Chorlty rngistration numbèr 1196602 Company rEgistration nurn￿r 061S8142 {Engl•nd and Wale$l ADVERSE CAMBER PRODUCTIONS ANNUAL REPORT AND UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 11111 *AcicFfoFU" 14112r2023 COMPANES HOUSE A10 #156 ADVERSE CAMBER PRODUCTIONS LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION TNst••s Nitholas Cutts Pamela Buuer Carol Taylor Erica Heskelh (Appointed 13 January 2023) (Appointed 18 November 20221 (Appointed 18 November 20221 (Appointed 18 November 20221 Leon Heywood Murad Khan Anthony Jones Secretary Naomi Wlds Charlty number 11W03 Com￿nY number 06858142 Registe￿￿ office Austin House 43 Pook Road Boumernouth Dorset England BH4 90N Independent exafflin4r Rv4and5 Webster Limiled Auslin House 43 Poole Road Bournemouth Dow5el England BH4 9DN ADVERSE CAMBER PRODUCTIONS CONTENTS Page Trustees. report Independent examinerfs report Statement of finanaal admlies 10 Balance sheet Notes lo the finan(aal statements 12-18 ADVERSE CAMBER PRODUCTIONS TRUSTEES. REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS, REPORT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 The Iwslees present their annual rewt and finantyal 5ts1emenls for the year ended 31 Mar¢h 2023. Tht financial statements have been prepared in acts¥dance with the acK￿nI1ng polityes set out in note 1 to the financial statemen15 and compty with the charitys Igoveming documentl. the Companies Acl 2006 and "Accnunling and Reporting by Chariti'es.. Statement of Recommended Practice apF4icable lo ¢hartbe$ preparing their a¢counts in accordance with the Financial Reporbng Standard apF4lCab￿ in the UK antl Republic of I￿land IFRS 1021" {effective 1 January 20191. Objèctives and attivltiÈs Adverse Camber's tharitable objed as set oul in rts governing doDJment is 'for the public benefit, to promote the arts, in tyjt not excfusNely the arts of drama. theatre. musio literalwe and $lorytdling." Our vision is that we bdieve th8t olherwrKkJs are possitAe. Our mission is to listen lo storytellers and communities. Togelher. we discover the stories th* need to be tohj. shaping and sharing these in theatres. newJhboLtrhocwJs and public Spaces ac¥oss the UK and the wodd. We nurture the power of people's imaginations lo open new horizons. In shapirtg AdveTSe Camberfs oty'ectNes for the year and in planning 3cbtht￿. the Trustees have referred to the Chaflty Commi5son's gui￿ar￿ on PLtblic benefft. The main p(tbli¢ benefits of Adverse c￿ber'S Y￿rk are.. To enrich and deepen audiences. understanding. eniwent 8prytti*"on of stories and music from a range of cullural trad￿"on$ To enable partitypants from 8cr055 our communibes, parti¢JJlarfy those whose slryies are less often heard. 10 5haTe stories wllh a wdef section of the public To imwove people's pers￿81 and so¢ial wel being through taking part Wl 3torylelling acaivities To work toward5 bwng an equrtat4e Society, by bec￿lfi9 a MO￿ empathetic society. with a greater understanding of the world we live in, and how to affecl p05rtNe S￿￿al thange thruugh ielling and sharing of stories, MUSK aThJ the relatsd arts To enhan¢e *Cffjellers' arbstic practicE and sknls To address obstacles lo progression. ensuring a more diveTse range of sttydlers can make more sustainable caree￿. pro¥￿Ing wider benefits to m¢xe people ADVERSE CAMBER PRODUCTIONS TRUSTEES, REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS. REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 Malth A¢li¥itie Adverse Camber's programme takes place acros$ three strands". Comnwssioning. touring and pubh'c faung events, aim lo reach the widest and most diverse range of public audiences with high qual¢ty artistic work Socialty engaged practice. with a p3rri¢ular I0￿S on young people. ensuring p*li￿parts, voKes and interests shape and irrfonn the stories being c¥eated and heard