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Curve Confirms Full List of Contributors for National Conference on Diversity in British Theatre
By: Liz Cearns Oct. 03, 2016
Artistic Director of Tara Arts Jatinder Verma, Artistic Director of Theatre Royal Stratford East Kerry Michael, Simeilia Hodge-Dallaway (leader of the Artistic Directors of the Future initiative), and Cassandra Chadderton (Head of UK Theatre) will join the already announced line-up for Curve's first major conference exploring diversity in UK Theatre.
Recipients of the 2015 UK Theatre Promotion of Diversity Award, Curve's full-day conference on Friday 14th October is entitled the "40 Years On: The Arts Britain Ignores and Diversity in British Theatre" and marks the 40th anniversary of the first ever public inquiry into ethnically diverse culture in the UK written by the renowned commentator Naseem Khan. Khan will open the conference, and also join Arts Council Director of Diversity Abid Hussain for closing reflections.
Comprising three sessions exploring the key themes Commissioning, Training and Leadership; the conference brings together artists, practitioners and leaders from across the sector to reflect on what best practice has been created within both "mainstream" and BAME-led companies. The conference also features contributions from Vicky Featherstone, Baroness Lola Young and renowned casting director David Grindrod.
A full schedule is available at http://www.curveonline.co.uk/whats-on/shows/40-years-on-conference/
Previously announced keynote speaker, the multi-award winning playwright Roy Williams commented:
"I will be the first to cheer when conferences such as this are consigned to history and there is no need for yet another debate on the lack of diversity in UK theatre but we are not there yet, far from it, and we all know it. I have heard ideas, I have heard thoughts, I have heard opinions, and it is beyond time that we see these ideas, thoughts and opinions put into serious and committed action. This conference is an opportunity to tell the whole of the UK theatre "Diversity is not a dirty word. You are all out of excuses, pull your finger out!"
Curve Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director Nikolai Foster said in a joint statement:
"Commissioning, producing and programming work which truly reflects our beautifully diverse communities is at the heart of everything we do at Curve. We are proud our commitment to the Promotion of Diversity is continuing with this conference, which brings together an important group of writers, practitioners and leaders. We hope the conference will play a role in unlocking new ways of introducing and encouraging new audiences and artists into discovering theatre."
40 Years On: The Arts Britain Ignores and Diversity in British Theatre
Friday 14th October
Curve Rutland Street, Leicester, LE1 1SB
9.30am start. Tickets cost £25 and are available from Box Office: 0116 242 3595 / www.curveonline.co.uk
Curve is run by Leicester Theatre Trust Limited, a registered charity (no. 230708). We gratefully acknowledge and welcome the continued support of and partnership with the above organisations.
CURVE
Curve, opened in November 2008, is a spectacular state-of-the-art Leicester theatre, producing and staging world-class theatre in the heart of England. In the seven years since it opened it has become renowned for the quality of its home grown musical productions and serious drama; and in that time, over one million people have seen a Curve production either in the Leicester home base or on tour. Nikolai Foster joined Curve as Artistic Director in January 2015.
To date, Curve has staged nearly 500 productions with over 2000 performances across its three theatre spaces. In addition to Curve Productions, which recently have included sell-out seasons of musicals The Sound of Music, Chicago and Hairspray, as well as the critically acclaimed brand new musical adaptation of Sue Townsend's The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ in spring 2015, Curve co-produces and collaborates with leading companies and artists from across the UK, including Headlong, Kneehigh, Akram Khan Company, Drew McOnie and 20 Stories High.
The conference follows a record year of success at Curve whose Equality Action Plan, which focussed on developing BME audiences and encouraging Youth engagement, resulted in a programme of activities that saw 34 performances of work specifically for, or by, BME communities and 46% of ticket buyers across all of Curve's produced work coming from BME backgrounds. The plan also saw Curve give free space for 281 rehearsal sessions to 3 Affiliate Community Companies, all of whom are BME focussed.
Managed by Leicester Theatre Trust, Curve is a registered charity providing engaging world-class theatrical experiences for local communities, enabling people of all ages and backgrounds to access, participate in and learn from the arts, nurturing new and emerging talent, and creating world-class theatrical experiences. In 2015, over 20,000 will participate in either a community or participation and learning activity at Curve, and the organisation will engage with over 150 schools in Leicester and Leicestershire.
