Boundless Accelerator
We’re committed to discovering the best ideas from artists who might not be known to us and developing the extraordinary artists of the future, now. With Boundless Accelerator we look for bold, imaginative new theatre ideas and work that aims to start a conversation with the world from diverse perspectives.
With a cash bursary of £2500 and bespoke support and a lot of c0-creation thrown in, Accelerator is a great way to develop your artistic practice.
The 2023 Theme: Money
Each year we set a theme for Accelerator and this year we’re thinking money. Now, don’t get us wrong, we know this is a huge topic and, in many ways, that’s the point. For Accelerator’s third year, we’ve chosen a group of artists with big, intersectional and complex ideas that somehow connect to the theme.
Discover more about the 2023 – 24 artists here
Photography credits for 2023: Zbigniew Kotkiewicz
Yasmine Dankwah is a British-Ghanaian writer and performance poet born, raised, and based in South-West London. Using music, anything from High-life to R&B, and spoken word poetry she is really interested in looking at how resistance can be a springboard for joy amongst marginalised communities.
Through Accelerator, Yasmine is developing Garage Girls. Set during the early noughties, Garage Girls is a coming of age, comedy-drama that follows four British-Ghanaian sisters, who run a garage in the backdrop of an impending recession. It’s an ode to Battersea, bad basslines and the beauty and conflict that resides in what it means to be British as a racialised individual.
Yasmine will be performing a series of spoken word poems under the title of ‘Mixtape Mind’. From a small-small rant about gentrification, a shout out to Mr. Whippy and a celebration of all things class, music and nostalgic, join her on her lyrical loops and tangents as she untangles/unravels who she is and what’s on her mind.
Chris is a theatre maker, facilitator, and founding member of the performance collective ClusterFlux. His work is deeply rooted in collaborative and non-hierarchical methods, committed to creating performances that experiment with form and subvert conventional boundaries. Through his collaboration with ClusterFlux, his work has garnered support from The Pleasance, New Diorama, and Camden People’s Theatre (CPT). ClusterFlux has also received the Curious Directive’s inaugural Hypothesis Grant and an Arts Depot Residency. Their critically acclaimed debut show, PLEASE LEAVE (a message), will make its international debut later this year at Amsterdam Fringe 2024.
With Boundless, Chris has begun developing his first solo work, Untitled Bruce Rowley Project, inspired by conversations with a man named Bruce.
After graduating from the Brit School in 2019 Abby, Kieran and Liv found themselves in a creative slump. There weren’t many opportunities in their area for young working class artists like them, especially when it came to free and accessible theatre. In response, together, they formed ‘On The Common Theatre Company’. A name inspired by their shared proximity and a playful nod to their roots as South Londoners. After their debut show in 2021 ‘Spells For A Broken Heart’ at the Hens and Chickens Theatre, the trio became a fivesome with Max and Mia joining them as their associate artists. Since then, these artists have produced over 20 cabaret nights at The George Tavern in Shadwell.
These nights are called ‘REFLECTIONS ON…’ with a new theme each month. REFLECTIONS ON QUEERNESS, REFLECTIONS ON LONDON, REFLECTIONS ON LOVE, REFLECTIONS ON FEARS, REFLECTIONS ON FAMILY, REFLECTIONS ON BIRTHDAYS, and oh so many more. Each night with different exciting artists eager to perform their work. Whether that is through puppetry, drag, stand up, clowning, tarot reading, karaoke and djing! These nights are ticketed so that their performers are paid. On The Commons ethos is clear: the work they do and the work others do for them will always be valued and compensated.
FORGIVING MOIRA
‘The curtain rises to reveal Moira, standing central in her bedroom. A spotlight falls on her. She is wearing a long evening gown with a tatty stained t-shirt underneath. Her room is extremely messy, littered with delivery takeaway bags, makeup wipes and empty bottles of magnum on the floor. Lighters, grinders, easels with incomplete paintings stuffed animals with hats on, a poster of Pete Davidson.
Two backup singers stand behind her dressed in 1920s Bugsy Malone , Tallulah style, evening gowns.’
‘Forgiving Moira’ is a new play currently being written by Mia Jarvis in collaboration with Max McKenzie. About a young woman called Moira and her experiences living in temporary accommodation after having to leave her family home. The piece excellently balances dark comedy and honest story telling. Mia’s ability to beautifully explore difficult themes is highlighted in this piece.
Aaron is a theatre and film maker. He is the winner of BOLD Playwrights and was shortlisted for the Theatre503 International Playwriting Prize. His short films have been screened in festivals across the world. He lives in South London.
