THE TELLtNG {CHARtFABLE INCORPORATED ORGANISATION) REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 CHARITY COMMISSION REGISTRATION No. 1181802 THETELLING INDEX TO FtNANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 Page No. Trustees. Annual RepKJrt 13 Independent Examiner's Report 14 Statement of Fil￿1claI Activities (including Incotne and Expenditure Account) 15 Bal8n¢¢ Sheet 16-24 Notes to the Financial Ststements THE TELLING TRUSTEES. ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 The Trustees pres¢nt their report and financial stat¢ment5 of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2025. The Trustees have &dopted the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Pra¢lice (SOIiP) "Accounting and Reporting by Charities" (FRS 102) in preparing the annual report and financial slatements of the charity- The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the aceoullting policies set out in notes to the a¢counts and comply with the charity's Constitution, the Charities Act 201 l and Accounling and Reporting by Charities.. Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland published in October 2019. Objeelives ondAclivilies The trustees confirn) that they have complied with ihe duty in section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charities Commission's general guidance on public benefit. This is borne out by deliveries of activities outlined in this r¢pori which are in line with the main objectives of The Telling and the activities to deliver against those obj￿tives. Th¢ Telling aims to advance the arts and education for the public benefit. We do this through the promotion, support and encouragement of musi¢ and theatre by presenting perforniances, workshops talks and recordings, often combining music and theatre and taking perfomiances to places to tEach people who do not usually access such perfonnances. a) give high quality perfomianc¢s. f￿￿sIng on performances wh¢r¢ music and theatre collid¢ in interesting ways b) work with young people in schools and amateur perfonners. singer5 and instrumentalists from a variety of walks of life, enabling them to develop and improve their creative. dratnatic and musical skills. We perfonn across the UK and, alongsid¢ a series of engagements, run our programme of residencies targeting places where there 15 little Classical or early music touring wliich are currently Liverpool, Barrow Peninsulalsouth Cumbria, Lancaster. Manchester, Colchester, Folk¢stone, Conwy, Cardiff. Bedford and Wolverhampton. We combine theatre, new writing, music (including early musi¢. classical, world music, folk music and music- theatre) to reach people who are not usually attracted to classical concerts - but also io use music to heighten feeling, give insight to the dram4 characters anthor plot or to cut against the plot in interesting ways. THE TELLtNG TRUSTEES, ANNUAL REPORT (Continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 We perfomi in churches, theatre5, art centres, pubs, Church halls, Community centres, taking perfomance deep into the heart of cotnmunities. We often ￿￿ornI in and around audi¢n¢¢s and use costume, stage lighting and candlelight. We engage a pool of leading director4 actors, musicians. lighfing designers, composers and costume makers. Our Artistic Director, Clare Norburn has devised a new genre where music and drama collide. concertlplays liave attracted 4-Star revieiys in The Times and The Guardian and perforn)ances at Bridgew#ter HAII, St George's Bristol. St Martin-in-the-Field$ and LSO St Lukes. The stage director we work with, Nicholas Rentoll directed Andrew Davies. BAFTA nominated Mrs Gaskell's ￿¢Ve$ and Daughters for BBC TV and episodes of Lewis, Mmskdeers, Sileni WilKes3 and George Genlty. We have been on BBC Radio's In Tune, Woman's Hour and Saturday Live and p¢rforn)ed for promoters including Beverley Early Music Festival, Music at Oxford, Buxton International Festival, Lake Di5tritt Summer Music, Brighton Early Music Festival, Newbury Spring Festival, Little Mi55endeD Festival and Keele Arts. We have released three CDS- all on the First Hand Records label. Achievemenls and Performance This is the Trustees sixth report to the Charity Commission. TOURtNG PERFORMANCES AND WORKSHOPS Summa The Telling atteinpts to break rtew ￿Ound, where new writing by Artistic Director Clare Norbum and musi¢ collide. We tour high-qualiry, a¢cessible and affordable productions.- combining engagements by leading promoters with self-proTllOtions in pla¢es that ar¢ often missed out on touring circuits, including building audiences and partnerships in Wolverhampton, South Cumbri& Conwy (Notth Wa]¢s), Bedford and Folkestone. 