Storytelling PR

News

Storytelling PR is looking for a Comms Expert / Senior Publicist

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This is a unique opportunity to join one of the UK’s leading commercial arts organisations – Storytelling PR is an artist-first PR company who work with a diverse and brilliant range of established and up-and-coming live performers and creatives across Theatre, Comedy, Cabaret and Visual Arts.

We are looking for a new member of the team to be a whizz at PR but also have some interest in line-mgmt and future planning. This role is based in Edinburgh at our office in Summerhall. We understand life comes before work, but there are ways to make that time at work so rewarding – and this is the basis of all we do as a team. 

Storytelling PR Ltd work between Edinburgh, Glasgow and London; and with companies touring and making work across the UK. We often work with international arts companies selling mostly to British audiences. Storytelling PR has a huge focus on theatre and performance that has an interest in social change or activism. We love good stories and good storytellers. We define our work by feminist / equalitist ethics and we feel it’s important our work and our services are available to both up-and-coming and established artists and companies – this has always been key to our practice and we actively ensure our client / company list is diverse. We are intersectional feminists, Queer-positive and actively anti-racist. We seek to collaborate with artists of all identities and we take the time to do the learning and work to support our artists and staff.

We are especially keen to see applications from candidates who have worked in Digital Marketing OR Comedy and Commercial Live Performance. 

Storytelling PR Ltd is an equal opportunities employer and we really, really welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, gender, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age. Diversity in the workplace is an asset both to our organisation and our ability to deliver for our diverse client and company base. 


Main purpose of role:

  • To support the Storytelling Team working across Publicity, Digital and Marketing with a personal specialism but a genuine interest and perspective on all areas of the business. 
  • To collaborate with artists, companies, and live event makers. 
  • To (essentially) be a representative to the media of some of the UK’s best live performance and campaigners and creatives in a way that the companies feel matches their own vibe and work. 
  • There is an exciting opportunity to work with any of our year round companies (see our website) on a really aspirational and close level to get the best PR and lend the best advice on comms. 

What you will be doing:

  • Delivering or supporting PR and Digital campaigns for all of Storytelling PR’s many and varied theatre, performance, and activism companies and clients across the UK. PR and Digital campaigns will include writing excellent fully finished press releases, issuing and pitching, logging all on a project WIP, keeping good records of who is engaged and interested in the work, looking for new contacts and matches for the work across a broad range of media. 
  • Line-managment. 
  • Engaging closely with a network of press media and with our companies to sell their work to audiences. 
  • Actively listening. As we work with Minoritised, Ethnically Diverse and Disability led companies there are often new conversations and considerations that need thought – from access, to the restraints of structurally problematic industries on all sides. You will often hear about Racism, Homophobia, Transphobia and Ableism. As you will be the intermediary between our brilliant companies and our colleagues in the press you’ll be expected to be aware of what support companies need and we will support you in turn. 
  • Working on our world-class Edinburgh Festival Fringe portfolio of leading performance art, dance, theatre, circus, cabaret and international theatre work.
  • Every member of the team has a direct project specialism – please outline what your area of specialism would be at application. 

Essential

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Be a strategic and creative thinker.
  • An ability to interpret creative practice for paper or pitching in a way that is clear and concise. 
  • Demonstrable knowledge of, and interest in, issues surrounding diversity and inclusion in the arts.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills, and proven ability to collaborate with team-mates on projects.
  • Press contacts and a keen interest in culture media and reportage. 
  • Highly organised, with a demonstrable ability to keep track of tasks, prioritise work under pressure and deliver against set targets to agreed deadlines. 
  • Someone who thrives in a busy environment.
  • Significant experience in the media world (be that as a journalist / PR / communications specialist) and experience working in a busy comms office or working within a press outlet. 
  • Active listening skills
  • Strong values, and the ability to motivate and support others.
  • Ability to identify and develop mutually beneficial partnerships.

Desirable 

  • Knowledge and understanding of the arts in Scotland, across the UK 
  • An interest in the power of the small business and independent makers and creatives
  • Intrinsic motivation and drive to make change, get bums on seats and do your best work (small ask)
  • Experience of working in live events.
  • Experience of working across culture, charity or not for profit.
  • An interest in changing the way things are. 

Storytelling PR Senior Publicist / Comms Expert 

Salary – salary will fit the applicant and will be offered based on experience £26 – 28,000 pa – if you feel this number is more suited to part-time or job share – we will accept those pitches or call Director Miriam to talk through.

Storytelling staff receive an annual pay rise and there is opportunity for staff to have a contribution towards counselling or therapy, because we think it’s very important to have good mental health! 

