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Dominic Thompson is a prodcer at Stans Cafe and pitched a project at assembly 2024. Dominic reflected on his experience and how assembly developed his skills whilst creating opportunities for River Tours.
caravan: What was your experience with international touring or exchange before working with caravan?
Dominic: Before caravan, I'd had no experience sending or co-creating a project internationally. I'd had conversations about taking a show to Dublin and doing some development work with a physical theatre company based in Russia who also work in the US, but those conversations never amounted to anything physical.
c: What was your involvement with caravan?
D: My involvement with caravan was to pitch Stan's Cafes new series River Tours to the international delegates [at caravan assembly]. While we showcased the Thames, Indus and Volga, the pitch was to invite the delegates to work with us to commission rivers in their respective countries. My involvement in River Tours is to collaborate with partners and produce a 45-minute documentary storytelling performance that guides you down a beautiful textile map created by a textile artist.
c: What changed for you by taking part in assembly?
D: The big change in this project was making international connections with people who live in other countries. Previously, on River Tours we had only worked with diaspora who live in the UK. After building good relationship over the weekend with three delegates, we've since successfully delivered a project at DECAF in Cairo and are working on River Tours: The Daugava with Santa Remere for the Homo Novus festival in 2026.
c: Why is this change important?
D: The change is important not only for allowing the project to grow and achieve it's potential across international waters, but also for developing my skills to correspond, develop and collaborate with international producers and artists. caravan was a big inspiration for me, and I'd be looking for other opportunities to meet delegates and be involved in similar types of festivals. It's a fantastic way of developing producers' experiences.
About caravan assembly
The assembly is a biennial event presented in partnership with Brighton Festival. We bring together the best of England’s contemporary theatre and performance with national and international programmers and producers. Our goal is to foster the development of deeper connections and relationships among all participants, paving the way for a more inclusive and collaborative creative landscape. Featuring performances by the participating artists and companies as well as thought-provoking pitches and presentations, caravan assembly is curated to ignite the imagination and generate lasting impact for artists and delegates.
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