Making it clearer

Whilst it will often be clear which is which, there can be times where it is less obvious. Generally, a participant will be someone of any age who actively takes part in a creative activity, such as a workshop. An audience member is someone who does not actively participate, instead playing a passive role consuming some form of creative content.

Examples of creative activities which would actively engage with participants:

Hands-on “making” workshops such as ceramics, painting (watercolour/oils/graffiti), textiles, puppet making, mosaics, jewellery making, calligraphy, metal/wood working, messy play and glass painting.

Performance-based workshops such as choirs, ukuleles, drumming, dancing, circus skills and theatre skills (acting/scenery creation/costume making)

Literary-based workshops such as creative story writing, poetry, screenplay creation, songwriting, comedy writing and playwriting.

Examples of creative activities which would passively engage audience members:

Traditional forms of entertainment such as theatrical plays, choir performances, movies, live music concerts, festivals, street performances, operatic performances, and outdoor heritage sites (Arbeia roman fort, Cragside, Vindolanda, Durham Miners Gala).

Traditional forms of art engagement such as exhibitions of sculpture, paintings, photography, textiles, outdoor art experiences (sculpture parks or light trails, for example), artist talks & presentations.

Other engagements could include attending craft fairs, melas and historical re-enactments, for example.

If you are unsure whether you are working with participants or audiences, just ask a member of The Cultural Spring for guidance.

If all participants aged 16 or older, each participant should complete the form ‘Participant Data for AS2C activities’ and the form ‘Survey for S2C 16+’.

If all participants aged 15 years old or younger, you as a venue/organisation should complete a ‘Combined Participant Data for S2C activities v2’ form and a ‘Survey for S2C U16’ form.

This is not as complicated as it may seem. Your venue/organisation should complete the form ‘Combined Participant Data for S2C activities v2’, for everyone.

Under 16s should complete a ‘Survey for S2C U16’ form, and adults should complete a ‘Survey for S2C 16+’ form for evaluation.

We do need a small additional amount of data from you, but this is very simple. We would need the overall number of children in attendance, and a gender split of boys and girls. Just jot this down on the 'Combined Participant' form you have completed.

In terms of audience data, your venue/organisation should complete the ‘Combined Participant Data for S2C activities v2’ form for everyone, irrespective of age.

At present, we do not have an evaluation form for A Space To Create audiences. This will be circulated when available.

Don’t worry. Just ask The Cultural Spring for guidance.

We can provide one-off forms for you to use if there is a specific need. This may be as simple as amending or adding questions to an existing form, or creating a more targeted form from scratch. You won’t find this need being something that occurs very often, but rest assured the support is there if you require it.

Then just ask us for support! Get in touch with The Cultural Spring and we will be only too happy to help.

What if you don’t have time to get a response from us? Perhaps your activity starts in an hour, and you are unsure what to do?

Follow your gut and do what you think is best. We would rather you collect some data and feedback than nothing. That is beneficial for us all.

From time to time, we may be able to offer your organisation/venue a Go & See opportunity. This could be a theatre trip or attending an outdoor festival.

What forms would you complete for this? Don’t worry. We would provide you with tailored forms prior to the event which are similar to the forms you currently use.

We require all paperwork to be returned within seven business days of the completion of the activity/event.

The best, and quickest, way to do this is to scan/photograph the paperwork and email it to both iam.burn@theculturalspring.org.uk and emma.biggins@theculturalspring.org.uk

Alternatively, post the forms, to us at:

The Cultural Spring

2.18, One Trinity Green

Eldon Street

South Shields

Tyne and Wear

NE33 1SA

If you post the forms to us, please send them as 'signed for' for additional security.