Kiln Theatre Opens Its Doors For A Community Day During The Run White Teeth

Artistic Director of Kiln Theatre, Indhu Rubasingham today announces a Community Day during the run of her production of Zadie Smith's White Teeth, adapted by Stephen Sharkey.

On 17 November the theatre will throw open its doors offering everyone a chance to see the new venue, get involved in fun activities and celebrate the local talent of Brent. There will be free tours of the newly refurbished theatre from local experts, performances in the public spaces by Irish folk bank Pookawn and steel band Phoenix Rising, cake decoration, free family films screened in the cinema and a workshop session about the hidden spaces of care and community in Brent led by Dr Farhan Samanani. The day will also give members of Kiln Theatre's Mapping Brent Youth Theatres the chance to meet with the cast and crew of White Teeth.

The Community Day also marks the launch of a brand new series of heritage building tours that explore the history of the building and local community. The Heritage Storytellers have creatively worked alongside director and professional storyteller Nick Cassenbaum to bring to life these new and untold stories, creating their own unique tour that will delve into their first-hand experience of the building and Brent.

Tickets for the matinee performance of White Teeth have been made available to groups identified by the theatre's Creative Learning department, covering established relationships with members of the youth theatres, elderly engagement groups and the many volunteers working across the Heritage Lottery funded project, A Friendly Society, as well as communities who are yet to connect with the theatre. This has been possible by the new scheme 'Sponsor a Ticket' where members of the public donate the equivalent of a ticket so that those who don't have access to theatre can experience it.

Indhu Rubasingham said today, "With White Teeth running at the theatre bringing Kilburn High Road to life on stage, it felt the perfect time to throw open the doors and invite the local community to the newly refurbished building. There will be opportunities to tour the building, listen to live music, a workshop about informal care and community in Brent, as well as activities for younger members of the community. We can't wait to share the building with those who've not yet had the opportunity to visit the theatre."

Creative Learning Manager: Heritage and Community Nick Gibson added, "The Community Day brings together and celebrates the people and organisations that we have met and worked with through our new Heritage Lottery funded project A Friendly Society. From elder organisations, to local support groups and community volunteers, these people work tirelessly to help people in Brent and we wanted to take this opportunity to welcome them into the new building and show how much we value them. It is also a fantastic opportunity for us to share the ambitious programme of work connected to A Friendly Society that will provide a wide range of opportunities and activities for different communities across the borough over the next two years."

POOKAWN are an Irish folk band, they acoustically play traditional Irish songs. For further information: www.facebook.com/Pookawn

PHOENIX RISING are a steel band. They run Phoenix pan in the community - their programme teaches young people to play steel pans and befriend the community through community performances at residential care homes / day centres for older people and people with disabilities. It allows young people to travel and support other voluntary organisations for the benefit of the wider community. The programme allows young people to raise their self-esteem and self-worth, developing leadership, peer education, project management and teamwork skills to achieve their full educational potential and gain access to future employment and training through positive community engagement. For further information: www.smyplondon.org/our-programs

DR FARHAN SAMANANI's research focuses on political cooperation and division across lines of difference, in the UK. At a time where political, social and cultural divides are the frequent topic of commentary, news and debate, his work takes a bottom-up perspective and traces how division or unity emerge within people's own lives, and how these everyday arrangements endure or collapse across time and space. To trace this, he looks at how different understandings of diversity emerge within various grassroots organisations, and how these understandings are shared or undermined when these groups engage with funders, lobbyists, politicians and other political partners.

He completed his PhD in Social Anthropology at the University of Cambridge, as a Gates Cambridge Scholar, and was awarded his degree in May 2017. He joined the Department for Socio-Cultural Diversity at Max Planck Society in October 2018. Before this he worked as a post-doctoral researcher in Human Geography at the University of Oxford.

NICK CASSENBAUM is a storyteller, street performer and theatre maker. He has an MA from Goldsmiths in Writing for Performance and is a graduate of the Royal Court Young Writers programme. Nick writes plays, makes and performs solo work, and creates street performances. He has worked for the Battersea Arts Centre, Soho Theatre, The Royal Court and The Yard theatre. He is co-artistic director of Slap Haddock and take stock exchange.

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