Artichoke, also known as the Artichoke Trust, is a London-based British company and registered charitable trust that stages arts spectacles and live events. It was founded in 2002 by Helen Marriage, former director of the Salisbury International Arts Festival, and Nicky Webb.[1][2][3][4]
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Artichoke specialises in working in unusual places, such as streets, public spaces and the countryside, and are frequently on a large scale. The company's website states:
| “ | We don’t believe the arts should take place only behind the closed doors of our theatres and art galleries. Instead, we put on shows that, though ambitious and complex, have something to say to the widest possible audience.[1] | ” |
The company produced The Sultan's Elephant, the biggest piece of free theatre ever staged in London,[5] which attracted a million people over a four day period in 2006, and the recent event in Liverpool featuring La Princesse, a giant mechanical spider.[6] Artichoke has received praise from the press for their productions: a review in The Observer wrote: "a two-woman company called Artichoke ... are one of the most vital of theatrical forces",[7] and Marriage and Webb transformed the Salisbury Festival from a local event into what The Times called "a miracle of modern British culture".[8][9] Marriage and Webb won the 2006 Women of the Year Shine Award for an outstanding achievement in the arts,[10][11] and were listed in Time Out's list of 100 Movers and Shakers in London in November of the same year.[12][11] Their production of The Sultan's Elephant won the Visit London Award for Cultural Event of the Year in 2006.[13][11] In October 2007 Artichoke mounted a one-day conference, Larger Than Life, on all aspects of staging large-scale productions.
The Artichoke Trust is a registered charity (Reg Charity No 1112716), funded by the Arts Council and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, and raising significant funds from other trusts, foundations and businesses, as well as by public donation.[14] Artichoke also works as a consultant through its non-charitable company, Artichoke Productions Ltd.
Nicky Webb and Helen Marriage worked together intermittently on productions prior to founding Artichoke in 2002. In all, their productions have included:
As Artichoke:
Nicky Webb (editor), 2006, Four Magical Days in May: How an Elephant Captured the Heart of a City London: Artichoke Trust