Giant Events Company, organiser of Land of Giants, the largest arts event ever seen in Northern Ireland, is on the look out for more than 500 creative cast and crew. An epic, ambitious event, Land of Giants is scheduled to take place on Belfast’s Titanic Slipways on 30th June 2012. Combining acrobatics, aerial dance, carnival, circus, physical performance, music, multi-media and pyrotechnics, the event will present a spectacular production to an audience of over 20,000 people at the City’s newest open air events space.
As the planning and preparation work for the event are building speed, the organisers are asking for local creative talent to get in touch to find out how they can be a part of this unique opportunity, working either behind the scenes or centre stage in a wide range of paid and voluntary roles.
From musical director and costume designer through to health and safety and stage management there are numerous backstage opportunities available. An array of performers will be required including aerialists, circus and physical performers, drummers, musicians and singers. Land of Giants also hopes to offer a series of apprenticeships in areas such as design, production, lighting, sound, special effects and community engagement.
Land of Giants has been awarded £750,000 by Legacy Trust UK and is one of only four UK Community Celebrations to be funded by the organisation. The four national events, which are taking place in Scotland, the East Midlands and South East England as well as Northern Ireland, will enable communities across the UK to come together to stage large-scale outdoor celebrations as part of the Cultural Olympiad.
Dugald Mackie, Chair of Legacy Trust UK, said: “The Olympic games are about more than sport. They are a once in a lifetime opportunity to showcase Northern Ireland to millions of people across the world. We believe that Land of Giants will inspire and encourage people throughout Northern Ireland to get involved and will leave a lasting legacy for the region.”
Partnership funding has also been committed from a range of sources including Belfast City Council, Arts Council for Northern Ireland’s National Lottery Fund and Northern Ireland Tourist Board.
The consortium behind Land of Giants represents a wealth of talent in the fields of creativity and event management. This consortium, comprised of Beat Initiative, Belfast City Council, Belfast Community Circus School and Young at Art, aims to deliver a world class event to put Belfast firmly on the map for quality outdoor arts and community engagement.
Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Niall O’Donnghaile, applauded their work in coming together to create one of the biggest community arts initiatives seen in Belfast commenting: “The drive, energy and passion for delivering a unique high quality experience will engage tens of thousands of people and is a welcome investment in the arts in the city.
“Belfast City Council and the Land of Giants partners regard this as a first step towards creating extraordinary experiences for audiences in 2012, but with potential for 2013 City of Culture, the World Police and Fire Games and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.”
Speaking about the opportunities available Will Chamberlain from Belfast Community Circus School said: “Land of Giants is just one year away today and we would like to invite people from throughout Northern Ireland to get in touch and get involved. The abundance of indigenous creative talent has an amazing opportunity to be part of a unique event being developed here, staged here, and delivered by people based here.
“Investment in the project is an investment in the future of the arts and events industry as we anticipate that those who join the Land of Giants Creative and Production teams will be inspired to use their skills to contribute to the major events set for Northern Ireland in 2013 and beyond. The training and development opportunities on offer throughout this project will result in the arts and events sectors becoming more confident and enabling them to promote the highest quality product both at home and for export. We want to encourage people to push themselves and to be ambitious for the future of outdoor arts and events in Northern Ireland.”
In addition to the personnel required to deliver the events on the 30th June 2012, the three partner organisations Young at Art, Belfast Community Circus and Beat Initiative will be employing their own teams to create and deliver a 12 month long programme of training and community participation to deliver the cast of hundreds for the final event.
To express interest in getting involved in Land of Giants please visit www.landofgiants.info