China Plate join us as Associate Producers for Theatre

Innovative independent theatre producers China Plate have joined Warwick Arts Centre as Associate Producers for 2010/11. Working closely with Director Alan Rivett and his team, China Plate will be programming and delivering three seasons of vibrant, engaging, contemporary theatre for Warwick Arts Centre’s Studio Theatre and exploring new ways for the centre to engage with theatre artists in developing new work.

Alan Rivett said: ”I’m delighted to be working with Ed and Paul from China Plate. This represents the start of a new era for Warwick Arts Centre and I’m confident they have the creative dynamism we need to bring a programme of astonishing new theatre to Warwick.”

China Plate is a partnership between Producer Ed Collier and Director Paul Warwick for delivering innovative artistic development opportunities, acting as a conduit for collaboration and encouraging leaps into unknown creative territory. Through projects like The Darkroom, The Optimists and the First Bite and Bite Size Festivals they have designed a range of bespoke opportunities for theatre artists at every stage of their careers.

For 35 years Warwick Arts Centre has been at the cutting edge of artistic endeavour. The artistic programme is curated with rigour and driven by the imagination of today’s artists. The programme is defined by the contemporary, and fed by regular and active dialogue with artists, festival directors, producers, theatre companies, consortia and other partners. Its distinct strands – Theatre, Dance, Music, Spoken Word, Comedy, Visual Arts, Film and Family – bring together a programme of more than 1500 events annually, drawing an annual audience in excess of 200,000, primarily drawn from the West Midlands but with a significant number from across the length and breadth of the country.

Ed Collier
Alongside China Plate, Ed is currently producing work with Cartoon De Salvo, Caroline Horton and making a new piece for children, The Observatory with Melanie Wilson commissioned by Theatre Sandbox and the Lyric Hammersmith. As a producer with Fuel Ed worked with the Clod Ensemble (Red Ladies), Gecko (The Arab & The Jew, The Race, The Overcoat), Lyric Hammersmith (Main House, Studio and touring productions), Melanie Wilson (Simple Girl, Iris Brunette, Mari Me Archie), and Sound&Fury (Kursk, Ether Frolics a Second Opinion, Going Dark). As an independent producer Ed has made new work with Pentabus and Unlimited.

Paul Warwick
Now a freelance director, Paul was a founding member and artistic director of award-winning Unlimited Theatre and has recently directed a diverse range of work for both studio and middle-scale venues as well as site-specific work. He is currently directing WE LOVE YOU CITY co-produced by Talking Birds and Belgrade Theatre, Coventry. In 2006 Paul was commissioned by ACE West Midlands to deliver Experiment Grow, a strategy to further develop the region as a significant location for innovative theatre practice. He is also the co-producer of PILOT, Birmingham’s work-in-progress platform and sits on the steering group for midpoint.

China Plate website