Filling space and biding time

It’s a bit of a filler this week I’m afraid as I’ve been so hugely busy coming to the end of my MA… But there are certainly a few things to watch out for in the coming months which I wanted to flag up.

The Greenwich and Docklands International Festival is arriving in London on the 24th June which sees many different outdoor shows using the interesting areas around the historic docklands in Tower Hamlets. The theme is Earth this year and I reckon it will be worth having a look at.

Also on the cards in July is the InTRANSIT festival Kensington and Chelsea. The festival brings Susurrus by David Leddy - which was performed at Edinburgh last year and sold out pretty darn quickly. It was a site specific performance in Edinburgh and it has been reimagined for Holland Park gardens. Well worth a look at.

For those of you who haven’t yet caught Ditch by Beth Steel – I can totally recommend that, for the fantastic set and space (the tunnels under Waterloo station) that the Old Vic have created. The play itself is well performed, the script not totally there yet, but the atmosphere holds your attention throughout. It’s on till the 26th June, so catch it!

Check out the slideshow I put together on the Telegraph’s website on the new Tate show Exposed.

Dartington Festival is happening next week – an accumulation of the works from students at the end of the year, but this will be the last ever festival, as Dartington is moving. So if anyone finds themselves out west then check it out! Here‘s the Facebook group.

Also on the cards in the next week or so is Road to Mecca at the Arcola, No Idea at the Young Vic and the House of Bilquis Bibi at Hampstead theatre. All worth checking out I feel.

Tags: david, Ditch, exposed, inTRANSIT, leddy, old vic, previews, sussurrus, tate mdoern, tunnels, young vic

The future of the beeb, the arts and the launch of the East London Line!

Big Ben. Photo: Wallyg flickr

It looks as though the Tories have it in the bag with the help of the Liberal Demorcrats after the general election. The obvious issue that comes up is that the system needs a reboot. Especially with the majority of people  not voting for a Conservative government.

Check out the Facebook group stop the Tories and save the arts

And also Democracy on Facebook is an interesting one. But of course it’s all a little too late for all that but  worth a look to see how people are interacting with democracy in this digital age.

Make sure you stay on top of what’s going on with the BBC. The Conservative policy on one of our most important institutions is worrying, so don’t forget to voice your opinions when/if the time comes.  See this article in the Guardian about freezing the licence fee and comment is free on the same website by Emily Bell.

The east london line has now been launched – and Eastlondonlines has been all over it – with a launch for the site on the 23rd May – come to that!

I’ve been working on a feature on Dartington College of arts – the final date of existence for the college, founded in the early sixties is in August. It’s merging with Falmouth and there will be no more college on the Dartington Estate, where Dorothy and Leonard Elmhirst moved in, in the 1920s.  The 16-20th is the date for the final Dartington festival.

Keep checking this blog for more updates on the merger and the future of the internationally recognised college.

In other arts news – I review Eurydice at the Young Vic as well as the White Guard – well worth a checking out – here’s my review on Kultureflash. See REVIEWS on this blog.

It’s one year since Vulpes Vulpes opened it’s doors to the public. What an interesting and brilliant gallery this has been. The one year birthday party was on Friday and wait with bated breath for the fantastic photos that came out of that…

Plays, elections, plays, elections

Since I last wrote, what a load of stuff have I been doing and seeing. Last Friday it was GuruGuru at Camden People’s theatre, the most recent headphone performance starring YOU the audience.

Treated to three beauties in one night, BAC never disappoints. The Poof Downstairs was comic hilarity with Jon Haynes, one half of Ridiculusmus. But Haynes has branched out all on his own… his co-stars seem to have abandoned him however. RETURN was a film, but a poem, but a play, but a… well it was all three, performed by the delicate and sincere, yet funny Polarbear. And then there was Sporadical by Little Bulb Theatre. They never fail to disappoint. This great young company presented the family reunion of a lifetime with folk musical and fantastic sounds. In all a fab evening at Battersea Arts Centre.

But Hark! There’s more. How about Henry V at Southwark Playhouse – check that fab show out – by new young bright thing director Emily Lim. It runs a smooth 90 minutes and has choreography from Tangled Feet Leon Smith. This is a GREAT production and does the Bard proud. See reviews on Kultureflash and in the REVIEWS SECTION.

Last night also saw another debate between politicians at the Tate Britain. The National Campaign for the Arts are hosting as many arts debates as possible, chaired by the luminous Joan Bakewell. We saw Ed Vaizey, Shadow Arts minister, Margaret Hodge, Minister for Culture and Tourism and Don Foster Liberal Democrat Culture, media and sport shadow secretary battle it out between them infront of a plethora of arts professionals, concerned about what might become of the arts after the next general election? And what might their answers be? Check out the EVENTS page for more info.

Tags: arts, BAC, GURUGURU, Henry V, london, national campaign for the arts, Tate britain, theatre

Culture and politics just don’t mix

A very wet, cold and windy top o’ the mornin’ to you all. (Although it’s clearly the afternoon) I hope you’re all ready and raring to go today, there are certainly a few things that have been manifesting themselves this week.

One is namely – the new Kultureflash website! Yes, people, it’s on, it’s running and it’s slick and new. Check out the coverage and the picks of London-centric culture. www.kultureflash.net

Also today – check out my interview with spoken word master Adisa - on the INTERVIEWS page. I met the poet before his gig at the Barbican centre last week. We met at the Albany Theatre in Deptford where he had been rehearsing his show The Year that Never Ended.

