What We Do
Midland Creative Projects Limited undertakes Project Management, Research, Consultancy, Fundraising and Training. We also Produce Live Literature Performances and undertake Writing Commissions.
We work with clients across the country, including publishers, arts organisations, literature festivals, public libraries and local authorities, broadcasters and Arts Council England regional offices. All of our work is connected with reading, writing and performance.
As well as work for clients, we run our own projects, developing creative ideas around reading, writing and performance. We are particularly interested in new ways for people to experience good writing as live literature.
Project Management:
We manage a range of projects for clients in the West Midlands and around the UK. These currently include the West Midlands Readers’ Network, the Birmingham Book Festival and Write On! – Adventures in Writing (the Birmingham Book Festival’s regional Creative Writing in Education Programme), and the newly formed Writing West Midlands, the literature development agency for the West Midlands.
Over the last five years we have produced three live literature productions, most recently: Changing Lives. In February 2008 we ran a talk radio project for twenty young people aged 16 to 19, working with New Style Radio and funded by Mediabox. In March 2008 we devised and managed four days of creative writing activities for Year 6 children in Solihull Primary Schools. In October 2008 we ran the Birmingham Book Festival’s first writers’ networking conference: The Writers’ Toolkit, and will be running a second conference on 21st November 2009. We are currently managing Go Dutch, a project to promote Dutch writers in translation.
Research / Consultancy / Fundraising / Training:
We undertake research and consultancy for organisations in the UK and Ireland. This can include preparing reports and proposals and also drafting funding applications for Arts Council England and other funders.
In 2009 we have worked with Swindon Borough Council to develop their Literature Development Programme (including a GFA bid to Arts Council England) and we are currently working for Creative & Cultural Skills to develop a draft workforce document: The Literature Blueprint (working with consultant Jill Bellamy). We have worked with the Bluecoat Arts Centre in Liverpool developing plans for their literature programme (including a successful GFA bid to Arts Council England), with Cumbria County Council on their work to support new writing and with the Swindon Festival of Literature on securing future funding (including a successful GFA bid to Arts Council England).
We have also worked with Poole and Bournemouth Borough Councils on a Literature Development Framework, with Warwickshire County Council on planning and delivering a family readers and writers festival for the north of the county, with: Nottingham Writers’ Studio on a business plan and funding programme (including a successful GFA bid to Arts Council England) and with the British Council (researching and writing some literature pages for their website).
We regularly devise and deliver training projects for public libraries and related organisations. These include literature development and reader development training for library staff and live literature production for arts organisations. In 2008 and 2009 we delivered training for Galway Libraries in Eire, Staffordshire Libraries and for BBC Learning.
Writing / Producing:
Jonathan Davidson has had six radio plays broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and Radio 3; most recently Icarus, Falling (R4, 25th July 2007). His adaptation of Mary Webb’s novel Precious Bane for Interplay Theatre toured (2008 – 2009) to schools and arts centres. He is producer of three live literature touring performances. Sara Beadle has worked as a script editor for the Birmingham theatre company Deep Impact and is currently working on her first novel.