People-Focused Producing
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People-Focused Producing is China Plate’s ongoing programme of free, one-off training sessions, each looking at a specific aspect of making creative projects happen.
- Are you looking to become part of a growing network of producers?
- Do you organise events and wish you had better tools to help you do that?
- Is there a specific producer skill you want to develop?
- Are you working in community organising and would like to know more about access, wellbeing, and safeguarding?
- Would you like to know how to make your creative ideas happen?
Sessions are led by experienced members of the China Plate team and guest facilitators and offer participants toolkits and resources that unlock essential producing skills, in-depth insight, and perspective.
There is no expectation to attend all sessions, you can simply sign up for which ones feel most useful to you – scroll down for more information.
Click here to watch a BSL and captioned introduction about our People-Focused Producing programme.
Programme Overview
People-Focused Producing centres around developing skills, knowledge and values. Previous sessions focused on topic areas such as:
- Approaches to fundraising & funding applications
- Creating/implementing care & well-being practices
- Producer values and understanding the importance of starting with why
- Marketing to diverse audiences
- Demystifying access provision
- Key principles to pitching a show or idea
Who is it for?
People-Focused Producing aims to support and resource creatives or producers at different stages in their careers, including those without a creative background who are actively creating and producing events in and with their communities.
It’s for anyone that is interested in developing a sustainable producing practice by learning new skills, refining prior skillsets, or up-skilling.
Delivery and Access
Some sessions will be delivered online (on Zoom) and some in-person at cultural venues across the Midlands. China Plate will provide access provision, where required, for both in-person and online sessions for participants. This could include:
- BSL interpreters
- Automated captioning and transcribing (either through Otter.ai or Zoom)
- Resource notes (including large print format)
- Audio/video recordings (for internal use only)
Online sessions will be best experienced on a laptop, monitor or tablet but can also be accessed on a mobile phone.
How to Register
Booking is required via Eventbrite to secure your space for each session, as places are limited – these will be listed in the block further down this page and on our Opportunities page here.
To keep up to date with workshops launching, make sure to follow our socials or sign up to receive our monthly newsletter here. If you are interested in keeping up to date specifically about upcoming or future Training & Development opportunities, sign up here.
If you are looking for tips on how to find jobs & training opportunities as a theatre or creative producer, check out the guide on our blog.
If you have any questions, or if there is a barrier to you attending or taking part in the sessions, please feel free to get in touch with our Training & Development Producer Kristina at [email protected]
Upcoming Sessions
To keep up to date with workshops launching, make sure to follow our socials or sign up to receive our monthly newsletter here. If you are interested in keeping up to date specifically about upcoming or future Training & Development opportunities, sign up here.
If you are looking for tips on how to find jobs & training opportunities as a theatre or creative producer, check out the guide on our blog.
Delivery and Access
Some sessions will be delivered online (on Zoom) and some in-person at cultural venues across the Midlands.
China Plate will provide access provision, where required, for both in-person and online sessions for participants. This could include:
- BSL interpreters
- Automated captioning and transcribing (either through Otter.ai or Zoom)
- Resource notes (including large print format)
- Audio/video recordings (for internal use only)
Online sessions will be best experienced on a laptop, monitor or tablet but can also be accessed on a mobile phone.
If there is a barrier to you attending or taking part in the sessions, please feel free to get in touch with our Training & Development Producer Kristina at [email protected] to discuss.
Photo: Pitch! at Birmingham Open Media (BOM) © Paul Stringer
Guest Facilitators
Vijay Patel
Performance artist, writer and neurodivergent access consultant
Vijay Patel
Performance artist, writer and neurodivergent access consultant
Vijay Patel (he/they) is a performance artist, writer and neurodivergent access consultant. He crosses forms from live art, performance art and queer club/cabaret. The work they make predominantly surrounds cultural identity, making autobiographical/political work to shift perceptions and uplift marginalised, intersectional identities.
Vijay is facilitating our People-Focused Producing session in partnership with Unlimited. Unlimited is an arts commissioning body that supports, funds and promotes new work by disabled artists for UK and international audiences. Unlimited is funded by Arts Council England, Arts Council of Wales, British Council, Creative Scotland and Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
Yasmyn Nettle
Programme Manager - Support at Unlimited
Yasmyn Nettle
Programme Manager - Support at Unlimited
Yasmyn Nettle (they/them) is the Programme Manager for the SUPPORT strand at Unlimited, working in this role for over a year. They support over 600 artists who have been commissioned or shortlisted by Unlimited – facilitating paid opportunities such as Peer to Peer sessions and Hardship grants. They have worked in the arts since 2018, championing diverse creatives as an independent curator.
