Sarah Bedell

Collaborates with a range of clients and partners to explore and improve performance, understand their success and resolve problems. There is a company ethos of transparent practice and principles in terms of delivery, quality and value for money with a straightforward approach to working with clients.

 

Main areas of activity


• Planning and project management, specialising in
  audience development
• Evaluation experience using analytical and interpretation
  skills (ranging from independent to supporting self-evaluation
  practice)
• Experience of consultation with a wide variety of stakeholder
  groups with the ability to plan, negotiate and work well with
  diverse collaborators
• Excellent communication skills
• Qualitative and quantitative research; reporting and analytical
  skills
• Good project planning and management skills
• Audience development strategy and practice
• Capacity building/specialist advice
• Facilitation and mentoring with a range of stakeholder groups and situations
• Planning and delivery of workshops and seminars, including speaking at training or other events
• Ability to write to a publishable standard

 

Experience

Sarah has worked across a range of artforms and areas of interest over the past 18 years, with theatre companies, venues and other organisations, in marketing, education and audience development, offering planning, research, capacity-building and development services to a range of clients. She has offered consultancy services since 1997, previously working for the RSC, ENO, ACE and the RLPO.

 

A commitment to supporting the development of best practice for all arts professionals is particularly seen in her work on evaluation, pioneering a supported approach to self-evaluation on an individual and group basis. Current clients include England’s Past For Everyone, Royal Opera House Education (Thurrock) and Theatre Resource. She recently edited Turning the Tide, (written by Heather Stradling and Jonathan Goodacre, available from Momentum Arts), a publication arising from the knowledge gained through Being Here, a four year arts regeneration project in Southend-on-Sea.

 

In 2007, Sarah was appointed to the Board of Directors of Southend Renaissance, the urban regeneration company for Southend, with a remit for communication, as well as her cultural sector and marketing experience. This has provided invaluable knowledge and experience of multi-agency working, the Every Child Matters agenda and Early Years working with local authorities and the voluntary sector, as well as developing communication, facilitation and advocacy skills. She was nominated as a Fellow of the RSA in 1997 and is currently studying for a post-graduate certificate in Creative Industries Management (School of Entrepreneurship and Business, University of Essex).

Evaluation experience
• Sound Connections and the Raw Academy (Brixton): completing evaluation of the Raw initiative, creating
  pathways into the creative industries
• The Arts Catalyst: qualitative, snapshot survey of current perceptions around the organisation with analysis
  of responses
• Associate, Audiences London. Leading in-depth interviews as part of external evaluation process for
  emerging festival of international live performance (SPILL)
• National Portrait Gallery: evaluation of Family Learning project in collaboration with Camden Family Learning
  Team
• Editing Turning the Tide: publication coming out of Being Here (see below), published by Momentum Arts
• Providing mentoring to Access Development Programme Worker at Audiences London to develop evaluation
  skills and experience
• Working with Arts Council England London to assess the strategic impact and achievements of the South
   Asian Touring Theatre Consortium
• External evaluation of the arts-led regeneration project Being Here (2002-2006) in Southend on Sea (part of the
  Arts/Generate programme): a large scale participant led arts regeneration project, working with young people
  aged 11 – 25
• Reviewing and evaluating the first year’s activity for Arts Council East’s talent development plan Escalator,
  operating across the performing and visual arts, literature and music
• Working with Creative Partnerships to make recommendations for one-to-one support for CP Directors
• Reporting on the first year of the New Audiences Programme, writing supporting materials for application
  process in Year 2
• Providing supported self-evaluation for Gateways 1 and 2 of NAP Year 3 year (focus on disability and
  diversity)
• Developing Audiences in the North (DAN): supported self-evaluation for NAP Year 3 projects based in
  Northern region (funded by Northern Arts), supporting 10 organisations with their self-evaluation
• Creative People: advising and supporting bursary-holders’ self-evaluation. Also developing a sensitive and
  appropriate way of reporting on the benefits and outcomes of using mentors when used by organisations as
  part of training strategies for individuals
• Guildhall School of Music and Drama: advising on strategic development of evaluation as management tool
  for Connect programme
• National Trust and the Amber Foundation: assessing and making recommendations for development of
  partnership project to widen NT audiences in a social inclusion context
• LIFT: The Style of our Lives. Supported self-evaluation of community led, schools-based intergenerational
  arts project with primary school and community groups in Stoke Newington, exploring the roles of creativity
  and expression through participatory activities in healthy, happy communities
• Barclays Theatre Week (Barclays Stage Partners): evaluating achievements for first two years of the
  programme
• Researching and writing internal documentation for Arts Council England on: New Audiences Programme
  (guidelines for evaluation and information packs to assist application process); Roots Programme; ACSE (as
  was) guidelines for Regional Challenge participants
• Researching and writing Yorkshire Arts’ ‘The Arts and Young People: a new audiences programme’
• Review and recommendations for development of National Trust TIE company
• Reviewing and documenting the achievements and lessons learned from the National Trust Theatre
  Department’s final two tours
• English National Opera: research into first time attenders, lapsed attenders and internal communications
  review. These all involved the preparation of questionnaires, focus groups and analysis of box office data
  Research experience
• Associate, Audiences London: Young Vic, facilitating discussions and individual interviewing of community
  performance participants as part of evaluation of process
• Associate, Audiences London: Roundhouse Studios, facilitating in-depth discussions with participants aged
  11-25 as marketing and communications research project
• Network: ‘Developing a Data Culture’ a review of research needs and recommendations that led to ‘The Thirst
  for Knowledge – Audience Data in the Arts’, a study to look at the way audience data is currently used
  throughout the arts infrastructure
• Rambert Dance: audience research to inform and support the development of membership schemes on
  national basis
• Barbican Centre: research into family and schools audiences (leading to the development of the schools
  programme, and the cinema club); research into jazz and classical music audiences; preparation and review of
  materials to conduct Best Value assessment
• Working with Eastern Touring Agency’s venue consortia to develop small scale contemporary dance touring
  with audience development in the Eastern region
• Grey Panthers: Audience development with active retired people in Leighton Buzzard. Researching and
  recommending strategy for programme to be developed in collaboration with South Beds Council and
  Leighton Buzzard Theatre to offer high quality arts events to this group, including price, timing, interest in
  participatory activities and range of programme
• English National Opera – Project management from strategic communications advice to ongoing research
  project into first time attendance, related to ENO’s post-Stabilisation programme. Consultation with disabled
  attenders regarding planned refurbishment programme
• LIFT – Research to support Stabilisation programme and subsequent strategic direction; evaluation and
  ongoing planning input into a 3-year audience development programme with a strong community and
  education focus
• Camden Borough Council - Camden Education Arts Partnership consultancy to provide an audit,
  development and action plan for Camden’s entry into LEAP

 

 

Website references for published work:
http://www.takingpartinthearts.com/content.php?content=33
http://www.takingpartinthearts.com/content.php?content=1114
http://www.takingpartinthearts.com/content.php?content=1065
http://www.takingpartinthearts.com/content.php?content=871
http://www.takingpartinthearts.com/content.php?content=1249
http://www.takingpartinthearts.com/content.php?content=993
http://www.takingpartinthearts.com/content.php?content=1284


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