Strategic and sector support projects. supporting Storyieller ski115 devel¢)pment. and increasing understanijing of storytelling's rote an¢J polenb.al to support in¢Jividual, sooal and planelary well being. The impact of this work is ewalvaled using the￿Y of change and logic ￿￿e1$. to ensure the organisation conlinualty improves its practice and delivery. Review of 2022-2023 During this year Atherse Camber expanded ils te￿ of freelancers lo four part-time wor*eYs. VAlh addit.ional freelance artist apw'ntments and consultancy supporL in order to deliver a strong programme of socially engaged Sto￿ellIng projects. Our key Derbyshire prqed. Our Stories. Our pla￿5. Our Futures. fgrused on young people in eA)mrnunilie5 that have beèn serrou5ty impacte(I by soual, economtc and ryjttural pressu￿$ as well as the tmpact of the pandernic- young people in 80150veT and North East Derbyshirelchesterfield. The organisats.on also fundraised and began preparation work, developing partnerships. for Curture Café Tells Stories. a project for yi)ung a5ySum seekers, living irt Nottingham, who came to the UK una(£ompaniÈd. ￿ rthtinuÈd worknng wth regional partners. in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. and u)nlinued our international online coliaborab.on project with ICPAC in East Africa, exploring how indigenous knowledge hoklers are Supp￿11)g COMM￿111&S at the forefront of climate impact5, and how storyteuing can strengthen res￿le1￿￿. Adverse Camber exparKled 115 a5 a leading storytening prTrJuceT, SUF¢XYting the oryanisalion's recovery from the impact of the pandemic on ts incoffle streams. This strand of work aims to enable a fflore dNer5e range of storytellers to achieve a sustainable income, and to increase the diversity of audiences lor storyteNing. One PToJect, Four Tales to Save the World. which pivoted to di9rtal durin9 co￿￿ moved back into in-person louring with a Fffth Tale performed at three venues in Wdles. We produced our ￿r51 national lour the pandemic, The Gods Are All Here supporting an artisi fiom Pembrokeshire. who draws on their dual heritage. in th￿r first nalional tour Wales. Two storytellers from the East Midlands created opportunibes for families and sthools lo hear 51orie5 in Derbyshife libraries and a trio of arts'sts were supwrted in a research and development procEss for a new show about Greek Myths. revolwng afoun(I ronslellation$. Three intensive training wcKkshops for sttyelkrs underpinned these pro)ects, funded ty Gerard Pearse famity fund, thrwgh Derbyshire Community Foundati¢)n. also iThliated a new. strategic relationship with Ihree storytelling partners. one from èath UK nab"on. ￿ Aijverse Camber repre5enling England. and FEST, thè Federab"on lof European Storytdling, lo explore 5hwgJ princaples and prathce, and develop future ¢ollaborative ojects. Alongside these projects. Adverse Camber cxjntinued to Strengthen its TesiTrence and dynamism through fundraising, including making an applution to become part of Arts Council England's National PorrfL4io from 202&2026 and continuing to use its theory of change logic model to refled on its oUt￿Me5 and build on achievements. Thè (Xganis81ion's annval lumovef tnueased during this financial year. with a wider range of fvnding sources contribuknng to ddivery. ADVERSE CAMBER PRODUCTIONS TRUSTEES. REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS. REPORTI (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 Achltvements and bwlommfice Commissioning. Touring and Public Facing Events Four Tales to Save the Worfd Following the digital versÈon ot this pwie¢l in 2021-22. ￿eated arKI perfrymed by Gwilym mC￿s-Ba1rd. the project concluded in Apnl 2022 with a 'Frflh Tale., performe(I h.ve in F4¥llhdi. Aberyslwyth and Cardrff. This PTqèCt was Iurbded by Arts Counul Wabes wth SuppO￿.n9 eamed inccrfne