Tricky Hat Productions

ACHIEVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE Charitable activities The Flames With the renewed support of Creative Scotland and local partners, the company has continued to produce The Flames - Tricky Hat performance company for people over 50. We have pursued our 'Fire Mentoring Practice’ supporting emerging artists learn the 'Tricky Hat way' method. This year, we have trained a talented digital artist with asylum seeking experience - an opportunity for the company to welcome a valued member in the team as well an enhancing the richness of perspectives of the company. We have delivered Flames productions in collaboration with new partners: Strathearn Arts (Crieff), Aberdeen Performing Arts and Traverse Theatre (Edinburgh). We have also returned to the CCA (Glasgow) to showcase our seasoned participants and new ones. Listening to Our City We have continued to develop our audio-journey with asylum seekers living in Glasgow, revealing powerful stories. Tricky Hat artists have been collaborating with Common Ground, which is CCA’s space specially dedicated to providing a community space to asylum seekers and refugees in Glasgow. The project has been supported by The Robertson Trust and Glasgow Life in collaboration with Truth Poverty Community. Round Our Place Ravenscraig Kim Beveridge, Tricky Hat associate digital artist is from Lanarkshire and has been wanting to develop a project in this area for many years. Ravenscraig is a former steelwork site that has suffered from post-industrial depression. The community who lives at the periphery of the site is now at a pivotal moment with local authority plan regenerations. Tricky Hat artists have been inviting local people to participate in this creative project to reflect on the past, while looking at the present and dreaming of the future. They have launched a soundwalk in March 25 sharing these stories. This project is supported by Edinburgh University and North Lanarkshire Council and Creative Scotland. Japan and further international connections Tricky Hat artistic team was awarded support from British Council and Sazakawa Foundation to travel to Japan in November 2024. They collaborated with LOSHOCOS - a group of older Japanese male. The project was hugely successful, and participants will be invited to HANABI - a mini-Festival featuring Japanese and Scottish Flames at CCA in June 2025 (outside this financial year). Tricky Hat Artistic Director was also invited by Busan Foundation to deliver a talk in South Korea about the company’s leading work with older people. She made a lot of new connections and galvanised interest around The Flames project. We hope to develop a collaboration with Korean partners in the future. Business development We are delighted that Tricky Hat was successful in their application to Creative Scotland Multi-Year Funding, securing ongoing support for 3 years. This is a historical moment for the company as we have been funded on a project-by-project basis, making planning and strategic development challenging. Following COVID-19 and the cost-of-living crisis, the Scottish Government has decided to invest £34 million toward multi-year funding, allowing Creative Scotland to award regular funding to a much wider scope of organisations in Scotland. We believe this financial input will be hugely positive to the whole cultural ecosystem and ultimately benefit Tricky Hat. This year, we have created a salary for the role of General Manager (formerly on a freelance contract) with the view to align with best practice and strengthen the company’s foundations. A lot of work is still being done toward strengthening company’s policies. Creative Scotland’s delay in funding decision - scheduled to be announced in October 24 initially and reported to January 25 - has subsequently delayed our ability to progress as much as we would have wanted to in this area. We are seeking support from external partners and consultants to help us deliver this important aspect of our business development. The board would like to congratulate Artistic Director Fiona Miller and General Manager Elle Crockart for navigating through these changes while delivering an outstanding programme of work.