Guest Blog: Matthew James Belfield On The Joy Of Theatre 'Without Walls'

As the UK's culture and performance sector gets back on its feet, attention is turning to a thriving, ambitious and often revolutionary sector that at its best is considered fringe, and at its worst overlooked or even frowned upon: outdoor arts.

The term covers art in public places and can be theatre, dance, circus, interactive installations, music, parades, or a mingling of everything. It can be an intimate performance, or a night-time aerial and firework display.

Outdoor arts isn't new and has roots in 1960s community arts, street performance, carnival, political and radical theatre. However, over the last few decades, outdoor arts in the UK have gained a distinct voice, encompassing many genres, art forms and disciplines. They are increasingly international, drawing influences from our peers abroad, notably from Europe.

In France, outdoor arts are a respected and well-funded discipline, as revered as Shakespearean theatre is here. There are several organisations dedicated to the UK's outdoor arts sector: Outdoor Arts UK, National Association of Street Artists UK, Articulture in Wales, Manchester-based XTRAX, Articulation based in Scotland, and Without Walls.

Without Walls is a ground-breaking consortium of thirty-six England-based festivals and organisations that co-operate to develop and tour a generous number of contemporary outdoor performances to towns, cities and rural areas, furthering what can happen outside.

To say that Without Walls has prospered during COVID is inaccurate; 2020 had a phenomenal impact on the way we, like most arts organisations, engage and maintain our audiences. Our funding from Arts Council England puts us in a stronger position than most, and as the UK's biggest outdoor arts consortium, we recognise our role in providing artists opportunities to make imaginative new productions that tour to communities lacking world-class arts experiences.

Art, artists and audiences sit at the heart of our work. This year we are touring 21 brand new commissions and 37 more established shows through our network. Whilst I can't deny the magic of being in a packed-out theatre, there is something unique about outdoor performance.

There is a misconception that because they can be free that outdoor arts are somehow less valuable and impactful. In fact, in places where social, political and economic circumstances are the biggest barriers to arts engagement, outdoor arts are a lifeline and attract those underrepresented by traditional art forms, including Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse communities, as well as the deaf and the disabled.

Audiences who experience outdoor arts view the work as provocative, high-quality and a stepping stone to participating in the arts. People want arts experiences that work for them, and of which they have ownership. We've seen what outstanding outdoor festivals can achieve through our partners in Basingstoke, Worcester, Grimsby, Skegness, Birmingham, Lincoln, Bournemouth, Weston-Super-Mare, Stoke-on-Trent and cultural hotspots like London's Greenwich and its iconic Docklands, Salisbury, Brighton, Winchester and more. Couple this with bold audience development and outreach work and you have a clear, affordable pathway to enjoying the arts - not to mention the economic boost given to local businesses, shops, cafes and restaurants by bringing people into town centres.

Another myth about outdoor performance is that it is a bit ramshackle or amateur when, in truth, artists pride themselves on creating world-class outdoor shows that challenge and entertain. The shows Without Walls is supporting to tour this year include new ventures from Alleyne Dance, Just More Productions, Kaleider, Pif-Paf, Requardt & Rosenberg, Jason Singh, LAStheatre, YARA+DAVINA, The Cultural Assembly and others, not to mention tried and tested, family-friendly works like Apocalyptic Circus' slack rope, acrobatics and physical theatre piece My House and Hikapee's highly visual circus, puppetry theatre show Look Up. These sit alongside productions that address political topics and recent turbulent times. Luke Jerram's In Memoriam [see main photo above], for example, is a series of flags created from hospital bedsheets offering tribute to our healthcare workers.

Meanwhile the travelling light installation Recovery Poems by Robert Montgomery, Emergency Exit Arts and Deanna Rodger offers a message of hope to communities across the country. Elsewhere, there is Routes from Theatre Témoin, an interactive show built by a team of refugee, migrant, and British-born artists, telling a heartfelt story of home, hope and belonging with beautifully made puppets. ON EDGE from Justice in Motion, a parkour theatre piece, talks about freedom through the lens of modern slavery.

As we look forward to some normality, I imagine we will see more art outside. Our nationwide touring network and the renewed interest in our sector will go a long way toward changing the perception and reputation of outdoor arts. It will breathe life into a sector squeezed by the pandemic and gives people across England the chance to see their home in fantastic new ways.

The shows I have spoken about are just a few highlights; I encourage you to experience outdoor arts for yourself - trust me, you will find something you will love.

Photo of In Memoriam at the Arches c. Jonathan Ramael

Further information on Without Walls here

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