from eath venue. Feedback .1 did find the total experience su5tainirwJ as well as thought provoking be(¥use our beautrful planet needs everyone to ￿me t(>gether to make changes. The stories reminded me of recjjrring drearns I have and have PTTrJded me into making very deasions of ¢hange. so that instead of being haunted l aciuauy act and do something.... Audience Feedback Thè Gods Are All Here. by Phil Okwedy This solo slorytelling ￿ece tells the story of Welsh storyteller PhTrl 0￿￿edY who wa5 bom lo a Nigerian father and Cardiff-based Welsh mothei. nether of whom he grÈw up with. Phil weaves together his own story of growing up in Wales in the 19605 and 19705 and hi5 paTen15' 510ry. a5 revealed by a series of letters ffom his father to his mothef. These Ifue life stories are woven together with stories from the AfriGan conlinent and diaspora. Following rehearsals in Llanelli, at Ffvrnes Theatre w¢th an experienced tyeative team, and an engayèmènt rèsidency in partnership with Peopte Speak Up, the show toured for 12 perfomiances across Wales. and 1 in Scotland (Village Storytelling Festival) from May 2022 to Mafch 2023. a further 3 perfom)ances ￿ England. The lour was funded by Arts Council Wdles wrth eamed incorne from all partleipating venuès. Adverse Camber raised additional funds from the Postcode Lottery Fund to support an engagement programme which complernented the tour. Engagemenl ath"vilie5 included workshops for community groups, particularly elders groups and refugees, alld a performance for schoo15 which loojsed on Phil's personal experiences of growing up in Wales induding experiences of racism. This tour reached 8 ¢ombined audience of 1.2CQ people through workshops and perf(ymances. Feedback: "To prornote Black History Month. I took hundred. Year 8 leamers to see 'The Gods Are All Here,. by Phil Okwedy. I was eagef to offef my pupib the (wrtunity IO Nièw this show. as it explored the important Ihemes of equalty, freedom and racism. Phil Okwedy'5 performance gripped Ihe puixls", they were attentive and engaged throughoth. The slolies 5kiNulty invoked memories of the past. in a touching and sometimes light hearted manner. The leamers certainly took away wrth them the ifflportant messages about the need for kindne55. l¢lerance and mutual respect. On our retum to school, a colleague infomied me thal the 'yard was buzzing al break lirn&', with happy pupils. who ha¢J thoroughly enjoye(J the performance." History Teather, Cwmtawe Cornmvnity School 'Have just attended one of the best performances I have seen at your venue. Phil Okwedy was mesmeftsing. Many thanks. Please make sure he retums." Audience Feedback. Pontardawe .1 sat in the audience trM5 moming and il was a great eypewience to 5rt and listen, I realty liked the way it gave young people that were a similar age to Phil from the stories he was telling how Teauy hard and {withoul swearing here) h¢)w nasty racAsm was and is in a very real way. The Swansea valley is predominanty white 50 our understanding won't ever really understand in a way that a real 510ry being told us_ I th5nk hearing it comè from direct expprient%5 he had had rnade me really understsnd in a way I hadn't before. I found mysell ¢xyin9 th￿iking of this." Audience Feedback 'The tr*0 storie5 flow from orte to the other and both are beau￿ty wnttèn and told. Try both map ey'c myths of Ioss and recovery- one many hundreds of yeaTS old. one that Started 60 years ago. Okwedy's explorabon of his search for identity as a mixe&ra¢e foster ¢hikl living in Wesl Wale$ and his parents. desperate attempls to be together is compelling and profound. The skn.ll and prerysion of the 51wtelling is second to none,. a musl-see for anyone interested in Ihe oral trad￿on. The Gods Are Ajl Here is a remarkat4e achievement in theatre." Hari 8errow, Buzz Magaine -A