïve Theatre & Impermanence Dance Theatre

CATCHING COMETS

Created by Ransack Theatre and written by Piers Black

CATCHING COMETS

Created by Ransack Theatre and written by Piers Black

CATCHING COMETS

Created by Ransack Theatre and written by Piers Black

CATCHING COMETS

Created by Ransack Theatre and written by Piers Black

COMMIT.

By Big Liars

COMMIT.

By Big Liars

COMMIT.

By Big Liars

COMMIT.

By Big Liars

ETA CARINA

By Violet Blonde, The Kommanderrr, Clare McNulty

ETA CARINA

By Violet Blonde, The Kommanderrr, Clare McNulty

ETA CARINA

By Violet Blonde, The Kommanderrr, Clare McNulty

ETA CARINA

By Violet Blonde, The Kommanderrr, Clare McNulty

OVER MY DEAD BODY

Devised by Ali Wilson and James Monaghan

OVER MY DEAD BODY

Devised by Ali Wilson and James Monaghan

OVER MY DEAD BODY

Devised by Ali Wilson and James Monaghan

OVER MY DEAD BODY

Devised by Ali Wilson and James Monaghan

Prince Gorge

by Sophie Coward, Eliyana Evans and James Varney

Prince Gorge

by Sophie Coward, Eliyana Evans and James Varney

Prince Gorge

by Sophie Coward, Eliyana Evans and James Varney

Prince Gorge

by Sophie Coward, Eliyana Evans and James Varney

The Witching Way

Created by Ali Matthews & Leo Burtin

The Witching Way

Created by Ali Matthews & Leo Burtin

The Witching Way

Created by Ali Matthews & Leo Burtin

The Witching Way

Created by Ali Matthews & Leo Burtin

Tuch

Created by Amy Lawrence With collaboration and realisation by Tilda O’Grady

Tuch

Created by Amy Lawrence With collaboration and realisation by Tilda O’Grady

Tuch

Created by Amy Lawrence With collaboration and realisation by Tilda O’Grady

Tuch

Created by Amy Lawrence With collaboration and realisation by Tilda O’Grady

“It was special - a game changer for the artists and a shift in the landscape of the city.” Piers Black-Hawkins, Ransack Theatre, Minus Touch

“Co:LAB is unquestionably one of the most exciting platforms for emerging artists in the UK and it is very exciting to be part of it. For us it is an opportunity to develop the immersive, game-based, science fiction ideas that we scratched for the REACT commission with Tim Foley. With the new title Power To The North we will be focusing on addressing the issues we found in our experiments last time, building on the successes, responding to the feedback we received and pushing ourselves further to create a wild, engaging, live and genuinely empowering theatrical experience. For us, it is incredible simply to have the opportunity to develop the idea, but to have the Royal Exchange guiding and seeing the development both times is invaluable!” Knaïve Theatre, Power to the North

“And thank you again for the opportunity to play and experiment. The tech team were just amazing as were you all. We felt so supported and encouraged and in a unique position of being able to experiment and fail quite dramatically without any concern. It really helped push our practice and we love what you are doing with Open Exchange!” Take Back Theatre, Shooting the Messenger

Co:Lab Festival 2017 Images

Survival

by Elmi Ali and Nuala Maguire

Citizen

by James Monaghan and Christine FitzGerald

Love Letters from Blackpool

Written and performed by Ruth E. Cockburn - with Claire Walmsley Griffiths, Phil Ellis, Daniel Wallace & Will Lenton

Shooting the Messenger

by Take Back Theatre Collective

Two Fat Gentlemen

by Charlotte Maxwell and Marcela Hervia

[Insert Slogan Here]

by YesYesNoNo and Conan the Librarian

Woke

Written and performed by Testament

Vent

Directed by Collette Murray, Composed by Michael Betteridge and created by The Ensemble (Alex McCoy, Andy Pilkington, Barney Cooper, Charlotte Ashton, Elka Lee-Green, Katherine McDermott, Leni Murphy, Nicola O'Keeffe, Ryan Clayton, Sarah Coyne and Steff Riches)

Power to the North

by Knaïve Theatre and Tim Foley

So Fey

by Amy Lawrence with Joe Whitmore, Vitaljia Glovackyte, Henrietta Phoebe Dunn, Nisa Cole & Lucie Browne Research Assistance: Tilda O’Grady & Jade Montserrat

Open Exchange provides a series of developmental opportunities for emerging artists of all disciplines, rooted in the belief that collaboration creates great art and brilliant theatre doesn't always begin with a script. Sign up here for opportunities.