The Theatre Artists Fund has delivered 1,670 emergency grants in a seventh round of giving, providing vital aid to freelance theatre workers impacted by the recent Covid surge and subsequent show cancellations.
After a dynamic programme of free rehearsal space, networking opportunities, workshops and panels, VAULT Creative Studios has come to an end – having supported 500+ artists and freelancers across its four week run. Set up by VAULT Creative Arts as an immediate and dynamic response to the cancellation of VAULT Festival 2022, this brand new programme of events provided support, resources and creative opportunities to those most affected by the loss of the live eight week festival programme.
WhatsOnStage today announces that Jodie Prenger and Tom Read Wilson will host the 22nd Annual WhatsOnStage Awards, the only major theatre prize-giving decided entirely by the theatregoers themselves. They are joined by Chris Bush, Graziano Di Prima, Omari Douglas, James Graham, David Harewood, Frances Mayli McCann, Stephanie McKeon, Drew McOnie, Daniel Monks, Tracy Ann Oberman, Johannes Radebe, Kitty Scott Claus, Ella VaDay, Miriam-Teak Lee and Eric Underwood who will present the awards at the Ceremony on 27 February 2022 at the Prince of Wales Theatre.
Stage One is partnering with Birmingham Hippodrome, Hull Truck Theatre, MAST Mayflower Studios and Sheffield Theatres to deliver their Regional Trainee Producer Placement Scheme for 2022.
Love connects us all, a powerful emotion that many have captured throughout the ages through various art forms, it powers and inspires humanity. Without it, the world would be a duller place. Marking Valentine’s Day this year with the 2nd edition of their comedy showcase, BBC’s Ashley J and DJ B-Radz present Lovers & Friends, a thought provoking, light hearted, sentimental evening celebrating love in its multiple guises.
Renowned for showcasing the work of diverse artists across a multitude of disciplines, arts development organisation Certain Blacks continue on with their mission as they present their latest eclectic line up in their upcoming Shipbuilding Festival. A week long event exploring ‘what it is to be British and diverse in these challenging times’, post pandemic, Brexit and Black Lives Matter. Marking the conclusion of their year long development programme, the festival will present four different works, one of which including a performance from dance duo Alleyne Dance, consisting of identical twins Kristina and Sadé Alleyne. Acknowledged for their fusion of a range of dance styles, from West African dance to Kathak, originating from India performing to create resonant sequences – their latest work, A Night’s Game will be performed on Friday 18th February and seeks inspiration from stories of imprisonment, escape and fighting for freedom. Ahead of their performance, the duo tell us more about exploring these themes further, what it means to take part in Certain Black’s pertinent showcase and what they’ve taken away from working on the piece!
First published 110 years ago in 1912, celebrated author Kahlil Gibran’s novel Broken Wings is noted for its progressive stance on the rights of women – the novel’s central narrative, a tale of ill-fated love set in 1920s New York, as an ageing Gibran narrates a tale transporting us back two decades to turn of the century Beirut influenced by Kahlil’s own life journey. Adapted for the stage by Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment with Bonnie Comley and Stewart F Lane, with a Middle Eastern score by duo Nadim Naaman and Dana Al Fardan, the team craft the novel into a romantic resonant musical for our times. Graduate of the Guildford School of Acting Lucca Chadwick-Patel takes on the role of Young Khalil Gibran, the show’s lead protagonist. Currently showing at the Charing Cross Theatre, Lucca tells us more about what drew him to take part in the production, how he’s approached preparing for the role and what it’s meant to him to be a part of Broken Wings!
‘The decision is made at a higher management level’: archived voice recording of an agent from the Family and Community Service (FACS) in New South Wales, Australia, as they ‘remove’ a child from its mother. These, the chilling opening moments of Larissa Behrendt’s 2017 documentary After the Apology, are a fitting portent of the film to come. In a series which Barbican curator Alex Davidson describes as highlighting ‘the best, most important, most interesting and often the hardest to see’ films from indigenous Australians, After the Apology surely ranks as one of the most harrowingly painful documentaries ever made. Statistics blaze across the screen in black and white for this rare big-screen showing, giving voice to victims and the systematic trauma they have been subjected to.
The documentary film Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra is a part of the exciting Homeland programme at the Barbican this February which seeks to celebrate great Indigenous Australian filmmakers from the last three decades. This film tells the story of the Bangarra Dance Theatre Company tied up with the lives of the Page brothers, Russell, dancer and choreographer, David, composer and musical director, and Stephen, the visionary. From its inception in 1989 to the present day with Frances Rings, this film is first and foremost a celebration of the company’s extraordinary ability to spark a light with dance, music, family, culture, remembrance, and laughter when all else feels lost.
Originally due to showcase Swiss based work in August of 2020, Pro Helvetia were forced to postpone their Swiss Selection Live showcase due to the impact of the pandemic. Fast forward to 2 years on from the original due date, and they return with a trilogy of works – Trân Tran with Here & Now, Ntando Cele with Black Off and Alan Alpenfelt with Binaural Views of Switzerland. Ahead of this year’s event, which takes place at Brixton House from the 8th until 12th March 2022, Project Lead Ruby Glaskin tells us more about what to expect!