We work from a light, buzzy (and often busy) office in Summerhall, Edinburgh.

We welcome those interested to send a cover letter and CV to admin@storytellingpr.com. 

We welcome any questions about applications to Miriam Attwood miriam@storytellingpr.com 

Have a look at our equal opps doc here. 

The deadline for applications is 17 April 5pm. Interviews will take place the following week in Edinburgh or via zoom. 

Filed Under: PR

Storytelling PR is looking for a Executive Director

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This is a unique opportunity to join one of the UK’s leading commercial arts organisations – Storytelling PR is an artist-first PR company who work with a diverse and brilliant range of established and up-and-coming live performers and creatives across Theatre, Comedy, Cabaret and Visual Arts. We are looking for the perfect person to come in and help lead Storytelling into its next 10 years. Salary advertised could be for a job-share or part time role if experience lends itself – salary could also be tied to success with the company. We welcome applications that ask questions as well as answer ours. 

This role is based in Edinburgh at our office in Summerhall. We understand life comes before work, but there are ways to make that time at work so rewarding – and this is the basis of all we do as a team. 

Storytelling PR Ltd work between Edinburgh, Glasgow and London; and with companies touring and making work across the UK. We often work with international arts companies selling mostly to British audiences. Storytelling PR has a huge focus on theatre and performance that has an interest in social change or activism. We love good stories and good storytellers. We define our work by feminist / equalitist ethics and we feel it’s important our work and our services are available to both up-and-coming and established artists and companies – this has always been key to our practice and we actively ensure our client / company list is diverse. We are intersectional feminists, Queer-positive and actively anti-racist. We seek to collaborate with artists of all identities and we take the time to do the learning and work to support our artists and staff.

We are looking for an Executive Director who will have a personal specialism within the team alongside a management role. We are especially keen to see applications from candidates who have worked in Digital Marketing OR Comedy and Commercial Live Performance. Every time we advertise a role at Storytelling we are looking for the right person to join our collaborative working style – we’re totally aware these two specialisms are two ends of the spectrum in terms of selling live events. 

Storytelling PR Ltd is an equal opportunities employer and we really, really welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, gender, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age. Diversity in the workplace is an asset both to our organisation and our ability to deliver for our diverse client and company base. 


Main purpose of role:

  • To support the Storytelling Team working across Publicity, Digital and Marketing with a personal specialism but a genuine interest and perspective on all areas of the business. 
  • To collaborate with artists, companies, and live event makers. 
  • To collaborate theatre / arts management companies and activists, both who bridge into culture and those who lobby directly to ScotGov and require a PR platform for launches and happenings.
  • To take on some administrative duties from our Founder and Director, not limited to negotiating and setting fees, meeting clients and companies and ensuring the team are supported and have manageable workloads. 
  • To (essentially) be a representative to the media of some of the UK’s best live performance and campaigners and creatives in a way that the companies feel matches their own vibe and work. 
  • There is an exciting opportunity to work with any of our year round companies (see our website) on a really aspirational and close level to get the best PR and lend the best advice on comms. 

What you will be doing:

  • Delivering or supporting PR and Digital campaigns for all of Storytelling PR’s many and varied theatre, performance, and activism companies and clients across the UK. PR and Digital campaigns will include writing excellent fully finished press releases, issuing and pitching, logging all on a project WIP, keeping good records of who is engaged and interested in the work, looking for new contacts and matches for the work across a broad range of media. 
  • Managing cash flow through the year and helping with financial strategy and planning. Being across all project strategy and working alongside our Founder & Director to manage best practice in every area of the business.
  • Line-managing several members of the team with weekly updates and having a clear picture of what needs prioritising when across our entire roster. 
  • Engaging closely with a network of press media and with our companies to sell their work to audiences. 
  • Actively listening. As we work with Minoritised, Ethnically Diverse and Disability led companies there are often new conversations and considerations that need thought – from access, to the restraints of structurally problematic industries on all sides. You will often hear about Racism, Homophobia, Transphobia and Ableism. As you will be the intermediary between our brilliant companies and our colleagues in the press you’ll be expected to be aware of what support companies need and we will support you in turn. 
  • Working on our world-class Edinburgh Festival Fringe portfolio of leading performance art, dance, theatre, circus, cabaret and international theatre work.
  • Every member of the team has a direct project specialism – please outline what your area of specialism would be at application. 

