It’s back and better than ever: VAULT Festival, the UK’s leading independent festival of live performance, makes its joyful return in 2023. Running from 24th January – 19th March 2023 in venues across Waterloo, the programme features over 500 of the best theatre, comedy, cabaret and late-night shows from some of the brightest talents across the live performance industry.
Whether you’re familiar with Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbour Totoro or not, the eponymous anime aesthetic is something I’m sure many of us are familiar with – a mercurial, comforting , friendly, creature who happens to appear at just the right moments. Originally an animation released in April 1988, the Japanese cultural phenomenon has enjoyed success internationally having also received various accolades along the way. 34 years on, and the cult classic has been reimagined for the stage, receiving its premiere at the Barbican and realised by Tom Morton-Smith and director Phelim McDermott.
Courtesy of Manuel Harlan.
Today, The Old Vic is delighted to announce the launch of The Hub – a brand new, free, online platform that will enable anyone, from anywhere, to delve behind the scenes of the cultural industries. The platform will provide global audiences the opportunity to develop their careers, recognise pathways into the industry, and benefit from content championing positive mental health.
55% of writers surveyed by the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) said that rising energy and food costs throughout 2022 were impacting on their ability to sustain a writing career, severely impacting livelihoods, and the cultural industries which depend upon their skills.
A survey of more than 250 writers, conducted by the trade union, found that as well as energy and food bills, other factors that impacted their ability to engage in writing work included having less time to work as a writer, or apply for funding, development schemes or other opportunities.
67% of those surveyed reported having to rely on their savings in order to manage day-to-day expenditure, while 37% said they had to rely on their partners’ earnings. More than 70% respondents had earned £18,000 or less for their writing work in the last financial year. The majority (over 80%) said they were freelance writers, highlighting the precarious nature of employment for screenwriters, playwrights, authors, audio dramatists and videogames writers that the union represents.
The survey also highlighted an industry-wide dearth of opportunity and an increase in poor practice. Several respondents highlighted how real wages were not rising with inflation as the creative industries continued to experience the dual shocks of Brexit and Covid. There were many reports of late payments, shrinking production budgets and reduced audience sizes.
Located in the Greenwich Peninsula, roughly a 10 minute walk away from North Greenwich Station which is home to the O2 Arena, Morden Wharf homes an industrial & entrepreneurial hive. Starting life off as a theatrical space, Sugar Studios has gone on to become a multi-studiod space in high demand from some of the UK’s most exciting talents and organisations. Invited by the newly established arts venue, I’m greeted by Venue Manager Steph and Head of Marketing Loanne, who takes me on a guided tour of the vibrant venue.
One of the world’s most recognisable musicals, Disney classic The Lion King continues to dazzle 28 years on. The tale of a lion cub destined for greatness but devastated by tragedy is of Shakespearean proportions. With a track list hummed and belted out by many, the show is one of those rare gems that hits the mark. Seeking inspiration from the much loved classic, Proud Embankment offer a a cheeky, modern rendition of the show with adaptation Lion Queen – an immersive drag brunch drawing on the classic’s animistic feature.
The Place has announced a call out for artists to take part in Resolution, its annual festival for choreography and performance work that’s taking place Thu 18 May – Fri 16 Jun 2023.
WhatsOnStage today announces that the 23rd Annual WhatsOnStage Awards will take place on Sunday 12 February 2023, at a West End theatre to be announced. As well as seeing the winners crowned across a range of categories, theatregoers will also enjoy a host of exclusive live performances from top stage talent. The event is co-produced with creative directors Alex Parker and Damian Sandys.
Founded a decade ago in 2012 to platform the work of marginalised artists, performance venue Ugly Duck, located in Bermondsey – South East London, has been at the forefront of working with performance artists who are not afraid of exploring lesser talked about themes. Their @Disturbance Festival, now in its 4th year specifically created to showcase LGBTQ+ artists and stories. Set to show Simple Relations No.4, a performance made for camera that queers the use of everyday objects to explore the complexities of living in a gender fluid body in the Southern United States as part of Ugly Duck’s 10th year anniversary on the 10th, 11th and 12th of November, video artist Sandrine Schaefer tells us what inspired them to explore the show’s themes further, how they’ve approached creating the filmed performance and what can be expected!
Courtesy of Yannick Malady.
Having premiered earlier on this year at Rich Mix as part of Certain Blacks’ Shipbuilding Festival, Livia Kojo Alour’s one woman show Black Sheep, the story of a Black woman finding love and a testament of personal strength, developed through transcending the white gaze, overcoming institutional racism and leaning into radical vulnerability returns to Jackson’s Lane Arts Centre on the 15th and 16th November. Ahead of the production, Livia tells us more about the show’s development, publishing Rising of the Black Sheep with Polaris Press – an anthology drawing on the show’s themes further and what to expect from the show.