A decade long creative process, started from the seed of an idea by composer Gianluca Cucchiara, Vanara – The Legend will make its debut at the Hackney Empire from the 22nd to the 31st October. Following a series of workshops and a concept album, West End and international talent will tell the story of a young woman caught between the battle of protecting tradition and pursuing her progressive spirit. Ahead of the production, Gianluca tells us more about the show, and its environmental message.
Nicola T. Chang &Isabella Leung
An audio experience formed last year during the pandemic as a way of connecting with listeners, season 1 of Written on the Wavesby 45 North has already received over 5000 listens across 40 countries – showcasing the project’s reach. Soon to release season 2 of the series, the platform will showcase the works of 6 creatives, including Mooncake created by Nicola T. Chang and Isabella Leung. An audio drama revolving around conversations and events had around the delicacy typically enjoyed during the Mid Autumn Festival, Mooncakeplaces the stories of the South and East Asian community to the fore. Ahead of the release, Nicola and Isabella tell us more about what to expect. Continue reading
Marking a year since Tangle Theatre’s opening of Ben Jonson’s Jacobean classic Volpone, the Amina Kadeya EP offers a musical extension of the show’s Zimbabwean Jazz fused score. Sadly cut short by the Covid pandemic, the show’s Musical Director and Composer John Pfumojena, alongside friend and long-time collaborator sax player Tawanda Mapanda have help to realise Volpone’s soundtrack for a digital stage. Ahead of the EP launch event, John tells us more about creating work during lockdown, a featured conversation presented by Tangle Theatre’s Chair of the Board Kofi Ohene-Djan between himself and Artistic Director Anna Coombs about the collaborative process and what to expect from the event.
Crafted from transcripts for an assessment for the Department of Work and Pensions, HERA Theatre’s ‘We Ask These Questions of Everybody’, to stream online on Friday 29th January 2021, highlights the mental, social and financial pressures faced by disabled people in the UK, especially during this very difficult time. Presented as a verbatim opera, the online production offers an insight into a community often underrepresented. Composer, musician and artist Amble Skuse – whose work involves working with a variety of texts which she then fuses with musical elements, tells us more about her creative process for the show.
A distinctive part of early 21st century dating, dating apps have shaped how we interact, connect and meet up with prospective partners in the digital era. Tapping into this phenomenon in her debut show ‘Manimals’, game producer Michelle Hudson explores dating, loneliness and the struggle to connect within our digital age. Ahead of the multimedia experience, to take place on Zoom initially in the UK from February and Canada from March, Michelle tells us more about the technical elements of the interactive piece.
From Friday 24th July until Sunday 16th August, the Electric Dreams Online Festival will showcase various works responding to the digital world we find ourselves in. A mixed programme of web-native theatre, music and experiences, Electric Dreams explores the use of social media, audio, visual, mapping and Virtual Reality as a means of telling stories. Taking part in the latest edition of the festival are composer Jamie Perera, artist-filmmaker Katharine Round and journalist Leah Borromeo with their audio-visual experience Twelve Thousand Years in Fragments – an addition to their Climate Symphony Project. Ahead of the experience, the collective tell us more about what to expect!