Joanne Thain

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EASTmeetsWEST a Twilight Spectacle20th
September, Weald Country Park

• Joanne Thain
• Cultural Policy and Performance Officer

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EASTmeetsWEST A Twilight Spectacle

• Key event of the Essex Jiangsu Festival
• Weald Country Park was chosen because it was
  initially the host venue for the 2012 Mountain
  Bike event
• Provided hundreds of opportunities for young
  people to learn new creative skills and work with
  internationally renowned arts organisation Walk
  the Plank

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EASTmeetsWEST Key Aims

• Create a major outdoor theatrical
  event/production, that will be fun, innovative,
  high quality and that will involve park users,
  young people and the wider community in its
  conception and execution,
• Increase in the non-traditional park user
  demographic, e.g. young people and family groups,
  
• Foster positive perceptions of Essex - on a
  local, regional and national scale promoting it
  as an attractive place for outdoor leisure
  activity and healthy living,
• Raise awareness and appreciation of Essexs
  natural environment, its wildlife and
  environmental sustainability,
• Create a legacy of learning and professional
  development for individuals and partners, in
  support of Essex County Councils Olympiad
  celebrations.

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Working in Partnership

• EASTmeetsWEST could not have been
• delivered in isolation
• Over all the project was managed by
• ECC Arts Development in partnership
• with Brentwood Borough Council
• Walk the Plank created the show and
• education programme
• Chelmsford Borough Council Cultural
• Events Team managed the event
• production and marketing logistics
• Within ECC Arts Development worked
• with Country Parks, Jiangsu Festival and
• 2012 Legacy Teams, Press and
• Communications

• A Steering Group was set up made
• of representatives from each
• partnership, with separate working
• groups to actually deliver the work

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Education Programme - Teacher Inset Day

• Teachers from 15 schools attended INSET
  sessions, giving them an overview of the event
  and equipping them with the creative skills to
  work with their students in their classrooms
  making lanterns

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Education Programme

• A team of artists went into schools working
  with pupils to create carnival costumes, site
  décor, learn carnival dance and to become part
  of the evaluation team

• 869 children and parents were involved in the
  show
• - The Scouts, Foyer and families with Chinese
  adoptive children were also involved

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Community Involvement

• Moon Picnic
• Provided opportunities for 214 local artists and
  performance groups to showcase their work at
  major regional event
• Essex 2012 Legacy Team showcased Chinese inspired
  sporting events

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Moon Picnic
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EASTmeetsWEST

• EASTmeetsWEST
• Based around the Chinese Mid Autumn Moon Festival
  and will tell the story of Chang Es journey to
  the moon
• Show incorporated the dance troupe the Little Red
  Flowers from China

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