The Works (Dance& Theatre Cornwall Ltd.) grew out of Dance Agency Cornwall’s merger with Cornwall Theatre Umbrella in 2003. Since then, The Works has invested its resources in building networks, connecting partners, raising quality and increasing opportunities across the performing arts sector.
Cornwall is prolific in the range of cultural activity being created here. As well as being home to Kneehigh, one of the country’s leading international touring theatre companies, we are also home to WildWorks, an organisation which has grown very quickly to become a major producer of large-scale participatory landscape theatre. We can also boast a range of high-quality smaller scale touring companies, including Cscape, o-Region, Cube Theatre and Rogue Theatre, and a grass roots of emerging and developing practitioners in both theatre and dance. In 2010, Dartington College of Arts merged with University College of Falmouth, resulting in ultimately over 700 students taking degree courses in the performing arts. This has already created both a huge range of opportunities (for students and for the sector) and a high level of expectation from and demand on The Works. Responding to and managing these expectations, within a coherent strategy, is a challenge which we strive to meet.
Over the past 9 years, The Works has played a significant role in building networks of practitioners, venues, and companies through ongoing discussion and support and through large-scale collaborative projects. Emerging practitioners have been nurtured by The Works and are now independent companies, new ideas have been brought to fruition and there has been an increase in investment into the performing arts in the county.
The Works has collaborated extensively with partner organisations in achieving this, including RiO (Real Ideas Organisation), Creative Skills, Arts Centre Trust, Creative Kernow, Kernow Education Arts Partnership, Carn-to-Cove and Hall for Cornwall, Arts for Health and Cornwall Sports Partnership. The Works also collaborates with regional partners, principally through the Theatre Southwest network, and as a partner in Dance Southwest.
