The INKlings project was started in 2023 by actor, facilitator and theatre maker George Oliver and Theatre Producer and Anthropologist Farès Moussa to provide an incubator for aspiring creatives, of any level of experience, to try-out their ideas and to engage local audiences in Somerset with new writing and original performance.
Following a highly successful pilot scheme, where we received excellent feedback from participants, partners and audiences, INKlings is growing and developing in 2024.
Each INKlings cycle comprises of roughly ten workshops run by professional theatre makers, where participants can share and explore their ideas and creative work in a fun, dynamic and supportive environment.
Participant's pieces and skills are honed through the workshop process before the cycle culminates with a 'Scratch Night' in the Strode Theatre Studio space for a paying public. This allows participants to experience writing and performing live for an audience, receiving constructive feedback, encouragement and further opportunity to develop. The audience gets a fantastic evening of eclectic, vibrant, new performance for only £5 a ticket!
No Barriers
Open to anyone aged 16 and over - there is no fee to take-part and no qualification or level of experience is required. If you've got a half-written scene in the back of a drawer, a poem you want to get on it's feet, or simply an idea that is bouncing around your brain, then INKlings provides a space for you to share and explore.
Midway through an INKlings cycle we also host an Open Mic event in the Strode Theatre Bar. This allows existing participants to gradually bring their work to a place of performance whilst also serving to promote the workshops and forthcoming Scratch Night to potential new recruits and audience.
These Open Mic evenings are entirely free to participate in and attend, further removing barriers between Somerset residents and live performance.
INKlings Participant Testimonials
"I joined the first cycle of creative workshops in 2023, joining a little late due to university schedule and my commitments as a Mum. Doing a degree as a middle aged person I had not imagined, especially due to my very rural location, that I was doing anything more than completing a bucket list item. However since joining Inklings I have moved from a place of retisence and insecurity about my writing to a place of security and aspiration, looking to develop my writing and performance skills further. Through the Inklings community I have been able to place myself within a network of other creatives where I find there is a sense of comradery, understanding and collaboration. Without this community I do not think I would be considering putting myself into the creative industry in the ways in which I have over the last twelve months, or the ways I plan to over the next twelve"
"I was delighted to discover INKlings. It really is a unique forum for people of all ages to develop their writing and performance skills...The people who attend are a diverse group with a range of backgrounds. George has successfully nurtured novice actors and turned them into competent performers, as well as sensitively turning the material they produce into pieces suitable for performance. In doing so, he has created an ensemble which is accepting and supportive and which celebrates success in all its varied forms. It has become a lifeline for me."
"To me as a writer and performer, INKlings has been a safe place for the discussion of creative ideas, an invaluable resource for feedback, and a great insight into the live performance process. But to me as an autistic person, INKlings has also been a great opportunity to socialise with people with a shared interest in sessions with a clear structure and end goal. Since joining INKlings I have gained the confidence to share my writing, ideas, and creative input in group environments as well as the confidence to get on stage and perform for a live audience. I’ve enjoyed meeting like-minded local people and appreciate the opportunity to push myself out of my comfort zone on a regular basis. The group has been a wonderful source of inspiration as well as an important place for local creatives to come together, experiment with ideas, and generate interest in local performance/theatre."
"INKlings has become a space where not only can we share and develop work we've been creating in an entirely new medium (I had only dabbled in scripts before hand, never really writing anything designed for stage-use), but it also became a place where my confidence could evolve in a very natural and comfortable way; this has as much to do with the support of the other people in the project, and also with the support from both George and Farés. There is no pressure when it comes to INKlings, either to share your work, or perform in others works, or even to participate in the sketches. We are free to develop with our own confidence, and for me, this lack of pressure helped me develop that quicker...It is teaching me certain skills that I am able to use both in my university course, and in other pursuits. I'm learning how to better articulate my words, how to manage my volume on stage, how to alter my posture, how to accept and discuss criticism, and be more confident in my actions, and all of these things while useful, are also really fun, and this fun is what makes INKlings so important."
Contact
If you would like to say hello, find out more about INKlings and how you can support or get involved please email us contactinklings@gmail.com - we'd love to hear from you!