Essential

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Be a strategic and creative thinker.
  • An ability to interpret creative practice for paper or pitching in a way that is clear and concise. 
  • Demonstrable knowledge of, and interest in, issues surrounding diversity and inclusion in the arts.
  • A keen interest or background in culture – be that music, theatre, performance, pop culture or anything else.
  • A keen interest in activism, changing how we report and how we listen
  • A keen interest in the intersection of culture and green / environmental causes. 
  • Experience of working to and achieving income targets.
  • Experience of managing budgets and delivering campaigns within financial limits.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills, and proven ability to collaborate with team-mates on projects.
  • Press contacts and a keen interest in culture media and reportage. 
  • Highly organised, with a demonstrable ability to keep track of tasks, prioritise work under pressure and deliver against set targets to agreed deadlines. 
  • Someone who thrives in a busy environment.
  • Significant experience in the media world (be that as a journalist / PR / communications specialist) and experience working in a busy comms office or working within a press outlet. 
  • Active listening skills
  • Demonstrable experience in leadership and line management – demonstrating strong values, and the ability to motivate and build high-performing teams.
  • Ability to identify and develop mutually beneficial partnerships.
  • Proven networking and negotiation skills, demonstrable development of good partnerships with other individuals and organisations.

Desirable 

  • Knowledge and understanding of the arts in Scotland, across the UK 
  • An interest in the power of the small business and independent makers and creatives
  • High-level creativity and ability to devise novel and unexpected solutions and strategies
  • Intrinsic motivation and drive to make change, get bums on seats and do your best work (small ask)
  • Have something entrepreneurial about your approach to your work. 
  • Experience of working in live events.
  • Experience of working across culture, charity or not for profit.
  • An interest in changing the way things are. 

Storytelling PR Executive Director 

Salary – salary will fit the applicant and will be offered based on experience £28,000pa – £34,000 – if you feel this number is more suited to part-time or job share – we will accept those pitches or call Director Miriam to talk through.

Storytelling staff receive an annual pay rise and there is opportunity for staff to have a contribution towards counselling or therapy, because we think it’s very important to have good mental health! 

We work from a light, buzzy (and often busy) office in Summerhall, Edinburgh.

We welcome those interested to send a cover letter and CV to admin@storytellingpr.com. 

We welcome any questions about applications to Miriam Attwood miriam@storytellingpr.com 

Have a look at our equal opps doc here. 

The deadline for applications is 31 March 6pm. Interviews will take place the following week in Edinburgh or via zoom. 

Winter 2022/23 Update

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Author: Ambrose Kelly

After a busy and brilliant 2022 Festival Fringe here in Edinburgh, we’re back! 

We’ve re-charged out batteries and can’t wait to tell you about our current winter season and early 2023 plans. From the Lyceum Theatre’s much-anticipated upcoming programme to new immersive performance, multiple festivals and a UK/Ireland book tour, the Storytelling team has been hard at work with some brilliant creatives to support their latest projects and creative vision. 
Having worked with some much-loved friends this autumn (such as Wonder Fools and their Scottish theatre tour of 549: Scots of the Spanish Civil War; Stellar Quines’ beautiful new play on migration, loneliness and siblings, Sister Radio; Dropped Tea Theatre’s performance and culture promenade weekend, Knock Down – Brixton; Jordan & Skinner and their lively feminist re-imagining H.G.Wells, Time Machine – and much more), the remainder of the year, through to early 2023, is set to be just as exciting.

Actress Melanie stands next to a red wall staring intently at something the audience cannot see. She wears a blue and pink paisley shirt with grey jeans, and has a flower tattoo on her left arm.
Copy of Melanie Jordan in Jordan and Skinner’s The Time Machine, 2022. Image Credit – Tommy Ga-Ken Wan.
Actresses Lanna and Nalân embrace each other on a floral blue sofa, their foreheads touching. Lanna has curly dark brown hair and is wearing a dark blue cardigan; Nalân also has curly dark brown hair and is wearing a paisley blue dress with a blue under-shirt.
Lanna Joffrey and Nalân Burgess in Sister Radio, 2022.
Image credit – Fraser Band.
Tim and Matt of Pianodrome sit side-by-side in their amphitheatre made of recycled pianos. Antique lights sit on either side of the men, illuminating them in a warm light. Matt looks across to his right at Tim, who looks behind his right shoulder at the wall. On the wall behind their heads reads, 'Throw Caution to the Wind.'
Tim Vincent-Smith and Matthew Wright of Pianodrome sitting in their world-first amphitheatre venue.
Image Credit – Elliot Caunce Photography

An ongoing project that started in late-October, 2023 will see the team close out theatre-maker, slam poet, screenwriter – and now, Scottish BAFTA nominee! – Leyla Josephine’s current UK/Ireland book tour in celebration of her debut poetry collection: In Public/In Private, published by Burning Eye Books. We’re excited to be assisting Leyla in her shift from stage to page, and can’t wait to see how In Public/In Private is received across Scotland, England and beyond. As a deeply introspective examination into the personal and the private, Leyla’s debut work has already grabbed the cultural scene’s attention; PR highlights so far include a fantastic interview with The National, a brilliant first review from The Scotsman, selection by The Times for her King Tut’s set as a must-see for Scottish end-of-year events, and a live interview with BBC Scotland’s Afternoon Show on her artistic journey so far. 

