8 Miles Away The Drum rumbles with an unexpected collaboration of hip-hop and jazz music, hosting Battle in the Box- the open mic. rap night. Audience members were called to battle; freestyling on topics that ranged from Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace prize to Marge Simpson featuring on the front cover of Playboy, under the effortless hum of the band, consisting of a drummer, bass and keyboard player. Host Soweto Kinch also employed other gimmicks, such as hats and buzzwords (often of political content) to focus the musical wit, avoiding the tedium of ‘your mum’ lines. The audience, which started ‘small but perfectly formed,’ grew both in size and confidence as they were called upon to rate the MCs in each battle, using a flawless scientific scale of 1-4. Audience participation was paramount to the running of this show and encouraged with a catchy chorus; “Skipped on down to the live box: to the L, to the I, to the V, to the E.” The night was funny, witty, politically informative and not to forget musically invigorating. The effortless bass playing was particularly remarkable. The Live Box is a completely unique performance concept and is a melting pot of talent. Whilst improvisation was at its core, talent and charisma sprawled out of it’s limbs. The winner of the battle won recording time, as sponsored by NU Century Arts. Whether a budding MC, this weekly Birmingham event is not to be missed. Shows rotate between the Hare and Hound, The Drum and The Y Centre. Nicole Zandi Red Brick
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8 Miles Away
FROM THE MARGINS TO THE MAINSTREAM- 60 years of Black Theatre
In May 2009 with the support of The Heritage Lottery Fund we launched the project from the Margins to the Mainstream. This project aims to highlight and to share the major contribution that black writers, actors, directors, dancers and producers made and continue to make to British theatre.
When Amiri Baraka (Previously Leroi Jones) coined the phrase “Black Theatre during the 1960’s he sought a sharp distinction between those artists who were involved in theatre and those who sought consciously and deliberately to create a theatre that drew on the cultural traditions of African Americans and to create a theatre that reflected the concerns, experiences and aspirations of African Americans. At the same time a similar development was taking place in the Caribbean with the work of Derek Walcott (Trinidad Workshop) and later Dennis Scott (Jamaica school of Drama). It was to the Caribbean that artists in Britain looked to for their references. During the 1940’s Robert Adams the Guyanese actor started the Negro Repertory Arts Theatre, one of the first professional Black theatre companies in Britain. Errol John’s “Moon on Rainbow Shawl’ (1950’s) played to big houses and received numerous awards. Jamal Ali’s (Black feet In the Snow made it on to the TV screens during the 1960’s but it was during the 1970’s and 80’s that saw a string of companies taking up the mantle. Companies such as the Dark& Light Theatre of Brixton, Black Theatre Cooperative, Temba, L’Overture, Keskidee Centre, Double Edge, Staunch Poets and players, and Talawa producing and presenting the work of writers such as Alfred Fagon, Edgar White, Caryll Phillips, Mustapha Matura, Farouk Dhondy Amani Napthali, Don Kinch and others. Today Roy Williams and Kwame Kwei Armagh are regulars on the main stages of British theatre.
This project though will focus on what was happening in the Midlands during that time. We will be hosting a number of events during the year, ranging from lectures to exhibitions. At the end of the project we will produce a magazine and a DVD. So keep your eyes on this Space.
We are also looking for any material you have in your desk, cupboard it could be an leaflet, a poster, a review, a photograph anything that will shine some light on that period and on the work of the artists. Please send it to us. If we are not able to use it we will send it on to the Central Library to be archived.
Soweto raps science in jazz
Soweto Kinch has forged a successful international career by bridging two very different musical genres – Hip Hop and Jazz.
Now he has been tasked by creative writing project Evolving Words with bringing together two quite individual disciplines – art and science.
The Mercury Prize nominated saxophonist has been commissioned by them to produce a new piece of music inspired by Darwin, father of evolutionary science.
It’s all part of a national drive to mark the bicentenary of Darwin’s birth, and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his ground breaking book, On the Origin of Species.
In six cities across the UK - Liverpool, Manchester, Cambridge, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Newcastle- Evolving Words are collaborating with young people to develop 21st Century responses to 19th Century science.
Spearheading the Birmingham end is Canadian Poet Kimberly Trusty. She explains:
“Evolving Words is a poetry writing and performance project.Participants work with a poet and a science educator in each of the six cities to produce poetry to read, perform, film and share online. The central theme is Darwinian science and its impact on today’s world. The project is being produced by Elizabeth Lynch in association with the Wellcome Trust.”
Supported by Mark Pallen - Professor of Microbial Genomics at Birmingham University and author of the acclaimed best-seller Rough Guide to Evolution - Kimberley has been working with 10 young poets, 13-22 years old,
Their work, and Soweto Kinch’s musical take on evolutionary science, are to be unveiled at the Drum Arts Centre, Aston during the 4th October Live Box concert - to be headlined by singer songwriter Sparhla Swa. On 15 November, the performers will again appear at Live Box - this time supporting London poets Patrick Neate and Gemma Weekes.
Evolving words will have its Grand Finale at the Wellcome Collection, London, when in November, a special selection of written work, film and live performances will be showcased. Soweto Kinch’s musical commission would be the headline performance.
Kimberly Trusty: “So what do you get when you cross evolutionary science with savvy, outspoken teens? Wise cracking baby dinosaurs, the imagined thoughts of a young Darwin, altruism & the struggle for existence in a post-apocalyptic world, human peacocks, a family history of attraction and much, much more.”
Evolving Words national partners are: National Library of Scotland (John Murray Archive), Centre for Life Newcastle, World Museum Liverpool, University of Liverpool, Manchester Literature Festival & Manchester Museum, University of Birmingham and Cambridge Darwin Festival.
Arts partners include North Edinburgh Arts, Customs House, South Shields, Young Identity, Manchester, NU Century Arts, Birmingham and The Junction, Cambridge.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
Elizabeth Lynch, Director, Evolving Words
07876 353232