This September, the Royal Opera House opens its doors for #OpenHouseLondon – an annual celebration of architecture, designed to make the capital more open, accessible and equitable.
This September, the Royal Opera House opens its doors for #OpenHouseLondon – an annual celebration of architecture, designed to make the capital more open, accessible and equitable.
After receiving an invite to visit the Isle of Man to get a better idea of what their arts scene has to offer , I couldn’t refuse! On Monday 8thAugust, I made my way to the Island via the Isle of Man Steam Packet Ferry Company where I was greeted by Erin, a member of the Locate Isle of Man team.
Surrounded by the Irish Sea, the Isle of Man is an island nation with a population of just over 80,000 people. With early inhabitants settling before 6500BC, the island celebrates its Manx heritage, which is a mixture of Norse, Gaelic and English Influences. Anyone familiar with the motor cycle racing calendar will know that the Isle of Man is renowned for its TT or Tourist Trophy tournament which witnesses the local streets transformed into a real life racing track. The island has also been awarded ‘biosphere reserve status’ by UNESCO, demonstrating the island’s strong ethos of ensuring a balanced relationship between people and nature
Seeing as my stay was a short one, I had a packed itinerary starting off with a brief tour on Tuesday 9th August of the Island where I was given a brief tour of Douglas, the island’s capital by Abi of Locate Isle of Man, where I passed the scenic Port Erin which offers a wide range of water sports to part take in and offering a great way to enjoy the glorious weather! Bradda Head, most commonly known as Erin Port Castle located on the cliffs of Port Erin which can be seen at a distance is a fascinating landmark to be explored if you wish to. Remains of Castle Rushen, also a great stop off point if you wish to take in the island’s medieval history.
I then went on to meet Head of Culture and Arts Emma Callin and Arts Development Manager Jane Corkill at the Arts Council, who both informed me of the Island’s community spirit, the arts buildings that shape what theatre looks like and The National Strategy – a six point agenda consisting of 6 key points that tie the Island’s traditional Manx heritage with a future focused, progressive outlook. Both charismatic in their outlook and enthusiastic in where they see the island’s art’s life moving forward, the meeting was an inspiring one!
Why are we here? Why now? What is our purpose? What is the meaning of life? How did life begin? An endless stream of questions that inspire curiosity, faith and inspiration to many. The natural world around us containing within it various patterns and processes that correspond with our own experiences. What lies beyond our planet Earth, unknown galaxies, universes, plants and life yet to be discovered, if ever they will be and energies that directly impact our own day to day lives. Returning to the stage with his latest tour Horizons – A 21st Century Space Odyssey, celebrated broadcaster and physicist Professor Brian Cox CBE ponders the past and what is yet to come.
BAFTA Award-winning actor Susan Wokoma has been announced as the host of The Stage Debut Awards 2022, in association with Ambassador Theatre Group. The Stage Debut Awards celebrate the very best breakthrough talent in theatre, from actors and directors to designers, writers, composers and lyricists, all of whom have made their professional debuts in the past two years.
Britain’s East and South East Asian Network (besea.n) has sent a letter to the Government to ask it to officially recognise East and South East Asian (ESEA) Heritage Month in the UK, which will take place throughout September, for the second year running.
The open letter includes signatures from Marvel stars Gemma Chan and Benedict Wong, comedian Phil Wang and Harry Potter actor Katie Leung, along with well-known activists, educators and community organisers Patrick Vernon OBE, convenor of Windrush75 and Nova Reid, author of popular anti-racism book The Good Ally.
The Bread & Roses Theatre, Clapham, has today announced the full program of productions for the 2022 Clapham Fringe Festival. With an eclectic, vibrant mix of early career producers, touring productions, stand up comedy and genre-bending new work, the festival promises to have something for all tastes. Asking bold questions, alongside more light-hearted material, the festival is a greatly varied curation of pieces, which complement each other in the breadth and variety of voices given a platform by the Off West End Award winning theatre.
The 2022 Edinburgh International Festival has drawn to a close following 92 different productions featuring over 2,400 artists from around 45 different nationalities, returning to full theatres and concert halls with critical acclaim for the first time since 2019. The 2022 International Festival marks Fergus Linehan’s last as Festival Director following an eight-year tenure, before Nicola Benedetti takes up the role in October 2022. The 2023 International Festival will take place 4 – 27 August.
As one of the most influential world religions, Islam serves as a source of comfort for many. Dating back to the 7th century, the religion is practiced by an estimated two billion followers. Home to one of the UK’s largest Islamic communities, Birmingham celebrates the diversity of voices within this community. One of the five pillars of Islam; Salat – meaning the act of praying whilst facing the holy city of Mecca concerns itself with the five prayers that take place throughout the day, and delving deeper into this act, with a focus on the whispers/thoughts that may accompany this, Soul City Arts’ WASWASA – Whispers in Prayer respectfully showcases this in motion.
The eight major producing venues behind EdFest.com– which comprise Assembly, Dance Base, Gilded Balloon, Just the Tonic, Pleasance, Summerhall, Underbellyand ZOO– collectively commented that soaring accommodation costs are the biggest risk to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s future. 1,965,961 tickets were collectively sold by the eight venues in 2019 while more than 1,486,746 are forecast to be sold this year.
A spokesperson for EdFest.com said: “It has been fantastic to be back at the first full Fringe since 2019 – to see the live performance industry come roaring back to life in this post-pandemic world. There has been a real appetite and energy for shared, live experiences in Edinburgh over the last few weeks and the quality of the programme has been incredible – yet, the forecast number of tickets we’ve collectively sold is down 25% compared to 2019 which is a major threat for everyone involved in the festival.”
Driven by the need to survive, avenues subversive to the norm may be sought in order to make ends meet, acting as that step closer to achieving whatever dream aspired to. An exploration of the world of sex work seen through the eyes of four women, hard-hitting drama Sold by Mama delves deeper into the lives and trials of these women seldom really listened to and often silenced.