by Emily Grant

It was my second year of researching practitioners for all six TAPS events for the 2023-2024 season in London, Hong Kong, Singapore and New York. At these events, we had a host of talented professional artists who worked with students and educators.

Finding a range of local professional artists is a large research task that takes up a lot of headspace for almost six months of the year. Ideas for suitable artists come to me in conversations with friends, at shows that I see, at festivals, at workshops that I attend and sometimes even in the middle of the night when I’m dreaming.  I spend time watching performances live and online, having conversations with trusted ISTA members who generously offer their connections. It’s then time to contact a selection of these artists and establish whether their practice is the right fit for our workshop categories and if they are of course available for our event dates.

Take a look at the artistic team for each TAPS Perspectives event including bios, workshop overview and theatre experiences through the links below:

⭐️ Click here to view Hong Kong TAPS Perspectives

⭐️ Click here to view New York TAPS Perspectives

⭐️ Click here to view Singapore TAPS Perspectives

⭐️ Click here to view London 1 TAPS Perspectives

⭐️ Click here to view London 2 TAPS Perspectives

⭐️ Click here to view London 3 TAPS Perspectives

I really enjoy this aspect of my work. It keeps me on my toes – up to date with current practice and performance and it’s fascinating to meet and hear about each artist’s different projects and stories.

We are also enjoying building up a directory and knowing that some practitioners though unavailable this year are interested in the next. We had several companies drop in on a TaPS event in their local city with a view to delivering next year. In this way, ISTA’s TAPS  is building its name in the industry and there is a real sense of excitement about coming into work with the young learners who join us from around the world to explore with professionals in the field.

I enjoyed being a part of the London 1 TAPS event and having the opportunity to meet some of the artists whom I onboarded for the learning experience, many of whom had only been words in an email/faces on a screen, or bodies on a faraway stage coming to life in front of the IB learners. Being able to see it all come to life, after all the hard work, made the work that much more rewarding.

And ideas for 2024-2025 season are already brewing…

Emily Grant is an ISTA Event Manager and Administration Assistant who researches professional theatre companies and artists to collaborate with for ISTA’s TAPS events globally.