Book cover for Leyla Josephine's debut novel, 'In Public/In Private'. The cover is mostly black and white, an orange rip effect across the centre. Behind the centre rip effect is a black and white photo of Leyla looking to her right, her face obscured by the rip effect. In larger light pink writing reads, 'In Public/In Private', with 'Leyla Josephine' written underneath in smaller white text in a scratchy, handwritten font.
In Public/In Private cover. Image Credit – Emily Wylde, 2022.
Black and white photograph of author Leyla Josephine. Leyla wears a silk dressing gown and looks off to her left with a calm expression. She has long brown hair, long eyelashes and is wearing two small necklaces.
Leyla Josephine. Image Credit – Marilena Vlachopoulou, 2022.

In festivals, the new year will see our team work with a variety of brilliant large-scale events, including the iconic visual theatre and animated film festival MANIPULATE, and Scotland’s longest-running greenfield festival, Knockengorroch, celebrating its 25th year. Returning for its 16th iteration, MANIPULATE Festival will bring an ambitious line up of existing and new work – enjoyed online, inside and outside – to Edinburgh this February 2-12, 2023. We look forward to supporting the MANIPULATE team as the festival untangles themes of human resilience, migration, memory, life, death and climate change via an impressive group of performers and creatives, including Katherina Radeva, Long Green Jaws, Kasia Zawadzka, Gavin Glover, VOX Muziektheater, and many more. 

Long Green Jaws male actor sits in the middle of a black stage with an abstract orange and light blue pattern background. He is wearing a light blue linen shirt with light brown trousers, and has short wavy brown hair. His right leg is bent towards his chest as he pours water from one fish bowl into another. A glass vase half-full of water sits next to his right foot.
Long Green Jaw by Fergus Hall & Sarah McWhinney. MANIPULATE Festival 2023. Image Credit – Long Green Jaws

The firmly-rooted Knockengorroch Festival will return to the Carsphairn Hills, bringing a vast spread of local and international music to some of Scotland’s most beautiful natural scenery. Running 25-28 May 2023, Knockengorroch will see Mungo’s Hi Fi, Zentone Chapter 2, The Drystones, The Langan Band, and many more perform on their iconic – and eco-friendly – stages. 2023 will see a continued focus on environmentalism within the festival, including banning single-use-plastic, encouraging the use of local transport for ticket buyers, and using local materials to craft the festival’s structures. 

We’re also excited to work with our friends Swamp Motel on their latest theatre project, Saint Jude – showing from 24 January to 11 March 2023. Mysterious and wonderfully dark, Saint Jude blends expert performance, AI technology and storylines of a mysterious government building to form a unique, vivid audience interaction that inspires as it puzzles – a futuristic deep-dive into secret organisations, morality and medical technology. Also running from 31 March – 15 April 2023 is contemporary Gaelic theatre company Theatre Gu Leòr’s new Gàidhlig Western, Stornoway, Quebec – on tour across Scotland. A performance filled with everything we love – creativity, mystery, excellent writing and the Gaelic language – Stornoway, Quebec will bring audiences a drama based on the life of Canadian outlaw Dòmhnall Morrison, Canada’s most-wanted man, who emigrated from Lewis; and the Barra woman and bounty hunter, Màiri MacNeil, who pursues Morrison to a Quebec saloon, where they and three others become snowed in by an ominous blizzard.

Swamp Motel male actor sits behind a panel of green-tinted warped glass with a menacing stare. His face is partially obscured by the glass, and he is wearing a green jumper to match the tint. He sits on a partially-obscured blue chair.
Swamp Motel’s Saint Jude. Image Credit – Guy Sanders.

