>>DEVELOPING ARTISTS
OneFest is committed to developing artists and providing meaningful opportunities, all year round.
Making a Musician
On the back of our ‘Rock Star Crash Course’, and having partnered with legends like Archie and the Astronauts, Tigercub, Pete Box, and Girl Band, we have created a weekly jam / writing session for learning disabled and / or autistic musicians.
We are determined to follow in the footsteps of other great bands that feature learning disabled members and rock harder than anyone else, such as Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät, Heavy Load, and Delta Seven. We have ensured big hitters from the scene have featured on the OneFest bill since the very start, with our stage being graced by the likes of Beat Express, Dima Zouchinski, Ryan O’Donovan, and the epic Ultimate Thunder. In addition, we have thrown local musicians in at the deep-end to work and perform with our headliners.
Out of this a band, Little Trees (pictured), is emerging, who are writing their own music, and pursuing the ambition of becoming a touring and recording outfit.
One-Up: Stand-up Comedy Training programme
One-Up is a regular programme of stand-up comedy training for learning disabled and autistic people in Mansfield, to include quarterly gig events featuring the best disabled comedians in the UK alongside new local performers. One-Up runs in collaboration with comedy agency Ingenious Fools and touring showcase Disabled Cants, both dedicated to spotlighting the best up-and-coming disabled comedians and providing mentorship/guidance to industry newcomers. One-Up is a unique platform for learning disabled and autistic people in Mansfield, building confidence, communication and creativity skills. It is a fun and accessible way of breaking down barriers between disabled and non-disabled people.
If you are learning disabled and / neurodivergent and you fancy a serious crack at stand-up comedy, contact us…
Paid internship roles for learning disabled people
Each year OneFest provides a number of paid internship roles for learning disabled and autistic people in the art scene… because even career artists often have to have other jobs. Coached to take on roles ranging from front of house, runner, tech support, to artist liaison, these positions provide people with the oppotunity to become part of the wider Unanima family and learn valuable employment skills.
If you or someone you know would like to be considered for one of these positions please get in touch with us . We tend to meet with people first to discuss expectations they and have and that we have, and then look for a position in which they can meaningfully contribute to the festival while also developing themselves personally.