story of inequalty, freedom. racism. and famty, deh¥tred in a tcxKhing, funny and evocative performance, The Gods Are All He¥e is a deeply inb.mate story. wrth thernes that sts"Il resonate slrongty in today's landscapè. Okwedy masterfully weaves myth with his own story. informing one lo Ihe other. The perfomance demonslrates how we all have a. story or myth inside us, as Okwedy says "The Gods Are All Here- insHle of us. we Create myth. we ueate the gods somethin9 that conneds us all no matter our differen¢es. Ultimately. Okjmedy uses his peT50nal story lo empower and connect us." Wales Arts Review ADVERSE CAMBER PRODUCTIONS TRUSTEES, REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS. REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 Right Royal Sttsfie5 In June. Adverse Camber managed a programme of 8 slorylelling events for scJM)ols and famth.es auoss De￿YshiT¢ libraries, featuring h¥0 East Midlands based storyielleTS, rim Ralphs and Rachel Murray, to help commernorate Queen ElizabÈth's Platinum Jubl￿è. These storytellifig aetivth"Ès. advertised as'Right Royal Stories, shared stories wth participants, hel￿'n9 them to discover Queens and Kings. Princesses and Prin￿$ from across lime and around the wodd as well as lo celebrate the part we all play in maknng our commuThties places for celebralion. The project invofved 445 people, 70 adurts, and 375 under 16$. Feedba¢t. e jusl wanted to say a hugè thank you for your inmte to bring our children lo Ihe 'Right Royal St￿les. event al WI￿sWorth Library. The thildren had a fantasb"c bme and really enjoyed ill. Schools Fèedback "Everyone enjoyed the event. Three word comments.. Enteflaining, Amazmg, Cool, lovely, fun. nice enjoyable, lunny, Fasanating, exating. intriguing. L¢)nger comfnen15". 'Always lovety to hear stories tdd from memoryf- 'it was just lovety and an amazing way to pass the tNne': 'Fantastic. We were all capb"valedl Thank you,. The thildTen realty interacted with Tim and the aduhs too. He certainly kept you involved in his 5torie5. 1 took some pholos and you can tell by their laces that they were realty engrossed." Schook FeedbaL* .1 was realty impressed with the performers (Rachel and Tim). They were posib"ve. engaged and put 51aff and the audience at their ease. I fealty enjoyed th￿r sttyellbng and had kngotten nicE rt is to hear stories told by professional Tellers." LTr￿arian Feedback "After a long COVID road. lit￿arleS habE realty struggled to attraLt new and exisling customers back inlo our lit)rary space. Like the proverbial 'kni9ht in shining amiour. Adverse Camber came to our rescue with their ideas, enthusiasm and hyo foyauy tslentetj sloryteliets. Adwefse Camber have been a pleasu￿ to woth with, yreat at keeping in iOLt¢h, fle￿ble and came with an ambrtious proposal lo connect st(xyiellers with as many children and lamilies as possible. Wth 100s of children graang the library and being highly enlertained. we owe a great gratrtude to Advefse Camber. Many chddren have alreat1y retumed to library to join wrth Iheir families, ewdence ilsell that the story Sèssions have left a great and ￿5the imwessK)n and hopeftAty a lrfelong love of 5tofies." Feedback Irom Derbyshire LibTary Servi Stars and their Consolations In December 2022, Adverse C3mteT produced a three-day research and devekjpment pl(￿eSS to develop a new produdion for touring. Stsrs and thwr Consdations was originalty cornmissioned by Beyond the Border Wales International Storytelling Festival and leatures of the UK'S leading storylellers Daniel Mofden and Hugh Lupton, plus original music c(xrtposed and cxeated by Wdsh composer Sarah ￿nne Lewis. Thè pèrfomiance share$ Greek Myths which focu5 on the stories of the constdL4tion5. The aim of Ihis R&D penod wa5 to explore techniral production. speafically using digital moving wc¥eclions ol