I have researched EGO performance by interviewing one of the Artistic co-directors and members of the company and looking at their website.
EGO Performance Company aims as stated on their website are:
“EGO Performance Company is dedicated to delivering exciting, engaging and innovative productions that aim to be radically inclusive and allow our audiences to truly escape from reality or challenge audiences’ perceptions of society. EGO consists of a broad membership of diverse minds, bodies, cultures and ages. We celebrate difference and encourage our members, staff and wider community to find their true space and voice through the medium of performing arts.”
Due to the fact it has eight different ensembles for different age groups and abilities, the main activities vary. The one activity most of the groups do however is creating performances, with varying schedules and times between each performance. Generally speaking, it takes between 6 – and 12 months for a performance to be created and shown to an audience. Within these groups Ego has members of staff, fulfilling different activities and responsibilities for each group. For example, Big Ego’s demographic are people above the age of 18 and therefore need less support and guidance than Super Ego, whose age range is anywhere between 8 and 99.
The structure of the company is as follows although the co-artistic directors believe they have a ‘flat’ management structure where everyone has a voice in how the organisation runs.
EGO Performing Arts Company was founded on 7 January 2006 and established as a charity on 31 December 2011. Its role socially is to ‘captivate the arts, creativity and culture to empower, unify and equip people from the West Midlands to join as one, regardless of age, ability, gender, ethnicity or socio-economic background.’ It aims to work in collaboration with other companies, artists and networks to spread its reach regionally, nationally and internationally, and to increase its staff skills and knowledge. Their work’s purpose is to be original, innovative and of high quality for anyone’s viewing pleasure. Economically they wish to build support networks to reduce social isolation and to have a safe haven where people can develop their life skills, well-being and confidence. They hope that they provide a unique service to the people of Coventry where perceptions are challenged and where artworks for the people who are engaging in it. In their own words, it is “Tearing up the rule book. Rewriting cultural value. Making art that fits Us”.
EGO arts venue was created in Coventry, a city with a history of migrant communities coming and settling, as well as a long history of engagement in industry, from the weavers to the watchmakers, cycle and car industry. Economically Coventry has employments rates close to national averages, but with lower wages and fewer businesses, people earn approximately one third less. 44% more Coventry people live with multiple deprivations than nationally, and 34% more people live in fuel poverty. This has deep effects on the population. It can lead to poor educational attainment and have an impact on people’s emotional and physical health. Research shows that people with emotional and mental disorders are twice as likely to be found in the bottom two socio-economic groups than the top two and are twice as likely to be on benefits. When you look at people with a disability, and/or having a special educational need, there is a strong correlation between that deprivation, and emotional health and well-being. EGO was set up in mind to help fight these social issues and tries hard to create opportunities to improve the well-being of those who may struggle to access the performing arts. It is said 82% of people who engage with the arts, culture and creativity have better well-being (mentally and physically):
“Getting involved in creative activities in communities reduces loneliness supports physical and mental health and wellbeing, sustain older people and helps to build and strengthen social ties.”
Many of the current staff are former members and many more, past and present, have had artistic and commercial success from the skills acquired through EGO. Previous alumni work in theatre, film and television and fashion. The broader skills and confidence that they get have also launched other EGO members into social care, travel and tourism, nursing and the civil service. Nationally they have spread to London, Edinburgh and Cardiff, whilst globally have gone as far as Canada, Hong Kong, Africa and Dubai. As an alumnus myself, I have really benefitted from being a member of EGO as it has opened up a world of acting for me, leading me to my studies at Birmingham Ormiston Academy and then on to Coventry University. The fact they’re an inclusive organisation that recognised my Asperger’s and the impact it had on me as a performer helped me to gain the confidence and skills required to be an actor. As a consequence of being a member for 7 years and being involved in many performances successful auditioned for a place at BOA to study for a BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Performing Arts – Acting
As with all performing arts organisations, funding is a constant issue. Currently, the artistic directors are paid on a full-time basis, along with some creative staff, whilst there are also staff who work on a part-time basis. All staff support one or more of the ensembles. Whilst to some extent the Coventry City of Culture brought new opportunities for funding, the impact of COVID over the last two years has hit hard. The directors know they need to increase the income from circa £362,000 to £683,000 per annum to continue to develop and achieve its aim. EGO’s current situation is a difficult one, as for many previous years their financial position has been precarious, they have known what it is to live from hand to mouth. They have begged and borrowed, reduced working hours and worked for reduced pay.
Up until 2020, their earned income had been limited to selling tickets (Box Office), membership fees from participants, and facilitating drama teaching to a Coventry secondary school one day a week. Recently they completely reviewed their income streams and realised they need to do something more to secure funding so that they could retain staff and give them the security they deserve.
