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About Us

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Artistic Director - Adrian McDougall

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Blackeyed Theatre is one of the UK's leading touring theatre companies, with over twelve years experience of bringing exciting, high quality work to over a hundred towns and cities across the UK, from Eastbourne to Dundee. This is, of course, my opportunity to say how great our work is and how we inspire audiences. But saying it and doing it are two very different things. So I prefer to let our audiences have the final say. Take a moment to read their feedback.

“ My belief is that theatre can and should be sustainable, both commercially and artistically ”

There are two common misconceptions in the world of theatre: firstly that work that's commercially successful can't be ground-breaking, unconventional or brave; and conversely that work that is ground-breaking, unconventional or brave can't also be commercially successful, even self-funding.

My belief is that theatre can and should be sustainable, both commercially and artistically. What that means in practice is performing work that people want to see in ways that can still surprise, provoke and inspire. For me and the incredibly talented artists who contribute to what we do, that means remembering what it is to be an artist, what it is to create and not being dependent on public money to do so.

“ performing work that people want to see in ways that can still surprise, provoke and inspire 


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So at a time when the choice of theatre being offered to audiences and venues is increasingly narrow, here are my commitments. Firstly to theatre managers and the people who programme work; that we'll continue offering exciting, affordable work that attracts a wide audience. And secondly to audiences; that we'll continue creating a theatrical experience that entertains, provokes and inspires in equal measure.

Adrian McDougall


Education

Engagement with young people is key to what we do, and our extensive, participatory education programmes which run alongside each production aim to make our work as relevant and accessible as possible.

The best educational tool around… I took my students in November 2017 to see Blackeyed Theatre company’s production of ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’.  The production was of a superb quality, the actors performing in such a way that the students were inspired and could not wait to write about them.  In addition to this the educational tools provided FOR FREE by the company ensured that my students achieved the highest exam results they have in years. I will never use another theatre company for the live theatre analysis part of the exam again. Thank you for all your help Blackeyed theatre company, can’t wait to see you at your next show.

Emily Williams – The Cowplain School Waterlooville

As well as free, high quality education packs designed for teachers and students to draw as much as possible from their theatre visits, we provide interactive workshops run by experienced theatre professionals with a passion for what they do, knowledge of the texts and energy to engage young people.

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Thank you for the excellent workshop and performance. The students came away from the experience absolutely buzzing and we have already seen an improvement in their performances. Please pass on my thanks to the actors and we look forward to seeing your next production. 

B.Guyon

Education Packs Free to Download









Our Team


Adrian

ADRIAN MCDOUGALL

Artistic Director and Producer



Victoria

VICTORIA SPEARING

Resident Designer



Naomi Gibbs

Associate Artist





Tom

TOM NEILL

Associate Artist




NICK LANE

Associate Artist




Press

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde

Please contact Chloe Nelkin Consulting

0203 627 2960

St George’s Bloomsbury, 6-7 Little Russell Street, London WC1A 2HR

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For general press enquiries, please contact Adrian McDougall on 07766 681943 adrian@blackeyedtheatre.co.uk

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Working With Us

Thanks for your interest in Blackeyed Theatre. As one of the country’s leading touring theatre companies, we work with people with unique skills and unique qualities. We advertise casting exclusively through Spotlight and sometimes provide details here about stage management opportunities.

“ Touring theatre is very demanding and very rewarding. It requires hard work, a positive attitude and the capacity to integrate into a close-knit team. In return we offer the opportunity to work in theatres all over the UK, to connect with a wide variety of audiences and to produce challenging, high-quality theatre. ”

What qualities are we looking for?

We work with dedicated theatre professionals who genuinely care about producing great theatre. ‘Professional’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘professionally trained’. For us it means a commitment to and respect for the work you do and the people you work with. We expect all company members to demonstrate a positive, can-do approach to their work. Actors should have excellent performance skills, and most roles require the ability to sing to a high standard and play a musical instrument.

Company stage managers should have relevant technical skills, experience in relighting and the capacity to lead a small team. All our productions are run on the understanding of shared responsibility, which means that all company members are expected to help with off-stage duties such as get-ins, get-outs, driving, washing costumes and repairing props.

What do auditions entail?

Depending on the director, auditions will either be individual or in groups. Usually we will ask you to perform a short monologue of your choosing and read various extracts from the show. Therefore, familiarity with what you’re auditioning for is recommended! Depending on the requirements of the role, you may also be asked to sing a song, play your musical instrument and participate in a simple movement workshop. We’re aware that auditions can be nerve-wracking, and we do our best to make them an enjoyable experience. Ultimately we want you to show yourself at your best! We will contact you by phone after the audition regardless of whether or not you have been successful.

How do I apply?

You are welcome to send your details to info@blackeyedtheatre.co.uk. However, due to the number of applications we receive we are unable to respond to everyone. If we want to invite you for an audition we will get in touch. From time to time we have specific technical support requirements which we advertise here, and casting opportunities through Spotlight.

Current Opportunities

Technical Company Stage Manager

£750/week plus travel and accommodation

4 January – 28 May 2023

In 2023, Blackeyed Theatre will be staging the very first touring production of John Godber's riotous comedy, Teechers Leavers '22, which tours across England and Wales from January to May, and we're looking for a Technical Company Stage Manager to oversee all technical aspects of the production and manage a company of three (very friendly!) actors on tour. The project covers a 19-week period beginning with three weeks of rehearsals in Bracknell from 4 January (we may be able to be flexible on start date). The production opens in Bracknell on 25 January, touring to mid-scale venues until 28 May for a combination of single nights, 2-night runs, split-weeks and weeks. Please note the weeks of 3 and 10 April will not be part of the contract.