Similarly, we can’t wait to work on Surrogate Production’s brilliant theatre show, Who Killed My Father? – returning after a sell-out run as part of Mayfesto at Glasgow’s Tron Theatre from 27 – 30 May 2023. Exploring a series of important social themes, we meet Édouard – a gay man who has endured years of violence and homophobia from his alcoholic, right-wing father – and witness his courageous decision to unravel years of social brutality, political decisions and anger. We will also work with the fantastic Adrenalism Theatre in April on their upcoming family-friendly ‘Chicken Western’ – The Good, The Bad and The Poultry – which will tour across Scotland from 18 April – 7 May 2023. We absolutely love working with touring theatre, and can’t wait to see this joyful piece of work flourish. 

As long-standing friends of Storytelling, our team will continue to work with the Lyceum Theatre on their upcoming spring season and brilliant array of talented theatre-makers in 2023. The coming year is set to be an exciting one for the Lyceum, with productions from both well established and up-and-coming theatre makers set to share their work on the Lyceum’s iconic main stage between February and May. 

In February, Shakespeare’s most iconic female character takes centre stage in Zinnie Harris’ brilliant new work – Macbeth (An Undoing), showing 4 – 25. Intertwining the Bard’s original text with Harris’ new material, the play explores the dark ambitions of Lady Macbeth and her twisted desperation to make them a reality. 

Running 7 – 18 March 2023 is You Bury Me – an explosive, political play from Ahlam that tells the story of six young Egyptians navigating loss, friendship and forbidden love. Created by Linda McLean is the deeply introspective Castle Lennox – an examination into the trials of Annis, a young girl with autism, who finds herself trapped in the brutal Lennox Castle Hospital in East Dunbartonshire, known for its notorious treatment of its residents between the 1930s and 1990s, showing 30 March – 1 April 2023. 

Writer and director Zinnie stands next to actress Nicole. Zinnie stands slightly in front of Nicole's right side with her arms crossed. She is wearing a dark purple and red shirt with a large stripe pattern. She wears large circular glasses with a thin black frame, and has short blonde cropped hair. Nicole stands slightly behind Zinnie and is wearing a pink leopard print dress with 3/4 sleeves. She has short cropped brown curly hair with a slightly long fringe. Her right hand is on her hip. Both women are smiling and looking directly at the camera.
Zinnie Harris (writer and director) and Nicole Cooper (Lady Macbeth in Macbeth (an undoing). Image Credit – Stuart Armitt.

In April, the Lyceum will show Kidnapped – a National Theatre of Scotland production and eclectic reimagining of Robert Louis Stevenson’s historic novel, adapted by Isobel McArthur with John McCarthy. Showing 11 – 22 April 2023, Kidnapped reframes the relationship between Stevenson’s original characters – Davie and Alan – as a romance, set in a Scotland still reeling from the 1745 Jacobite rebellion. In May, Russian-born director Polina Kalinina and Scottish playwright Lesley Hart’s world premiere of Tolstoy’s classic masterpiece – Anna Karenina – will debut from 13 May – 3 June 2023. With a new Scottish text and a strong feminist perspective, this production is firmly focused on womanhood -examining Anna’s attempts to avoid a family scandal by embarking on a risky course of action set to tear her life apart – joining scores of other women throughout time who are punished for not being ‘just so’. 

Storytelling PR's wonderful office dog Polar - owned by Director Miriam Attwood - sits next to a Christmas tree with gold lights in the Royal Lyceum Theatre reception area. Polar has dark brown eyes, a black nose and white wavy fur with a long tail. He is wearing a blue collar and orange walking harness whilst looking to his right with a calm expression.
Storytelling PR’s resident Chief Publicity Sniffer and Gravy Bone Connoisseur
Polar approving The Lyceum festive programme

We can’t wait for the upcoming year – exciting times await us all! If you’d like to work with us on your upcoming venture, please do get in touch via our CONTACT page. Whether it be theatre, music, books, touring shows, festivals, experimental performance, visual art, or anything in between, we’re always on the lookout to expand our scope and work with new creatives to achieve their creative visions and milestones. 

From all of us here at Storytelling PR – stay creative, have a lovely festive season, and we’ll see you next year! 

Puppet Animation Scotland announce line up for
MANIPULATE Festival 2023

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MANIPULATE Festival 2023 returns to the capital with one of its most ambitious programmes to date – with shows at the Traverse Theatre, Summerhall, The Studio at Festival Theatre, Fruitmarket, online and outside across the city.

Image: Un-retained (composite image). Courtesy of Sandman.

Edinburgh’s international festival of visual theatre and animated film, MANIPULATE, is a celebration of visually stunning work, with a focus on artworks which breathe life into the inanimate or tell stories primarily through imagery. 

The 16th edition of the festival will offer audiences a rich palette of events across a range of visual artforms, including large-scale illuminated hands which will roam across the city; intricate live micro-cinema featuring over 2000 miniature animals; an aerial work inspired by lobster fishing; and theatre simultaneously performed and livestreamed between Scotland and Argentina.