SERENDIPITY ARTS
Serendipity is a diversity-led organisation with the specific aim of working in partnership with mainstream organizations to put on quality culturally diverse work across the region, including producing Let's Dance International Frontiers and overseeing Black History Month in Leicester. Serendipity's strength lies in its track record of working in the performing arts with venues, producers, promoters, performing arts and media companies and directors who reflect the demographic profile of the UK. Using local, national, international practitioners and artists, Serendipity offers excellence in the arts, ensuring that it not only nurtures new and emerging talent but also showcases the best new work being produced in the sector. www.serendipity-uk.com
INSPIRATE
Inspirate was set up to inspire, educate and challenge people through 'creativity'. This happens through events, such as AIS, and other projects, seminars, talks or workshops. The original idea of Inspirate was inspired by the famous talk by Sir Ken Robinson, "How Schools Kill Creativity". Creative learning is missing from our school curriculums and our lives in general. We are boxed in as people and taught in only very few ways. We want to explore this and bring education back into peoples lives in a spectrum of engaging ways. So, being able to challenge this and by reinserting creative learning back into our society is what drives our team. We are talking about adults, the elderly, children and young people. Everyone. Inspirate is 4 years old and has been focusing on developing AIS to get it to where it is. We are now working on other groundbreaking projects that will help us to achieve our aims and objectives. Inspirate is just getting started.
KEY SPEAKER BIOGRAPHYS
Baroness Young of Hornsey (Lola Young) is chair of the Task Group producing recommendations and guidelines as part of The Young Review: Improving Outcomes for Young Black and Muslim Offenders.
A member of the House of Lords since 2004, Baroness Young is an Independent Cross Bench peer and has been involved in campaigns criminalising and combating modern forms of enslavement, and improving the experiences of children in care. In addition, she is a member of the House of Lords EU sub-committee on External Affairs and Defence.
After an acting career in theatre and television, Lola Young became an arts administrator, later moving on to become professor of Cultural Studies at Middlesex University, a writer, cultural critic, public speaker and broadcaster. After a period as project director leading a major initiative at the Black Cultural Archives, Lola subsequently became Head of Culture at the Greater London Authority.She advises arts and cultural agencies and organisations on policy, diversity, leadership and strategic planning and continues to write and produce creative events such as the highly acclaimed national programme of arts and cultural programme, Freedom and Culture.
Lola has sat on the Boards of several national cultural organisations including the South Bank Centre, the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, and The National Archives and is currently a trustee of Somerset House. She has been involved in a number of judging panels, including the Art Fund Prize and The Observer Ethical Awards and Chairing the Orange Prize for Literature and the Caine Prize for African Literature.She is a Commissioner at English Heritage and a Freeman of the Tallow Chandlers Livery Company. As an ambassador for the Ethical Fashion Forum and MADE-BY, Baroness Young established and chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion.
Naseem Khan has been at the forefront of Britain's cultural change as commentator, policy developer and initiator for over thirty years. The daughter of Indian and German immigrants, she has focused on the themes of diversity, innovation and social change nationally and internationally. Her ground-breaking report, 'The Arts Britain Ignores' was the first to highlight the cultural work in ethnic minorities' communities. She followed it up with a substantial body of work in diversity policy for organisations that include the Council of Europe, UNESCO, Museums and Galleries Commission, Gulbenkian Foundation, Asia-Europe Foundation and Arts Councils of England, Scotland and Wales. She has written regularly for the Guardian, Independent and New Statesman amoung others.
After seven years as Head of Diversity for Arts Council England, she now runs her own consultancy, KC, focusing on research, training, evaluation and policy advice. She was one of five Women of the Decade in the Arts in 1993 and was awarded the OBE for her work in 1999.Roy Williams began writing plays in 1990 and is now arguably one of the country's leading dramatists. In 2000 he was the joint-winner of the George Devine Award and in 2001 he was awarded the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright. He was awarded an OBE for Services to Drama in the 2008 Birthday Honours List.
