#blacklivesmatter - THE NE CULTURE SECTOR AGAINST RACISM

We, the undersigned from the cultural sector of the North East, declare that silence is not ok and silence is seen as complicity. Racism has no place in a just and humane society.

Whilst we cannot undo pain and neglect, we are calling on all of us in the arts, cultural, heritage sectors; professional and voluntary to work together to address racism and its deep roots. We must listen, have conversations and most importantly act, we know we need to do better. Everyone is part of the solution - artists, staff, trustees, partners, promoters, audiences and communities.

We want to tackle this together in sharing better understanding and practices. We stand united to bring about change in our thinking and actions as a collective of organisations and individuals.

In the weeks and months to come we will collectively act to build on this statement with concrete steps and actions to demonstrate our commitment to bringing about real change. We ask you to stand with us.

If you would like to join us in these future conversations please contact any of the points of contacts listed below:

Alphabetti Theatre
Signee: Ali Pritchard, Artistic/Executive Director
Contact: ali@alphabettitheatre.co.uk

Ampersand Inventions
Signees: Jonpaul Kirvan FRSA / Peter Marchal, Directors
Contact: contact@ampersandinventions.com

The Angelou Centre
Signee: Rosie Lewis, Deputy Director & VAWG Services Manager

Anna Robinson
Sceneographer
Contact: anna.fkrobinson@gmail.com

ARC Stockton
Signee: Annalbel Turpin
Contact: Annabel.Turpin@arconline.co.uk

Arts&Heritage
Stephanie Allen, Executive Director
Contact: info@artsandheritage.org.uk

Assembly Rooms Theatre Durham
Signee: Kate Barton
Contact: theatre.manager@durham.ac.uk

balletLORENT
Signee: Lic Lorent
Contact: liv@balletlorent.com

Blowin' A Hooley Theatre
Contact: hooleytheatre@gmail.com

BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art
Signee: Sarah Munro, Director
Contact: Caroline Murphy, carolinem@balticmill.com

Ben Dickenson
Contact: benji.dickenson@gmail.com
Executive Producer, City of Dreams / Associate Literary Producer Alphabetti

Beverley Prevatt Goldstein
Signee: Beverley Prevatt Goldstein
Contact: beverleyprevattgoldstein@gmail.com

Bonnie & the Bonnettes
Signees: Hattie Eason, Cameron Sharp and Rebecca Glendenning, Co-Founders of Bonnie and The Bonnettes. 
Contact: bonnieandthebonnettes@gmail.com

Brash
Signee: Bethan Kitchen, Artistic Director
Cpontact: bethan@brash-events.co.uk

CONTINUED...

Camisado Club
Signee: Caroline Liversidge, Camisado Club
Contact: info@camisadoclub.co.uk

Centre for Life, Newcastle
Signee: Linda Conlon
Contact: Louise Richardson, louise.richardson@life.org.uk

Cobalt Studios
Contact: hello@cobaltstudios.co.uk

Company of Others
Signee: Nadia Iftkhar, Artistic Director & CEO
Contact: nadia@companyofothers.org.uk

Coracle Productions
Signee: Matt Jamie, Artistic Director
Contact: Coracletheatre@gmail.com

The Culture Vulture
Signee: Rachel Horton
Contact: horton1985@live.co.uk

Curious Arts
Signee: Phil Douglas, Director
Contact: ellie@curiousarts.org.uk

Curious Monkey
Signee: Amy Golding
Contact: amy@curiousmonkeytheatre.com

Creative Seed
Contact: Sandy and Garner Harris, Founding Directors

D6 Culture in Transit
Clymene Christoforou, Director

Dance City
Signee: Phil Douglas
Contact: phil.douglas@dancecity.co.uk

Degna Stone
Poet and editor

Disconsortia
Lisette Auton, Co-founding Member
Contact: disconsortia@gmail.com

Eliot Smith Dance (ESD
Signee: Eliot Smith, Artistic Director
Contact: eliot@eliotsmithdance.com

Elizabeth Kane
Artist
Contact: Ekvisualartist@outlook.com

Ednie Wilson
Gateshead

Gateway Studio CIO
Signee: Martin Hylton, Artistic Director/CEO
Contact: martin.hylton@gatewaystudioproject.co.uk

GemArts
Signee: Vikas Kumar MBE, Director
Contact: vikas@gemarts.org

Gobscure
Signee: Sean Burn
Contact: gobscure@posteo.net

Gosforth Civic Theatre
Contact: info@gosforthcivictheatre.co.uk

Harambee Pasadia CIC
Signee: Hannabiell Sanders
Contact: hannabiells@gmail.com

Kitchen Zoo
Signee: Bob Nicholson
Contact: info.kitchenzoo@gmail.com

Ladies of Midnight Blue
Signee: Yilis Suriel
Point of contact: yilissuriel@gmail.com

The Letter Room
Signee: Meghan Doyle & Stan Hodgson -
Contact:  meghan.doyle@hotmail.co.uk stan.hodgson47@gmail.com

Little Cog
Signee: Vici Wreford-Sinnott, Artistic Director
Contact: littlecog@rocketmail.com

