Engagement

Norwich Theatre has apologised for “inadvertently encouraging poor theatre etiquette” after sending a newsletter with the subject line “Something to sing along to”.

Subscribers to the theatre’s mailing list received the email this week as part of promotion efforts for the venue’s upcoming musicals, including Heathers, Blood Brothers and Annie.

After recipients expressed concerns that it might encourage people in the audience to belt out the songs themselves, the company sent a follow-up email apologising.

“In trying to emphasise the fun and joyous nature of the musicals, we inadvertently appeared to endorse poor theatre etiquette,” the email said.

“Of course we don’t mean for people to literally sing along while they are in the theatre (just when booking their tickets or in the car on the way home!).

“We’re really sorry for any misunderstanding, upset and the careless language.”

The apology coincides with an ongoing debate within the theatre sector about the appropriateness of live audiences singing along to musicals.

Last month police were called to a performance of The Bodyguard in Manchester last month when audience members refused to stop loudly singing and dancing, resulting in the show being stopped 10 minutes early.

Actor, playwright and director Ben Elton, who penned the script for Queen musical We Will Rock You, weighted in on the debate on BBC Breakfast, saying that audiences “should apply good taste and good manners”.

“Nobody’s paid to sit next to somebody [singing],” he said.

A team of learning disabled and autistic creatives from Access All Areas have banded together to create a new national arts programme to train other learning disabled and autistic people working in the arts, as well as training staff at venues and organisations in inclusive leadership.

The team underwent two years of leadership training as part of Access All Areas’ Transforming Leadership programme, which finished in 2022.

Working with seven other disability arts companies, eight UK venues and leadership development organisations, they will launch the new programme on 19 June, to coincide with Learning Disability Week.

The new programme aims to counter the historic exclusion of learning disabled and autistic people from the UK workforce and shake up the landscape of arts leadership by involving them in strategic decisions and discussions around the art being made and the stories being told.

Creatives from Access All Areas will co-deliver leadership training for 14 other learning disabled and autistic creatives from seven UK companies. The training will focus on directing skills, how to lead community arts programmes, governance and advocacy skills.

Access All Areas will also train staff at eight UK venues and seven organisations in inclusive practice, to help overcome structural obstacles to inclusion for learning disabled and autistic at executive and board level.

A theatre in Staffordshire is asking people of South Asian heritage to share their stories for a chance to see them retold on stage.

The New Vic Theatre in Newcastle-under-Lyme is working with local arts company, Appetite, to create a new play, Punjab to the Potteries.

Playwright Shahid Iqbal Khan and Writer/Director Sarah Bedi will use the real-life stories to create the play's script.

Appetite Director Gemma Thomas said: "We want to hear from, celebrate and capture people's lived experiences of migrating to the Potteries, or being born here and raised in a South Asian family." 

The idea for the project was inspired by local man Val Bansal, who had shared his own family's story of migrating from the Punjab in India.

His father had moved to Stoke-on-Trent in 1964.

Bansal said: "There must be countless stories and memories, as well as many more photos in numerous households of people and families who took a similar journey."

There will be an open storytelling event in Newcastle-under-Lyme on 28 April.

A performing arts centre in Norwich will receive £460,000 from a government fund.

The Garage in Norwich, a charity established in 2002 to support young people, particularly those that are disadvantaged, vulnerable or with limited opportunities, will get the money to improve its dance, drama and music facilities.

The money comes from the second round of the government's Youth Investment Fund will distribute a total of £90m to 43 youth centres.

The BBC reports that the Garage's Chief Executive, Adam Taylor, said the centre has been "working furiously" for 12 months to secure the investment.

"It's an amazing sum of money and we're incredibly fortunate to be in this position," Taylor said.

"It means we can repair our boiler which broke last year, and refurbish our cafe and bar and dance studios, which will help us earn money to support our charitable work with those facing challenging circumstances.

"The rest of the money will enable us to continue opening our doors to thousands of youngsters every day so they can take part in activities that give them the chance to change their lives."

An initiative developed by the Southbank Centre during the Covid-19 pandemic to reach those most isolated by the lockdowns is to be relaunched.

The Art by Post scheme scheme involves delivering free activity booklets to care homes, hospitals, charities, arts organisations, specialist dementia services, prison facilities and housing initiatives to give people an outlet for artistic expression. 

The initiative previously reached almost 4,500 people, 90% of whom said it had given them something to look forward to and 75% of whom said that it had improved their wellbeing. 

The scheme will return in partnership with the National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP), with six new creativity booklets designed for people with long-term physical and mental health needs.

Participants can refer themselves or be referred by a friend, family member or professional service. Organisations can also sign up to receive the booklets in bulk.

The new booklets provide free poetry and art activities designed by artists and activists to nurture creativity and support wellbeing, with a focus on how to care for the health of the planet.

“At NASP we’ve witnessed the life changing effect social prescribing – connecting people to non-medical support to address problems like isolation or stress – can have on people’s mental and physical health,” said Sunita Pandya, Interim CEO at The National Academy for Social Prescribing.

“However, we are also keenly aware that some green social prescribing or arts for wellbeing projects aren’t accessible to those who cannot leave the house. 

“These booklets – which are being offered to link workers for distribution – make social prescribing activities available to all. We can't wait to see the work they inspire.”
 

A collaborative workshop is planning to make outdoor musical instruments more accessible, particularly to young people who are blind or partially sighted.

The workshop, a collaboration between Percussion Play, the Royal Society for Blind Children (RSBC) and the Amber Trust, will take place at RSBC’s Life Without Limits Centre in London in April, to discover how Percussion Play’s instruments can be improved and made more accessible for vision-impaired children and young people.

The session will be facilitated by Amber Music practitioner Gennie Joy, who will guide children and their families in how to play instruments from Percussion Play, including Babel Drums, Cyclone, Cavatina and Tubular Bells.

Percussion Play hopes the workshop will help it identify the shapes, heights, colours and finishes most beneficial to people with vision impairments.

The instrument manufacturer also hopes to create a new instrument specifically for people who are blind or partially sighted during the collaborative session.

“We are excited to be working with the RSBC and The Amber Trust to discover how we can make our instruments even more inclusive,” said Jody Ashfield, Co-Founder and CEO of Percussion Play.

“Our instruments are designed so everyone can enjoy making music and we hope to improve our current range by engaging with young people who are partially sighted and discover what changes could be made to make them more accessible.”