The CODE company has just returned from a fantastic trip to Porsgrunn, Norway, so we thought it was the perfect time to catch up with our International Producer, Natalie Richardson, to talk about Justice in Motion’s international touring programme.
Natalie works to take the company beyond UK festivals and onto international stages, building partnerships and creating opportunities for our productions and engagement programmes to reach new audiences. We spoke to her about how we tour, why international touring matters to us, and how both we and our partners benefit from taking UK-made work beyond our borders.
More Sustainable Touring Models
Justice in Motion productions can be large-scale and require specialist equipment that isn’t always easy to source locally. This means we often rely on vans to transport both people and equipment from Oxford to the countries where we perform, which currently limits us largely to ground travel and European festivals.
As we look to the future, we are exploring more sustainable and collaborative models of international touring. One exciting possibility is recreating CODE in the USA in 2027 with an East Coast partner organisation, casting local performers and creatives who would work alongside our Artistic Director – Anja Meinhardt-Bruckmann, to create a US version of the production.
We are always mindful of the environmental impact of touring and, wherever possible, we route tours sensibly by combining dates and performances across countries. We also calculate our touring emissions using Julie’s Bicycle’s carbon calculator and are committed to contributing to the Woodland Trust’s tree planting initiatives to help offset our environmental impact.
International Collaboration and Lifelong Skills
Working with a diverse range of artists and young people is central to both our artistic development and our mission as a company. Through international touring we discover shared experiences, explore our common humanity and find new ways to navigate difficult conversations and challenges together.
During our time in Porsgrunn, six local teenagers joined an intensive CODE residency and ultimately performed alongside the company in the show – an incredible experience for everyone involved.
As residency participant Sofia Letig reflected:
“Me and a few others got three days to learn a lot, like dancing, parkour and acting and last but not least having a great time.
I would do anything to do this show with all of you again… I don’t think I will ever experience something like that ever again, that was something unique.”
Working closely with our director and cast over three days, these young people became part of our creative process, learning parkour, physical theatre and movement techniques, while also developing teamwork, communication and confidence through the shared challenge of creating and performing live theatre together.
Better Visibility Creates New Opportunities
Touring internationally raises the visibility of Justice in Motion, our work and our dedication to promoting social justice through the arts. It’s also a platform for introducing us to new audiences, presenters and collaborators while strengthening our profile within the UK arts sector.
This year we are making a significant investment in bringing CODE to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – one of the world’s largest international arts marketplaces. Alongside public performances, the Festival gives us the opportunity to showcase our work to programmers, promoters and bookers from around the globe who are looking for productions for future festivals.
These opportunities generate vital possibilities for the charity, enabling us to continue employing and training exceptional artists and technicians, creating ambitious new work and delivering powerful engagement programmes for young people.
Why International Touring Matters for CODE
For CODE, international touring carries an even deeper significance. The issues at the heart of the production – knife crime, gang culture and the exploitation of young people – are not unique to the UK. Communities across Europe and beyond are facing many of the same challenges.
Touring internationally creates opportunities to exchange ideas, share experiences and learn from organisations, educators and communities that are supporting young people and tackling these issues in different ways. At the same time, we can share the learning and impact generated through our own work in the UK.
In this way, CODE becomes more than a performance; it becomes a catalyst for dialogue, understanding and collaboration across borders.
If you think our work could have a positive impact in your community, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch with Anja at anja@justiceinmotion.co.uk or Natalie at international@justiceinmotion.co.uk to start a conversation about how we might work together.