Notice Board Arts and Crafts
Floating the concept of affordable workspaces
Alex Finnegan, Social Entrepreneur, Boat-builder / Designer
PuppetShip Community Interest Company aims to purchase a 120ft ship, then convert it into a 100 seat Puppet Theatre, workshop and Café for hire to Theatre Companies, Touring Puppet Shows and childrens parties. A summer berth on the Newcastle Quayside will generate CIC profit. These Summer gains will finance a Winter Community Outreach Programme, bringing Puppetry into local Tyneside communities who might not normally visit the Theatre (or a ship!).
Taking local children on a journey, without ever leaving the Quayside.
metacypher@yahoo.co.uk
0191 222 00 77
Local Puppets get a National Voice
Press release 23-01-07
Ouseburn based Social Entrepreneur, Alex Finnegan, has made it though to the finals of a national business competition with his start-up Social Enterprise, PuppetShip CIC.
The "New Idea, New Business" competition is organised by the Social Enterprise Coalition as part of Voice 07, the National Social Enterprise Conference. Alex will be one of four lucky Social Entrepreneurs each allocated 3 minutes to deliver their businesses presentation to the 800 conference delegates.
In addition to the national publicity, the competition winners will receive £4000 and business advice from four of the UK’s leading social entrepreneurs such as Liam Black, Director of the Fifteen Foundation, Jamie Oliver’s Charity.
Alex, co-founded the Ouseburn based, PuppetShip CIC along with his wife Alison Mc Gowan, the Puppeteer who recently hit the headlines when she created the Shadow Puppet film “is like Water” which lit up Saltwell Towers as part of [http://www.newcastlegateshead.com/index.php?NewcastleGateshead] 2006 Winter Glow Festival.
PuppetShip Community Interest Company aims to purchase a 120ft ship, which will then be converted it into a 100 seat Puppet Theatre, flexible workshop space and Café to be moored along Newcastle’s Quayside.
Alex explains, “PuppetShip will support a growing puppetry scene within theatre and community Arts in the North East, through hiring space within a unique floating venue to creative businesses.
The income generated from the hire of the theatre, workshops and café will finance a Community Outreach Programme, delivering puppetry shows and workshops into the region's most deprived communities”.
For more information go to
PuppetShip Community Interest Company, a new exciting Social Enterprise for the North East of England.
PuppetShip Community Interest Company has been created by Puppeteer Alison Mcgowan and Boatbuilder / Designer Alex Finnegan with the aim of establishing a floating Puppet Theatre on the River Tyne.
Incorporated in January 2006, with a board of 6 Directors, funding is currently being raised to purchase and convert an ex-commercial Humber Barge , into the Tyne Puppet Barge, which will be moored on the Newcastle Quayside adjecent to the mouth of the Ouseburn Valley.
Once purchased the vessel will take one year to convert into a 100 seat Puppet Theatre, workshops and Cafe space, all of which will be made available to hire in order to finance a Community Outreach Programme, taking puppetry shows and workshops into local communities.
Mission Statement
'To inspire and enrich the lives of children and families through the transforming power of performance and participation in creative activities.'
Community Interest Company Activities
Activity: General:
Create a live theatre venue aboard a boat to produce plays, educational workshops and encourage public participation in the arts, especially the art of puppetry in all its forms.
Our Vision:
To encourage children and adults to invest in their imagination and share in believable alternative worlds and experiences provided through the medium of puppet theatre. In doing so, we hope that they will extend their ability to imagine new futures, new problems and solutions - a world beyond their street corner. We hope to challenge limiting beliefs, offer new perspectives and explore ways for children to express their developing view of human experience in a stimulating and supportive environment.
In three years time we will have created a new audience for puppetry around the banks of the Tyne and beyond. We will have raised the profile of puppetry in the North East; developed links with schools and organisations to set up a regular touring circuit; established a reputation for innovative work and drawn together an enthusiastic team of artists / performers to develop projects.
We also envision having involved thousands of children and families in shows and creative projects, stimulating their imaginations, raising their aspirations and empowering them to make creative choices.
PuppetShip Community Interest Company
2b, 36 Lime Street,
Ouseburn Valley
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
NE1 2PQ
Tel: 0191 222 0077
Fax: 0191 261 5666
Email
Alex Finnegan
Project Manager
metacypher@yahoo.co.uk
Alison Mcgowan
Creative Director
alisonmcgowan@orange.net
Registered Company # 5686370
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