Made with Many are looking for artists to create performances telling local stories for the Corby Pole Fair 2022.
About Corby Pole Fair 2022
The Pole Fair is a major community celebration, which will take place on Friday 3rd June 2022. This unique tradition comes around every 20 years, with the last Pole Fair last taking place in May 2002 on the Charter Field in Corby Old Village, attracting crowds of 30,000 to enjoy outdoor attractions, entertainment and of course, the reading of the Royal Charter at the three entrances to the village.
There are numerous traditions that take place at every fair, including a dawn parade with a reading of the town’s charter, floral gateways to the old village area of Corby, and a greasy pole competition. At the celebration of the Pole Fair in Corby every person entering the village has to pay a small toll or be carried over the stang to face the stocks. Previous fairs have also included markets, performances, historical re-enactments and a large fun fair.
We have ambitious plans to engage the whole town (& beyond!) in a full day of heritage, arts and community activities to make the fair a day for all to enjoy and remember for years to come. We envisage that at least 30,000 people will attend the event, with many ex-residents coming from afar to take part in the festivities. As such a unique event, we will also be working with both local and national press to promote the event and enhance the positive reputation of our area.
The fair is being organised by a steering group of local volunteers and cultural organisations, including Made With Many who have recently secured investment from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to make the fair happen and support heritage activity before, during and after the event.
Artists Callout
We are looking for three artists to create modern re-tellings of a number of stories from the history of Corby.
For each story, there is a range of material available locally, including in the archives of the Corby Heritage Centre. Members of the steering group, and volunteers from the Corby Heritage Centre, can be available to assist with research.
We expect each artist to create a short (15-30mins) performance based upon their research, which should appeal to all ages, and can be performed several times over the day of the festival. It will need to be suitable for outdoor performance with limited technical requirements (e.g. a simple PA). We would also require a script to be made available to be included in the archives for future reference.
Further Information
Before you apply, download the full brief for details of the historical stories, timescale, artist requirements, fees, contractual information and how to apply.
Application Deadline
The closing date for applications is 9am on Tuesday 1st February 2022
Equal Opportunities
Made With Many is committed to equal opportunities. We are working to achieve diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community. In support of this, we have an access budget available to disabled artists delivering aspects of our programme. If you require additional support to complete this contract, please outline these in your application. Any such requests will not affect the outcome of our decisions. If you require additional support in making an application, or would like this information in an alternative format, please contact the office on 01536 267895 or info@madewithmany.org
Updates
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Last updated 5th January 2022