It is with a heavy heart that I announce that we were rejected further funding from the Arts Council England. The feedback received made it clear they are inundated with applications and we just didn't make the cut unfortunately. There was no room for improvement other than to confirm school workshops that since applying in February, they are now confirmed. However, due to lack of staff and ability to follow-up with artists during the process they did not know this new information.

The future is uncertain in many ways. We have 3 tours booked but I am not sure how they can go ahead without the funds to re-write and re-rehearse the show. We are taking some time to regroup and adjust. The game is in the process of being released in GooglePlay and AppleStore. Truth Sleuth in Thrills, Chills and Chemical Spills is being tested as an acutal app and should be live in no time at all.

It is such a shame how funding cuts to the arts and the sheer lack of value given to artists in society leave us all competing with each other for a tiny sliver of a very small pie. I hope to have an update soon.

It is finally happening. After 6 months of toiling away our desks, MGTC have managed to actually make a game! I am amazed at what we have been able to produce. Though the last year has been difficult emotionally, as a company I feel like we have risen from the ashes and taken theatre to a new place. Never in our wildest dreams thought we could create something so complex and fun. This is a game that tackles some difficult concepts: Bias, evidence, truth, conspiracy theory, vested interest, integrity, misinformation, proof, protest.

We invite the player to be a novice detective and move through a series of binary choices while having to keep up their integrity meter. This game takes roughly an hour to play and we are now testing this game with young people of all ages to see where it lands. So far, we think 7 is too young. We are calling out for young people 9 and up who are willing to test this game and let us know what you think and how it makes you think and feel. Please get in touch if you have young people in your life who can help test this game.

Original music by Gregory Cochrane, co-written by Tess Cartwright and Christopher Harrisson, animation by Christopher Harrisson and game development by Chris McMath. This is a whole new world we have embarked on and feel really proud to say we were able to diversify in these strange times.

We did it! We survived January! Yes, we were in our 3rd lockdown and yes, I have trenchfoot from trapsing in the mud on the same walk I have now done 31 days in a row. However, it is now perfectly square February and I saw a flower the other day so I have some hope. As a company who makes theatre, we cannot work from home all the time. With the help and support of The Pound, we observed COVID restrictions and put guidance in place to have some R&D and rehearsal time. It was such a glorious morning driving through the frosty countryside heading to WORK that Friday in January! We have of course been working from home on the Truth Sleuth game and it is coming along nicely. It is starting to look like a thing. Here are some highlights from our work in January. Big thanks to Chris Harrisson (www.haveyoulostme.com) for his tireless efforts and fantastic artwork! As for February, it is time to get as many libraries on board for a future tour (aiming for autumn) so we can impart some critical thinking tools to young people and maybe, just maybe, save the world.

In March 2020 the pandemic left Truth Sleuth out to dry. The preview of the show was performed and filmed at Henleaze Library to a small audience the night the lockdown was announced.  We knew it was likely to happen but we had virtually no idea at the time the impact it would have on us as artists or on our projects. 2020 - the biggest joke with a hindsight punchline there ever was.

Ove the last 8 months we have seen firsthand what damage misinformation can have to communities across the world. It has strengthened our mission to find a way to educate people about critical thinking and to urge them to research and explore reputable sources so they can be well-informed - not just spoon fed whatever those with financial interests want us to buy into.

We are happy to announce we got our Arts Council England funding to create  a schools package about critical thinking in a digital age. We are now working on a digital game to accompany the Truth Sleuth tour that will hopefully tour schools in May 2021. We are very excited to be collaborating with Chris Harrisson  (www.haveyoulostme.com) a wonderful theatre maker and animator with experience teaching critical thinking to young people. We have support and collaboration from Bristol and Wiltshire Library services and we are very grateful to be able to continue to work on this very important project.

So far, we are in our brainstorming phase which is really fun! Creating more characters, stories and games aimed at ages 7 - 11years to encourage a passion for the pursuit of the truth. Looking forward to sharing more with you as we get deeper into this new project!