Supporting theatre for children from birth to 4

At the heart of the new Starcatchers project are four Artists’ Residencies. These are designed to give artists invaluable time with their audience, and the support they need to respond creatively. The resulting new productions will engage, entertain and nurture the very youngest children in Scotland.

Ultimately, our vision is that Scotland becomes a world leader in performing arts for the 0 to 4 age range.

Background

Starcatchers was piloted at North Edinburgh Arts Centre from 2006 – 2008 and was funded by National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts (NESTA) and SAC.

The pilot project created 3 productions for children aged under 3 – Little Light, My House and Peep.  Through ongoing collaboration and interest in work for this age group, Starcatchers was involved in the development and creation of 2 further performances for very young children – We Dance, wee groove and Archaeology.

The key artists involved in the first phase of the project were:
Andy Manley, Vanessa Rigg , Brian Hartley, Stephen Deazley, Danny Krass, Claire Halleran, Heather Fulton, Katy Wilson, Greg Sinclair, Ximena Vengoechea, Ros Sydney, Rosie Gibson

The pilot project was supported by action research led by Dr Susan Young from the University of Exeter and Dr Niki Powers from the University of Edinburgh.  

Imaginate – the next steps

The pilot project was a great success, engaging local audiences, inspiring artists to work with this new audience and creating critically acclaimed performances for babies.  The pilot funding came to an end but the legacy remained, with a strong profile in Scotland, the UK and Europe and with artists, art centres, childcare centres, local authorities and audiences actively seeking further engagement.  

Starcatchers has now moved to Imaginate, enabling the project to take on a national remit and strategic role.  We’re building on our learning from the pilot in this new, larger project, thanks to support from Imaginate and financial support from the Inspire fund.

Starcatcher project aims:

1. Create a programme of world class productions for very young children
2. Create four year-long artists’ residencies in key venues, providing time, space and resources for experimentation and practice development
3. Develop and deliver a Training and Development programme to support the creation of performances for babies and toddlers
4. Support and encourage creativity in parents and educators
5. Extend engagement with audiences
6. Develop the Starcatchers Network of cross-sector partnerships to support the creation and presentation of performances for very young children and the dissemination of information to a wider audience
7. Initiate academic research and independent evaluation of the project to support a greater understanding of creating work for and with very young children
8. Create a framework for the dissemination of good practice and research findings

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