There are an array of themes and ideas to uncover, with much of this year’s programme speaking to the stories that we tell ourselves, and one another, about who we are. Further themes of the programme include migration, the resilience of the human spirit, memory, celebrations of life and of death, and our relationship with a changing climate.

MANIPULATE Festival 2023 will run from Thursday 2  – Sunday 12 February, presenting a dynamic programme of live performances, installations, workshops, and film screenings – taking place in person and online, with shows at Summerhall, The Studio @ Festival Theatre, Traverse Theatre and, for the first time, Fruitmarket. The Festival will also see outdoor installations take to the streets of Edinburgh. Acclaimed international artists will share work alongside Scotland’s own leading artists, including the return of MANIPULATE favourites and brand-new companies. 

Alongside a diverse programme of brand-new work for MANIPULATE Festival 2023, some elements of the programme are finally coming to the stage after being rescheduled from 2021 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dawn Taylor, Artistic Director and CEO of Puppet Animation Scotland, says: 

“We are thrilled that 2023 will see the return of a full MANIPULATE Festival programme for the first time in three years. By expanding across Edinburgh into new venues, the city streets and online, we can reach and connect with new audiences and spark new conversations. We are looking forward to celebrating the sheer magic that puppetry, visual theatre and animation can offer during these challenging times; a spark of hope and light that MANIPULATE has come to represent in the dark of the Scottish winter. 

With a more varied palette of artforms than ever, and featuring work which is playful, bold, interrogative and joyful from a dynamic group of visually-driven artists, 2023 promises to be one of our most ambitious programmes to date. We can’t wait to share it with you!” 

Jaine Lumsden, Creative Scotland’s Theatre Officer, says: 

“MANIPULATE is all about bringing together Scottish and international visual theatre and animation of the highest quality and artistic ambition. The Festival plays a central role in the physical performance sector and we’re so glad to be behind its return to full programming next year.” 

The 2023 Programme includes: 

MANIPULATE Festival 2023 will open with a roaming performance on the streets of Edinburgh, created by Fergus Dunnet and Ronan McMahom. The Dab Hands are large-scale illuminated puppets specially commissioned by MANIPULATE Festival to usher in the 2023 Festival and welcome all those they come to pass. Following this will be an exuberant Opening Night Party in celebration of their first full festival in three years, offering exclusive pop-up performances, music and sneak peeks into highlights across the festival, and a visit from specially commissioned giant illuminated puppets for all to enjoy. 

Raw Material & Vanishing Point present the World Premiere of Love Beyond (Act of Remembrance), by renowned theatre artist Ramesh Meyyappan. This tender and visually creative new show is a love story that follows Harry, who has dementia and uses sign language. Events from the past and present intertwine as Harry moves into a new home. Just as his nurse begins to learn his language, Harry begins to forget, leaving him in a unique world alone with only himself. 

Also exploring distorted memory are Vision Mechanics, who will present The Fantastic Life of Minnie Rubinski. Part installation and part filmed puppetry show, this intimate experience is a funny, moving and sometimes nonsensical journey through the title character’s life, synapses and fragmented memories.

Relationships and their complex dynamics are the forefront for Scottish aerial theatre company Paper Doll Militia, who return to MANIPULATE with the World Premiere of Arthropoda – gripping aerial circus theatre that unpacks the unravelling of a relationship through aerial performance. The piece is told through the visual analogy of lobster fishing, and a lobster stuck in a creel who can leave but chooses not to.

Scotland-based Shotput question Hollywood norms in Ferguson and Barton, as they awake in a filmic dream world exploring the power dynamics of their own relationship. Inspired by Hitchcock’s Vertigo, the show explores communication and miscommunication, voyeurism, gender roles, and sensuality. 

Also inspired by Hitchcock are festival returnees Agrupación Señor Serrano’s with their show Birdie. The Spanish masters of micro-cinema explore migration through multimedia performance – thousands of migrating birds draw impossible shapes in the sky in between two mirages; one with wars, droughts and deforestation, the other with safe streets, stability and renewable energies. 

Continuing the theme of refuge and migration, performance maker Tashi Gore, visual theatre expert Ross Mackay, and playwright Will Gore create a hybrid live performance and digital animation with The Yellow Canary an epic true story and leap into the imagination of a young child exploring love, loss and what it means to flee your home. 

