Annual Review 2020/21
Reflecting on 20-21, we have a great sense of pride in the achievements of New Adventures through what has been an extremely difficult time for the Creative Industries. Despite the challenges, we have continued to create, train and entertain, reaching over a million people. As we look forward to 21-22, we welcome our new Chair Brenda Emmanus OBE and 5 additions to our talented Board of Trustees. We enter the year with renewed enthusiasm and excitement as we get back on the road doing what we do best - delivering world class performance on stage.
Executive Summary
1,060,902 TOTAL ENGAGEMENTS WITH OUR ACTIVITY
20,387 audiences across 618 cinema screenings
64,216 Digital Stage audiences
10 televised broadcasts with 971,578 views
117 workshop sessions
4,522 workshop attendances
We worked with partners in 17 countries
Introduction
In 2020-21, New Adventures has proved exceptionally agile and resilient in the face of those changes.
As a large-scale, national and international touring company, it is extraordinary that this Annual Report contains no ‘On Stage’ section. Until March 2020 at the start of the pandemic such an absence was unthinkable.
Embracing technology enabled the Company to pivot its engagement with artists, audiences and participants by introducing REEL Adventures, its online digital strand of work. Beginning in April 2020, the programme included professional classes which attracted between 200-650 participants each, and a diverse range of activities such as workshops, a look back through the archives and support for home schooling.
Investment in filming over many years enabled the Company to extend the ways in which people could engage with its productions. With Sky Arts broadcasting Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet and The Car Man and BBC2 broadcasting The Red Shoes on Christmas Day, audiences had access to a wider than usual range of our work. In addition to over 970,000 television views, over 600 cinema screenings reached over 20,000 people. Remarkably, we achieved over a million engagements in 17 countries during a year in which theatres were closed.
New Adventures works with many freelance artists, technicians and others, and we have been painfully aware of the difficulties they have faced over the last year. In addition to the work opportunities that we managed to create we supported 70 freelancers through bursaries specially devised to combat the hardships caused by Covid-19 restrictions. Despite the restrictions on activities, we exceeded our target for fundraised income to support these programmes.
I feel honoured to have been a part of the New Adventures family for the last seven years. I have loved meeting the dancers, gaining insights into Matthew’s creative process getting to know some of the shows. I have learned so much from the brilliant leadership team and my colleague Trustees. It is always a little sad to bid farewell, especially when I am so excited for the future of this wonderful, inspiring, world-class and hugely popular Company. Now, I wish the entire New Adventures family all very best wishes and am delighted to welcome our amazing new Chair, Brenda Emmanus OBE.
Jeanette Siddall CBE
Chair 2014 – June 2021
REEL Adventures
This year, we created an unprecedented amount of digital content. We released new Behind The Scenes content, revisited archival footage from our productions over the years. We worked with partner venues and broadcasters to make our productions free to watch through our Festival of Classics, including the first TV broadcast of The Red Shoes on BBC Two on Christmas Day. We also commissioned an array of new short films through the year.
4 productions broadcast on TV with 971,578 views
20,387 cinema admissions through 618 screenings
64,216 reached through streaming of shows in the UK and Internationally
6 new short films created supporting 3 female choreographers
Freelancers
The year of 2020-21 presented hardship and challenges to the whole arts sector, but those who are self-employed and freelancers, were arguably the most affected. As the majority of our company consists of freelancers, it was imperative to us to find alternative employment and create support systems for both our on-stage and backstage/off-stage team.
Talent Development
New Adventures is committed in supporting the next generation of dancers and artists as well as providing continuous professional development opportunities for company members and Dance Artists.
Young People & Communities
We are passionate about diversifying the dance landscape and investing in the future of dance, through delivering inclusive projects for people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. We deliver work across the UK but the majority of our community work takes place in the South East, our home base.
4,522 attendances
107 online digital learning products
117 workshop sessions
1 digital curtain raiser film
International
New Adventures is proud to be the biggest exporter of UK dance-theatre and annually tours its productions and delivers engagement projects across the globe. This year we worked with our international partners to make five of our titles available through online film festivals and streaming events.
Streamed to 63,601 households worldwide
5 International Digital Stage Events with partner venues in 4 countries
Cinema screenings in 11 countries
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
We are committed to ensuring that New Adventures is a welcoming and inclusive organisation and we are working towards achieving equity and diversity across all areas of our work.
Finance & Governance
Our Arts Council England annual grant of £1,294,000 enabled us to achieve 665,311 engagements nationally and internationally resulting in a per head subsidy of just £1.94.
INCOME
91% from show related and touring activity
9% from Arts Council England and donations from other supporters
EXPENDITURE
91% on developing, producing and touring our shows
6% on workshops and engagement projects
3% on support costs
The Company 2020/21
36 Dancers
24 Dance Artists
6 Leadership Team
10 Staff Team
5 Associate Artists
8 Trustees
3 Patrons