His plays include Advice For the Young at Heart (Theatre Centre); an adaptation of The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner?(Pilot Theatre/UK tour); Sucker Punch (Royal Court - Olivier Award nomination for Best Play & Winner of the Best Play Writers Guild Awards of Great Britain, 2011); Category B (Tricycle); Angel House?(Eclipse Theatre/UK tour); Days of Significance (RSC); Joe Guy (Soho Theatre/Tiata Fahodzi); There's Only One Wayne Matthews (Polka Theatre); Baby Girl (National Theatre Connections); Absolute Beginners (Lyric Hammersmith); Little Sweet Thing (Nottingham Playhouse/Eclipse Theatre UK tour); Slow Time (National Theatre Education); Fallout (Royal Court); Sing Yer Heart Out For the Lads (National Theatre); Clubland (Royal Court); The Gift (Birmingham Rep/Tricycle); Local Boy (Hampstead Theatre); Souls (Theatre Centre); Lift Off (Royal Court); Starstruck (Tricycle - Winner of John Whiting Award, Alfred Fagon Award and EMMA Award for Best Play); Josie's Boy (Red Ladder Theatre Co.); Wildefire (Hampstead Theatre)The No-Boys Cricket Club and Kingston 14 (both Theatre Royal, Stratford East) and an adaptation of Antigone (Pilot Theatre/UK tour). Soul: The Untold Story of Marvin Gaye (Royal & Derngate Northampton /Hackney Empire co-production) He also contributed to the Royal Court's Peckham: The Soap Opera.
Television work includes Let It Snow (Endor Productions/Sky); Fallout (Company Pictures/Channel 4, Screen Nation Award for Achievement in Screenwriting); Offside (BBC, Winner of BAFTA Children's Film & TV Award for Best Schools Drama) and Babyfather (BBC). For film he has co-written Fast Girls.
David Grindrod is a British theatre and television casting director, well-known for his work with Andrew Lloyd Webber. His West End theatre credits include Mamma Mia!, The Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, West Side Story, Saturday Night Fever and Starlight Expres, as well as film casting credits for Mamma Mia and Phantom of the Opera. He has also worked on all of Andrew Lloyd Webber's TV casting shows, including I'd Do Anything and Over the Rainbow and featured as a member of the expert panel in the BBC television series How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? and Any Dream Will Do.
Vicky Featherstone joined the Royal Court as Artistic Director in January 2013. At the Court she has recently directed Cyprus Avenue by David Ireland in the Theatre Upstairs & the Abbey Theatre Dublin, and X by Alistair McDowall in the Theatre Downstairs. Previous directing at the Royal Court includes Zinnie Harris's How to Hold Your Breath; Molly Davies's award-winning God Bless the Child; Maidan: Voices from the Uprising; Abi Morgan's The Mistress Contract; Dennis Kelly's The Ritual Slaughter of George Mastromas; Ali McDowell's Talk Show; Nicole Beckwith's Untitled Matriach Play and The President Has Come to See You by Georgian playwright Lasha Bugadze. Her other work includes the current NToS production of Lee Hall's Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour at the National Theatre and on tour; Enquirer, An Appointment with the Wicker Man; 27; The Wheel; Somersaults (National Theatre of Scotland); The Small Things; Pyrenees; On Blindness; Tiny Dynamite; Crazy Gary's Mobile Disco; Splendour; and Crave (Paines Plough). Vicky was Artistic Director of Paines Plough 1997-2005 and was the founding Artistic Director of The National Theatre of Scotland 2005-2012. She began her career at West Yorkshire Playhouse and in television.
Emteaz Hussain
Emteaz is a playwright, performance poet and workshop leader. Plays include Sweet Cider 2008 Arcola Theatre produced by Tamasha following her outstanding work through the Tamasha Developing Artists (TDA) program. Blood 2015 National tour including The Curve, Nottingham Playhouse and Soho Theatre produced by Tamasha and Belgrade Theatre Coventry. Outsiders 2015 national Tour produced by Pilot Theatre.
She is currently under commission to The Royal Court Theatre and BBC3, The Break II.
As a spoken word artist she has performed nationally and internationally and has toured with Transglobal Underground, Fundamental, Hustlers HC and as a backing poet with the Benjamin Zephaniah band. Emteaz works extensively as a workshop practitioner in both statutory and community settings, specialising in pupil referral units.
Alexander Milward
Kate Morley PR
Tel: 020 7299 4301
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