Theatre asks people of South Asian heritage to share their stories

11 Apr 2023

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.

Lewisham, London's Borough of Culture engaged majority of local schools

04 Apr 2023

Lewisham starts work on a cultural strategy following successful stint as London Borough of Culture focused on young people, community and cultural activism.

Performing arts centre secures government youth funding

03 Apr 2023

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."

Music venue purchasing scheme 'set for go ahead'

Exterior of music venue the Ferret
27 Mar 2023

Although the campaign is yet to hit its initial £2.5m target, Music Venue Trust says it plans to go ahead with scheme aiming to secure the future of grassroots music venues.

Southbank Centre relaunches wellbeing initiative

21 Mar 2023

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.”
 

Immersive art space to open at Wembley Park

Members of the Punchdrunk Enrichment team at the site of the new space (left to right) Alice Kitty Devlin, Peter Higgin, and Mia Jerome
21 Mar 2023

Performing arts charity sets out plans to launch new immersive arts space in London with the help of local artists and community groups.

Workshop to make musical instruments more accessible

09 Mar 2023

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.”

Socially engaged practice in the Tees Valley

Stuart Langley’s public art work ‘beating heart’, commissioned by Middlesbrough Council. A Birdseye image of Middlesborough, showing a large block of flats with a large projection of a heart. It is surrounded by houses, other buildings and roads.
08 Mar 2023

Working in Middlesborough’s cultural sector for the first time, Charlotte Nicol was blown away by the energy. Here are her top tips for organisations thinking of relocating to a Levelling Up for Culture Place.

National Youth Theatre partners with Netflix on youth access programme

07 Mar 2023

National Youth Theatre has announced IGNITE Your Creativity, a partnership with Netflix that aims to introduce young people to backstage and technical careers in film, TV and theatre.

The programme is designed to offer opportunities to more than 500 young people aged 14 to 25 in South Wales, West Yorkshire and the North East of England in its first year.

“Theatre is one of the great pipelines to TV and film but sadly the pipeline of opportunity for so many young people has been broken for so long,” said Paul Roseby, Chief Executive and Artistic Director of National Youth Theatre.

“Certain parts of the creative industries are growing, but ironically so is the skills gap in production talent. This partnership will help redress the imbalance”.  

The programme is currently recruiting young people in Newport, South Wales, where participants will work with Urban Myth Films and their Newport-based film studios, the Sherman Theatre, National Youth Arts Wales and local community organisations and schools. 

The programme will expand to West Yorkshire and the North East of England later this year, delivering 20 free community and school workshops in each area. It will also offer set and theatre visits and free week-long courses led by industry professionals.

“Our industry has a pronounced absence of socio-economic diversity partly because it’s freelance, which makes it tough for those from less privileged backgrounds to gain a foothold,” said Anne Mensah, Vice President of UK Content at Netflix.

“IGNITE Your Creativity has been designed to raise awareness and aspirations, and build confidence and networks so that young people don’t need to have existing industry connections, live in a big city or have a degree for a career in TV and film.”

Championing communities

Clore Leadership's Governance Now conference
15 Feb 2023

Clore Leadership has held its 5th conference addressing issues of governance in the cultural sector. The theme this year was championing communities. Jonathan Mayes reports on what emerged.

Pleasure, connection, purpose: How museums can leverage emotions

'Project What If' exhibition at We The Curious. Eight tv screens showing different visual imagery.
09 Feb 2023

Museums are not only holders of our histories and stories, but also repositories of a range of emotions, elicited when we encounter collections, writes Lucy Bird.

Apprenticeships in theatre making

A student learns how set and prop designers work at the RSC as part of RSC Next Generation, 2017.
07 Feb 2023

To mark National Apprenticeships Week, Pritti Shoker explores the role of apprenticeships in building a more inclusive, creative and diverse sector.

Leading culture in our time

Three woman sat on a table at a work event. There are items scattered on the table including four bottles of water, mugs, a notebook, a pencil case and a small plate. Two white women are looking at an Asian woman holding a microphone (presumably speaking through it). The background is blurred, but there are other tables and guests.
01 Feb 2023

The start of a new year is always a time of reflection and optimism. But this year Hilary Carty finds she’s rather hesitant and feeling somewhat more vulnerable than in previous times. 

