EPAD Platform

“Platform is a great opportunity to present work to an audience of peers and represents a massive opportunity for artists in the city.” Independent artist

A safe online place for the presentation of creative ideas.

“It gave us a chance to test out the idea and we were really happy with the outcome.”

Independent artists

“It's a good opportunity to share work, skills, creativity and practice. I can't think of any other organisation offering that!”

Independent artist

EPAD Platform was a response to the findings of our Covid Impact Survey, which highlighted the need for greater advocacy and opportunity for the city's independents.

It aimed to make the work of Edinburgh's independent performing artists, producers and freelance practitioners visible to the city's wider cultural community and to provide an environment for respectful peer to peer feedback and support. It could be used in whatever way practitioners needed it to sustain their creative practice, for example: 

• Performing a reading of scenes or excerpts from other new writing;  

• Giving a short workshop to present learning from a recent project;

• Talking about a project you would like others to get involved in;

• Presenting some performance work that you are developing and on which you would like feedback; 

• Testing out how well the online format works for any interactive work you are developing; 

• Provoking an audience in response to your current thinking or ideas.

Platforms included:

Hazel Darwin-Clements testing out The Time Travel Game, a workshop/game that uses drama exercises to imagine our future as it might be shaped by the Climate Emergency.

Jinling Wu reading a draft of a new screenplay she is writing and discussing it with the audience.

Danielle Farrow testing an online format for performance using an excerpt from The Tempest.

Morna Burdon reading a selection of her poems.

Lucas Chih-Peng Kao and Liz Strange testing a new version of Lockdown Lots, a Zoom-specific interactive auction game where viewers can bid absolutely anything they have.

Fin Ross Russell introducing the work of his company Island Life Productions.

Lubna Kerr introducing the ideas behind a new play she is writing.

You can read more about some of the previous Platforms here.