constellations as a backdTOP to the perlomiance. plus lighting and sound design. The process ¢ondudet1 a work in progress sharin9 for an inviteij group of advo¢3tÈslaudièn¢e members, Indvding a youth worker, sttyeller. arts council officer and venue amb8S5ador to give leedback on Ihe potenlial audience appeal of the work. We received an audience c￿nrnent aboul the positive accessibility of the piece for Deaf or ¥isualty impaiied audienfjes. rf a BSL interprelei was involved, and some pro- audio des¢ripts"on resources were wowded and we feed these c¥ynments into (Mjr ￿a￿S to tour the piece. F￿dbaCk. I'm 50melhing of a Luddite when rt tsynes to ethung lethnology.. I generally tdl slories in a Stripped bad(, essenb'als only way. It was extremely useful to work wrfh technicians. a director, and a Pfodu¢er'. people wilh expÈrtisÈ other than my own. %n alea5 I'm less aware of, bnnging 5killset5 1 don't have. tt challenged me in lols of ways. I would love to do 50 ag￿n. l am PTr¥Jd of and ex¢ited by the final piece. Daniel Morden. Storyteller ADVERSE CAMBER PRODUCTIONS TRUSTEES. REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS. REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AIARCH 2023 Socially Engaged Prnctic• Our Places. Our Storles. Our Futures prnject Leadin9 on from the small scale intervÈnb"ons with Junction Arts. this mcKe developed p8rtitypalory partnership project was co4esigned and (y)-c¥eated ￿th Junction Arts and a group of young people from Bolsover and Chesterfield. to explore themes of self. place and the ¥nagned future. leading towards Tapton Lock Festival in September 2022. Following earfy groun0￿Ork in 21-22 finan(ial year. and the re¢￿Itsnen1 of an experiencèd Engagemènt Producer Aly Slonemam lo lead the pffjje¢i. the main athty took place from April lo Seplember 2022. We recruited 4 ensemble aflisis from 22 strong apF4ications through an open cau. building Adverse Camber's poc4 of artists for longer-te¥m work. Shorlisting and interyiewirMJ Junclth Arts Ènsured loeal knowledge and best frt for the projecl. The artists brought skills in prodtJctTron. PDelry. physical theatre. 1radib.onal and innovativeldigrtal storytellin9. broadening the range ol storyteller5 & crynrnunities involved in more dNeTse partnerships. Three addibonal artists were engaged later in the proj'ect. based on youThJ peopk's irtterests in Creating ilhjstrated story cards and enabling us to document the ensemt4e journey through film & photography. Between Ap￿￿AUguSt 2022 this project fan 7 artist-led iaster sessions with community gioup$ across Chesterfield and BLlsover, induding Che5terfiekl LGBT+ Centre Youth Gmup Bolso¥er knbrary. aimed at recru￿"n9 youn9 people to join the ensemble sessions and residency week. We reached 80 young people aged btheen 11-25 au955 these sessions. Folbwing thi$. the project delivered 15 Ensemble Sessions on Monday Evenings belween May to Septernber and a 5 day Summer Storytelling Week Residency at Bolsover Casue in AugusL 21 young people from Bolsover. Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire parb"rypaled in the project. The group worked together to ￿eate a perfcffiiance which they shared ￿[h audiences of up to 1,5c¥) people al Tapton Lock ouidoor free festival on 1 Oth September 2022. This evenl was a combined perfonnance in the Big Top and a drop in Slcry Card Creative kn.ng actNity. Following the completron of the wqect. A¢fverse Camber wa5 inwted to run 8 storytelling session as p8rt of the Bolsover Christmas Markèt in November 2022. and the yr¥Jng people's group reunited for this session, sharing stories wtth market shoppers, as well as I￿er￿ry to stories from professional storylemers Twn Ralphs and Maria allon. Our Stories, Our Places. Ow Fulures was funded by Arts Counal England and De￿yShIre Cornmunity Foundation. F••dback: °They were very Crealwe realty in all vAMt Ihey did. all ofthem. in th*"r [￿fferent ways. Very good." Audience member at Tapton Lock Festsval Feedback froffl Participants: °Telling slories that you created to people that then enjoy Iheffl. brngW￿ a SMI￿ to peoF4e's faces- it's fantastio. Parbupant 1 (P1} (age 14): .1 arn (JJ￿enIty home sthooled and I Siruggle 7Arylh reading. Taking part in Our Stor￿$ has improved my conftdence, I've made lriends, gained a Discovw Arts Award. and leamed how to make a podcast. I met a k)1 ol nèw peop￿. and I basirally got lo have fun!" One main impact for P1 was building ￿nfiden¢¢ lo go ￿ stage at Tapton L£￿1. sornething he said he would never volunteer to do befo￿. He says that he "WL)uld now be up for perfoming in fvture" and would like to lake part in any similar projects wrth AC. P1 is also ueating new stories wrth frEends trom the [￿lect and hopes lo go to Comege in the near fLrture. P8rtiC4pant 2 (age 14) noted the impact of the project C￿ informing her empathy with olher5 and understanding drfferent people's points of thew and Gullure5". -we have been told and tsken part in many stories. being told by both the sloryleller5 and the other partiapants. Stories can be a greai way to learn aboul someone. Upon healing other people's slories. I leamed I had a lot in o)mmon wth theml...l and I can tell people about fflyself through my stories." ADVERSE CAMBER PRODUCTIONS TRUSTEES, REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS. REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 Storying Our Futvre5: Climate Resolience through indigenous knowlEdg¢ This pftsject, funded by British Council, o)nnected h¥0 storylelkr a￿"SvacadeMI¢s based in the VK, Catherine Heinemeyer and Hannah McDowall. with ICPAC, the Climale Predickn'on and ApplicatM)ns Centre for thirteen countries in the IGAD Inlergovernmentsl Authority on Develo)ment in East Africa and fv40 Kenyan based storytellers John Mukeni Namai and Mara Menzies. The project was fvnded by the Brttrsh Coun(il's Intemational collabwab.on Programme. This project explored how storyleltsng might best serve ihe people and lands expwien¢ing the wor51 impacts of ¢￿"mate cri>s. Induding {￿mmUn￿.￿S in the border territories of the Hom ofAfn"ca. Online meetings, be￿n Ihe UK co4eaders and ICPAC ted to the creab.on of a mul￿Sta9e projecl. whith Trnduded a joinl research field trip to communttses in Northem Kenya (Turkana and Weslem Pokot) and the ￿mMiSsiOn1n9 ol research atxjut the tradiii(X)s of indigenous rainmakers Iwealher forecasters) by South Sudanese journalist Joseph Ngor Deng. The fiekl trip and research fed into the Creal￿n of a film, ueated by ICPAC to share with policy makers in Easl Afnca. and a series of podcasts created by Cath Heinemeyer and Hannah McDowall tssing audio diariès 8nd rÈlledtons from the storyiellers John Mukeni Namai and Mara Menzies. The PToiect rdn fiom April 2022 to Marth 2023, and culminated in the laun¢h of Ihe po￿￿$1 $eries online. plus a swies of online wetiinars in April and May 2023. which wdl be reported as part olthe 202>24 a¢counts. F￿dback "T.hÈ prtsject intmduced the role of story tellets in commUn￿￿1r￿j dinate informalion. 5Lwnething ICPAC 85 an institution has never ¢Jone, the sryentisis were alAe lo kam fi(st hand what the drfference was beh¥een joumalists and story leller5, The story lelling a5 a methodology allowed for a different type of engagemenl with local communitie5. ICPAC Wans on adding this melhodology as rt builds capa¢ity of Ihè mem￿1 states to provide dimate infomialion to Ihe last mile users.. Linda Ogallo. ICPAC Culture Café Tells Stories We began lawng foundations Yor tl¥s prciect, wothg vnlh Derbyshi￿ Virtual S(J)ool. a partner in our projerts snce 2017. Thi$ PToiect aimed to invofve young peO￿e who have come to the UK as una￿)mPanIe