We're very pleased to announce that we have been successful in our bid to join the Arts Council England national portfolio for 2023-26. Through this investment we'll collaborate with exceptional artists and companies to create new, experimental productions over the next three years and tour our critically acclaimed shows to places across the country and the world. Encompassing learning, engagement and sector development, our programme of activity will work with partners locally and internationally to foreground the experiences of underserved and underrepresented artists, communities and audiences.
Thank you to our board, collaborators and partners for your ongoing support, advice and creative brilliance. We can't wait to get started.
Ad Infinitum’s Co-Artistic Directors Nir and George said:
When we founded Ad Infinitum back in 2007, arriving at this point seemed like a distant dream. We have had the generous support of an extraordinary Board of Trustees who have guided the organisation from strength to strength. After 15 years of making what has sometimes seemed like the impossible actually happen - bringing a diversity of voices and a collective of incredible people, artists and creatives together in collaboration; growing our brilliant and massively dedicated core team; working flat out; finding the funding project by project; touring the world with our theatre shows, learning and engagement work and many other events; and getting through those tough pandemic years and emerging more determined and resilient than ever - becoming an NPO is a truly pivotal moment in Ad Infinitum’s journey.
While we feel hopeful and excited about this announcement, we’re also simultaneously aware that it arrives within the context of major challenges to the wider arts community, including over a decade of damaging cuts to funding, following CV-19, and as we are all dealing with the energy and cost-of-living crisis to mention just a few - so for us it’s also a moment of heartfelt solidarity with friends and colleagues, especially those facing a very different outlook to ourselves.
Arts Council England’s NPO investment will ensure we can now look further ahead strategically with more stability. Most excitingly, we will be able to continue developing our inclusive work, and reach more people - artists, participants and audiences, here in the UK and around the world. We know there’s a great amount of potential to unlock - and we just can’t wait to get going!
Phil Gibby, Area Director, South West, Arts Council England said:
It’s great to be welcoming Ad Infinitum into the 2023-26 National Portfolio. The company is well-known for its playful, disruptive, inclusive productions, and their significant contribution to opening the doors for local artists and performers in the south west. Their shows, such as Extraordinary Wall Of Silence, have been very well received for their universal themes, and the broad audiences they attract - so we’re pleased to invest in their long-term plans, which certainly contribute to a more representative portfolio and help us achieve the vision we set out in Let’s Create.
Chair of Ad Infinitum’s Board of Trustees, Lauren Clancy said:
I couldn’t be more thrilled that Ad Infinitum will become an NPO in the 2023-26 funding period. It’s something the organisation has been working towards for a long time and it follows an extensive period of collaborative organisational development - and a lot of hard work from our dedicated team.
Ad Infinitum now begins a new chapter full of creative growth and development. As Chair, I’m looking forward to continuing to work with my fellow trustees to deliver strong governance and strategic direction against a culture of radical inclusivity.
Images
Bucket List
Photo by Alex Brenner, Design by Max Johns, Lighting Design by Peter Harrison, Sound Design by Chris Bartholomew.
Extraordinary Wall of Silence
Photo by Alex Brenner, Set & Costume Design by Anna Orton, Lighting Design by Jo Palmer, Sound Design by Sam Halmarack.
Ballad of the Burning Star
Photo by Alex Brenner, Costume Design by Serena Montesissa, Set Design by Francesco Gorni, Lighting Design by Peter Harrison, Musical Director Adam Pleeth.