c21 Theatre Company Limited
Annual Report 2023 - 2024
Completed Sept 2024
The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2023. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting 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 (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015)
c21 Theatre Company’s Mission
-
Provide professional theatre practitioners in the area of benefit further opportunity to develop and practice their craft
-
To embrace traditional, digital and interactive methods as well as site-specific projects.
Strategic Goals
-
To increase income and ensure sustainability
-
To develop and engage with our audiences
-
To increase the profile of the Company
Objectives
-
Perform the work of both established and emerging playwrights on a national and international stage.
-
To sustain and expand the organisation from private sponsorship sources, trusts and foundations
-
Tour all productions as extensively as possible
-
Contribute to cultural development throughout Northern Ireland
-
Promote inter-cultural dialogue in order to increase our audiences
-
Develop partnerships with companies’ and organisations
-
to deliver joint programmes
-
Promote awareness of the company locally, nationally and internationally
-
in all activities.
-
Search and build on opportunities to work in partnership with international companies and organisations
Significant Activities 2023-24
Playwright’s Programme – September 2023 – April 2024
c21’s Playwright and Director Bursary Scheme provided a programme that invested in the development and upskilling of early-stage career artists in Northern Ireland. Following an application process, three early-stage career Playwrights and Directors embarked upon a process of mentorship in new writing under the expert teaching and supervision of highly experienced Dramaturg, Hanna Slattne and c21’s Creative Director, Stephen Kelly.
Our Stories, Scene and Heard - September 2023 – April 2024
This is a two-year project funded by Community Fund NI which will deliver staff reminiscence training for key care workers, and reminiscence sessions on the theme of positive relationships for residents, at 10 individual settings throughout different council areas in NI. The residents will create a personal memory book and contribute these unique stories towards the creation of their own bespoke film.
c21 Theatre Company 2023-24
Board of Directors and Range of Skills
| Name/ Role | Skills/ Experience |
| Derek Smyth, Chair | Former senior administrator Queen’s University of Belfast. Specialisms: governance, administration, finance, and management. |
| Sean McCready - Member | Director of Doyle Shipping Group. Specialisms: business management, finance, accounting, legal and HR |
| Pamela Minford - Member | Skilled Commercial mindset, passionate in people development, experience of managing large teams across all levels. Strong sales professional with multi-site experience. |
| Trudy Harkness - Treasurer | Trudy joined Ulster University in 2018 as a School Officer within the Business School, she has worked for a range of organisations. |
| Dearbhla Holohan - Member | Dearbhla is an Assistant Director at Children’s Services Barnardo’s NI – Early intervention and family for the rights of children. |
| Carrie-Anne McAlonan- McCrudden - Secretary |
Manager Aisling Ghear Theatre Company. Specialisms: Fundraising, Management, HR, Legal, Finance. |
Artistic Program 23-24 :
The company had:
-
1 x Deaf/hearing production (Expecting) that had a world premiere in May 2023 at The MAC Belfast
-
1 x Deaf/hearing production (Expecting) that performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2023. Also performed at Edinburgh Deaf Festival
-
1 x summer drama week in association with New Lodge Arts Belfast.
-
1 x tour of Living Windows in Antrim town centre (in association with Antrim and Newtownabbey BC) to animate the windows in the main streets.
-
1 x major project in Santa’s Post Office – A free one-month installation for families and schools to encourage footfall to Belfast city centre in association with Belfast One. c21 provided performers and management.
-
Phase 2 of Our stories, Scene and Heard involving four care settings as part of a two-year reminiscence project.
-
c21’s Playwright and Director Bursary Scheme provided a programme that invested in the development and upskilling of early-stage career artists in Northern Ireland. Running time was six months.
-
1 x Rural Engagement Arts Project in association with Cushendun Arts Centre running from January - March 2024. A series of weekly reminiscence, theatre, storytelling, visual art and choral workshops over the course of four months.
-
An exchange with Gallaudet University to teach our actors to sign in American Sign Language.
-
3 x Halloween projects in association with Belfast One, Mid and East Antrim Council and Anna Connor Events
-
1 x Christmas Event in association with Fibrus, a broadband provider. Providing script and actors for a unique event.
Audiences:
Our audience figures were approximately - 19,600
Progress:
c21 experienced its most successful year to date in 2023-24. A major funding award from The National Lottery Community Fund in September 2022 continued into 2023. Further investments from local authorities and Antrim and Newtownabbey BC in particular, saw a playwright and director programme commence and grow. Preparation was underway to take Expecting (our deaf and hearing theatre piece) to the US in May 2024. We had success in Belfast and Edinburgh throughout 23-24. The company has significantly increased turnover this year and there is potential to grow. We have managed to secure funding to keep our company manager at two days per week, alongside Stephen’s full-time wage for the first time in the company’s history.
c21 is grateful to all the bodies which provided financial support throughout the year -
-
Arts Council of Northern Ireland
-
Doyle Shipping Group
-
National Lottery Community Fund NI
-
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council
-
Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council
-
Halifax Foundation Northern Ireland
-
Sign Language Partnership Group
-
Culture Ireland
TRUSTEES RESPONSIBILITIES
The trustees (who are also the directors of c21 Theatre Co. for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Report of the Trustees and the financial statements in accordance with the applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice)
Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements of each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure of the charitable company for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to:
-
Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently
-
Observe the methods and principles in the Charity SORP
-
Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent
-
Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and
hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Approved by order of the board of trustees.