Outer SPACE 3: Live Art Development Agency

Located in London, the Live Art Development Agency was founded by Lois Keidan and Catherine Ugwu in 1999 as an organization to help support live-art on all fronts - from the producers to the consumers. Currently run by Lois Keidan, Daniel Brine and Andrew Mitchelson, the L.A.D.A. was established to meet the needs of performance practitioners working in a path that is not always so well defined:

"The Agency responds, both strategically and practically, to new artists, approaches and ideas by working with practitioners, organizations and institutions on curatorial initiatives; by developing strategies for increasing popular and critical engagement; by providing information and advice; and by offering extensive opportunities for dialogue, debate, research and training." (from their mission statement)


Aside from connecting artists and organizations with facilitators, festivals and funders and curating their own projects, they also hold an impressive study room with available, contemporary materials dating from the end of the 2oth century to the present. You can use one of their commissioned, personal Study Room Guides created by either Franko B, Lonetwin or John Jordan to navigate the materials based off of several particular themes including: The Body in Performance and Site and Space in Performance. You can also buy contemporary performance materials off of their website at Unbound.

Currently, the Live Art Development Agency is working with Lois Weaver (of Spider Woman Theater and WOW Cabaret in NY) to create The Long Table on Performing Rights: an open dinner table for people to speak informally about serious topics regarding human rights. More here.

Between their collaborations with different performance makers, organizations and academics and their own space as resource center, the L.A.D.A. acts as the hard and typically unseen labor in the performance world. Their function as both 'career development agency' and performance producer makes them unique in both concept and feel. Less sterile and authoritative than what one would typically think of a development agency, their name and organization leans on being a playful re-appropriation - an act indicative of may progressive performance groups, related conferences, organizations and academics working with live art.

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