From the beginning of 2022 onwards, they have begun generating additional income earned through launching and developing EGO Creative Academy to 60 students and increasing the number of schools they reach to five in 2025. In addition, they will be launching ‘EGO Creates’ operating as a social enterprise (hosting and selling artwork created by their members). They will also be doing set building and costume designing services to the public and creative industries. They will also be selling merchandise, including EGO branded clothing, annual photo books and posters.
In terms of the current strategy and future direction of the organisation, the directors are facing many changes. Firstly, the current age and condition of Jesson House, the building used by EGO are not suitable for the ongoing needs of the organisation. There were investigations into purchasing and developing the site, and this is a consideration that they are still looking into, as is the potential opportunity to move to new premises. The second fixed cost, across all the EGO families of ensembles and projects, is the salary of the key organisational staff. This means staff whose roles cover all the work within EGO.
Looking at the aims of the Let’s Create Framework, it is clear that EGO Performance Company meets the requirements to support the strategy aims:
- Creative People: Everyone can develop and express creativity throughout their life.
- Cultural Communities: Villages, towns and cities thrive through a collaborative approach to culture.
- A creative and cultural country: England’s cultural sector is innovative, collaborative and international.
We can see that EGO’s performance Company meets these aims very clearly. For Creative People, creativity and idea creating are heavily endorsed and encouraged at EGO performing arts company and are actively sought out, through what their social message is, and through what the company was set up to do. The ensembles always create their own plays, starting with improvisation to encourage creativity and maje sure that all participants in the play have a voice in the way that the play is shaped.
Secondly, its newest project “Pirates of the Canal Basin” with NoFit State Circus completely meets the Cultural Communities’ aims. This was the most ambitious project of the organisation so far and as it was staged in collaboration with City of culture saw the creativity of its performers being taken right into the heart of the city. Adults and children with differing needs were seamlessly incorporated into the performance, which was highly commended by reviews.
“The opening night of Pirates of the Canal Basin was a huge success with more than 500 people watching the show. It’s the biggest production by Coventry-based Ego Performance Company and features aerial skills by Cardiff’s No Fit State Circus, magicians, and a live band.
The fully immersive and interactive show was produced for the UK City of Culture and saw the Canal Basin transformed into a Pirate harbour complete with a giant life-size ship.
BBC CWR’s Trish Adudu and City of Culture reporter Ushma Mistry spent the afternoon there ahead of the first show”
Additionally, NoFit State Circus was founded in Cardiff, Wales showing how EGO has collaborated with other performing arts companies from other cities city. Finally, EGO does yet another successful job of going international as stated before, it has past members travel not only through England but the globe.
BBC Sounds website, April 22nd, 2022
As for the four investment principles of the Art Council:
- Ambition & Quality: Cultural organisations are ambitious and committed to improving the quality of their work.
- Inclusivity & Relevance: England’s diversity is fully reflected in the organisations and individuals that we support and in the culture they produce.
- Dynamism: Cultural organisations can thrive and are better able to respond to the challenges of the next decade.
- Environmental Responsibility: Cultural organisations lead the way in their approach to the climate emergency.
It is clear that EGO Performance Company meets these investment principles. Its mission statement reflects many of the principles: “EGO Performance Company is dedicated to delivering exciting, engaging and innovative productions that aim to be radically inclusive and allow our audiences to truly escape from reality or challenge audiences’ perceptions of society. EGO consists of a broad membership of diverse minds, bodies, cultures and ages. We celebrate difference and encourage our members, staff and wider community to find their true space and voice through the medium of performing arts.”
They’re ambitious in their work by wanting to ‘deliver exciting, engaging and innovative productions’, and actively find new ambitious ways to make performances. Be it through a performance where the audience decides the fate of the participants or a live promenade performance with audience interaction, it is clear that their work’s intention is to be innovative and creative at heart. The principle of Dynamism, they have already had to deal with the huge shifts in work style to fit the requirements of lockdown. In order to do this, they had to quickly and professionally adapt to the use of technology which will support them in the future, as it gives them new tools to reach out to audiences not usually able to access the arts.
References
Emerson, Corrine. (2022).’ The organisation, Aims and Challenges of EGO performance Company Interview by Jona Lama [In person], 22nd April.
Emerson, Corrine. (2022) https://www.egoperformance.co.uk/
ARTS Council England 2020-2030. “Let’s Create.” https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/sites/default/files/download-file/Strategy%202020_2030%20Arts%20Council%20England.pdf
The Actor’s Bible 