2024125 saw us give 42 UK perforniances re￿hIng over 3000 people and 4 workshops/outreach sessions including at Beverley Early Musi¢ Festival, NeTvbury Spring FesÉival, Hallé St Peter's Manehester, Brighton Early Music Festival, Manchester Jewish Museum, Strnrford Playhouse, Silsden Town HalL Arena Theatre Wolverhampton, OSO Arts Centre Barnes, Portico Library I¥tsDchester and Stoke Newington Early Music Festivydl. Alongside paid eiigag¢ments, we are also unusual in the way that w¢ fuiidrdise to take perfomiances to places which "miss out" in acoessing touring circuits.. so our tours are a mixed economy of guaranteed fees, box office splits and self-promotions, backed by reciprocal marketing partners on the ground. In 2024125. we continued to fundraise and tour to our Residency places which otherwise miss out on accessing professional music and tlieatre touring. We also developed a new residency in Lan￿ster and built relationships with repeat venues Silsdell Town HAII who offer us a guaranteed fee, and OSO Arts Centre in Barnes who operate a box oifice split and eii&bled our first week-long run. Particular Achlevements In June 2024. The Telling won the prestigious Audieoce Parti¢ip*tioD of the Year Ajvard organised by the European Early Music orgaDi5ation, REMA for our Songs and Stories project in partnersliip with animateur S&rah Atter and Wolverhampton Refugee and Migrant Centre in January and February 2024. Artistic Director, Clare Norburn travelled to Stockholm to re¢¢ive the award and was invited onto BBC Radio 3.5 The Early Music lo talk about the win (our second time on the show in 2024, following an hour- long feaÉure on our work in March). THE TELLtNG TRUSTEES, ANNUAL REPORT (Continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 In November 2024, Mie Telling toured our Charles Dickens show (written in 2023), Fyhat ¢he Dickepis,. whicl) starred seven actor-musiciaJ)s who all a¢t¢d, saiig, played instrwnents and danced- 50tnetime5 all at the same timel Tlie show was the vehicle through which Tlie Telling achieved its first week-long riin, at OSO Arts Centre in Barnes, attrdcting three 4-star reviews and a 5-star review. a haiip7tiP7gly brillianl exploralion of one of lilLJrciliire's grealL'si fi￿{￿¥5. li ipiuslerfiilly ipilertwi17es ficlii)n upid rgulity. givzpig w)ELe to IhÉ H)f)Inepi overshadomied by DiLken.s 'fame. Pink Prince Theatre. Plus, the whole cast were invited on BBC Radio 3's InTune to perform botii music and dialogue excerpts from the sliow. The Telltng peijormiiiig lfylial Ihe L}icA¥￿. The hallmark of our work is our distinctive collision of music and drama. Our early progrdmrnes started with early Inusi¢ aiid drama, but we are increasiiigly expandiii&F beyond that remit, whilst keeping our ¢arly music still tn our repertory. The Telling's prourammes are written by Clare Norburn whose latter work takes inspiration from Brecht, often tearing down the fourth wall, and iconoclastic TV playwrigh( Deiinis Potter, exploring the nexus between memory and the chardcters, inner or fa]Itasy lives, and harnessing music's ui1iqU¢ capacity lo trigger memories and feelings. Several are political or provide comim¢nlary oli current issues seen through the ]￿lS of tli¢ past. For example.. celebrity cultyre and #MeToo a￿ explored in Wha¢ ihe Dicko￿ll$. and Into the Meltipig Pot focuses on religious and culturnl intolerance and the plight of refugees "Clore Norb￿￿ take.$ momeiiÉs ip7 hisiory 10 make its understand the preseTTt more clearlv" Robin Soans. playwrig]It View a list of Mie Telling's projects here.. li i¥.tIILt¥llinEI.Ll).IILi. riTrik iJ111m¢s THE TELLtNG TRUSTEES, ANNUAL REPORT (Continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 Tourin aims.. While we maintain a commitment to fundraise to take work to places which miss out (whieh meaiis more expensive and higher risk self_promoted events), we will combine that funded work with paid engagements and box office splitlshared risks to create a more sustainable model. In 2024125, this included engagement5 at Beverley Early Music Festival/NCEM. Newbury Spring Festival, Brighton Early Music Fe81ival, Silsden Town Hall (two perfomiances) and multi-date runs at OSO Art5 Centre in Barnes, and retum visits and growin8 partnerships with AreDa theatre, Wolverhampton and St Edwards in Cardiff. Th¢ Telling's pioneering Touring #ttd Proje£t fund is our key overarching programme. Within thi5, our Residen¢y Programme aiins to build audience5 by taking p¢rfoTman¢es