For Boundless Aaron is writing a play that explores climate migration, community, and the extraordinary world of fungi. Set in a disappearing coastal town the play argues for hope in the face of overwhelming crisis and challenges our estrangement from nature.
Using the commission, Aaron will run workshops with young people living on Britain’s coast.
Twitter: @aa_koglu
IG: @aaronkil
Emma is an East Midlands based Writer with a commitment to reframing and reshaping rural stories. Her first play, Patterns, was awarded the Michael Ross Award from RADA and Birkbeck, where she completed her MA.
Since graduating, Emma has been selected to create new work for the BBC, Mercury Theatre Colchester, and NSDF LAB. She is also a Young Mentor at the Young Vic.
Boundless Accelerator will give Emma an opportunity to further expand on her work in rural communities as she explores the complex, but often overlooked, impact of climate change on young farmers.
Twitter: @el_howell
Instagram: @emmalouisehowell
Harry is an actor, drag artist and lgbtq+ activist based in southwest London. Since his acting training, he’s had his solo drag show ‘Everybody Knows Judy’ commissioned by both Loud & Queer Arts Festival and Bournemouth Emerging Arts Festival. After showcasing his drag on the main stage at Lyric Hammersmith, the importance of showcasing diversity, authenticity and queer visibility is at the core of his work.
With the support of Boundless Accelerator, he will be creating a new Cabaret show in London, Noah’s Ark, which will provide a platform for young artists and creatives to showcase their talent and voice. From drag artists to magicians the cabaret show will explore the themes and effects of climate change for young generations.
Multi-award winning Pigfoot is the first explicitly carbon-neutral theatre company in the UK, dedicated to making collaborative, energy-generating theatre about the climate & ecological crisis.
Their show HOW TO SAVE A ROCK is a bike-powered family comedy about how to still have hope. Most recently touring to Northern Stage & Theatre by the Lake with ETT Trailer Story, and part of Pop Up London with Battersea Arts Centre & Found in Music as part of the Mayor of London’s #LetsDoLondon Campaign. The show is winner of Staging Change, Sunday Times Playwriting & Samuel French New Play Awards.
They’re currently developing HOT IN HERE (a carbon-neutral dance party), a protest theatre show about climate justice made in collaboration with young people in Camden & climate advocates around the world in countries most affected by the climate crisis, commissioned by Camden People’s Theatre Outside the Box Fund, touring Spring 2022.
Pigfoot will develop a multi-disciplinary & carbon-neutral piece of theatre which rejects the UK’s antagonistic, aggressive & hostile response to refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants. HOSTILE ENVIRONMENTS will be a protest with its audiences, creating a manifesto which collectively imagines a safe, compassionate and empathetic future which puts a solid infrastructure to protect climate migrants at its heart .
Pigfoot is led by Co-Artistic Directors, Hetty Hodgson & Bea Udale-Smith, with Producer, Camille Koosyial.
Twitter: @pigfoottheatre
Instagram: @pigfoottheatreco
Natalya Martin is an actor, multi-sensory practitioner and theatre-maker. Her goal is to make work that is fully accessible, relatable and of quality, for and with people with disabilities. She is the co-founder of theatre company FEEL Theatre, which specialises in creating sensory stories, shows and experiences.
Winners of the 2018 Edinburgh Stage Award and The Untapped Award, Nouveau Riché is a multi – disciplinary arts production company. Previous theatre credits include Queens of Sheba, Chateau Marmont and Book of Actions. Their objective is to discover, nurture and produce unique stories that are culturally inclusive, with a keen scope on work that is both educational and entertaining.
Produced Moon are an interactive, digital theatre company working at the intersection of theatre and gaming, based between London and Glasgow. Recent work includes Switchboard, The Inventors Squad and Electric.
https://www.producedmoon.co.uk/
@ProducedMoon
Ryan Gilmartin is a multi-disciplinary actor, theatre maker and video DJ. He has made work for the National Theatre, Royal Exchange Theatre and Sheffield Theatres.
Hi, I’m Ryan. For the first twenty years of my life I grew up in Spalding, Lincolnshire. I used to have a chip on my shoulder about that, but now…
Read moreWhen I found out my project ‘Carnival’ had been awarded the Boundless Accelerator Award, I was over the moon. I was so excited to get going, because I knew there…
Read moreJacob Roberts-Mensah and Ebenezer Bamgboye – Director of Nouveau Riche‘s ‘For Black Boys’ – reflect on their experience of participating in Boundless Accelerator and working on the play, exploring young…
Read moreWhat does it mean to be changing the rules and creating a game from scratch? Boundless Accelerator commissioned artists Produced Moon talk about their project Switch, the iterative creative process of…
Read more