Popcorn Group, the innovative film, television and theatre production company, will be partnering once again with BBC Writersroom for the Popcorn Writing Award which champions brave and imaginative writing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival that are best adaptable to the screen. Set up in 2019, the award offers a prize fund of £6,000 directly to the winner and finalists. The only award of its kind, it celebrates fearless work which playfully and artistically questions and addresses current affairs, societal trends and contributes positively to public debate. Submissions are NOW OPEN to all pieces of new writing shown at either the Assembly, Gilded Balloon, Pleasance, The SpaceUK, Summerhall, Traverse or Underbelly.

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Gravity underpins how we manoeuvre and our relationship with the space around us, gravitational acceleration a term used to define the speed at which an object moves when only gravity acts upon it. The earth’s gravitational acceleration – 9.8 metres per second squared.  A foundation of humanity that will forever intrigue, GöteborgsOperans Danskompani choreographer Damien Jalet presents Skid the first in a duo of works that explores the notion of gravity further. Also taking to the stage is show SAABA – how we occupy earth too is a fascinating thing, how we navigate rituals alone, as well as within communities, routines that connect us all. Sharon Eyal choreographs a work in collaboration with Dior’s Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri that celebrates our human form.

Skid – choreographed by Damien Jalet.

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Taking to our stages 6 years ago with gallery performance Hoochie Koochie at the Barbican, US based dancer and choreographer Trajal Harrell returns to London with new work – Porca Miseria, a trilogy inspired by 3 very powerful women within our literal and metaphorical history – Maggie from Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, the African American choreographer and activist Katherine Dunham and the Greek mythological Medea. Powerful women who have inspired imagination, the multidisciplinary piece is set to be staged at the Barbican from 12th to 14th May. Ahead of the show, Trajal tells us more about what to expect!

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Courtesy of Charlotte Graham.

I’m The Society of Authors (SoA) has announced that Val McDermid – author of the Wire in the Blood series and the BBC One series Traces – will deliver the keynote speech at the annual SoA Awards ceremony, which returns to Southwark Cathedral on 29 June. She will join host and SoA Management Committee Chair Joanne Harris to present the UK’s richest array of literary awards. They will announce the winners of 12 prizes, a prize fund of over £100,000 celebrating fiction, non-fiction, poetry and illustration – rewarding authors at the start of their careers as well as those well-established.

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Today, Thursday 11 May, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is delighted to announce that more shows for the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe will be available to book at edfringe.com. This year’s Fringe takes place from 04 – 28 August 2023 and will feature an exciting range of shows, with theatre, comedy, music, dance, circus, musicals, variety, cabaret, children’s shows, events and more all represented in the programme. Ahead of the full programme launch in June, more shows than ever before are being released, with 1,596 shows on edfringe.com from 12:00 BST today. The official launch of the festival, including the reveal of the iconic printed programme, will take place on Thursday 08 June.

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Native to the Caribbean nation of Haiti, Konpa or Kompas is a modern méringue dance music genre popularised in the late 50s. Formed during and post the US occupation of Haiti from 1915 to 1934, the US music genre of jazz would take on an interpretation all of its own by the 60s – a reduced méringue compas (Konpa) band performing rhythms consisting of paired electric guitars, electric bass, drum set – conga – timbales, and cowbells, giving the form its distinct sound. Honouring the musical genre and bringing it to the masses at this year’s TriBeCa Film Festival, HBO Best Short Film award winning writer and director Al’Ikens Plancher presents his latest short Konpa, a film following protagonist Jean into a small family owned restaurant as he navigates dealing with a language barrier – unable to speak the native Haitian Creole language. His crush Minouche teaching him the beauty of Konpa. A tale placing Al’Ikens’ Haitian heritage at the centre, he tells us more about what to expect!

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Never seen a play so earnestly heart breaking. I had high expectations going in which usually makes me weary because, being a critic, the worst feeling is being disappointed. Especially by someone as big a deal as Lenny Henry who has been entertaining the nation since the 70s. He’s been a big deal for so long it’s easy to forget why. Well, this play will tell you why.

Courtesy of Tristram Kenton.

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Traditions can often have us stuck in patterns that are outdated, and therefore need to be examined and challenged. Marriage a cornerstone of many a society – the ultimate declaration of love and union as well societal status. The concept of divorce heavily frowned upon in particular circles, particularly a century ago, during wartime England. Crafting an observation of the gradual breakdown of an upper class marriage, Somerset Maugham’s The Circle humourously clasps the fallout of this – the ripple effect of this a major societal talking point.

Courtesy of Ellie Kurttz

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Society of London Theatre have announced the appointment of their incoming President, Kash Bennett.  She will be serving as Vice President until 2024, when she will then take over from current President, Eleanor Lloyd. Holding the post of Managing Director of National Theatre Productions for over seven years, as well as serving three years on the SOLT board, Kash Bennett brings extensive industry experience to the role of SOLT President.  She is responsible for delivering all live theatre performed outside of the National Theatre, including the West End, Broadway, and all UK and international touring productions. 

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Following the record breaking success of VAULT Festival 2023, which welcomed more than 81,000 audience members to 553 shows, VAULT Creative Arts presents the second annual A Pinch of VAULT. More than 50 shows will appear in this year’s festival which will take place at The Glitch and Sino Thai in Waterloo, running from Wednesday 24th May – Sunday 18th June 2023. 2023’s programme features two festival weeks dedicated to ‘A Pinch of VAULT Comedy’ [24th May – 4th June] with the line up announced and tickets on sale today, and two weeks dedicated to ‘A Pinch of VAULT Theatre’ [6th – 18th June] with the line up due to be announced, and tickets on sale from Tuesday 16th May.

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