Reflections: Beyond the Stage

Articulation Director Angela Adams-Gray shares her thoughts following our Beyond the Stage event at the Scottish Parliament.

We were delighted to  host our Beyond the Stage event, sponsored by Fulton MacGregor MSP, at the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday 6th January. It was a fitting start to the new year and the event showcased our new Beyond the Stage report, and shared some of our research findings completed in partnership with Queen Margaret University. 

We commissioned this research because  one of our  key roles  is to advocate for Outdoor Arts, Circus and Spectacle (OACS) , which are all too often misunderstood, overlooked and underfunded.  In order to do that, we need evidence about the immense impacts of our artforms  to raise awareness and support among policy makers, funders and beyond.  We also wanted to have a better understanding of what the landscape is in  terms of our arts forms across Scotland, the UK and Ireland (in due course we  intend to expand our research Internationally).

The Beyond the Stage event  opened with a mesmerising, humorous performance of an extract from Oceanallover’s latest work, The Sailmaker’s Palm. We shared report findings that highlight the multi-skilled nature of our artforms and acknowledges how OACS aligns with many policy objectives, including placemaking, civic pride, community cohesion and enhancing wellbeing.

Rapid-fire, Pecha-Kucha style presentations, giving a whistle-stop tour of contemporary outdoor arts were next. First up was Alex Rigg, Artistic Director  of Oceanallover with an overview of Outdoor Arts in Scotland from the 90s through to present day, stressing the importance of collaboration. Fellow Gallovidian and Imaginarium Creative Director, DJ McDowall gave an impassioned talk about working in a rural community as a Queer artist and OACS’ unique capacity to tell marginalised stories and shift the narrative.

All or Nothing Artistic Director Jen Paterson shared her experience of developing aerial in Scotland and pushing the boundaries of the art form. This included the recent development of  Spectral – a multi-dimensional performance gig blending live music, AV, dance and aerial choreography as part of the Hidden Door Festival 2025. Outdoor Arts UK Director Sho Shibata was up next, stressing the  importance of partnership working across all four nations of the UK. Finally, Moonslide Producer and Artist Riccardo Olivier, gave us his perspective on international touring, some of its challenges, and importance of developing a strong home base for your work .  

The Beyond the Stage report closes with 5 key  recommendations:

1. Acknowledgement of OACS as recognised artforms.
2. OACS registered as part of Scotland’s Intangible Cultural Heritage.
3. Sustainable of long term OACS funding pathways.
4. Development of an OACS Strategy for Scotland
5. Building-based infrastructure to support new work and quality circus education . 

Our vision is ambitious, there is much work ahead and we invite our networks to join us on this journey to help strengthen and grow Outdoor Arts, Circus and Spectacle in Scotland.

Event Gallery