In a further exploration of migrant identity, Katherina Radeva of award-winning, bold performance art duo, Two Destination Language, presents 40/40 – fresh from its World Premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2022. Katherina is a woman, a migrant and now, a dancer. 40/40 is an unapologetic celebration of 40 years of joy and hardship. 

In an exciting development for 2023, MANIPULATE will take to the streets of Edinburgh, with the Scottish Premiere of Sandman’s Un-retained. A collaboration between choreographer Sabine Molenaar, multimedia artist Gertjan Jiasion and composer Jochem Baelus, it combines dance, audiovisual production and projection mapping to tell the timeless, weightless story of being human. Un-retained will be projected onto the architecture of Edinburgh (with an exact location to be announced at a later date) for the duration of MANIPULATE 2023. 

Free public installation work at the Festival also includes A Rock and a Hard Place, from puppetry and micro cinema theatre expert Gavin Glover. This kinetic sculpture work initially premiered as part of Restless Worlds at MANIPULATE in 2021. A collection of mini dioramas made up of the Earth, Sky, Sea and the Mind, this installation imagines a parallel world, with accompanying audio to be enjoyed by headphones. 

Into the Long Green Jaws is another World Premiere presented by Long Green Jaws – artist/musicians Sarah McWhinney and Fergus Hall. Combining experimental, ambient improvised music with installation, puppetry and performance art, Into the Long Green Jaws is a piece of visual gig-theatre which explores the intricacy and balance of coastal environments as multi-layered meso-ecosystems. A free drop-in installation will accompany the piece. 

Continuing MANIPULATE’s tradition of presenting high-quality puppetry for adults, festival favourites Ljubljana Puppet Theatre return to MANIPULATE with Moč (The Power), which uses intimate puppet-object theatre to question different motives of power and weakness, the public vs the private.

International puppetry work is also the focus of VOX Muziektheater, who present the UK Premiere of Poor Thing, a soul-stirring performance that combines opera and object theatre as three musical funeral directors try to reconstruct the forgotten life of an anonymous woman through her belongings. It is an ode to melancholy and an embracing of life. 

Scotland-based live performance artist Suzi Cunningham performs a double bill of Rules to Live By and Eidos. The first is a celebration of transformation, a requiem for one of Suzi’s teenage idols, Mark E. Smith; a rebellious aspiration to a hero’s punk anarchy. The second, Eidos, is a tribute to Suzi’s punk-in-her-own-right Grandmother. 

Pioneer of self-suspension rope performance Kasia Zawadzka explores the idea of the obsessive inner voice that keeps you from being at peace in aerial performance Ill Lit. Returning after a digital work-in-progress as part of MANIPULATE 2021, this full production using the Japanese art of Shibari explores mental health, repetition and the struggle to break out. 

Anna Nekrassova presents Before Thumbelina, an everyday fairytale for adults which beautifully unfolds into a touching story about a person’s struggles with infertility. Carried by song and rhythm as well as puppet and object theatre, the solo performance by Nekrassova focuses on the moment before H. C. Andersen’s renowned story of Thumbelina.

Clown Cabaret with Plutot La Vie invites audiences to share a drink as part of an evening of cabaret. Across an hour and a half, four clown performances will lead audiences through the weird, wild and sublime stupidity, with a drink included in your ticket. 

In animation, MANIPULATE 2023 will see the return of Animated Womxn: International Shorts, screening the work of extraordinary, award-winning female and non-binary animators from across the globe. Animated Highlights will pack in a dizzying array of animation styles and untold stories, featuring new work from established and emerging talent from around the world, in partnership with Edinburgh Short Film Festival. For the first time, these screenings will take place in-person at Edinburgh’s Fruitmarket, as well as being available digitally. 

Works in Progress will also continue with SNAPSHOTS, a first look at exciting new visual theatre workshops from six Scottish artists. Sand, from director Daniel Livingston and performer Petre Dobre – is a highly visual performance that uses movement, object manipulation and shadow puppetry to explore our dreams and face our nightmares; also supported by the Surge Bursary Programme, Noah Tomson’s Between Earth and Moon will be performed simultaneously in Argentina and Scotland, taking inspiration from Italo Calvo’s surrealist short story, Distance of the Moon.  

Workshops throughout the Festival will give an insight into creating your own work with Conceiving Visual Theatre with Al Seed; Micro Cinema Theatre with Gavin Glover; and developing your own multi-operator puppetry skill with Mervyn Millar in Working as One.

Tickets for the 2023 Festival will be on sale from 5pm, Thursday 10 November: manipulatefestival.org.

ENDS.

Join the Storytelling PR team

by

Storytelling PR is looking for a new Publicist / Comms Expert.