Museum summit aims to engage young people

31 Jan 2023

A new initiative hopes to engage young people in debating the future of the museums sector in the UK.

Organised by Kids in Museums (KIM), ‘The Future is Now’ symposium will take place at Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum on 12 May.

The event, which is aimed at 16-to 25-year-olds, comes on the back of DCMS research that found only 12% of that age group believe London museums are telling stories that are relevant to them.

“There is a huge need to consult young people about what they want from museums in order to change perceptions,” a spokesperson for KIM said.

On the day there will be talks and panel discussions on a range of topics.

“We want to create a space where young people can discuss, learn, advocate and build new networks with their peers," the spokesperson added.

“Their voices will be heard on a national level and generate fresh new ideas for the heritage sector.

Booking for the event, which is being funded by an £11,000 grant from Movement for Good Award from Benefact Group, opens in March.

Submissions are currently being invited from young people under 25 who would like to speak at the event.

Third of UNBOXED audience figures 'came from Countryfile'

30 Jan 2023

A large chunk of official audience figures for UNBOXED festival came from viewers watching Countryfile on the BBC, it has emerged.

Organisers of the £120m project said a total of 18.1m people had “engaged” with the project, consisting of 2.8m people attendeding events last year and a further 13.6m engaging with broadcast and digital content.

The Times reports that the 13.6m figure included five million Countryfile viewers watching an episode in October when the programme reported on one of the projects, Green Space Dark Skies.

Speaking in parliament, Labour MP Nick Smith raised the Countryfile figures with civil servants and ministers and questioned whether the festival had "made the impact it intended".

"The department [DCMS] reported in November that the figure for audience engagement was just over 18m," he said. 

"That sounds a reasonable reach, but it turns out that a one-hour “Countryfile” TV special was doing the heavy lifting with five million viewers — nearly a third of the total."

Smith has asked for the matter to be considered as part of a wider evaluation currently taking place.

Southbank Centre and Apple unveil plans to support Black creatives

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook visiting London's Southbank Centre
23 Jan 2023

Initiative to improve access to the arts for emerging Black creatives has announced details of residencies in London, Manchester, and Birmingham and plans to work with local schools.

Historic hospital secures £4.9m for restoration work

11 Jan 2023

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded £4.9m for the restoration of historic buildings at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London.

The work, which will be overseen by Barts Heritage will focus on conservation of the Great Hall and the Hogarth Stair, a staircase featuring two seven-foot-high canvasses painted by William Hogarth, depicting stories from the Bible.

The paintings require specialist cleaning and conservation, and the hall is also set to undergo extensive restoration work, including the repair and strengthening of the timber staircase and conservation work on an 18th Century chandelier. 

“We’re thrilled that our funding will be used to conserve these unique examples of Hogarth’s work and revitalise the stunning stair Hall for more and more people to appreciate and enjoy when visiting the historic buildings,” said Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive at The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The project includes an outreach component via a programme offering cultural and educational activities such as therapeutic artmaking courses, sensory heritage walking tours and mindfulness activities. 

Young people interested in heritage conservation can apply for placements, apprenticeships and volunteering roles.

Will Palin, Chief Executive of Barts Heritage said the project combines “the much-needed restoration of the one of the most important historic hospital buildings in the UK with a pioneering heritage and health programme”. 

“We are thrilled to have secured this transformative grant from the Heritage Fund and look forward to welcoming the public both during restoration works and after the project is complete,” he said.
 
 

Gallery plagued by racism accusations relaunches

Exterior of esea contemporary's building in Manchester
10 Jan 2023

Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art relaunches as 'esea contemporary' following critical audit that found it had lost sight of its mission and purpose. 

Glyndebourne cancels opera tour following ACE cut

06 Jan 2023

East Sussex opera house cancels scheduled 2023 tour saying cuts to annual funding it receives from Arts Council England have rendered it 'financially unsustainable'.

Museums receive £1.8m for 'experimental' engagement projects

Lipstick exhibit from Museum of Transology
21 Dec 2022

Latest round of Art Fund's 'Reimagine' grants programme goes to projects experimenting with new forms of audience engagement.

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