Yasmyn is facilitating our People-Focused Producing session in partnership with Unlimited. Unlimited is an arts commissioning body that supports, funds and promotes new work by disabled artists for UK and international audiences. Unlimited is funded by Arts Council England, Arts Council of Wales, British Council, Creative Scotland and Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
Rosie has extensive experience working as a Producer across multiple artforms including theatre, spoken word, comedy, live art, circus and events. She worked for China Plate as their Senior Producer, curating and managing their artist development programme, and has produced projects for companies/artists including Rachel Bagshaw, Caroline Horton, Laura Nyahuye, Ursula Martinez, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Spiegeltent International and Coventry City of Culture 2022.
Her independent practice focuses on the development and delivery of creative health / arts and health projects, exploring how cross-sector partnerships can impact on clinical research, practice and public engagement. She is currently the Performance Producer for UCL Culture, developing collaborative relationships between artists and academics/researchers.
Marissa McCallam is a Body & Mindset Coach, Facilitator, Writer and Podcaster. Her experience as a Performer, Dance Teacher and her love for physical activity have made her a firm advocate for the benefits of body connection and its links to mental well being. This, combined with her passion for Self-Development and Mindset work, led her to leave her career of 10+ years in the international Corporate sector to pursue her calling as a Coach and Social Entrepreneur.
She is a certified Hypnosis, NLP, Time Line Therapy® Practitioner and Body Oriented Coach with training in Positive Psychology and Personal Performance Development. In 2016, she set up the platform Centre Myself which takes a fun and holistic approach towards increasing confidence and self-worth in Young People. She was previously a Health & Wellbeing Participation Producer at Pavilion Dance South West and holds a degree in TV Production.
Marissa helps Performers, Creatives & Entrepreneurs discover what they want, decide how to go for it and feel they deserve it.
Ryan Dre Sinclair is a producer, facilitator and founder of Empower Poetry. He has worked with organisations such as Beatfreeks, The Arts Council, The National Trust and BBC Words First. He has performed in locations such as Birmingham Town Hall, Boxpark Wembley, Atlanta’s Apache Café and Birmingham 2022 Festival.
Empower Poetry aims to instil power among poets from the region through supporting featured artists. The company has recently been funded by the National Lottery Community Fund to deliver projects in 2023.
Emma works as a theatre marketing consultant and has worked in the theatre industry for over 13 years. Alongside managing marketing strategy for major touring theatre companies and London venues, she also runs the marketing module for the Creative Producing MA at Mountview and is a faculty member for the online diploma in Creative Producing for the CGO institute.
Most recent work includes Head of Marketing for Critic’s Circle award-winning Original Theatre, marketing consultant for Stage Theatre of the Year winners the Bush Theatre as well as projects for Southwark Playhouse, Park Theatre and Charing Cross Theatre.
Amy has a 17-year track record of senior roles in the arts, and now works on a full-time freelance portfolio of consultancy, producing, mentoring and development projects across the UK. Amy’s background and artistic specialism is in dance, with training from University of Surrey and Trinity Laban. Amy also specialises in outdoor arts, festivals, participation and community engagement with much of that experience gained during 9 years working with artsNK and Transported as Head of Dance Development in Lincolnshire, followed by working as Senior Producer with Arches Worcester Festivals in 2021.
Amy has specific experience of working in fundraising and business development; regularly working 1 to 1 with artists, companies and organisations securing over £1.25m in ACE funding, including DYCP, Project Grants and NPO since going freelance in 2020.
Amy is currently freelance Executive Producer with Xzibit Young Creatives a nationwide hip hop theatre choreography programme for young artists, with Wayne Sables Project in Doncaster and with Earth-bound multidisciplinary outdoor performance company in Leamington Spa. She is Executive Director with Propel Dance – the UK’s first professional all wheelchair touring dance company based in Birmingham and Development Director with Birmingham-based LYNNEBEC; a queer mass participation outdoor performance company. Amy is advisor and mentor to many more, a Trustee at Circomedia in Bristol and Chair of new NPO Gloucester Guildhall.
Ellie is partnership lead for Unlimited and all things linked to their Develop strand of work. She holds overall responsibility for artists development and showcasing – enabling as many Unlimited artists as possible to reach audiences both nationally and internationally.
Other responsibilities include strategic responsibility for Live Art and Theatre across the portfolio and being a key contact for artists. Ellie also has her own cross-disciplinary practice embedded in inclusive arts.
Unlimited is an arts commissioning body that supports, funds, and promotes new work by disabled artists for UK and international audiences. Funded by Arts Council England, Creative Scotland, Arts Council of Wales, Paul Hamlyn Foundation and British Council.