Expanding digital horizons through collaboration

This case study – which is based on an independent evaluation of the Creative Local Growth Fund by Nordicity and Saffery Champness LLP – looks at the development of Unfolding Theatre’s Multiverse Arcade, supported by Creative Fuse North East

Unfolding Theatre is a touring-only theatre company based in Newcastle, performing in theatres, community halls and outdoor locations across England. With the ethos “big-hearted theatre that delights in bringing people together”, the company has three long term aims:  

• More people leading happier, more creatively fulfilled lives through live theatre, whether by participating, creating or as audience members
• Mainstream theatre better reflecting England’s diversity and driving excellence  
• Connecting and bringing people with different life experiences together  

Also based in the North Earth is Creative Fuse North East, supported by the Creative Local Growth Fund. This five-university collaboration seeks to unlock the potential of the creative, digital and tech sectors in the North East, to drive innovation and growth in the local economy. One element of the project was a series of grants of up to £25,000 to 30 “innovation pilots.”

Unfolding Theatre successfully applied – looking to explore the development of ‘digital tools to democratise theatre-making’ – and were partnered with Teesside, Northumbria and Durham Universities, with contributions from Manchester International Festival, Young Writers’ City, New Writing North and Queen’s Hall Youth Theatre in Hexham.

This grant gave Unfolding Theatre the opportunity to learn about the potential of digital tools through two ‘ideation’ days spent with academics. Initial ideas were tested with a group of 50 young people, and then further developed with the academics. This resulted in the concept for the Multiverse Arcade – a mechanism to capture and amplify young people’s voices, in response to the question: what are you going to do when you’re in charge?

A follow-on grant from Creative Fuse North East was awarded to Unfolding Theatre to bring the Multiverse Arcade to life. This included commissioning software developers at Teesside University to build the bespoke software needed to create interactive arcade machines and recording booths. Young people’s responses to the above question were captured using motion sensors.

The Multiverse Arcade won funding from Virgin Money Foundation’s #iwillfund to tour across the North East, and Unfolding Theatre were commissioned by the National Institute of Health Research Newcastle, VOICE and Newcastle University to develop Multiverse Lab, where the principles of the Multiverse Arcade are used to engage people who do not typically engage with health research. It also supported the creation of a new post, Multiverse Arcade Production Assistant, which employed two interns (one of whom now has a permanent new job as Associate Artist Digital).

Collaborating with academics, at both ideation and development stages, was highly valued by Unfolding Theatre – the organisation gained confidence and significantly expanded its practice. They now have a suite of digital skills and experience, which, combined with their non-digital talents, has widened and raised their aspirations.

Their engagement with Creative Fuse North East had a transformative effect on Unfolding Theatre and shows the value of partnership working, which lies at the heart of the Creative Local Growth Fund.