Griff Rhys Jones Announces 1st East By South East Talent Search, Deadline 6/15

"It was the idea that the Hackney Empire could offer its iconic stage for new local East End talent to take their first steps in either becoming performers or writers (or both) that first attracted me to the theatre prior to its refurbishment.

Many groundbreaking shows later, we have now asked East By South East to bring together a team of leading artistic experts and to come up, for the first time ever, with a systematic plan to encourage young performers and artists from the five Host Olympic Boroughs to perform at the Hackney Empire in their own variety show or to be presented by the theatre in the East By South East comedy book, film screening or gallery exhibition.
East By South East experts will hold auditions and master classes across the five boroughs in the last week of June. They will choose and prepare a ‘bill' of selected young acts to be presented on 15th July in the Play the Empire Variety Show. In keeping with show businesses' favourite saying, "Variety is the Spice of Life", the Experts are also looking to present work from visual artists, creative writers and short film makers in this unique young talent search. So watch out there's talent about" Griff Rhys Jones

Auditions and Master classes will be run by the East By South East experts:

Live Performance: Roland and Claire Muldoon and Jocelyn Jee Essien
Creative Writing: Bola Agbaje and Felix Cross
Visual Arts: The Hackney Arts Club Gavin Turk and Mare 139
Film: Dub Plate Drama, Urban Development, BBC Live Sites

The deadline for submissions to be received by the Hackney Empire is Monday 15 June.

The Muldoons, founding Directors of the reopened Hackney Empire and although retired continue as Creative Producers of the celebrated annual New Act of the Year, The 291 and The Best of New Variety shows at the venue. The Muldoon's are widely recognised for introducing a plethora of artists, too numerous to list, to the wider public. They currently stage comedy and New Variety shows in a number of venues. A digital archive of their pioneering work at the Empire is available on UEL's East London Theatre Archive website.

Bola Agbaje, the Olivier Award winning playwright brought her sell out show, Gone Too Far!, to the Hackney Empire in August last year. As well as writing a new play, Off the Endz, for The Royal Court Theatre, Bola is also writing a new play for the Hackney Empire based on C4/MTV Base show, Dub Plate Drama.

Felix Cross is the Artistic Director of NITRO (formerly Black Theatre Co-op) and before that a freelance playwright, composer and director. For NITRO he has written, composed, directed or produced many shows and festivals including Slamdunk, A NITRO at the Opera, Passports to the Promised Land and the annual NITRObeat festivals. Felix will be directing Bola's Dub Plate Drama play.

The Hackney Arts Club is a loose association of creative artists and practitioners. HAC is coordinated by Millie Laws and members include: Gavin Turk, a celebrated YBA, with work collected by Charles Saatchi; and Carlos Rodriguez aka Mare139, a veteran of the golden years of New York subway painting during 1978-1983.

Dub Plate Drama, the pioneering interactive television drama, which gets its third season on MTV Base and C4 this summer.

Urban Development is the one-stop organisation for London's new urban music talent, combining business acumen with a firm understanding of youth culture and standing at the crossroads where creativity meets the music industry. Urban Development has built a reputation for inspiring young people and championing some of the brightest names on the local and national scene.

BBC Live Sites are situated at Walthamstow High Street and the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich and will show video shorts selected works by the film panel.

Roland Muldoon writes, "London's east by south east region has long deserved its own comedy festival. There are so many creative and performing artists living its environs yet to be discovered it's a wonder that it's taken until now for the idea to emerge. It's a great first step to hold a talent search and present our findings at and from the eminently suitable Hackney Empire. We call on comedy clubs, arts and cultural organisations, youth, community and local groups, local authority, education and health institutions to help us engage at the grass roots and across the entire region".

One more thing the Play the Empire Show is not a talent contest instead it intends to be showcase of a range of disciplines which we know thrives East By South East

Essential information
Website: www.eastbysoutheast.co.uk
Contact: 020 8510 4500
Submission deadline: Monday 15 June, 5pm
Auditions and master classes: 27 June - 4 July

Play the Empire Variety Show, book launch, gallery exhibition, film screening: Wednesday 15 July

The East By South East Comedy Festival is produced by Hackney Empire Limited and presented as part of Create 09, the performing arts and cultural festival for the five host Olympic boroughs: Greenwich, Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest.

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