to pla¢¢s ihat 'kniss out" We aim to create equal Aece5s for low-engaged communities in areas of economic disadvantage. where other performing arts org2ni$2tion$ dare not tour. In the 2024125 finaiicial year, we grew audiences in the following places, which otherwise receive a limited touring or early tnusic offer.. Manchester (3 perfornian¢¢s), Liverpool {2 Ferformances), Cardiff (3 perforniances), Bedford (2 pKrformances), Colchestsr, Folkestone (2 perforniances). Conwy N Wales. Lancaster (2 perforniances). Wolverhampton (2 perforniances) and South Cumbria (Ulverston)- We ran 5 touring projects which were.. l. Into ihe Meliing Pot.. set in 1492 in a Spanish Christian/MuslittVJewish community, a Jewish woman (played by Suzanne Ahmet {National Theatre, Chester Storyhouse)) is forced to leave. Her story is startlingly contetnporary, with resonances to Windnjsh, Black Lives Matter & recent antisemitism, and is played out to a soundtrack of plainlive Sephardic songs & lively Cantigas which fuse medieval & Arabic instrumei)tslstyles, making early music accessible to a wid¢r &udien¢e. 4performance5 and 1 screening of¢hefilm adaplion.. May 2024. 2. 1, Spie." the story of renaissance composernutenist John Dowland's (played by Dominic Marsh (Kneel)igh Theatre)) brnsh with the Secret Service and how he manages to foil an Italian plot on the life of Qu¢¢n Elizabed) 1. 13performnnces.' June 2024 Fvhat the Dickens. On his final Christmas Eve, Charles Dickens is haiinted" by the women he mistreated.. liis wif¢ and Tnother of his ten childreii, Catl)erine Di¢k¢ns and his se¢r¢t young mistress, Ellen 'Nelly' Teman, who force him to face hi5 past) present and future. Can Dickens leam from them, ￿pent - and be saved, as Scrooge was saved? 11 perforniances.. JVowember/December 2024 4. The Telling Unchained including Christmas mini-series.. Ihe Christmas edition of our popular alternative concert.. a fun, relaxed and informal perforni&nce of early music mixed with folk, improvisation, jatnming and plenty of audience participation- including in a pub, in Liverp(￿] and at Portico Library in Manchestsr in December 2024 3performances.' December 2024 plus for WalihanLStowMufic IN ihe fillage in Jmfy 2024 rtftdBrighton Early Music Festivalin October 2024 5. Creating Carmen." Prosper Merimée (NiAll Ashdown (Ivhose Line Is Ii Anyway? The CopNeLfy Siore Players. Improbable) has writers block when hi5 leading character, Carnien {Su72nne Ahmet), turns up in liis study? larger than life. with a band of musicians in tow and chaos in her wake... collaborntion project with Carmenco. Ioperformances." JanMary/February 2025. Plus. we brought a one-off perfomiance of our Lullaby Con¢ert to Stoke Newington Festival in July 2024. Into tJFe Meliing Pol, Creafivg Carmen, I. Spie and What the Dickenj.? were directed byNi¢holas Renton {BAFTA-nominated Mrs Gaskells Wives and Daughters, Musketeers. A Roorn With A View. Lewis. Siltni Wifftess) and wrirren by singer/playwright, Clare Norburn. THE TELLtNG TRUSTEES, ANNUAL REPORT (Continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 Thd Tgllf17¥pErforming ("reariiig CarFnvn photo Robert Pt>*ko LIVE WORKSHOPS.. Wliile on tour, we capitalise on brintring high-quality artists to excluded communities arouiid the county by offering music workshops to local coffitnunities. During the year, we brought our Supigs and Siories project, inspired by Intn ihL) Meliin¥ Pol, to Manchester Jewish Museum in Aprillmay 2024. in collaborntion with acclaimed musicianlanimateur Sarah Atter. The participants recorded th¢ir creations which are available online (www.th¢telling.co.ukJm¢r-songs) and a small exhibition was displayed at the Mancliester performance of Inlo ihe Melring Poi. In November 2024. 40 GCSE English students studying A Christmas Carol froin Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Academy. Wolverliampton and 13 dt2ma students from M05eley Park School, Wolverhampton atteiided Ili¢ dress rehearsal of the sliow at Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton. followed by a Q&A with the playwright, Clare Norburn. We received the following feedback from the leacher at OLSC.. Ii MIQS such a valuable experiepicefor ihe studenls. Ii sparked lols of discussion on ihe back on ihe in1p￿t ofDickens' life upon ihe text. It helped io bring this lime￿rIOd io lifefor the sthdenls. Then in December, playwright Clare Norburn and animateur Sarah Atter delivered two interactive workshops at OLSC to a further 80 GCSE students studying A Chrislmas CLm)l {different students to those that atteiided thc dress