This is an exciting role for someone with experience of touring and relights. You will be overseeing get-ins and get-outs (assisted by the cast and venue crew), dealing with general company management duties and operating performances. You will be the first point of contact for venues for all things technical, so we're looking for someone with experience of creating riders and risk assessments, but more importantly an understanding of the importance of effective communication with venue crew. A full drivers licence is also really useful (driving is also shared with the cast). We strongly believe in inclusivity and equality of opportunity, and we encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. Above all, we'd love to work with someone with the positivity to embrace the exciting challenges of touring, a can-do attitude and a genuine passion for working as part of a collaborative, close-knit team to create the best possible theatrical experience for our audiences in fantastic theatres across the country.

Terms: This contract offers £750 per week plus travel and accommodation on tour. Accommodation can also be provided for rehearsals if required.

Applying: Please send your application to Adrian – Adrian@blackeyedtheatre.co.uk. When submitting your application, please included your cv and a covering note explaining why you'd like to work with us on this project. Thanks for your interest.

Closing date: Wednesday 14 December, 5pm.

Full details of the tour can be found at: https://blackeyedtheatre.co.uk/shows-2/shows/teechers-live-tour-2023/

Privacy Policy

Blackeyed Theatre takes your privacy and your data very seriously.

This privacy policy sets out what information Blackeyed Theatre collect about you, for what purpose, how we store it and use it, and also how you can contact us about it.

We comply with data protection legislation such as the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) and as of the 25th May 2018 the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This legislation regulates the processing of personal data relating to you. It grants you various rights in respect of your personal data. We’d like to reassure you that any personal data you give us is treated in complete confidence.

We may also automatically collect information on which pages of our websites you visit, IP addresses, the type of browser you use and the times you access our websites. However, this information is aggregated and is not used to identify you.

What information do we collect?
There are several ways in which we collect information about you:

  1. When you contact Blackeyed directly by phone, e-mail or otherwise.
  2. When you take part in a Blackeyed project or workshop.
  3. When you book a Blackeyed event or performance (as a venue or school).
  4. When you supply us with feedback about your Blackeyed experience.

We collect personal information that you provide to us. This may include; name, address, postcode, email, telephone number.

We also collect your preference for a type of activity, if you are an audience member, a venue or if you attend workshops.

How do we use this information?
Developing a better understanding of people who we work with, the people who watch our shows or the people who book our shows, allows us to make better decisions about our work and communicate more effectively.

We use your personal contact information to communicate directly with you, with information that we think will be of interest to you.

We use your feedback from our activities to evaluate the activity or performance and to improve and develop Blackeyed Theatre.

We use statistical data from our social media platforms & Google Analytics to track the effectiveness of our marketing and how our website is used.

We use information you give us in order to fulfil a request or enquiry you have made to us, which may include sending you information about our company and services.

How do we share your information?
We do not sell, rent or share personal data to third parties for the purpose of marketing.

Legitimate Interests
The term ‘legitimate interests’ applies to the business interests that we as an organisation have in collecting, holding and processing your personal data. These do not supersede your personal rights and interests.

Our legitimate interests are:

  1. making you aware of our productions, activities and opportunities.
  2. maintaining a relationship with you if you are an artist, venue, partner organisation, participant, stakeholder, media, community group, education centre or business.

 

How is my information stored?
Your personal information is stored on our secure, password-protected network. It can only be accessed by staff who have a legitimate business need. The latest released updates from our software and network providers are applied to our systems, which ensure their continued security. However, no company or system can guarantee complete security as unknown, outside factors, can affect this.

How long will my data be stored for?
We will keep your personal data for as long as it is relevant and appropriate to our legitimate business uses as outlined above. We believe it is reasonable to hold personal data for 5 years from the time we last worked with you or provided services to you as an individual or venue.

Your rights?
You have the right to request from us access to your own personal information. This is sometimes known as a ‘subject access request’.

Additionally, you have the right to request from us:

  1. that any inaccurate information we hold about you is corrected.
  2. that information about you is deleted in certain situations.
  3. that we stop using your personal information for certain purposes.
  4. that your details are provided to you in a portable format.
  5. that decisions about you are not made by wholly automated means.

Many of the rights listed above are limited to certain defined circumstances and we may not always be able to comply with your request.  We will tell you if this is the case.

If you choose to make a request to us to exercise any of these rights, we will aim to respond to you as soon as we reasonably can but no later than one month.  We will not charge a fee for dealing with any reasonable request.

If you are unhappy with how we are using your personal information or if you wish to complain about how we have handled a request, then please contact us and we will try to resolve your concerns.

Email: info@blackeyedtheatre.co.uk

Call on: 0118 979 9367

You may also contact the Information Commissioners Office at www.ico.org.uk or 0303 123 1113.

Change in Policy
We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make any significant changes in the way we treat your personal information, we will make this clear on the Blackeyed Theatre website.


Contact Us

Office Address

Blackeyed Theatre, South Hill Park, Ringmead, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 7PA

Email

info@blackeyedtheatre.co.uk

Telephone

0118 979 9367

Registered Company No. 9340449 at 79 Samborne Drive, Wokingham, Berkshire RG40 1GF