Marking 40 years since the devastating events of the Brixton Uprising of April 1981, caused as a result of racial tensions between the Black community and the police, non zero one explore the impact of the historical event years later in their interactive, audio tour – On These Streets.
Finding connection, whether on a friendship or romantic level, is an important aspect of our lives, these connections shaping our day to day. Placing a focus on this, from the perspective of three single leads having just celebrated their 60ths, Invisible Me gives voice to viewpoints seldom heard.
With the build up to COP26 taking place from late October, various arts organisations have created works responding to the climate conference, opportunities to respond to the climate crisis creatively and working within communities to encourage conversation and explore possible solutions welcoming collaboration. Contributing to this crucial conversation with his newly created work Murmurations, playwright and Professor of Scriptwriting at the University of East Anglia Steve Waters, in collaboration with Tangled Feet, National Trust’s Wicken Fen Nature Reserve and RSPB Strumpshaw Fen Reserve explores “what we need from nature and what nature needs from us in a world recovering from sickness.” Showing as part of Great Big Green Week, which falls from Saturday 18th until Sunday 26th September 2021, the show will take place at both reserves. Ahead of the site specific piece, Steve tells us more about the show.
Aalapi – roughly translating as “be silent because what we’re hearing is beautiful” in the Inuktitut language perfectly sums up this production, a celebration of home, family and freedom.
Magic – (Verb) To move, change, or create as if by magic. A phenomenon often attributed to mythological tales, magic is a key component of the fantasy world, a means to manipulate circumstances, matter and time. Expanding on this facet further in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s new musical The Magician’s Elephant, Illusion Designer and Magic Consultant John Bulleid – whose credits include When Darkness Falls at The Park Theatre, The Ocean at the End of the Lane which he is the Illusion Associate of, playing at the West End as well as being the current Magic and Illusion Assistant of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child tells us more about his creative process!
The HeLa cell line is one of the most important cell lines within our modern human history. The first to ever be immortalised, the cell line originates from the late Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman whose cancer cells have aided with medical research into illnesses such as cancer and various other ailments. An exploration of her contributions within the scientific field, Mojisola Adebayo presents Family Tree, an expansive look at Lacks’ integral legacy.
How trauma presents itself differs from person to person, the impact of which affecting a person on a physical, emotional as well as spiritual level. Exploring this complex topic further within her latest work, theatre maker Heather Agyepong, alongside co-creators Gail Babb, Gillian Tan and Imogen Knight present The Body Remembers, a look at how trauma lives within the body, particularly within Black British women across different generations. Ahead of the show, starting off at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre from late October before embarking on a tour, Heather tells us more about what to expect.
The lead up, the taking of and the processing of the result of a pregnancy is a nerve wracking, overwhelming experience, those few moments holding the key to possible motherhood. Exploring this emotional ritual further, Popelei present Push, an unapologetic, unfiltered short filmic piece.
An important time theatrically for platforming work from underrepresented creatives, it’s been lovely watching the artistic responses to this so far. As part of the ‘From Start to Finnish’ initiative showcasing art from Finland, choreographer Kati Raatikainen presents Kvartetto, a celebration of uniqueness as a quartet of artists with learning disabilities perform a 45 minute dance work.
Artificial Intelligence is being developed around the world to write anything from novels, to songs, to marketing blurb, and now script. What the Young Vic have put together, in line with their frequently provocative and innovative work, is a live workshop where the audience are able to work with the full creative team and see how a play might be put together, with GPT-3 OpenAI technology as a co-writer.
