JM Parkes

Writer. Director. Artist. Facilitator

About

Jason is an award winning writer, multi-media artist, director and facilitator based in Northern Ireland. He works across several art forms and is much in demand as a storyteller, poet and as a mixed media artist. His work is often site specific and includes multiple artforms often encompassing story and poetry with visuals, sound and live performance. He has produced extensive work for the theatre, film/TV, radio/audio and in live events. He is a member of Equity, The Irish Writers Guild & The National Association of Writers in Education. Clients include BBC, ITV, National Museums, Historic Royal Palaces, National Trust, Royal Horticultural Society, Lyric Theatre, Oxford Playhouse, Bath Theatre Royal, many other theatres, museums, arts organisations, several universities and numerous publications. He is happy to work to a specification or provide creative input to a wide range of projects-particularly those with an educational, social, health, heritage or environmental focus.Jason is co-founder of Theatre Without Walls

Work

Jason's writing includes over 30 scripts including Don Quixote, Desert Island Books & The Hold (Everyman Theatre), Words of War, 60secondShakespeare(BBC) and many more TIE, Forum and roleplay pieces. He has written numerous articles for newspapers, journals and general B2B content, copy etc. His poetry and short stories are mostly written to be performed live but have also appeared in various new writing collections and been part of gallery exhibitions.He is regularly engaged to create public engagement and educational programmes for museums, galleries and heritage organisations. He has held numerous residencies as a writer and artist. He has developed a particular interest in social care and health, for example, his approach to arts engagement with people living with Alzheimer's and early onset dementia won him an NHS commendation. He has also produced work for several universities on creative and literacy interventions in early years education.He is primarily interested in developing socially engaged work. As a theatre producer he has directed productions for youth, community and education alongside professional productions. He has produced work for several leading regional theatres( incl. Bath Theatre Royal, Chipping Norton Theatre, Oxford Playhouse, Banbury Mill etc.) and many independent production companies.
Although he has always enjoyed working in traditional venues his main interest is in working directly with communities and developing site specific work. He has created extensive Theatre of the Oppressed based work with community groups that includes projects with the Nelson Trust (Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation), The Home Farm Trust (Adults with Learning Disabilities), Gloucestershire Pakistani Friendship group and many others in divided communities and with minority groups. His approach and methodology continues to develop through residencies, collaborative work with other artists and ongoing training.Jason originally trained as a drama teacher at Homerton College, University of Cambridge and is qualified with a BEd in Drama and Literature. Prior to that he had been working as a trainee journalist and sending work to various publications alongside taking part in community and youth theatre. He has never forgotten how important this was to his life and has since run several youth theatres including his own Stage Play company and has been youth theatre director at The Grand Opera House in Belfast and an Education Project Director at the Lyric Theatre for many years. He was also a longterm venue director and workshop facilitator with Shakespeare Schools Festivals and has delivered workshops for NYT, Central and also 'youth' theatre for older people with Big Telly with whom he also directed 3 community productions.He co-founded Theatre Without Walls in 2002. So far his projects have won 5 community learning awards, 2 commendations and he and his partner were recipients of the Cotswold Life Business Award for their work nominated by the Prince's Trust.Aside from Writing and directing other art forms he practices include mixed media work featuring photography, sound & film and print making. He produces work combining words, visuals and sound. His work has been featured in gallery exhibitions and online.Jason is currently a resident artist with Arts Care working in the public health sector. He facilitates writing, photography, drama and general arts workshops.He has had numerous residencies throughout his career and as a visual artist has developed work for charities including Goal Line, Arts 4 All, Arts in Motion and many others.He performs as a storyteller and poet using a multi sensory approach and again like his theatre work his practice includes multiple artforms. For example other arts and crafts he practices in this side of his work includes theatre puppet and mask making. Early in his career he had an apprenticeship in technical theatre as an ASM where he learned various skills making set and props and operating lighting and sound equipment and he partially paid his way through university with stage management and roadie gigs.Other Interests:
Jason worked for several years as a chef making it as far as Jr sous chef before his art and community work took over and he still enjoys getting into the kitchen and writing about it.
He has had a lifelong interest in gardening-he grew up digging and as well as writing about gardening and gardeners, including the history of gardening for the likes of the National Trust and Royal Horticultural Society he is seldom happier than when up to his oxters in muck.Jason enjoys playing several instruments including Guitar, Bass, Piano and various drums and other percussion instruments from around the world. He was a radio DJ for a few years and still loves using these skills on his workshops.He has spent much of his life travelling for work, research and inspiration including extended periods in Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain as well as six years in France. He now divides his time between Northern Ireland where he was born and the Cotswolds in England where his wife is from. He has an Irish and British passport and is available to work throughout Europe as well as across the UK and Ireland.

Jason's current clients include:

Jason's past clients include:

Contact

Jason can work directly from his home studio in Hillsborough in Northern Ireland with quick access to the Belfast-Dublin Corridor or from Forwood In Gloucestershire from where he can be in central London, Oxford, Birmingham or Cardiff within 2 hours. He is also happy to travel and is available to undertake work anywhere in the UK, Ireland or across the EU.

JM ParkesHillsborough
Northern Ireland
BT 26 6ASForwood,
Gloucestershire
GL6 9AB+44/ 0 7962040395
[email protected]