rehearsal), to explore the ¢li&racters of the novel to a deep¢r level dirough a mi.x of dra]na and music. "ii broughi [Ihe characiers] io Ifi e il Showed us 1￿MI tkey woiildreally acl" student feedback THETELLING TRUSTEES, AWNUAL REPORT (Continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 In addition, Whai ihe Dickens. was selected by EXTANT Theatre (who had partnered with Arena Theatre in Wolverhampton) to receive frec support to make the show a¢¢essible to visually itnpaired audiences. During the rehearsal period, three of our artists (writer/singer Clare Norburn, actorlviolinist Alex Knox and composerlkeyboardist Steven Edis) received tr&ining from EXTANT Theatre's facilitators to present a Touch Tour and programtne notes pr¢s¢ntation ahead of the show. This means ourteam iiow has skills and experience that we can adapt to deliver future Touch Tours for visually impaired audiences. In February 2025, Carnienco (who we partiiered witli to perform Creating Carmen) brought their 'Pocket Opera, perforinaiice and worksliop proj¢¢t to 45 pupils in Year5 10, 1 l and 13 at Cardiff West Community High S¢hool. artistic team.. Our creative team is l¢d by Artistic Director cla￿ Norburll (playwright, producer and former soprano) who won the 2023 Colin Skipp Memorial Radio Playwriiing Competition and was one of 7 writers, selected out of 400, for BBC/ACE-funded Th¢ Spa¢e's Pl￿￿ Perfect schetne to receive mentoring and be ¢ominissioned to develop a play with music for national BBC radio. Our regular acclaimed director Nieholas Renton cut his teeth in theatre, going on to direct at the RSC and then spent 30 years dIr￿ting for the BBC and ITV. including being BAFTA-nominated for BBC Tv's Mrs Gaskell's Wives and Daughters. Our lighting designer is Natalie RowlAnd. We work with a creative pool of: leading actors including Alec Newman, Raebael Stirling? Danny Webb, DoTninic Marsh, Clive Hayward, Karen Ascoe, Molly Lynch, Susan Tracyj John Sackville, Ger￿d Kyd, Suzanne Ahmet, Teresa Banh*m, Leila Mimmack and NIAII Ashdown acclaimed musicians including many who are early music S￿cIalIstS including Emily B4illes, Jean Kelly, Jatnie Aker5, Clemmie Franks, Heloise Bernard, Giles Leivin, Alison Kinder, Avital and MayA ikvy. Audien¢e Feedback We coiitinued to receive moving feedback from workshop participants and the public about our work. This is just some audience f¢edba¢k questionnaire responses we rKeived- Into the Melting Pot "Ii was magnificen( and ihe slory ig af relevant today ay il way in Spain in 1492. "Thank you so much for a deeply emotional. timely body of work I was me5merised by ihe singing and instruments, and by the beautifvlly told bul chilling slory ofpersecuiion. You put your hearts inlo this and conplecled wilh ihe ffl4dience. "Thankyoufor the wonderfvl show ot Otley CoUrtho￿e last nighi. Ii evoked memories ofan evening concerl in ihe Jewifh Quarler of Girona some ye(Trs ago. Such a rich legacy of wonderfvl music rooted in all the pheL7val andconflict. Thankyou. "We found if mesmerising, The audience was spellbound by the incredibly powerfvl performances thal traptsported us buck over centuries. JustfapzÉaslic. .. Thank9. ' ' F￿CInating, bÉaulifyl aryd informalive fales like this are wluit W8 need more ofin the Norih. andpleaFe V￿11 YoTh.hire again soon. I, Spie "Husband, who isn'l into early mwic. loved it" "Ihadnever enjoyed music earlier thaip 1600 biii last night The Telling changedall ihal" "so differenl lo a norpl￿1 concert" ' Icame to ihe ierrific performance ofl, Spie in Folkesione and we spoke briefiy. Jjust wanted io affirm ihal I'dlove lo help )4)u Myiih othei. [venue] suggEs¢iottf. li's wonderful workN)u're doing- dopuÉ me op7 a mailing THE TELLtNG TRUSTEES, ANNUAL REPORT (Continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 "Mvpai'tn¥p' aiid Icame Éo.¥ee ikeperfi)rinllpiLe oll. Spte la.ft iiiglif ipi F()IkL).s[Iiiie. Whai u ihrilliiTg cmdJpecTal perff)fnTcTncL? if MYaS - grgal scripl, cuiisiiinii7ale actiipgandsoni* MJond¢ifiil repioisfythzcg Miists. Ic) *iiTbcHllish ai iiiforni the slorv. "BeL7111ifiil music. exquisile singiiig, cleverplol aeliiig exeLpll#pit" 'ExqLiisitL* musical perfc)rmctFiCg broiight to lif¥ brvughi io life 7viih ils ingenioiis drainaliJalion, cle)yer dii1logziL) fflid a.¥pontUllLOiiS iialure "Perfgcl Loiiibination of early ijiusic, draiiia and harli￿nY TIIL lilliRFsp¥rfurwEn¥ l. Spie-phulo Rubei'l Piii,ko What the Dickens. 'Toiallv L7bsorbed.. loved ihepacv slorylelliiig ai7d ihe historical o¢ciffory" "I really luved ihe 5hoM,. II jniciginalivLJ uiidLJpigaging. Brilliuiii i