The Charles Causley Trust calls for expressions of interest for its 2021 Festival of Arts and Literature

As they prepare for another year of digital and online events, the organisers of The Causley Festival of Arts and Literature are calling for artists and performers from across the arts sector to submit an expression of interest (EOIs) to participate in the 2021 festival, which will take place on 23-25 July.

Following the huge success of the 2020 event which, for the first time in its history went completely digital – and with coronavirus restrictions likely to affect 2021 events across the country – the festival organisers are gearing up to welcome a range of new, diverse artists, writers, poets and performers, to help deliver the annual festival at a local, national and international level.

The trust is seeking as diverse a line-up as possible, offering a range of professional activities from across the arts sector — music, theatre, literature, poetry readings, lectures, photography and more. Those with an interest or link to the work of Charles Causley are particularly welcomed, although this is not a requirement. Due to the current uncertainty surrounding events and whether they can take place physically, participants will need to be comfortable with a digital format of events, workshops and art forms.

The annual Causley Festival is an established and well-regarded event, having taken place since 2010. As such, the organisers are seeking entries from professional artists and performers. They would also like to welcome expressions of interest from currently under-represented groups in the arts — the festival is keen to represent all forms of diversity and associated artwork.  The trust would also be grateful for any feedback or suggestions participants have in bringing something new, different or popular to the event.

The collaboration between the University of Exeter and the Charles Causley Trust was marked by a virtual Memorandum of Understanding signed in September 2020. However, the connection between the two heritage bodies is longstanding. Charles Causley was not only a prolific 20^th century Cornish poet, but also a University of Exeter academic and, upon his death in 2003, bequeathed a large collection of his work to the university, which are held in the Special Collections.

The partnership between the Trust and the University of Exeter aims to boost the educational impact of the work held in the Special Collections and archives, as well as boost the profile of the Charles Causley Trust. In July of 2020, the two institutions successfully hosted the trust’s first Digital Literature Festival via zoom. The event, which took place over two days, included talks, children’s storytelling and theatre and writing and drawing workshops, many of which were led by Exeter academics. In streaming the event, people were able to attend from all over the world and it reached areas that a conventional festival could not have.  

The Causley Festival of Arts and Literature will take place from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 July, 2021. To make an expression of interest, please email info@causleytrust.org and to support the festival through donation, please see https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/the-causley-festival-of-arts-literature.