Take Me Somewhere are thrilled to be collaborating with performingborders on the Live Art Writers Network (LAWN), a network aimed at cultivating experimental writing practices happening in dialogue with performance and Live Art. This project aspires to create a nurturing environment for writers to meet and engage with performance contexts, providing connection, mentorship, and a publishing platform for developing practices.  

Responding to a critical need within the sector, this network seeks to provide much-needed space for reflection, critique, and experimental writing on live art, specifically outside of academic contexts. Our mission is to foster creative and critical responses to performance that resonate and respond to conversations happening on a local level whilst linking to transnational critical dialogue on performance, publishing, artwork, labour, and political action. 

To do this performingborders will be working with writers whose practice has been shaped by lived experiences of intersectional borders. This includes – but is not exclusively – folks who have experience of migration and also those who have migratory heritage. They work with a definition of border that is open and acknowledges the diversity of experiences at the intersections of cultural, juridical, racial, gendered, class, physical, economic, and everyday borders.

2024 PROGRAMME

In this first pilot year, Take Me Somewhere will support two artists to attend Fierce Festival (October 2024) & participate in an a public open gathering on Saturday 19th October at 11:30-12:30. This will form the basis of future editions of the programme within our 2025 Festival.

We’re excited to announce the two Scotland based artists attending Fierce are Nelly Kelly & Shawn Nayar.

Nelly Kelly (they/them) is a trans-butch and disabled playwright, dramaturg, performance maker and consultant. Their work uses humour, spectacle, and vulnerability to promote intersectional community connection and to invite its cis and abled audiences to more authentically connect with the contemporary lives of trans and disabled humans.

They are currently developing their next show, ‘The TransMission’, a playful piece of queer performance that positions the central character as the leader of the trans cult community, opening its doors to cis people for the first time. ‘The TransMission’ is created and performed by Nelly, produced by Sanctuary Queer Arts, commissioned by the Unlimited UK Open Award 2024, made possible thanks to funding from Creative Scotland and support from the National Theatre of Scotland.
WEBSITE: nellykellytheatre.co.uk 

LAWN is commissioned by performingborders, FIERCE Festival, Take Me Somewhere, CITEMOR, and METAL Culture, and it is supported with funds by Arts Council England and Necessity Fund.