Time for Respair: a conversation about theatre & the future

Respair: recovery from despair. To respair is to have fresh hope.

It's an uncertain time for everyone in theatre. In the last few weeks, almost everything we thought we knew has been turned on its head. We've seen the loss of work, projects, companies and venues and also the loss of people, of loved ones, of dreams. For some, the very idea of returning to the career they had before the lockdown feels impossible.

We invite you to gather online to collaborate on how we move forward. To dream about and design the kind of sector that could emerge from this pandemic. We want to create conversations that acknowledge the loss and the grief that many of us are feeling and support those who need supporting. Conversations that look beyond the short-term crisis, and which also support new, better ways of working.

Over the next two months, we will be hosting a series of conversations that try to do that. Our first events - on 22, 27 and 29 May - are about dreaming. What kind of world - and what kind of theatre sector - do we want to emerge from this crisis? In June, we'll hold smaller events that focus on specific areas of work that come up in those dreaming conversations. And then we'll come back together at the end of that month to share what we've learnt, take action and make plans for the future. 

These events are open to all - whether you are an artist, maker, funder, venue, company, freelancer or anything in between. The more voices we have in the online room, the more ideas we can bring together. Some of the events will be run in Open Space, which means that you set the agenda. We will work on the things that you think are important right now.

We don't know what to call these forums. The closest we've come is Susie Dent's Word of the Day a few days back: respair. An old word now fallen out of usage meaning recovery from despair - to respair is to have fresh hope. So we invite you to gather with us in May and June, to respair.

Improbable & Battersea Arts Centre

---

Event information

Venue
Online, via Zoom and Qiqochat (details for how to log on will be sent a few days prior to the event)

Dates/times:
22 May (2pm - 5:30pm BST)
27 May (5pm - 8:30pm BST)
29 May (2pm - 5:30pm BST)

Please only book for one of the above date/time slots.

Tech orientation sessions
Jeremy from Improbable will be hosting 30-minute orientation sessions before the event - these are optional, but if you would like a chance to familiarise yourself with the online tools we'll be using, Jeremy will be there to explain how they work and answer any questions. You can book for these orientation sessions at the same time as booking for your chosen date/time slot for the main event.

Access information:
This event is accessible to d/Deaf and blind or partially sighted participants. Opening and Closing Circle (i.e. the beginning and end) of each event will be captioned - after this, BSL interpreters will be provided for breakout sessions. In addition, all events will be relaxed environments - so feel free to log off, turn off your video or mute yourself whenever you want; children are also very welcome.

You can find more information about access and using assistive technologies in our Access Information document. If you have any access needs, please make sure to include details in the booking form or get in touch with us in advance by emailing jeremy@improbable.co.uk.