Members Spotlight: Getting to know Z-arts

This week, we’re shining the spotlight on Z-arts, learning of their work through the eyes and words of its CEO and Artistic Director, Liz O’Neill.

 

Who are you and what do you do?

I’m Liz O’Neill, and I’m the CEO and Artistic Director at Z-arts, the UK’s only dedicated arts centre for children and families. Specialising in performance and participation for children and young people, Z-arts’ programme includes theatre, immersive experiences for children and families based on children’s literature and a new children’s library.  A strategic lead for creativity in Manchester, we reach thousands of young people through our partnerships managing the Big Imaginations theatre network and MADE Cultural Education Partnership.

 

What are you currently working on?

We’re not very good at slowing down, so we have a number of big projects in development at the same time. Currently, we’re about to open a brand new immersive experience for 0-8-year-olds, Adventures in Wonderland, at the same time as commissioning new plays for young audiences and building a reputation as a multicultural storytelling hub.

We lead Big Imaginations, a network of 22 organisations across the Northwest, where we help programme high-quality children’s touring theatre to areas and audiences which wouldn’t otherwise have access to it. We are currently developing a campaign that every child in a Big Imaginations town deserves a free trip to the theatre once a year. Look out for the messaging on our socials on 20 March (The World Day of Theatre for Children and Young People).

 

What has been your organisation’s proudest achievement?

When I first came to Z-arts, over 15 years ago, it was just a building that was unloved and falling down, it was miserable. The staff were unhappy, morale was so low and the organisation faced a huge deficit. Fewer than 8,000 people came through the doors that year. To go from that to where we are today, the building is really welcoming, the staff are the best staff team that we have ever had, and the books balance. So far this year we’ve had over 70,000 visitors and it might sound corny, but the proudest achievement has been the impact we have had on each and every child who engages with our programmes. We’re based in a pretty deprived part of Manchester, so many of the children who come here wouldn’t otherwise get such rich creative opportunities, that can set them up for life.

 

How is your organisation working to champion EDI within your sector?

Having a programme that reflects and represents the many varied communities and cultures around us is something we consider every day. To achieve this, we prioritise diversity in our artist development programme. Last year we had 833 people take advantage of that programme, of which 53% identified as global majority, 27% identified as disabled and 29% identified as LGBTQ+.  We aim to make our work as inclusive as possible, including opportunities for the team, ranging from creating a creative facilitator entry-level training and work programme for artists with protected characteristics at the start of their career, to a pioneering chair development programme for people under-represented in arts leadership, which resulted in two new co-chairs from the community, now leading our organisation right from the top.  We run Z-access, a bespoke family fun day for the whole family to enjoy, and are starting a new storytelling exchange project, that gathers and celebrates stories from different cultures.

 

 

What are three things you’re loving in your sector right now?

The arts are having such a tough time at the moment.  As a sector, I don’t think we’ve ever felt so undervalued.  So the first thing I’m proud of is our tenacity and how as a sector we can be very forward-thinking and find new ways to sustain ourselves.  I’ve been championing the rights of children to have a creative education for many years, and although there’s such a long way to go, I’m loving the fact that there is a chink in the closed door – by which I mean the curriculum review and a Secretary of State for Culture that actually understands the value. Lastly, when colleagues around the sector are feeling so run-down, I know how lucky I am to be running an organisation that still has the laughter of children running through its veins.

 

And three things you’re not loving so much in your sector?

See above.  I’ll continue to lobby for more investment, in the arts in general, and in providing creative opportunities for children especially. Everyone knows the wealth of skills and life opportunities that taking part in creative education can bring, whatever sector you work in, but it’s still undervalued.

We can’t keep scraping around for pennies behind the sofa and still expect the UK to deliver the highest quality world-renowned art. Funding success percentage rates are in single figures, whether that’s ACE or independent trusts and foundations. Corporate sponsors are too uncertain about their own growth to shell out for the cultural sector.  It’s getting harder and harder to know where to go.

Thirdly, as a sector, how are we supporting our colleagues?  Where are the progression routes, especially for people with protected characteristics? It feels like we’re moving away from our wider collaborative sector working when we should be pulling together to strengthen the workforce.

 

Who would be your dream collaborator/collaboration?

I’d love to develop some international partnerships again. Brexit, Covid and other worldly concerns (or the poly-crisis as a colleague put it) have put a stop to that for us. International partnerships can be so enriching and eye-opening for artists taking part. In collaboration with the European Commission, we ran a project called ‘My Europe’ back in 2017, helping children understand more about the continent they were part of, and opening up the opportunities of the world to them.  I’m concerned that without international experiences, their worlds will become more closed off and blinkered.

Our storytelling ambition is to be an international hub, welcoming storytellers from all around the world, to share, capture and pass on their cultural stories to the diaspora of children and families in the UK today, so any storytellers who fit that bill would be a dream collaboration for me.

 

What does creativity mean to you?

Creativity can be all-encompassing. It’s an essential skill that can be found in the most unexpected places, even mathematicians, scientists and construction workers are creative.  That’s why harnessing creativity in children and young people is so important. It sets them up for life and it’s also life-affirming and helps raise aspirations and improve well-being. It’s a no-brainer to invest in it.

 

What’s next for your organisation?

I’ve already mentioned a few projects that we’re working on, and the next on our list is to create an outdoor learning centre/playspace.  We’re currently consulting with the children who come to Z-arts, so we can design and deliver something that they chose. The children designed our new children’s library and that worked so well. It’s so bright and cheery, it’s my favourite room in the building, and more importantly, the children have a real sense of ownership as they created it.  We want the same thing with our outdoor space.

Other than that, it’s just to keep doing what we do, using creativity to nourish the minds, bodies and souls of the children in Manchester and beyond.

 

 

What do you think needs to change in the UK’s Cultural and Creative Industries?

I was at a Round Table with Chris Bryant when the Labour Party came to power, and what I said then is still relevant.  We need DCMS to work with the DofE. I think and hope that the Curriculum Review will do this. If culture and creativity are recognised and held precious when we educate our children, and, crucially, when their parents recognise it as a valuable life choice, then they will be respected more widely by policy-makers.  If everyone understood the importance of creativity as much as they appreciate sport, for example, with funding, regular TV and media attention, we would be in a much better position to harness the brilliant creative energy that this country still has to offer.