Launched in September of 2020, the T Level offers a practical alternative to the traditional A Level. A technical qualification equivalent to 3 A Levels, students benefit from a mixture of classroom based lessons and on the job experience, the courses included on the programme designed to meet the needs of our 21st century, post pandemic work force. Created in partnership with awarding organisation NCFE, 3 T Levels were made available from 2020 – Digital production, Design and Development/design, Surveying and Planning for Construction and Education and Childcare, with a further 7 launched in September of 2021 – Building Services Engineering for Construction/Digital business Services/Digital Support and Services/Health/Health Science/Onsite Construction/Science. The rest to be launched in 2022/2023, this including a course in craft and design. With some of the courses still currently being developed, NCFE’s Director of Qualifications and Assessment Zac Aldridge tells us more about designing the innovative courses!
The pinnacle of the film industry calendar, the Academy Awards will return for their 94th edition on Sunday 27th March at the Dolby Theatre, LA. With a total of 24 categories being recognised, the evening offers a chance to celebrate the great work produced by creatives devoted to their craft. Having won his first Academy Award – a Student Academy Award as a recent graduate of The Danish Film School at the time with short film Feeding Desire in 2001, before winning his second for This Charming Man in 2003, member of AMPAS (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) filmmaker Martin Strange-Hansen returns with his latest production On My Mind – a tale of loss drawing from his own personal experience of this. Announced as an Academy Award 2022 finalist on Tuesday 8th February in the ‘Best Live Action Short Film’, Martin tells us more about how he feels post announcement, working with double Academy Award® Winning producer Kim Magnusson and performers Rasmus Hammerich, Camilla Bendix and Ole Boisen and what he’s taken away from his varied career within film!
An idea born out of the need to reconnect during the lockdowns of the pandemic, powerhouses Sophia A Jackson – founder of Afridiziak Theatre News renowned for her championing of Black Theatre within the UK, and Nina Malone, founder of influential digital platform Dope Black Mums, set up to bring a community of women together to share their experiences of motherhood have joined forces to introduce the Afridiziak Theatre News x Dope Black Mums Meet-Up, an opportunity for mums to meet and watch a show in collaboration with Soho Theatre. Having hosted their first ever event on Tuesday 15th February, where the collective met up to watch award winning production Queens of Sheba by Nouveau Riche, the next meet up will have the collective introduced to award winning production Shedding a Skin by Amanda Wilkin on Saturday 19th March 2022. Ahead of the meet up, Sophia and Nina reflect on the first event and tell us what their hopes are for the event moving forward!
Having created a much needed space for the first hand experiences of refugees, migrants and asylum seekers within the UK to be heard, PSYCHEdelight have presented a series of crucial works placing these stories centre stage. Currently presenting Mohand and Peter, drawing on company member Mohand Hasb Alrosol Abdalrahem’s real life experience of leaving his native Sudan to seek asylum, the devised piece, created by fellow company member Peter Pearson and artistic director Sophie Bertrand Besse blends clowning and visual poetry to explore explore cultural identity and the traumatic effect of long-term exile as well as celebrating refugee home countries. Ahead of the production, showing at the Southwark Playhouse from the 9th March until 9th April, Mohand and Peter tell us more about exploring this pertinent story, what it means to have a platform such as PSYCHEdelight to tell these stories and how the team have approached creating the show.
A tale inspired by her very own grandmother’s story of being ostracised for her African spiritual retentions, award winning performer Julene Robinson presents The Night Woman, a culmination of folklore, poetry and songs drawing from her native Caribbean heritage. Initially due to play at this year’s VAULT Festival, which was sadly cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic, the production receives its much deserved debut at The Other Palace Theatre from Friday 11th to Sunday 13th 2022 as part of their VAULT Fest 2022 transfer season. Ahead of the production, Julene tells us more about the show’s two year development journey, exploring her grandmother’s legacy and what to expect!
Courtesy of Stuart McClymont.
Formed in 1985 by the Theatre Peckham Company, the theatre troupe would go on to found what we currently know as Theatre Peckham in 1991, it’s initial incarnation a single story building located next to the Peckham Town Hall. Fast Forward to 2014 whereby the company would relocate to the 2nd floor of Peckham Library before settling on Havil Street in 2016, its focus of reflecting the lives of its local community a through-line that to this day powers what they do. With a continued commitment to further its reach, both on a local and wider scale, Theatre Peckham have recently announced a new appointment to their board, Dr Anni Domingo bringing with her a wealth of experience in the fields of academia, law and the arts. Having recently had their first board meeting, Anni reflects on what needs to be done to achieve the venue’s aims of reaching wider audiences!
Having received its UK premiere at the Orange Tree Theatre last year, Michele Lee’s award winning Australian drama Rice explores the interweaving worlds of Nisha – a highflying executive of Golden Fields, Australia’s largest producer of rice and Yvette, a cleaner at the company fuelled with ambition herself, however faced with challenging circumstances as her daughter faces court after participating in a protest. An observation on ambition, family, gender and cultural heritage, RICE offers a rich narrative placing the experiences of a company’s first Indian female CEO and a chinese migrant to the fore. Currently on a UK tour, the show’s next stop is at Stephen Joseph Theatre from Friday 4th until Saturday 5th March, before playing at the Crucible Theatre (7th to 9th March), Unity Theatre Liverpool (17th to 19th March), Theatre Royal Bath (24th to 26th March) HOME Manchester (29th to 30th March), Northern Stage Newcastle (1st to 2nd April) before concluding at York Theatre Royal (13th to 14th April). Taking on the role of Nisha – Anya-Jaya Murphy and Yvette – Angela Yeoh, both performers tell us more about starring in the production.
Announced during the height of the pandemic, Theatre503’s International Playwriting Award winner Pravin Wilkins would have been due to have had his pertinent play Moreno staged shortly after. However, due to the unpredictability of what was happening globally at the time, would have to wait for this to finally happen. Nearly two years post the announcement, Moreno receives its much deserved debut – a piece following American footballer Luis Moreno’s struggle to overcome injury whilst battling whether to use his platform to take a stand post Civil Rights Activist Colin Kaepernick’s 2016 monumental decision to do so on the world’s stage. Ahead of the production, which will be staged from 1st March at Theatre503, Pravin tells us more about how it feels to have won the playwriting award, his inspirations for the play and his hopes for the future!
Published 25 years ago now, Eileen Browne’s well loved storybook Handa’s Surprise continues to inspire imaginations. Set in East Africa, Kenya, the book’s lead takes on a soon to be memorable journey to visit her best friend Akeyo in a neighbouring village. The book, a fun, humorous tale with a heartwarming message of friendship, generosity and the element of surprise and unpredictability has currently been adapted for the stage by Marleen Vermeulen and starring Rujenne Green and Hannah Akhalu at the Little Angel Theatre until Saturday 16th April. The family show is a lovely addition to the children’s theatre genre, and a great way to spend half term and the upcoming Easter Holidays. Currently available to book now, Eileen tells us more about her inspiration for the book, the book’s theatrical adaptation and celebrating the story’s longevity.
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!