Artrix showcases new talent

 

This Spring, Artrix’ programme features some theatre, dance and comedy shows by artists who are just starting out in their careers. The majority of these shows will be staged in the intimate setting of Artrix’s Studio.

On 14th March you can Meet Fred a 2 foot tall cloth puppet that fights prejudice every day. He just wants to be a regular guy, get a job and meet a girl but his Puppetry Living Allowance is under threat.  'Meet Fred is an ingeniously conceived, hilarious and totally unmissable piece of theatre (Broadway Baby)

On 16th March, Northern School of Contemporary Dance present Verve, an exhilarating programme of four distinct dance works choreographed by international artists. Performed by a company of eleven dancers, this work is physically daring and thought-provoking.

In The Eulogy of Toby Peach Toby enters the exclusive Cancer Club and tells the story of a young man's battle and recovery from cancer. Described as 'heartfelt and buoyant' by The Stage this is a celebration of life and all its foibles and you can see it on 9th March.

It's worth bearing in mind that when Artrix first opened nearly 12 years ago, John Bishop and Sue Perkins both appeared on our stage and very few had heard of them!  Natalie Cutler could be one to look out for. Her Not Yet Suffragette show which is on 19th March premiered at the Brighton Fringe Festival last year and it won 5 star reviews. The show is an eclectic mix of Feminist theatre and stands up theatre and has been described as 'a comedic feast with a political edge'

Stephen Bailey tackles the art of conversation in his debut tour. With so much social media have we forgotten how to talk to each other? And are we limited to 140 characters? Fresh from Celebrity Big Brother's Bit On the Side you can see Stephen on 24th March. 'His ability to go off-piste with the crowd is achingly funny' One 4 review

Ferocious clubber and party girl Eleanor Conway has always been a woman of extremes. In her stand up debut she tackles sex, sobriety and sambucca and the modern addict that lies within us all. You can see Eleanor at Artrix on 7th April. 'Reminiscent of an early Graham Norton' The List

Described by Mark Watson as 'the best comedian you haven't heard of yet' Seann McLoughlin is definitely on the one to watch list. His 2015 show at Edinburgh played to packed houses. Seann brings his latest show Kamikaze to Artrix on 28th April.

Finally on 12th May there's a chance to see 20B in which Jane English unearths the stories of a demolished building on a council estate in East London. Part auto-biography, part oral-history, 20B is a moving exploration of what home and community really mean. 'Humorous, informative, heart-warming and moving' (Audience comment Theatre Royal Stratford East.

 

 

 

 

Tickets for all the shows are available from the Box Office on 01527 577330 or www.artrix.co.uk. Student and concession tickets are available for the majority of these shows.

Malvern Soup - Sunday 2nd April 2017, 3pm - 6pm @ Malvern Cube

SOUP is a community crowd funding event which was started in Detroit-to raise funding for local projects (initially art projects). The idea is that 4 projects pitch for 4 minutes to an audience who have paid £4 entrance. The audience then eat soup and bring and share food whilst deciding which project they would like to vote for. All the votes are counted and the money is given straight to the winning project. Previous projects have won £200-£400+ although there has been match funding from the Big Pickersleigh The winning project must come back to the next SOUP to tell everyone how they got on with spending the money. The only guidance for the projects is that they must benefit the local community.

 

The date of the next Malvern SOUP is  Sunday 2nd April 2017 3-6pm at Malvern Cube and the applications must be in by Friday 3rd March 2017 and can be made by Malvern SOUP website.

 

KAY MULLETT
Care Ceramics CIC
07925 167 001

The Dancing Club.. new play by Writer / Director Caroline Jester

The Dancing Club 

Thurs 16 March, 4pm & 7pm, Kidderminster College, Market Street, DY10 1AB, no booking required - just turn up! 

The Dancing Club is a project celebrating Kidderminster legends Frank & Wynn Freeman. After the war Frank returned to Kidderminster and wanted to set up a dancing club. He inspired a whole town to get dancing and unlocked the creativity inside them. Across decades Frank & Wynn offered a place to go, to be creative, to be safe, to celebrate, and somewhere to access the latest music and dance trends. The Dancing Club became iconic.

'The Dancing Club' tells the stories of the communities, families, dancers and the musicians who passed through it. 

Writer / Director Caroline Jester has been collecting stories and memories of Frank & Wynn across her home town, Kidderminster. She has teamed up with Kidderminster's Andy Edwards, long term collaborator of Robert Plant, who is working with acclaimed Double Bassist Tom Clarke-Hill making original music for the project. 

As we build this project we want to know what the people of Kidderminster think. We would want you to come to this rehearsed reading (so expect informal, scripts in hand and fun) and stay for a chat afterwards to tell us what you think. 

Joanna Trollope : In Conversation - Thursday 2nd March, 7.30pm at Number 8

 Join us for an evening with bestselling author Joanna Trollope. Joanna will be speaking about her new book City of Friends and the incredible experiences she has had writing novels over the past few decades. There will be the opportunity to pose your questions in a Q+A session and to get a copy of the book signed.

