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Thu 18 Jan 2007

The Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, The University of Edinburgh, and the Edinburgh International Festival appoint new Creative Fellow for 2007.

Sally Hobson, the Festival’s Programme Development Manager, has been appointed the 2007 Edinburgh International Festival Creative Fellow.

Since 2003 the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) at the University of Edinburgh has supported and hosted an annual Edinburgh International Festival Creative Fellow.

Under this scheme an artist has been based part time within the Institute for a twelve month period, enabling them to develop their work and push the boundaries of their artform and reach new levels of creative achievement. The Fellowship provides a quiet environment in which to work, freedom from regular constraints, and the benefits of scholarly exchange with the other Fellows in residence.

Sally Hobson’s appointment marks a departure in the direction of the fellowship. She will undertake research to further develop further the philosophy and approach behind the outreach and educational work undertaken by the Edinburgh International Festival, and explore this potential for the people of Scotland in the future years.

The Edinburgh International Festival will benefit from a thesis that describes this important strand of its work, that is of unique benefit to its audiences and to the wider community, and a rare opportunity to give a key member of staff time to think about the future of the Festival.

Sally Hobson has worked for the Edinburgh International Festival since 1993 managing the award-winning Programme Development Department, devising and delivering a programme of work that brings international artists and companies together with children, adults, arts professionals, and Festival audiences in Edinburgh and across Scotland. She has also tutored at the RSAMD, acted as a drama adviser to the SAC, and continues to write and direct theatre.

Jonathan Mills, Festival Director said, ‘The programme development department play an important role in EIF’s work and in developing future audiences for the arts in Scotland. Sally’s work as Creative Fellow will be hugely beneficial to both the Festival in strategic terms and to the wider study of outreach and education work in the arts.’

Professor Susan Manning, Director of IASH said, 'Sally's work on the philosophy and practice of creative education will bring a new dimension to the Fellowship and the work of IASH. We look forward to her participation in stimulating discussions at the Institute.'

Sally Hobson said, ‘I am delighted to have time to explore current thinking in the arts in more depth to gain more understanding of the role that creative education has in the work of the Festival and I welcome the opportunity to work with the Institute throughout 2007.’

ENDS

Notes

The Institute of Advanced Studies in the Humanities / Edinburgh International Festival Creative Fellowship

The Institute of Advanced Studies in the Humanities at the University of Edinburgh has supported and hosted an annual Edinburgh International Festival Creative Fellow since 2003. The Fellowship provides artists with a quiet environment in which to work, a freedom from other constraints, and the benefits of scholarly exchange with the other Fellows in residence.

The first two holders of the Fellowship were the playwrights Douglas Maxwell and David Harrower. Commenting on his experience of the Fellowship, Douglas Maxwell said: "Just having the space to write, away from home, in supportive and inspiring surroundings has been invaluable. The very notion of the Institute, as a place of research, personal study and detailed specialisation with colleagues from other countries and disciplines has been a major inspiration."

During his Fellowship David Harrower wrote his play Blackbird which was premiered to great critical acclaim at the 2005 Edinburgh International Festival. He wrote of his time at IASH, “The Institute creates an inspiring, unparalleled working atmosphere. It’s both a quiet haven in which to reflect and ponder and, through the interaction of other national and international Fellows, a challenging meeting-ground in which ideas are discussed, examined and tested. My year there was invigorating; IASH itself, unique.”

In 2005-2006 the Creative Fellowship was awarded to the composer Stuart MacRae to work on a commission from the Edinburgh International Festival for his opera The Assassin Tree, which premiered at the 2006 Edinburgh International Festival.

Sally Hobson

Sally Hobson has worked for the Edinburgh International Festival since 1993 managing the Programme Development Department.

In 2003 the Programme Development Department won, on behalf of the Edinburgh International Festival, a Herald Angel for its outstanding work with adults and children.

In addition to working for the Edinburgh International Festival, Sally Hobson has been a Specialist Drama Adviser to the Scottish Arts Council since 2003, following four years as a member of Drama Committee.

She taught on the Contemporary Theatre Practise Course at The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama for several years as a guest lecturer and theatre director in the area of theatre, education and community.

In 2001, Sally was awarded The Arches New Stage Directors Award for her play “Talking to Yourself”.

She is currently completing a commission for Stellar Quines Theatre Company “Everything I do is a Love Letter to Life” which will be produced in Autumn 2007.

Sally is working with the international theatre company The Wooster Group in New York on an extended research trip through January 2007.

Work of the EIF programme development department

Since 1994 the programme development department has been responsible for many projects bringing artists and companies from all over the world to work with children, adults and arts professionals across Scotland.

Examples of the department’s work includes:

- Mark Morris Dance Group working with 2000 participants including school pupils, senior citizens and young choreographers.

- Miami City Ballet selected 90 children to join the company on stage performing Balanchine’s The Nutcracker. The Festival regularly invites local people to get involved in a festival performance when extras are required.

- Bank of Scotland Connecting to Music has introduced listening to music to thousands of children across Scotland.

- San Francisco Ballet set about demystifying ballet for 600 boys aged 10 to 13 in 1997, of which over 300 attended the Ballet’s performances in August that year.

- Russian students of the Alexander Toradze Piano Studio gave a series of free concerts in schools and community centres throughout Edinburgh.

- Het Zuidelijk Toneel and New York Theatre Workshop conducted masterclasses for post-graduate students from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

- The Festival commissioned and produced a new play which looked at how music affected the lives of people throughout the Millennium which toured the central belt in June 2000.

- The Herald Newspaper collaborates with EIF to run a young critics scheme which sees the best reviews published in The Herald.

- Cesc Gelabert and Lydia Azzopardi from Barcelona worked with adults with learning disabilities to create Arthur’s Feet, an hour long performance performed at EIF 2004.

- EIF and the National Theatre of Scotland have worked together on a New Directors Scheme which gave five young directors from Scotland extended access to the EIF theatre programme and the directors and companies delivering the programme.

- Evening classes and study weekends for adults run by practitioners such as AL Kennedy, John Clifford and Giles Havergal.

- Annually during the Festival there is a series of lectures on works being performed at the Festival and conversations with some of the artists appearing.