Northern Enterprise Awards 2022 | 62 Nov22077 Best Cultural Heritage & Theatrical Entertainment Production Company 2022 & Freelance Theatre Director of the Year 2022: Rupert Creed Storytelling thrives on the personal and intimate, the tales that are universal in nature, but incredibly specific in their subjects. Rupert Creed and the team at the Centre for Contemporary Storytelling have perfected this art, offering audiences experiences they will remember for a lifetime. With their success in the Northern Enterprise Awards 2022, we thought it time to dig deeper to find out more. Stories lie at the heart of our lives. They define who we are, and the world we live in. The Centre for Contemporary Storytelling tell authentic entertaining stories. They take great care in portraying the truth and power of these stories by working in close partnership with the people, communities and organisations whose stories they are telling. The stories are presented across a wide range of platforms, often using a multi-media approach. Developing these shows is no easy task, but one at which Rupert Creed and the team at the Centre for Contemporary Storytelling excel. From the very beginning, the company has been built around sharing the stories of the East Yorkshire region. With a rich cultural heritage that is seldom drawn upon, the creative team have portrayed numerous subjects which have been brought vividly to life using an innovative mix of live music, projected film, archive photos, audio stories and live storytelling. When people come to see the work undertaken by the Centre for Contemporary Storytelling, they know that they will be able to take part in informative and entertaining productions which bring together a multitude of creative talents committed to celebrating the region’s history and heritage. The company’s success over the years has been based on developing ways of sharing these stories with larger and larger audiences, showcasing the very best of what East Yorkshire has to offer. At the forefront of many of these projects has been Rupert Creed. His work has included the celebrated, sell-out productions “Turning the Tide” and “Turn and Face the Strange” (co-written with Garry Burnett), both of which have enjoyed repeated successful runs at Hull Truck Theatre. Over 14,000 people have come from as far afield as Scandinavia and America to enjoy these incredible stage productions for themselves. “Turn and Face the Strange” is a particular success story. From a small grant of £12,413, this showstopping production has developed over the last five years into a veritable phenomenon. It has earned £91k in ticket income, including an additional £60k in box office income to Hull Truck Theatre, and has generated sponsor/partnership income of £14.5k. Whilst the team are passionate about creating art, they always make sure that it’s art that everybody can enjoy! “Turn and Face the Strange” has gone on to reinvent itself in multiple ways over the years. This engaging story, first commissioned in 2017 has played to sell out audiences in 2018, 2019, and 2021, using an incredible rock band and classically trained string quartet to showcase the range of Mick Ronson’s musical skill. The musicians include Keith ‘Ched’ Cheesman and John Cambridge who both played with Mick Ronson in Hull band The Rats. John Cambridge became David Bowie’s drummer and was instrumental in introducing Ronson to Bowie thus sowing the seeds for classic albums such as Hunky Dory, Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane. The story has recently been adapted to book form, with the publication of “The Mick Ronson Story- Turn and Face the Strange” written by Creed and Burnett and published by McNidder and Grace. It is expected that this multimedia approach will further increase interest in the show throughout the UK, Europe and America. When people turn to the Centre of Contemporary Storytelling, they know that they’ll be part of a stunning live experience. High quality without being highbrow, audiences find themselves swept away by the scope and scale of these wonderful tales, each rooted in the fabric of East Yorkshire. We can’t wait to see what they do next. Company: Centre for Contemporary Storytelling Name: Rupert Creed Email: [email protected] Web Address: www.ccstory.com Centre for Contemporary Storytelling
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