Still getting get your head around how to find a possible PAF Fellow? We asked Ric Watts, Producer with Unlimited Theatre, to talk us through their selection process for last year's Theatre Fellowship.
"For Unlimited, the BBC Performing Arts Fellowship is a great opportunity to take a proactive approach to something we see as a real issue facing the contemporary theatre sector – a lack of experienced producers to support all of the brilliant artists making work at the moment. As a company making new work that tours nationally and internationally, we’re well placed to give direct hands on experience and valuable mentoring – but often find it challenging to properly resource such opportunities given the demands of our work.
From my own experience starting out as a fledgling producer, the most valuable experiences I had were when I was thrown into the deep end (albeit with armbands on and an experienced coach standing behind me) and asked to work with experienced artists on ambitious projects that pushed me out of my comfort zone. So we wanted to use the Fellowship opportunity to invite a promising young producer to work with Unlimited as Assistant Producer for six months during the busiest point of our year – touring an existing show, while making two new ones. Our Fellow would hit the ground running, taking responsibility for key areas of our busy programme while being well supported by key members of the Unlimited team.
The most challenging part of the process of securing the Fellowship opportunity was the actual recruitment of the fellow, given the scheme asks that the potential fellow is in place at the point of application, and that you’ve gone through a fair and transparent process. We essentially had to interview for a job that didn’t yet exist – which felt unusual and a big ask of potential candidates.
We sought the advice of peers and colleagues, asking them to recommend budding young producers from Yorkshire who would benefit from the opportunity. We approached a number and asked them to informally apply for the scheme if they were interested – a CV and a short letter expressing what they might hope to get out of such an opportunity*. From seven applicants, we interviewed 3. The interviews were informal discussions – about the candidates current work, their career ambitions, their development needs, as well as the work of Unlimited. The interviews weren’t about fulfilling a set criteria, but identifying an individual who felt like they’d benefit greatly from the Fellowship, and would fit in well with our team.
After we selected Christie Hill, who was our first choice, we came across the second issue we encountered. As a fairly recent graduate trying to get a proper footing in the arts, Christie was – like most recent graduates – in need of work. Our application was made in September 2013, but the Fellowship wouldn’t begin until April 2014. This meant us asking for a real leap of faith from Christie, and to keep herself potentially free for the Fellowship while the application was assessed, despite needing to start earning income. Brilliantly, Christie managed to find a short-term maternity cover contract which allowed her to begin work in an admin role for a large organisation straight away and we rejigged the dates of her Fellowship to accommodate this new contract.
While the recruitment process itself felt unusual, and at times high-risk (what if Christie had been offered the perfect full-time role during assessment, or while waiting for the role to start?), we now feel that we’re in a strong place. Christie only begins her Fellowship next month, but we’ve had a conversation ongoing for close to a year and she’s regularly been to see the company’s work during this period. As such, it feels like she’ll start the role already part of the team. I hope this will allow her to make the most out of this unique and valuable opportunity, and use the next six months to really develop her own skills as a highly promising young producer."
Find out a little more about Christie's fellowship here.
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*Please note that the selection process has changed slightly from last year and you must go through an open call to find your potential Fellow. Read the Terms and Conditions of the scheme to get the full details.
Terms and Conditions, FAQs and the application form can be found on the PAF Fellowship grants page. The deadline for applications is 18 August 2014.