This post will start in May 2022 and is not a new role, but one that we are looking for someone brilliant to make their own. Interviews will be held on Wednesday 13 April and applications close on Friday 08 April at 5pm. If you have an access requirement please do not hesitate to contact us.

Storytelling PR Ltd is a PR and Comms company based in Edinburgh. We work between Scotland’s capital, Glasgow and London. We often work with international arts companies selling mostly to British audiences and with touring work – which can range from large cities through to tiny villages. Storytelling PR has a huge focus on theatre and performance that has an interest in social change or activism. We love good stories and good storytellers. We define our work by feminist / equalitist ethics and we feel it’s important our work and our services are available to both up-and-coming and established artists and companies – this has always been key to our practice and we actively ensure our client / company list is diverse. We are intersectional feminists, Queer-positive and actively anti-racist. We seek to collaborate with artists of all identities and we take the time to do the learning and work to support our artists and staff.

Storytelling PR Ltd is an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, gender, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age. We strongly believe that diversity in the workplace is an asset both to our organisation and our ability to deliver for our diverse client and company base.

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who enjoys working within a fast-paced environment as part of a small and dynamic team.


Main purpose of role:

  • To be an integral member of the Storytelling Team working across Publicity and with a genuine interest and perspective on other areas of the business (marketing, digital). 
  • To collaborate with artists, companies, and live event makers. 
  • To work across many varied campaigns leading on some, supporting on others. 
  • To (essentially) be a representative to the media of some of the UK’s best theatre and live performance creatives in a way that the companies feel matches their own vibe and work. 

What you will be doing:

  • Delivering or supporting PR campaigns for all of Storytelling PR’s many and varied theatre, performance, and activism companies and clients across the UK. PR and Digital campaigns will include writing excellent fully finished press releases, issuing and pitching, logging all on a project WIP, keeping good records of who is engaged and interested in the work, looking for new contacts and matches for the work across a broad range of media. 
  • Engaging closely with a network of press media and with our companies to sell their work to audiences. 
  • Actively listening. As we work with Minoritised, Ethnically Diverse and Disability led companies there are often new conversations and considerations that need thought – from access, to the restraints of structurally problematic industries on all sides. You will hear often about Racism, Homophobia and Ableism. As you will be the intermediary between our brilliant companies and our colleagues in the press you’ll be expected to be aware of what support companies need. 
  • Working on our world-class Edinburgh Festival Fringe portfolio of leading performance art, dance, theatre, circus, cabaret and international theatre work. 
  • Running media calls and photoshoots for both news press and magazine coverage. 

Essential

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • A strategic and creative thinker.
  • An ability to interpret creative practice for paper or pitching in a way that is clear and concise. 
  • Demonstrable knowledge of, and interest in, issues surrounding diversity and inclusion in the arts.
  • A keen interest in culture – be that music, theatre, performance, pop culture or anything else.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills, and proven ability to collaborate with team-mates on projects.
  • Ability to be based in Edinburgh for work from April/May 2022.
  • Press contacts and a keen interest in culture, media and reportage. 
  • Highly organised, with a demonstrable ability to keep track of tasks, prioritise work under pressure and deliver against set targets to agreed deadlines. 
  • Someone who thrives in a busy environment – you can decide what resources you wish to rely on (be that a trusty notebook, a gsheet or trello) but you’ll need to be across your work and feel comfortable multitasking on busy days.
  • Five years experience in the media world (be that as a journalist / PR / communications specialist) and experience working in a busy comms office or working within a press outlet. 
  • Active listening skills

Desirable

  • Social media and marketing know-how / interest. 
  • A keen interest and enthusiasm in seeing work live (when we can) and engaging with the Scottish and British theatre and performance art scene.
  • An interest in activism and changing the world. 
  • Experience leading on content creation ideas through to execution and in close collaboration with colleagues. 

Storytelling PR Publicist 

Salary – salary will fit the applicant and will be offered based on experience between £25,000 – £28,000 annually. Storytelling staff receive an annual payrise and there is opportunity for staff to have a contribution towards counselling or therapy, because we think it’s very important to have good mental health! 

We work from a light, buzzy (and often busy) office in Summerhall, Edinburgh. 

We welcome applicants to send a cover letter and CV to finance@storytellingpr.com. The deadline for applications is Friday 08 April and applications are welcome any time before then. 

Have a look at our equal opps doc here. 

This role will be based in Edinburgh. We are currently working a mixed set up of home and office work, with an expectation of in person work weekly. There is opportunity for travel work across the UK through the year as required, for meetings with companies and media and to see work.

For further information please contact finance@storytellingpr.com.