We’re chuffed to pieces to be able to announce five new commissions that form the rest of our Remote Access programme for Go the Distance.

Exquisite puppets, music dedications to loved ones, nature-inspired animated projections, a good dose of tomfoolery, and a cheeky game of bingo all feature.

Throughout late May and June, Uninvited Guests and Fuel, Urban Projections, Half a String, Wild N Beets and Tit for Tat will present their works via the Internet, with a focus on audiences in Mansfield, Ashfield, Bolsover and North East Derbyshire.

“The successful five projects to our artist call out offer a top quality selection of entertainment for all ages, ranging from circus to puppetry, all inspired by the strange times we are currently living in
– Karl Greenwood, First Art Director.

Artists and arts organisations were invited by First Art to apply for up to £3,500 to create projects that encourage people to engage with arts and culture online.

Urban Projection’s Dawn Chorus, inspired by what nature means to people during these unparalleled times and how many are seeking comfort in nature, will open the programme. This playful video-short featuring animated birds and illustrations projected in a Mansfield woodlands is being created by local artist Rebecca Smith in collaboration Fabric Lenny to create .

For family audiences there’s E-Books! by Tit for Tat  – a mixture of circus and buffoonery all around the love of stories –  and Breathe, a new three-part mini series by award-winning puppet company Half a String. The series follows the adventure of a young seedling tree puppet, lured to leave the forest by a strangely empty world, accompanied by atmospheric  live music.

The joyful Love Letters at Home, presented by Fuel and Uninvited Guests, is somewhere between a wedding reception and a radio dedication show. Audiences are invited to send in music requests, dedications and declarations of love to those they care about past and present. The words and music are then incorporated into the performance, making each one unique and a true collaboration with the audience – a wonderful way to help people feel connected at a time when many are isolated and missing their loved ones.

Wild N Beets, who were part of The Full Shebang last year, bring a bit of their cheeky social club antics straight to people’s front rooms with Isolation Bingo, their lockdown take on one of our favourite games.

This is a chipper and cheeky online reinvention of bingo with ball machines made from toilet rolls, pasta shells and scrabble tiles, and a chance to have a good old fashioned chin wag and a giggle.

More information about each of the shows can be found here.

Dates and more details will be released very soon. All events will be free although some activities may have a Donate What You Decide.

We can’t wait to share these great shows with the good folk of Ashfield, Mansfield, Bolsover and North East Derbyshire!