New Wolsey Theatre is based in Ipswich and is an independent not-for-profit organisation. They are funded by Arts Council England as one of its National Portfolio Organisations and receive local funding from Ipswich Borough Council and Suffolk County Council as well as other project funding from a variety of sources. New Wolsey Theatre is a mid-scale theatre with a mixed performance programme that combines in-house with touring productions. It has a diverse audience, a strong commitment to access and reaching parts of the community not normally engaged in the arts. This is complemented by a strong business model based on a policy of maximising earned income, especially through ticket sales, and innovative funding. Ipswich is a town with 127.000 population, a mix of ‘rural bliss’, ‘gentrified areas’ new build family housing and older working class areas. Fans of the local football club Ipswich Town are known as the ‘Tractor Boy’ indicating how the town has historically been perceived (tractors are farm vehicles).

Bunker is oriented to performing arts. It was established in 1997 as a private, non-profit institute in order to promote young performing artists through the Mladi Levi festival that was initiated in 1998. Since many other festivals have started to present emerging performing artists Bunker has expanded its commitment to performing arts through following areas: performing arts production, festivals, international cooperation through networks and collaboration projects, educational programs, discussion evenings and management of the venue located in the outskirts of Slovenia’s capital city of Ljubljana. The venue is in an old power station converted into the performing arts centre. It is used by Bunker, but is also service/space for other performing arts organizations.

The theatre building is 4,500 m2, former workshops halls of the school for mechanics, renovated and adapted as a multi-functional cultural facility. The institution is located in the very centre of the 250,000 inhabitants district of blocks of flats for steelworks employees of Nowa Huta. The theatre was attracted to start AD activities as tools for highlighting the cultural identity of residents of the Nowa Huta district. Based on earlier experience, practice and intuition, they were ready to take on the demanding work with people whose trust was manipulated, mystified and idealised through decades of local history and finally betrayed after the democratic transformation of Poland. The Theatre’s response was an affirmation of creativity, transparency and trust, providing symbolic gestures for reconciliation. To Bartosz Szydlowski Łaźnia Nowa Theatre mirrors the tradition of ancient Greece, with myths, polis and logos marking, but not determining, the sense of ‘my’ place. His dream is to develop the best cultural institution in Poland, but the goal is not reached as long as the institution runs only on the leader’s energy.