Founded in 1999, Magnetic North will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2024.

Led by Artistic Director Nicholas Bone and Producer Anna Hodgart, we combine developing and producing live theatre with innovative multi-artform artist development.

We collaborate with playwrights, composers, choreographers, visual artists, performers and other artists to create a wide range of work including plays, music-theatre, installations, online events and films. Our comprehensive artist development strand has supported over 150 independent artists to continue developing.

Our Vision

To be leaders at the heart of ambitious artist-centred development and production in Scotland, the UK and internationally.

Our Mission

To run a multi-art form programme of artist-centred development and production that creates significant paid opportunities for diverse individual artists at different career stages and produces a distinctive body of high-quality work for audiences in Scotland, the UK and internationally.

Our Purpose

To give artists from a range of disciplines and backgrounds the nourishment, focused support and production opportunities needed to continue developing and creating great work throughout their careers. 

Environmental Policy

Magnetic North is committed to minimising any negative environmental impact of our work. We have a Carbon Management Plan which sets out how we are monitoring and reducing our carbon emissions from travel, waste and energy use. We expect all our staff, Board, collaborating artists and freelancers to support us in this work and are committed to sharing our carbon reduction actions and learning with these collaborators, with our colleagues in the theatre sector, and with our audiences. Magnetic North is a member of the Green Arts Initiative run by Creative Carbon Scotland.

  • We first measured our carbon emissions for travel, energy and waste in the year 2018-9. In the following year, 2019-20, we reduced our emissions by 42%.
  • We do not fly on company business within the UK.
  • We encourage active travel and public transport and actively enable car-sharing for artists participating in our residency programmes.
  • The Covid pandemic forced us to move our work online. We recognise that this has benefits for carbon management as well as access and inclusion. Since 2020, at least one of our two annual Space/Time retreats has been run online. 

Working Culture and Best Practice statement

As a small organisation with the support of independent artists at the heart of what we do, we have published a Working Culture and Best Practice statement that outlines transparently our fee levels and working models. This is with the intention of communicating transparently so artists and freelancers know what to expect when working with us and to aid the shift towards transparent working practices within the sector.

We are:

Nicholas Bone

Nicholas Bone

Artistic Director
James Coutts

James Coutts

Marketing Manager
Ellen Renton

Ellen Renton

Artist Development Administrator

Our Board of Directors is:

Aditi Jehangir Partnerships Officer, Young Scot

Jinling Wu Filmmaker and writer

Lesley Anne Rose Writer & Producer

Mark Saunders (Chair) Director & Educator 

Nicholas Bone Artistic Director, Magnetic North

Paula Van Hagen Director, Chats Palace

Iain Ross, Chartered Accountant

 Publications:

Restless Exploration: 21 Years of Magnetic North (Magnetic North 2021)

Summary Annual Report for the year ended 31 March 2021, read it here.

Summary Annual Report for the year ended 31 March 2020, read it here.

A Walk at the Edge of the World (Magnetic North 2014) available direct from us for £5.00 inc UK p&p (RRP £6.00)

Sex and God  (Nick Hern Books 2012) available direct from us for £6.00 inc UK p&p (RRP £9.99)

Pass the Spoon (Hayward Publishing 2012) available from Bookshop.org.

Walden (Magnetic North 2009) available direct from us for £4.00 inc UK p&p (RRP £4.99) very limited stock

After Mary Rose (Magnetic North 2009) available direct from us for £5.00 inc UK p&p (RRP £5.99)

My Old Man (Capercaillie 2005) - now out of print.