Rough Mix

About the Programme

Rough Mix is a paid creative lab for practising artists from any discipline. It has been a core part of our programme since 2006.

It brings together a small core group of practitioners from different disciplines and gives them time to start developing new ideas and explore new ways of working in a supportive and collaborative atmosphere.

Rough Mix encourages boldness and innovation by giving artists a unique opportunity for creative interaction with artists from different disciplines in a focused and supportive atmosphere.

Curated and led by Artistic Director Nicholas Bone, the programme has developed a distinctive and widely-respected approach to developing new work.

Previous participants include playwrights, choreographers, visual artists, film-makers, and composers.

Who can apply?

We are looking for lead artists who:

• Have a significant track-record of making work professionally (in any art form) and have had their work produced, performed or exhibited over a period of at least five years (these do not need to be consecutive)
• Are looking to develop a new idea or approach in a multi-art form environment
• Are based in Scotland — priority will be given to artists based in the Highlands and Islands.

There are also separate opportunities for Early-Career Artists and Performers.

Exactly what I wanted and needed. A development experience in a safe space with a dynamic and interesting group.

Sara Sharaawi, playwright

How does it work?

Rough Mix brings together a small, carefully selected group of artists from different art forms – for example, theatre, dance, music, film and visual arts – for a two-week lab.

Lead Artists each bring to the lab an idea or starting point for a project, or a new approach they are interested in exploring. During the course of the lab, the lead artists have dedicated time to work on their own idea as well as the opportunity to observe and collaborate with others. The lab ends with a public sharing of the work that is developed.

There just isn’t another programme out there in the UK (not just Scotland) that offers artists a chance to work at such an early stage and yet have so many creative and talented people involved.”

Katherine Nesbitt (Rough Mix artist)

What’s included

• A fee for all participants
• Travel costs and, where appropriate, accommodation if you live more than 25 miles from where the residency is held
• Dedicated time and space to work on your own idea
• An ensemble of performers to work with
• Materials and equipment to work with
• A public sharing of the work developed at the end of the lab

Rough Mix aims

• to bring together artists from different disciplines to share learning and skills,
• to enable the exploration of new ideas and the development of new creative partnerships,
• to give artists time and space to experiment with ideas for new work,
• to enable artists to share their working practices and philosophies in a supportive atmosphere,
• to enable artists to try out work in front of a supportive audience and to benefit from structured and facilitated feedback.

Access, Equalities and Diversity

We are committed to developing and widening opportunities for all artists, so we will prioritise at least one place for an artist who identifies as D/deaf or disabled, and another for a Global Majority artist. The aim is both to make Rough Mix more accessible and to support and encourage diversity within contemporary theatre and performance practice. We believe that this will be to the benefit of all participants in Rough Mix, and also to artists and audiences more widely.

We have a separate budget for access costs and are available to discuss access needs at any stage of the application process which feels right for you. Please note that this fund can be used by those who might need support with making an application, as well as those selected artists who might have access participation costs for the residency. Contact details are at the end of this document.

There will be positive and significant resonances from this experience felt in my work for many years to come.

Alan McKendrick — playwright & director, 2021 lead artist

The time gave me a space to re-think ideas in an environment that was truly sympathetic to experimentation. Such opportunities are truly so rare and I’ve pretty much traced everything I’ve done since back to that week.

Marisa Zanotti, choreographer/film-maker

Guidance

The resources we offer during the residency are limited. They include: performers, video cameras, projectors, sound recorders, PA system and basic props. Nothing more elaborate than working light is available and the studios will not necessarily have blackouts. We try to provide what is necessary, but working with limited resources is part of Rough Mix: the focus is on process rather than a highly polished outcome.

Ideas at an early stage of development work best – this is an opportunity to play with a hunch rather than hone an already well-developed idea. If an idea has already had development time elsewhere, it is unlikely to be selected.

We are looking for ideas which would benefit from a collaborative approach, with artists who are keen to observe and support each other’s practice. Projects where the artist wishes to work on their own on an idea are not suited to Rough Mix – it works best for artists who are open to stimulation from other artforms, want to explore new possibilities in their practice, and are keen to spend time engaging with other artists. Please bear all this in mind when thinking about applying.

Projects that have developed from Rough Mix include:

• Ivory Cutlery by singer and fiddler Evie Waddell
• Night vision by composer Nichola Scrutton
• Hindsight by author and theatre maker Jenna Watt
• See/Not See by theatre maker Mamoru Iriguchi
• Working on My Night Moves by theatre-maker Julia Croft (Winner, Total Theatre Award 2019)
• Space Ape by theatre-maker Andy Cannon for Red Bridge (Winner, Best Work for Children and Young People, Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland 2018)
• WhirlyGig by composer Daniel Padden for Catherine Wheels.
• Dispatches from the Source by choreographer Clare Pencak for Tabula Rasa.
• Walden – a collaboration between environmental artists Sans façon and director Nicholas Bone for Magnetic North.

If you are unsure about anything, please email artistdevelopment@magneticnorth.org.uk for advice.