Live Theatre
Signee: Jim Bernie, Chief Executive
Contact: joe@live.org.uk

Luxi
Signee: Caroline Pearce
Contact: cp@luxicreative.co.uk

Melody Sproates
Artist/Performer
Contact: melodysproates@hotmail.com

Mortal Fools
Signee: Kiz Crosbie, Artistic Director/CEO
Contact: kiz@mortalfools.org.uk

The NewBridge Project
Signee: Rebecca Huggan, Director
Contact: r.huggan@thenewbridgeproject.com

New Writing North
Claire Malcolm, Chief Executive
Contact: Claire Malcolm, office@newwritingnorth.com

Newcastles of the World
Signee: David Faulkner
Contact: newcastlesoftheworld@gmail.com

Newcastle City Council Arts Team
Signee: Cllr Ged Bell (Cabinet Member for Culture)
Contact: Jim Mawdsley, Arts and Culture Senior Advisor, Jim.Mawdsley@newcastle.gov.uk

Newcastle Theatre Royal
Signee: Philip Bernays, Chief Executive

Newcastle University
Signee: Professor Julie Sanders, Deputy Vice-Chancellor
Contact: Julie.sanders@ncl.ac.uk

North East Emerging Museum Professionals Group 
Signee: Hannah Mather
Contact: neempgroup@gmail.com

Northern Roots
Signee: Adam Collerton, Director
Contact: adam@northern-roots.org.uk

Northern Stage
Signee: Kate Denby, Executive Director
Contact: Mark Calvert, MCalvert@northernstage.co.uk

November Club
Signee: Cinzia Hardy, Artistic Director
Contact: cinzia@novemberclub.org.uk

OGRE
Signee: Steven Walker, Creative Director

One For All Productions 
Signee: John MacMahon, Creative Director 
Contact: oneforallproductions@outlook.com 

Open Clasp
Signees: Joint Chief Executives Catrina McHugh MBE / Ellie Turner
Contacts: catrina@openclasp.org.uk, ellie@openclasp.org.uk

Orbis
Signees: Jonpaul Kirvan FRSA, Paul Stone, Chris Yeats

Origin Moko Jumbies
Signee: Alan Vaughan
Contact: alanpvaughan@gmail.com

Prometheus Foundation CIC
Contact: Dot Owston

Ruth Johnson
Director/Writer/Actor
Contact: rjmaryroo@googlemail.com

Sage Gateshead
Signee: Abigail Pogson, Director
Contact: Wendy Smith, wendy.smith@sagegateshead.com

Sangini
Signee: Padma Rao

Seven Stories
Signee: John Coburn
Contact: Amanda Beckham, amanda.beckham@sevenstories.org.uk

Skimstone Arts
Signee: Claire Webster-Saaramets, Director
Contact: claire@skimstone.org.uk

Slugtown
Signees: Max Lee and Matt Antoniak, Co-directors

Summer Streets Festival
Signee: Ross Millard
Contact: hello@summerstreetsfestival.com

Streetwise Young People’s Project
Signee: Mandy Coppin (Taylor)

Sunderland Culture
Signee: Graeme Thompson
Contact: graeme.thompson@sunderland.ac.uk

Sunderland Music Hub
Signee: Lizzie Nixon
Contact: sunderland.music@togetherforchildren.org.uk

Susan Ashley
AHRC Researcher
Contact: susan.ashley@northumbria.ac.uk

Dr. Tina Gharavi
Creative Director, Bridge+Tunnel
Senior Lecturer in English: Digital Media/Film, Newcastle University

Tees Valley Arts
Signee: James Beighton, Executive Director
Contact: james@teesvalleyarts.org.uk

Theatre Hullabaloo
Signees: Miranda Thain, Chief Executive & Artistic Producer
Contact: mirandathain@theatrehullabaloo.org.uk

Theatre Sans Frontieres
Signee: Sarah Kemp
Contact: sarah@tsf.org.uk 

Thinking/Practice
Signee: Mark Robinson
Contact: info@thinkingpractice.co.uk

Tyneside Cinema
Signee: Holli Keeble, Chief Executive Officer
Contact: Holli.Keeble@tynesidecinema.co.uk

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums
Signee: Iain Watson, Director
Contact: Bill Griffiths, bill.griffiths@twmuseums.org.uk

Tyne and Wear Cultural Freelancers
Signee: Leila d’Aronville
Contact: Leila.daronville@gmail.com

Unfolding Theatre
Signees: Michael Barrass, Alex Elliott, Garry Lydon, Annie Rigby and Luca Rutherford
Contact: annie@unfoldingtheatre.co.uk

VAMOS!
Signee: Nikolas Barrera
Contact: nikolasbarrera@gmail.com

Voices of Virtue Gospel Choir
Signees: Mathapelo Imarhiagbe, Chinyere Igun, Glen Smiley

Waka Waka Africa North East
Signee: David Fualkner
Contact: wakawakaafricanortheast@sky.com

We Make Culture CIC
Signee: Laura Brewis, Project Director
Contact: laura@wemakeculture.co.uk
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Yvette Ja Hawkins
Visual Artist
Contact: yvettehawkins@gmail.com