Born in her grandfather’s rectory in the Cotswold village of Minchinhampton in 1943.  Joanna Trollope began her writing career writing historical fiction but has had the greatest success with her contemporary works. She has now been writing for over thirty years and is known for novels such as The Choir, A Village Affair and A Passionate Man. The Rector’s Wife, first published in 1991, was Joanna’s first number one bestseller, and made her into a household name. She has chaired the Whitbread and Orange Awards, as well as being a judge of many other literature prizes. City of Friends is her twentieth novel - a snapshot in the lives of four girls who met at university and remain friends as their careers in the City develop.

 This event will give you an opportunity to discover more about the woman who has been described as one of the most insightful chroniclers and social commenters writing fiction today. There will be the opportunity for you to ask questions in a Q+A session and to get a copy of the book signed.

Tickets priced at £16 are on sale now from Number 8 Box Office on 01386 555488. The ticket includes a hard-back copy of City of Friends (RRP £18.99) supplied by Coach House Books, Pershore who are partnering with Number 8 for the event. Discounts are available for groups of 10+.

Book your tickets now by ringing Box Office on 01386 555488 or book onlione at http://www.number8.org/events/joanna-trollope-in-conversation/

 

Number 8 Community Arts Centre 8 High Street Pershore WR10 1BG

Box Office: 01386 555488  www.number8.org

 

Job Vacacy - Open Sky Productions - Technical Stage Manager

Open Sky Productions are looking for a Technical Stage Manager for tour of two-hander children's show, 'Hairy Fairy Tales' during May and June 2017 across West Midlands and to Warsaw, Poland. Role requires someone with confidence and enthusiasm to be the day to day contact for the tour but is suitable for a recent entrant to theatre industry - as show is simple to run. Please email vey.straker(at)googlemail.com for further details and application info.

CALL FOR FLASH MOB DANCERS – FREEDOM LEISURE

Are you interested in taking part in FLASH MOB?  A Flash Mob is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place and in this case, perform a short and simple dance, then quickly disperse. Quite often used for the purposes of entertainment, satire, and artistic expression. I am looking to use it as a way to send a message, that message being that you can be active at any age, no matter who you are and what your barriers may be. (Especially with the support of our partners/stakeholders!)

 

The idea is to bring together as many groups and individuals as possible to spread the message! Please do not be embarrassed by the concept of dancing! Get behind the message and remind our community that it does not matter how you look when being active, just that it is good for you and makes you feel great! Echoing the ‘This Girl Can’ mot, but for all!

 

Freedom Leisure and Malvern Hills District Council will look into filming the event to share the message even further! (with appropriate consent from participants.)

 

I am more than happy to travel to groups to teach the dance! As am I happy to invite groups in to our centres to do the same! I will appreciate all of the support possible!

After the flash mob, I will pop a head mic on, and teach a small section to everyone for a mass participation event!! So do find groups and bring friends and family!

 

The flash mob itself will take place on the 1^st of May, as a part of the water festival held at priory park! Meaning that there will also be plenty of fun activities for the whole family, friends and groupies to have a go at before and after!

 

If you are interested in being part of this please let me know and we can arrange suitable times and places for the dance to be taught! J

 

Kind regards,

Adele Hodges
Community Activity Development Officer- Freedom Leisure
email: adele.hodges@freedom-leisure.co.uk
phone: 07780 332281

WAP Newsletter January 2017

OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRAPHIC ID, WEB DESIGNERS, FILM MAKERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS

THE RING
Opportunities for Graphic ID and Web Designers, Film Makers and Photographers

Proposals are invited from designers, film makers and photographers to support the development of the graphic identity, website and to create a film and photographic portfolio in preparation for the launch of The Ring in May 2017.

 

We are inviting invitations from companies and individuals to tender for three projects:

·         Graphic identity and website development

·         Graphic Identity photography portfolio

·         Launch film

 

The Ring is a new and exciting arts programme which will celebrate a 21-mile circle of natural and historic waterways. Following route of the Worcester and Birmingham Canals, the Droitwich Canals and the River Severn the route flows through the towns of Worcester and Droitwich and the countryside which surrounds them.

 

Over the next 18 months, international, regional and local artists will lead an imaginative exploration of Worcestershire’s urban and rural heritage; the people that live here and their dreams for the future. On foot, by boat or bicycle, visitors will be able to navigate new art and performances in historic and picturesque locations inspired by the stories and secrets of The Ring.

Submission Deadline: Tues 21^st February, 5pm

Further Information and Submission Details:

Full details and submission information for each of the above projects can be found on the Canal & River Trust website:

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/waterway-arts/current-projects

Programme supported by:

The Rowlands Trust                                          

Worcester Visual Arts Meet-up at Cafe Bliss, 15th Feb, 7pm - 9pm

http://thekiln.co/events/worcester-visual-arts-meetup-inspirational-talks/

Call for Entries - Worcestershire Open Studios - opens today, 1st Feb

 

 

Friday 25 August – Monday 28 August 2017

 

Call for entries

Who can enter?

Worcestershire-based artists, photographers, crafts people, art groups and galleries.  You don’t even need to have a studio.

 

Benefits of taking part:

 

·       Raise your profile, sell your work and build a following.

·       All year round website presence.

·       Promotion through a colour brochure and social media.

·       Coverage in print media and other publications.

·       Marketing materials to distribute.

·       Support through an artists’ workshop.

·       Regular e-newsletter.

·       Opportunities to meet with other local artists.

 

Register at www.worcestershireopenstudios.org.uk

 

Entry deadline - 3 April 2017