Portsmouth Guildhall Trust moves forward with The Base and Harbour programmes, supporting new and young artists

The creative space in the Guildhall’s basement, to be called The Base, will be a safe and welcoming space for young people aged 11-25, providing access to a band rehearsal room with backline equipment, a studio with a DJ mixing space, an AV suite with specialist software, a performance space and a lounge/exhibition area. The £1.3m project, which will also see the Guildhall’s main toilet facilities replaced, is set to open in Spring 2024.

The £28,857 Trailblazer fund from Youth Music will support the creation of a Youth Advisory Group, that will give young people the platform to inform the development and creation of The Base throughout the build and a programme of activities that will be tested for their feasibility, scalability and how they are received by young people.

Inspiring young people to take up a new hobby, take part in holiday activities or take the next steps on a career in music, the pilot programme will include a mix of activities that will be free to access – ranging from songwriting and DJing to live video editing and mural painting with the chance to create wall murals, stage scratch nights and more.

A range of creative courses and one-off masterclasses will also be delivered by artists and musicians from Portsmouth and the South Coast who are building national and international careers, giving young people the opportunity to learn and collaborate and get one-to-one feedback from industry professionals.

Youth arts coordinator for The Base, Jaz Manville says: “It is really exciting to see the building works start and The Base starting to take shape. We have been consulting with young people since the inception of this project but we’re now taking this a step further with the formation of The Base panel advisory group. It is so important that young people have a voice and that the space and programme we develop is what they want to use and see. I’m looking forward to hearing their ideas and shaping the pilot programme with them.”

Youth Music is funded by National Lottery via Arts Council England and players of People’s Postcode Lottery. The national charity invests in grassroots projects that are making music more inclusive, diverse, and accessible.

Youth Music CEO Matt Griffiths adds: “It’s crucial we enable more young people to make, learn and earn in music, whatever their background or goal. That’s why we’re excited to invest in innovative organisations like The Guildhall Trust, who are putting young people’s voices and needs front and centre.”

Post pandemic it is widely reported that young people have become more disengaged and isolated, with one in four suffering heightened anxiety and poor mental health. The Base aims to remove barriers to engagement and offer a nurturing environment for all, including students and young people from low-income families and under-represented groups.

Young people aged 13-21 who are interested in joining the BASEpanel and helping shape the foundation of youth music in Portsmouth are encouraged to get in touch now ahead of the group’s launch and first meeting in coming weeks.

The pilot programme of activities is set to run from February-April 2024 and young people interested should sign up now for The Base newsletter and follow The Base on social media to be the first to hear more. Find out more at: thebaseguildhall.com.

The Harbour programme – supporting up-and-coming artists

The Guildhall Trust is also currently supporting four artists and organisations through its new Harbour development programme of support.

This programme provides tailored support to encourage the creative potential of practitioners, artists and companies across the city of Portsmouth and the southern region. Open to artists at varying levels of their career, the it runs across 18 months, offering creative and critical business support, seed funding, artist residency, peer learning and development, mentoring and networking opportunities.

It is part of the trust’s wider Get Involved initiative to inspire, entertain and transform lives through a rich variety of activities, workshops, courses and programmes for the community, schools and colleges and emerging creatives.

The artists and organisations currently supported by the Harbour programme are from a broad spectrum of the creative arts:

Courtney McCarthy

A freelance Dance and Digital Artist, Courtney graduated from The University of Chichester in 2021 with a First Class Honours in Dance Performance. Courtney has since danced professionally and choreographed her own contemporary dance work as part of The Point, Eastleigh, graduate scheme GradLab, which was then toured to a small number of venues across the country. Also a digital artist, Courtney has completed a number of illustrated commissions. Fusing their choreographic and artistic skills and curiosities, Courtney produces visually dynamic work that explores how different artforms can live harmoniously in a shared space.

Thomas Buckley

Thomas Buckley is an artist who works with technology to make work about memory, the senses, archiving and ways to connect through mixed reality. He makes memories edible and technology accessible, working with communities and mentoring emerging creatives. An alumni fellow of The Royal Shakespeare Company, Thomas makes work that explores the potential of XR (extended reality) and emergent technologies, combining sensory practice and new media. He works with marginalised groups to put their stories at the forefront of this new artform.

Luke Brown

Artistic director of Luke Brown Company and rehearsal director of mapdance, Luke creates fearless dance, community theatre that reaches a broad audience across the UK. After completing his BA Hons in contemporary dance performance with Intoto Dance Co, he went on to perform with critically acclaimed companies such as Frantic Assembly and English National Opera and direct and choreograph works for many companies including The Place and English National Ballet.

HurlyBurly Theatre

HurlyBurly Theatre, founded in 2016, makes playful, multisensory theatre shows for babies and their grown-ups with classical music at their heart. Their shows have toured nationally to theatres and festivals and even internationally to Ziguzajg Children's Theatre Festival in Malta. Their current show You are the Sun was inspired by early research and development time at Portsmouth Guildhall, particularly walks around Victoria Park, and shared its early performances with Portsmouth audiences.