Faces of Antyx: Jade

Our Faces of Antyx Feature this week: Jade Campbell!

Q: What was your experience like working with Antyx? What projects did
you collaborate on with them?
A: My experience of working with Antyx was so rich and diverse.  We were successful with a joint funding bid to the British Council and Farnham Maltings, it was through their international program called New Conversations. The project we cooked up was called Imagined Futures and it involved an international exchange - I visited Antyx in Calgary for 10 days; Stephanie and Alya from Antyx visiting us at Doorstep Arts in Torbay.  We observed one another working with our regular groups of young people, led creative sessions and made podcasts/blogs.  It was so exciting for the young people we work with to get an alternative experience - we focus on theatre, so it was great to get visual arts workshops.

Q: How did you find your passions and how have you incorporated them into your art?
A: I have always been a lover of theatre, so much so I studied the subject at University! My mum and dad always took me to the theatre as a child, I went to museums, art galleries and we always had musicians and creatives around our house as my dad used to write songs and poetry.  Creativity always felt part of my life.  After university I got a job as a Senior Youth Support Worker and realised that I could fuse my passion for theatre with my passion for youth work.  I started running a group in my home town of Brixham called Juicy Theatre, the aim of the group, was for young people to explore issues that effect them through theatre, using Forum Theatre techniques, it was a huge success and the young people really loved it.  I won some funding in a local community competition and decided to take the plunge and sign up to a Masters Degree in Applied Theatre at the University of Exeter. To my surprise I got a place on the course!  This is where I met my colleague and good friend Erin Walcon, she was teaching a module on my course and she read my essay and knew immediately that we should be working together. Over that year we set up Doorstep Arts together with our colleague Meghan Searle - we became part of a National Network of touring theatre facilitated by Battersea Arts Centre in London called the Collaborative Touring Network, whereby we received high quality original theatre in Torbay and worked with community partners to host them. These shows provided inspiration for the young people we worked with and rippled out to their families, schools and the wider community. That was 7 years ago and the company is going strong, we are now Torbay's first and only National Portfolio Organisation, which means we have core funding from Arts Council England for 4 years.  
My passion for social justice, working with young people and communities, engaging in dialogue about things that matter and facilitating creativity totally informs what we do at Doorstep Arts. For more info on our company, please visit our website here:

https://doorsteparts.co.uk

It also fuels my freelance work, where I am the Lead Practitioner for a group in Plymouth at The Theatre Royal, called Our Space.  This group is for adults with Multiple and Complex Needs and provides a safe space to learn drama and theatre skills, socialise, watch theatre with a community of like minded people.

Theatre Royal Plymouth have recently produced a series of podcasts about Our Space which you can find here: https://theatreroyal.com/our-space-podcast/?fbclid=IwAR1Gt7YyxrOo22Tax7z87Z7gz_dq9VZKMVEJzGacGCnlqYnMm3MEmKLl-Rc

Q: What does your work aim to say?  
A: My work is about social justice and I am passionate about working with my community, making positive change through theatre!  I believe that everyone is an artist whatever age/background and that everyone has the right to access the arts! When I facilitate theatre workshops or performances, the work is always rooted in what is happening in the world right now and I always trust the participants to own the work and make excellent creative choices. It is about dialogue, digging deep and questioning the world around us. 

Q: What was the biggest opposing force that you encountered on your
creative journey?  

A: Firstly, one of my biggest challenges in the creative industry has been my own imposter syndrome. That I wasn't experienced enough or didn't know enough or my work wasn't good enough - I was always my own worst enemy!  I also struggled as a woman to be taken seriously, leaders in the Arts world have been predominantly male and I found it hard to get people to hear and understand my point of view.

Q: If you could give your younger self some words of advice, what would
they be?  

A: Trust your instincts, say yes to new experiences and throw yourself into new and creative challenges -  real growth happens when you are out of your comfort zone - be a life long learner and have an open mind!

Q: What are you currently working on?
A: With Doorstep Youth Theatre we are making a film of  our theatre project Protest and Rebellion - to find out more about the work, please visit our website www.cabbagerebellion.co.uk

In all of our other groups, we are exploring the theme In My Shoes - we are celebrating differences and noticing similarities - we are exploring new and original ways of making theatre and telling new stories.

In Our Space, we have been meeting on Zoom and now I am supporting them to generate their own work electronically!

I am in the R&D stage of a one woman show that I have been developing called Suffrajitsu - its all about my journey as a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighter and exploring the stories of the Suffragettes who used Jiu Jitsu to combat police brutality and protect the suffragettes on their marches.