The National Live Literature Consortium of venues was established by Arts Council England in 2003 to explore and develop live literature. We came together to share our experiences to date, and to support the development of live literature within traditional arts venues, rather than its more common home in bars and cafes, at festivals and in bookshops and libraries.

Throughout our three years of discussion, debate and practice, we have repeatedly returned
to the same key questions:

What do we mean by live literature?

What does it include and exclude?

How is it different - for example - from theatre?

How do we talk about the artform?

How do we best describe it to audiences, to peers, to funders?

Where is the critical debate about the work happening?

Should there be (indeed can there be) a common vocabulary to describe the work?

What can artists, venues and funders do to ensure that live literature crashes through the glass ceiling and gets the recognition and exposure it deserves?

How do we bridge the gap between an artist who feels their work is not seen enough in established venues and venues who feel the packages on offer are not suitable for their audiences or spaces?

What is the role of the producer in this and who are the live literature producers of today - and perhaps more importantly - tomorrow?

We can't promise to give you the answers, but following an extended period of programming, marketing and more recently producing our own live literature work, we have begun to develop our own views and practices.

Now Lit Up 2006 is over, we’re reviewing progress so far and planning for the future life of the Consortium and the showcase. If you are interested in getting involved, please email info@litup.org

Watch this space...

The Live Literature Consortium is:

Dee Ashworth, Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury

Louisa Davies, mac, Birmingham

Matthew Linley, Phoenix Arts, Leicester

Sam Mason, Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal

Jon Morgan, Contact Theatre, Manchester

Annabel Turpin, Norden Farm Centre for the Arts, Maidenhead