October marks Domestic Violence Awareness month, a month aimed at supporting victims and educating people on the signs of domestic violence. Between April 2020 and February 2021, 13,162 people contacted the National Domestic Abuse Helpline, an increase of 5,000 from previous years. Exploring this further within their show Within These Four Walls, TV Productions present a necessary piece of theatre highlighting harmful patterns behaviour.
Signalling the end of Black History Month, an integral time period within British history acknowledging the contribution of Black Britons, the inaugural A Time to Breathe Festival, curated by Greta Mendez MBE – an influential figure within the carnival movement for the past four decades – looks to celebrate creatives who have made incredible contributions to the arts. The multi-disciplinary event consisting of Batuke, contemporary dance, Calypso, choreo-poem, Lover’s Rock and more. Creatives taking part including Carol Leeming MBE, Iris De Brito, Jordana Mba, Richard Lessey, Ballet Soul, Gerrard Martin Dance, Akeim Toussaint Buck, Yassmin V Foster, Sheba Montserrat, Lorna Sutara Gee, Dennis Bovell MBE, Dr Carol La Chapelle, Dot Wong, Cleo Lake, Genesis Mas and Sandra Goldling. Ahead of the event, Carol Leeming MBE tells us more about her show The Dreadful Dance of Ms. iniquity, which will kick off the festival on Tuesday 26th October at the venue formerly known at the Stockwell Playhouse.
You’ll be taking part in the A Time To Breathe Festival at the venue formerly known as the Stockwell Playhouse – how are you feeling ahead of the event?
I’m feeling wildly excited about it. I’m so excited because Greta Mendez MBE is someone I absolutely admire, she’s a legend. When it was revealed who the wonderful artists on the lineup were, I was just thinking ‘What a great gang to be amongst’, for someone like me coming from Leicester! It’s wonderful, I’m so very excited.
Society is formed from the sum of broken hopes. Recently, the Kammerspiele presented the world premiere of Frau Schmidt fährt über die Oder (Ms Schmidt crosses the Oder) by writer-director Anne Habermehl in their studiospace. The play is the first part of a trilogy that the author is writing for the Kammerspiele.
Courtesy of Julian Baumann.
The London Pub Theatres Awards 2021 were held at Lion and Unicorn Theatre on 24 October 2021. Designed to celebrate outstanding achievements in the pub theatre environment, they cover pub theatres, companies and individuals in 15 categories (including Theatre Online). The Awards are run by London Pub Theatres Magazine and are made possible by the kind sponsorship of David Brady, Artistic Director of Lion and Unicorn Theatre.
London Pub Theatres Magazine team: David Weir, Disa Andersen, Chris Lilly, Heather Jeffery (LPT Magazine and Awards founder), Sian Rowland, Lucy Basaba, Aaron Lee.
Over 500 years ago now and the devastating impact of the Transatlantic Slave Trade reverberates within African and Caribbean history, the first sale of African slaves having taken place in 1444 in Lagos, Portugal. A surviving voice of this brutal period in time, Mary Prince’s legacy lives on, her words documented in The History of Mary Prince, a book documenting the horrors of the slave trade. Exploring Mary’s legacy in their show Sold, Kuumba Nia Arts and Unlock the Chains Collective utilise the traditions of African storytelling to highlight this very important voice within the abolition movement.
A condition not widely discussed and little known, Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) impacts roughly 1 in 100 women under aged 40yrs and 1 in 1000 womenunder aged 30yrs, the condition also referred to as the Early Menopause – the Menopause typically experienced by women aged 50 and over, the Early Menopause by those aged under 45yrs and POI by those under 40yrs. As an ambassador of The Daisy Network, a charity run by volunteers committed to educating all on the condition, as well as creating a space for those impacted by it, Catherine Cranfield presents Flushed, a heart warming tale of sisterhood, womanhood and coming to terms with receiving a diagnosis of POI.
Courtesy of Lidia Crissfull.
Recognising the need for single mothers to have that much needed mental, emotional and spiritual support, the Only Giving Back Unconditionally Colllective, fronted by Chimna Orji have returned with their second project, Haven Nurture, a relaxing escape for young single mothers. Taking place at the Battersea Arts Centre, the therapeutic event will continue on with OGBU’s mission of supporting their local community, having previously created care packages for NHS workers during the pandemic last year. Ahead of the retreat this year, Chimna tells us more about this very thoughtful initiative!
Located 65KM from the Polish border, Western Ukrainian city L’viv, also known as Lwów, Lviv and Lemberg has witnessed a complex history between the Ukrainian, Polish and Jewish communities, the various names of the city an indicator of the region’s diversity. A centuries long history, the Lemberg Progrom of 1918, marked a very dark period within the region’s history. Fast forward to present day UK and we have the ancestors of Lemberg continuing on from this complex legacy, Cordelia Lynn’s Love and Other Acts of Violence exploring the ripples of war, love and loss.
Courtesy of Helen Murray.
Nne, translates as mother and Obanje as spirit child in the Igbo language native to Nigeria; Nne and the Obanje Child translating as ‘Mother and the Spirit Child’. A story dating back thousands of years, the tale tells the story of Nne Eze or Mother Leader, an integral figure within her community who laments the loss of her eight children, who now inhabit the spirit world.
A multi billion dollar industry, the production and trade of rice is a lucrative business, the cereal grain a staple food consumed all over the world, particularly within the Asian and African continents. Delving into the inner workings of a global corporation dealing with the business of rice, writer Michele Lee, the Actors Touring Company and Orange Tree Theatre present Rice, an observation of the complex ecosystem behind cultivating the grain.
