BLACK COUNTRY TOURING
Big Ideas In Small Spaces
Bringing Theatre & Dance to the Black Country
Welcome to Black Country Touring, we’re approaching the end of this season, but there are still some shows available – like “The Mozart Question” by Scamp Theatre.
There’s also “And Tigers Mingle” our residency at Wightwick Manor, where artists Dreadlock Alien (aka Richard Grant) and Sonia Sabri will be creating new poetry and dance in response to this historic house. If you’re going down to Wightwick, you’ll be able to see them working during the first two weeks in August, and look out for details of the performances which will end the project.
If you’re a promoter, then the new menu of shows is available online now and will be updated regularly.
Keep an eye out for news of the rerun of The Corner Shop performances, which looks likely to be happening in the autumn in Wolverhampton; whilst the archive of all the original recordings and material that the show came from will soon be available from Sandwell Community History and Archive service in Smethwick.
News
Work Placement opportunity
We are currently recruiting for a voluntary part-time 6-month work placement vacancy. The experience will provide a broad range of tasks from office administration to meeting with community promoters. The placement will enable you to use existing and develop new skills.
To see the full brief and application details please click here.
News
Black Country Touring makes the Happy List in the Independent on Sunday
Fed up with lists that celebrate the rich and the bonus brigade? The Independent decided to do a Happy list of 100 people who make Britain a better, happier place and this year much to our surprise and delight it includes Steve Johnstone for Black Country Touring.
What the Independent were looking for in the Happy List nominees were people who make peoples lives happier, more comfortable, or fulfilling. They sought people in all walks of life, from philanthropy and charity work, mental well-being, physical health, pleasure, media, culture, environment, innovation, volunteers and time-givers, community activity, and entertainment.
And there we are amongst the likes of Fabio Capello, Shami Chakrabarti, Danny Boyle, Sir David Attenborough, Madhur Jaffrey, Peter Kay, Sir Ian Mckellan, Lewis Hamilton ……
To read all about it click on the link below
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/the-iiosi-happy-list-2009--the-100-1671055.html
News
Dynamics International Puppet Festival - Puppet Extravaganza
30th May 09
The Puppet Extravaganza at Newhampton Arts Centre, Wolverhampton was on a beautiful sunny Saturday in May and it had a rolling programme of non-stop shows and activities for all the family. Shows included Theater Laku, Objects Dart, Storybox theatre and Marten Lierman's Poppentheater from Belguim with his Walking Tall giant puppets.
You could make a puppet or sit outside in the sun and watch Punch and Judy or go into the theatre and see a very funny show about three little pigs and their adventures or a amazing shadow show about Peter and the Wolf.
Comments from the audience
"Great event for families, lovely venue"
"It was fantastic"
"Loved the performances from foreign countries"
"Enjoyable day out"
This is part of the Dynamics International Puppet Festival.
Our promoters will be putting on shows in their community venues across the Black Country on other days so visit our shows page for details.
For more information about the festival go to our shows page for details or go to www.dynamicsfestival.com or www.newhamptonarts.co.uk
News
Effing and Blinding Cabaret show
Stuart Hammer co-ordinator of Saiba writes about his experience of Extant at The Crosswells Inn in Langley on the 20th February 2009
This show was a bit of an eye opener to say the least as it was performed completely in the dark.
Extant image
The actors who performed this play were visually impaired or blind. This was a play on your senses and you were relying on them for the hour that the play lasted.
Although I had seen the adverts and was involved with the staging and sponsoring of the performance I was unprepared for what happened in the dark.
The whole of the auditorium is used as the stage and you never quite know who or what is going on behind you, water pistols, rubber snakes and spiders as well as other things are flying around the room, strange sounds come from the front and while all this is happening there is a monologue going a long.
Overall I thought it was a very good evening out and well worth the cost.
Stuart Hammer - Co-ordinator Saiba
To find out more about the Impress project click here
News
reSonAte Programme
Resonate - a celebration of three-years work
(May 2005 to April 2008)
After an initial pilot year in 2004, over the past three-years (since 2005) we have been delivering our South Asian programme by creating more links with companies, producing projects and developing promoters and audiences.
We have just completed a multi-media evaluation of the first three-years of Resonate in partnership with Anouk Perinpanayagam and Sakab Bashir.
Click the link below to learn more about the activities and download detailed information. www.bctouring.co.uk/resonate
