Marking 35 years since the influential poetry organisation formed; creating a space for emerging artists to hone their craft, Apples and Snakes acknowledges this exciting achievement by curating an immersive production taking over the newly renovated Battersea Arts Centre. Rallying Cry, just like Apples and Snakes is a call for vibrant, non-apologetic voices that disrupt the norm, fighting for equality. Apples and Snakes’ Associate, Roger Robinson celebrates over 3 decades of writing and spoken word poetry, having performed with influential bands, touring internationally with the British Council, been featured in the National Portrait Gallery’s New Generation Poets collection and having been chosen by the arts organisation Decibel as one of their top 50 influential Black British writers. A project that witnesses emerging and established spoken word talent collaborate, Robinson talks about what audiences can expect.
Hi Roger! You’ll be performing in Apple and Snakes’ event Rallying Cry from the 4th to 6th October. How do you feel ahead of the performance?
The American Playwrighting Foundation’s The Relentless Award, formed in tribute to the late and great actor – Philip Seymour Hoffman’s pursuit of truth within theatre seeks to find powerful new voices that ‘are challenging’, ‘exhibit fearlessness’, ‘are not mainstream’, ‘exude passion’ and that ‘are relentlessly truthful’. 2016 semi-finalist, Dipika Guha’s The Art of Gaman – a production exploring displacement after the devastation of the Hiroshima bombing during the final stage of WWII follows the lead, Tomomi, as she navigates a new life post conflict. Receiving its UK debut at Theatre503, Dipika tells us more about what to expect from the show.
Argentinean documentary director Lola Arias, who is best known for her theatre work, recently presented her debut film Teatro de guerra at the Berlin Film Festival. Related to her play Minefield that opened at the Royal Court Theatre in 2016, followed by a world tour, the film features six war veterans from the UK and Argentina who re-enact their experiences and relive their trauma of war together. A master of documentary fiction, Arias is interested in personal stories in a larger historical context, and for her new production she has chosen a highly relevant subject indeed.
Courtesy of Thomas Aurin.
In a lonely desert, away from everyone and everything else, a person waits. A punishment for killing his father, Mavuso has been awarded a unique deal – to sit outside a prison, and stare at it until he decides that his reconciliation is over. There is nothing keeping him there, yet he remains. Trapped by his own sense of moral compass, he has become a prisoner to life.
Courtesy of Ryan Buchanan.
Synonymous with the art world, Pablo Picasso’s works are easily some of the most recognisable. An artist credited as being an influential spearhead within the cubist movement, his art works are immediately what spring to mind at the mere mention of his name. Behind the scenes, it’s known that Picasso‘s love life was just as colourful, his marriages tainted by extra-marital affairs. Brian McAvera’s Picasso’s Women taps into this, giving the eccentric painter’s partners a voice to be heard. Produced by Flying Elephant Theatre, performer Colette Redgrave talks about taking on the role of ballet dancer and first wife to Picasso, Olga Khokhlova.
Following its huge success in Edinburgh in 2017 , Adam finds its new home at the recently renovated Grand Hall of the Battersea Arts Centre.
Courtesy of Ikin Yum.
‘Three days, three cities, three theatres – Infinite ways to imagine the future of dance’ – This is the tagline that greets you when you visit Dansathon‘s website. Exciting in concept, the initiative sets out to push the performance genre of dance to a new level. Fusing the latest tech with some of the world’s most forward thinking dance practitioners and performance makers, innovations in how we perceive dance will be challenged. Dance Producer JiaXuan Hon tells us more about the forward thinking initiative!
An Adventure traces the story of Jyoti and Rasik as they travel across India and Kenya before settling in the United Kingdom. The audience watches their adventure begin in 1950s and sees how their lives unfold as each act jumps a bit farther into the future until recounting their lives in 2018.
Courtesy of Helen Murray.
Earlier this year artistic director Indhu Rubasingham announced that the Tricycle Theatre would be changing its name to Kiln Theatre as part of the much needed £7 million ‘Tricycle Transformed’ development project that has taken over two years to complete.
Courtesy of Mark Douet.