Sharron Devine | Theatre Maker

Studio Space Art is an Independent Arts House on the East Coast of Scotland in Dundee and is led by Sharron Devine (Theatre Director/Performer/Designer) and Ben Scappaticcio (Musician|Photographer).
Studio Space Art’s core values are deeply rooted in listening, community, social engagement, openness, giving out, equality, accessibility, radical care and kindness to all kinds and generosity. We hold the door open to supporting a healthy and whole theatre, performance and arts ecology.
Sharron trained originally classically as an Actress in London and now works across all art forms and Ben trained in Modern Musicianship in Edinburgh and also working together across all art forms.

Studio Space Art was born out of a deep want to do things differently in our Industries. After twenty plus years of lots of wonderful experiences working in our industries and collaborating together with experimentation always at the core of our work and practices we were at a place where we desperately needed our own space. We are lovers of space and old spaces in particular and we love the restoration process. We also make a lot of site specific and site responsive works/installations.

At the beginning of 2017 we were both super inspired by an international Residency we collaborated on together at the Carlton Arms independent Art Hotel in NYC.
The Hotel is over 100 years old and steeped in so much rich history, a history that includes a life as a dilapidated boarding house, a Prohibition-era speakeasy, a prostitution hub and then in the 1980s with the arrival of new manager, Ed Ryan – a Bronx-born writer, construction-worker, and worldly adventurer – a hotbed of artistic activity that includes Banksy and now us.
Our residency there was called ‘turn and face the strange” and marked the 35th opening of rooms at the Hotel. The work we made together as a family for one of the Hotel rooms, as part of that residency is ‘high gloss’.
The Hotel guarantees that the rooms created by the Artists as part of their residencies will remain for at least 2 years. Our room there can still be experienced.

Rewind - In 2015/2016, after the loss of Sharron’s Dad and on making him a promise, we took a year out to travel, think and try to begin to rebalance as a family about what we really want to do in life and as Artists. After we completed our NYC Residency, we were pretty sure so, we set about trying to get our hands on our own space to invest in, a place where we could try to replicate a smaller, similar idea as the Hotel with our own twist here in Scotland for ourselves and those we wish to collaborate with and those who wish to work with us.
Our task in finding a place was accomplished in 2017 after some time searching, we found a 140 year old listed bomber of a space just outside Dundee. We have spent the last number of years since settling back in Dundee, thinking hard about all the values that are important to us as artists in often relentlessly tough and fickle industries. We have also been lovingly restoring our place ourselves, which has been no easy task. But we are there now and it feels like a real achievement to have our own space and so inspiring to be right beside the River Tay!

Studio Space Art is our tiny attempt to remain independent artists, to be conscious, to rebel, to try to operate creatively under our own set of values, rules and principles. To take control of a ‘space’ of our own where we can think straight and pursue what we are interested in investigating and talking about as Artists together. To try to reclaim our creative space in the world, and to question what space is and can be together. A space that is thoughtful of neighbours and community. A space we can offer to others to be in and catch their breath if that is what they need. A space that can support heART and that can co-create positive change together from its core.
We work in delicate, competitive and volatile industries, industries we feel the current funding, systems and operating models are broken. Industries where Artists are so often set up to compete with one-another - we want to try to find our own ways of operating that are healthy, supportive of one another and non toxic. Ways of being that are nurturing and sustainable for us all to survive in and to do our best in, to be able to keep practicing our work in. A landscape where maybe the many can have a voice, not just the same few…

We are curious and we love to collaborate. We have been collaborating for a very long time, across art-forms and disciplines locally and internationally - we believe that collaboration is an art form, a skill, a craft. We believe that when many minds, perspectives, vibes and flows from all walks of life and backgrounds come together, that is where the true magic happens - it makes us stronger, our voices louder and the stories we tell more authentic. This way of working urges us not to become complacent and safe but instead to keep asking ourselves important questions about ourselves, the world we live in and our place in it.
We are at a place in our careers where we have no time for comparing ourselves with others, we celebrate difference, illuminate truth and we believe collaboration is about recognising and supporting other Artists and their skills.
We are also passionate and experienced at working with our local communities that we find ourselves in. And by surrounding ourselves with and collaborating with others across sectors who are essentially better than us, we all win!

Collaboration also requires an enormous amount of openness, lack of judgement and endless amounts of communication and we recognise that sometimes it just doesn’t work. But when it does work, the sky is the limit. No risk, no magic!
And whilst we love and respect the shorthand and security that can be achieved working over time with the same collaborators, we also think it is vitally important and exciting to come out of those comfort zones. To take the risks that scare us and to consider working with those we might not ordinarily. To listen, to be open to meeting and working with new people to us; we think that is how we truly grow and keep developing as humans and as Artists - we might even make a difference together. We believe things happen, not randomly or by chance, but just as they are meant to be - even the bad stuff. We believe everything is meant for a reason…

We’re back living in Dundee, we’re right by the sea, the sunsets are killer and anyone really is welcome. Get in touch if you want more info, we love meeting new humans…

‘a place where something can happen’ - Wynn Hardman - Founder of the American Place Theatre

Some like minded souls who have come (in person and virtually) to collaborate | hang out | experiment | cook | stay over, blether and dream with us so far include:

Robin Mason (Cellist), Steve Kettley (Saxophonist), Kim Falconer (Actor), Abby Chan (Hong Kong, Dancer, choreographer, performer) James Yang (Illustrator), Chris O’Connell (Writer, Director, Photographer) Julia Negus (Producer, Visual Artist), Ross Whyte (Musician, Sound Designer), Zexuan Qiao (China, Musician, 3D instrument maker), Seth Hirsch (USA, Rapper), Cristobal Bahamonde (Chile, Pro Skateboarder), John McCann (writer), Liam Nolan (Community), Hope London (Artist, Musician), Georgie Dettmer - (she/her) actor | theatre-maker, Maya Little, Theatre Director | writer, Amy Turnbull, Writer, Darren McGarvey - Rapper | Writer | Activist).

Studio Space Art is now in its sixth year, and works hard to listen and respond to things that are not there in Theatre, Music and Communities - Sharron has set up three strands of Residencies hosting cross art-form Artists locally (the sanctuary), nationally (it’s a vibe) and internationally (the sound of your voice) from Studio Space Art. These Creative Residencies are artist led, tailor made and envelope around individual Artists needs responding to where the individual Artist is at on their unique creative journey.
Studio Space Art are also embedded in local communities working in the 3rd Sector with many local organisations providing access to the arts for all, they are also currently, every second Saturday at the Little Theatre, Hilltown, Dundee working with local Artists and Community members.

”Creative Residencies are a great way to get to know one-another and one-another’s work better in a safe unpressurised environment with no obligation to create a product, end result and give Artists the time and space they so often desperately need” Sharron Devine, Studio Space Art

“Sharron’s notions on space, support and kindness absolutely made us feel welcome and her advice and guidance as well as space away from work and home to really explore our new project has made the world of difference” Georgie Dettmer - (she/her) actor and theatre-maker based in London.

“Uninterrupted time to focus on one project is so rare for me, let alone with a collaborator. Sharron’s openness of engagement with our work, her gentle but firm provocations and acknowledgment of how uncaring the industry is has made me feel so supported. Being in such a beautiful house has made me feel secure enough and energised enough to be really investigative and rigorous in my thinking” Maya Little, Theatre Director and writer based in Oxford.

Particularly after the last few awful years for humanity - be kind, care, make your own rules and discombobulate the system with your defiance.

Much love - it’s tough AF out there…

Sharron and Ben

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