I hope you have ll been paying attention to the Guardian’s faithful and timely coverage of the TORIES’ ART MANIFESTO. Shock horror – Mr Billington gives it a few stars, but between him and Charlotte Higgins they believe the Mr Hunt (the shadow culture secretary) is fairly charming. (and thankfully not from the alienating Bullingdon Club)

That said, the fact that cuts to the arts are still on the agenda, despite the money for arts making up 0.07% of government budget , seems preposterous. The idea that the Tories have of encouraging more private investors and private money JUST WON’T WORK!

Arts Charities have a hard enough time as it is when they HAVE a Development/Fundraising department, let alone when they can’t afford one. With the proposed Tory arts manifesto, we’d be looking kicking in the shins our plethora of off-west end theatres. Gems like the Arcola, Theatre503, the Bush. WE NEED ARTS, CULTURE, EXPRESSION and DEBATE! This is something proven! You only need look to Orwell‘s prophetic 1984 to see how people shrivel when creativity, human interaction and expression is controlled.

Also to come – I spoke with poet, dramatist, film writer (all of the above) Glyn Maxwell about life, work and what’s to come. Keep your eyes on the look out for his new films Witchgrass… and Time’s Fool which is in the making…

Spoken word master in Tower Hamlets

Just a short one today as there was such a plethora of information last week -  Adisa‘s 1968 is coming to the Barbican theatre next week to commemorate 10 years of Renaissance One‘s poetry production work. See the interview/article I did with Adisa on East London Lines – www.eastlondonlines.co.uk. 

Anyone who hasn’t already heard KATE TEMPEST - performing at the Albany will be a storm. Literally. On stage. Catch her on Friday night – if you haven’t seen her before go! She’s great.

Interesting news about the Young Vic Executive Director Gregory Nash who has just left after only half of his probation time… I wonder what went on there behing the scenes…

Follow me on twitter! daisy5660 It’ll be a blast!

Tags: adisa, albany, barbican, Kate tempest, poetry, theatre, young vic

Down With The Establishment!

What with Giacommetti’s most recent bargin (gulp!) and talk of the National Theatre needing to be knocked down we would be right to wonder what is exactly going on in the arts in London at the moment?!

A world record on the amount of money paid for a sculpture – one might well ask ‘What’s so special about this guy?’ At 65 Million Pounds, it’s the most bid in Sotherby’s for an art piece, and indeed anywhere at an auction. The Art Newspaper Editor Georgina Adam said that it was because pieces by this sculptor were rare… and getting rarer but is it a moment where the world says – ‘Recession no longer! Bring me Art’!

Guardian writer and blogger Andy Field posted a controversial blog about demolishing the National Theatre last week. Heaven forbid I hear your cry! And many people reacted with amazement at the writer’s blog (just see the comments at the bottom).

Lyn Gardner was in on the anti-establishmentarianism (to use a Blackadder quote) pointing out how manyof theatre’s top people were Oxbridge educated. Is this something we can EVER escape from? I’m not sure, but if we see fringe theatre in London at the moment you can see people from all different backgrounds working on wonderful stuff. It’s just our institutions that are inundated! See my feature in FEATURES on young directors for more info on that one – it’s impossible for them to get funding!

But still – see what a plethora London has at the moment! I am Yusef and this is My Brother is coming to an end this week at the Young Vic. I saw it on Saturday and loved the live, haunting music and the peek into the past of Palestine. A country whose history is all bundled up with ours. Knives in Hens has just begun at the Arcola – a revival of David Harrower’s 1995 play, it takes us to a world a hundred years ago, where creativity is a luxury and people live hand to mouth. A young wife’s creative juices are unveiled as she meets the miller…. See REVIEWS for both of those to come.

Plan D is in it’s last week at the Tristan Bates theatre in Covent Garden. Written by playwright Hannah Khalil - this looks like an interesting on – I’ll let you know!

Kate Tempest is also storming the scenes in Deptford this week – playing on the 12th at the Albany Theatre. CHECK HER OUT.

Tags: art, national, plan d, sculpture, theatre, young vic

Christmas Time is here again. And so am I.

It’s been too long. FAR too long. I read recently in the Sunday Times of things that are ‘going down’. This included people who don’t update their blogs. That’s basically me. It’s a hanging of the head moment. But to be fair, it’s a new year approaching and new beginnings, so my pre new years new years resolution is to keep my blog up to date!

To be fair, it’s been hectic. It’s not that I’ve been lazy. Have you seen EAST LONDON LINES? Our new website, which covers news and arts over four London boroughs – Croydon, Lewisham, Hackney and Tower Hamlets. If you haven’t already seen this, it’s great. Many bloggers have mentioned it already and newspapers (Guardian, Evening Standard, Hackney Citizen no less) have picked up our stories.

But arts darling! What’s been going on! I hear you cry. Well, lots. From the Evening Standard Awards featuring the lovely Mark Rylance, to lifetime achievemment award for Sir Ian McKellan, to Complicite’s Endgame, to Battersea Arts Centre’s wonderous piece on Charles Hawtry by the remarkable Amanda Lawrence.

Then there’s things to come. Yusef and His Brother is coming next year at the Young Vic – definitely one to watch out for – it’s an interesting Palestinian playwright and I am sure if the Young Vic like it then it must be good.

Also on the cards – Ambit magazine holds a poetry competition! 200 words! It’s only 200 words! Have a go, and see if you can win £500…Also take out a subscription to the mag, cos let’s face it, they might not make it to issue 200 and we definitely need to watch out for that.

Anywhoo. This is just the beginning. I will be back, bigger and bolder and artier than ever.

Tags: art, blog, new, theatre, update