Our Resident Artist
Maxime Voidy is an artist who is taking part in the Franco-British MAGNETIC initiative under the umbrella of Fluxus Art Projects. Maxime specialises in photography, scripture, and history. Having completed Art School to improve his photography Maxime believes it was important to share what he saw, and what better way to capture that then photography.
Maxime’s latest project Locals Only focuses on the effect that tourism has on a location’s community. Coming from Brittany which is a region of France which shares some similarities with Wales. Such similarities include its seaside towns and minority language. Ceredigion is the ideal stepping stone in his research as he takes on his new project Locals Only.
The MAGNETIC initiative has allowed this residency partnership between Brittany and Wales to form and allow Maxime to continue working on Locals Only which expands on his previous work titled Second Homes. Locals Only focuses particularly on the effect tourism has on coastal communities and their access to housing.
Coffee Grounds To Compost
The Aberystwyth Arts Centre Café has made use of used coffee grounds by donating them to the Aberystwyth University’s community garden. The used coffee grounds are added to the compost which will provide an excellent nutritional boost to the plants grown there. The Aberystwyth Arts Centre Café is looking to purchase produce from the Aberystwyth University’s community garden to promote local use and the use of fresh food.
Carbon Neutral by 2030
The Aberystwyth Arts Centre has taken large strides towards its Carbon Neutral plan which started in 2023. The Arts Centre Café has made significant changes to increase sustainability. Just to name a few: all waste kitchen oil is sent for recycling, donations of remaining packaged food is sent to the local homeless shelter or University community fridge, take away containers have been replaced by wood or plant-based alternatives and more. The Technical team of the Aberystwyth Arts Centre is very environmentally aware with costumes and set pieces being reused and recycled for decades. Over the past decade the Aberystwyth Arts Centre has reduced C02 emissions by 40%.
Community Theatre
Community Theatre has always been a part of Aberystwyth. With many community theatre companies such as Castaway, Louche, Cwmni Ennyn / Awaken Productions and more. These also include the independent productions the community of community theatre has put on such as Vanity Fair (2023). Richard Hull along with the Aberystwyth Arts Centre’s Creative Learning department have recognised the community of community theatre. And have decided to hold Community Theatre sessions to produce a showcase for June 2024 and perform a stage production in February 2025. Accessibility of community theatre has always been a concern, as many travel far and some may feel priced out of taking part during this cost-of-living crisis. Richard Hull has decided to volunteer his time to direct the community theatre and the Aberystwyth Arts Centre has decided to undercut the market price of community theatre admission to be more inclusive and allow more people to take part. The community is excited about this opportunity.
Creative Interns
The Aberystwyth Arts Centre is has taken on six interns through the Theatre Film and Television Studies department of the Aberystwyth University. This is done through the Creative Intern Scheme, wherein the Arts Centre can host work experiences across departments, the roles include Administration and Operations, Sales and Marketing, Technical (theatre/cinema), Artistic Programming and Creative Learning. This opportunity was presented to the students through Louise Ritchie a lecturer at Aberystwyth University.
National Theatre Connections Festival
Aberystwyth Arts Centre to welcome 5 local youth theatre groups as part of National Theatre’s 2024 Connections Festival.
The programme has a history of championing the talent of young people from across the UK. Every year, Connections commissions new plays for young people to perform. The programme brings together some of the UK’s most exciting writers with the theatre-makers of tomorrow.
Over 7,500 young people from 252 companies across the UK will have the chance to perform at one of the 33 leading regional partner theatres from 15 March to 6 May, including at Aberystwyth Arts Centre from the 20 April to 21 April 2024.
In 2023 Aberystwyth Arts Centre Youth Theatre were selected to perform Samphire by Shamser Sinha on June 23rd in the Dorfman Theatre to represent the talent of young people across the UK.
