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CITY BREAKZ

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Scottish Summer Tour 
16 July – 14 August

It’s hip-hop…but not as you know it.

Edinburgh performance company Room 2 Manoeuvre set off on a national tour of Scotland from 16 July with City Breakz: a dance based commentary on space, place and identity. The tour begins at Platform Glasgow before taking in outdoor locations across Glasgow, St Andrews, Falkirk and Edinburgh and more. 

Created by Edinburgh based performance company, Room 2 Manoeuvre led by Artistic Director Tony Mills and in collaboration with the dancers, the show’s bold and striking juxtaposition of dance and environment asks, where and how do we make room for art and culture to exist, to inspire and to be accessible in a changing city landscape? The City Breakz dancers re-imagine city spaces, change the perception of urban environments and bring dance closer to communities. 

City Breakz is an outdoor hip hop dance show featuring four dancers that takes the classic scenario of the hip hop throw down and re-positions it in unusual city locations and common urban structures. Anything can become a dancefloor – a bench, a set of steps, part of a wall – as the dancers negotiate the challenges of uneven surfaces, angles and gradients of cities and towns across the country.

Each performer armed with a patch of linoleum and a sound system – will spring up in unexpected locations for a series of solo roaming performances before coming together at a central outdoor location for one big performance.  

Blending hip hop, physical theatre and contemporary dance, backed by music and sound design from The Reverse Engineer (AKA Dave House), City Breakz will seek to bring the true spirit of hip hop to audiences across the country in a wholly unique performance, providing some of the year’s first live entertainment experiences in a relaxed outdoor environment. 

On bringing City Breakz to audiences, Tony Mills said: “I consider hip hop to be an original form of site-specific dance that responds to place and society. I myself have gone through those times of carrying my lino and boombox around the town trying to find somewhere to dance. I found spaces, buildings or venues where I and others were given room and encouragement to do our thing. But many of those spaces closed or were transformed. City Breakz is about that journey of trying to find those spaces in your home town where you fit in, where you can develop a sense of belonging and carve out your identity. 

“In the rapid urbanisation of towns and cities it feels almost as if culture is being squeezed out to the periphery. So, I want to bring it back to the concrete streets, using an image that, beneath the surface, reveals something inherently important to all of us.”

City Breakz opens at Platform Glasgow on Friday 16 July with more tour dates to be announced. For details visit r-2-m.net. 

Room 2 Manoeuvre is funded by Creative Scotland Touring Fund for Theatre and Dance and supported by: The Workroom, Merchant City Festival, The Brunton, Summerhall and Tramway Residency Programme.

Bunbury Banter presents The Silenced

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9 August – 5 September 2021

The Silenced is an immersive, interactive thriller set in Dumfries and Galloway in the South West of Scotland that whisks you away from your everyday life and plunges you into a thrilling, real time, four-week long story full of exciting twists and turns.

MacEwan Sandars has disappeared. Can you find him before it’s too late?
The first 48hrs are the most crucial…
The clock is ticking…

Created by the award-winning Bunbury Banter – known for their site-specific, multi-sensory, immersive productions – The Silenced blends theatre and technology to create an immersive, digital experience for teams of six people. Played via smartphone, each team member will receive individual clues which they will have to work together to solve. Starting on 9 August, clues will be shared over four weeks as teams collaborate to uncover the truth.

This groundbreaking project incorporates live performance, audio clues and messages, as well as a rich background world to explore online. Audiences will be sucked into a gripping and exciting mystery as they try to solve the disappearance of MacEwan Sanders, uncovering twists and turns at every corner. Get ready to unpick clues, solve puzzles and unravel this story full of suspense, intrigue and uncertainty. Nothing is as simple as it seems in this Scandi-noir theatrical production.

The Silenced will evoke the landscape, folklore and history of Dumfries and Galloway within its mysteries. In a time where we have all been more isolated and turning to digital methods of communication, families and friends will be able to experience the interactive journey together. While one team member must be local to D&G, they can collaborate with up to five team members across the country to help solve the case. Choose your own team or Bunbury Banter can help select a team for you to discover the truth, but be careful who you trust. 

The Silenced is created by Bunbury Banter and Martin McCormick, with scenes by Martin McCormick and is produced by Bunbury Banter. The cast includes Alison Peebles, Phil McKee, Crawford Logan, Irene Allan, Brian James O’Sullivan and Chloe Hodgson; with a supporting local cast from Dumfries and Galloway.

Ali Anderson-Dyer, Bunbury Banter’s Artistic Director said:“We are thrilled to bring you our latest production of The Silenced. We devised and created it in response to the lockdowns and the feeling of isolation which the last year has brought, to all of us. The Silenced is designed to offer space for our audience to connect with their friends and loved ones, through a shared experience, and for them to explore the fun of participating in something exciting, unique and truly ground-breaking”

Tickets are available to buy now for teams of six players. Visit bunburybanter.com.

Filed Under: PR

London Performance Studios opens next round of applications for Seeding Space – free space bursaries

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The creative initiative for the performing and visual arts community welcomes a new wave of artists

Seeding Space

Lise Bell and Than Hussein Clark, of the newly founded London Performance Studios creative initiative announce the second round of Seeding Space applications open. Over 100 free space bursaries for artists built within converted warehouse spaces were made available in spring this year through 2021 and onwards in South East London. 

Seeding Space is the first in a series of exciting initiatives from the group created with artists at the centre, offering spaces across the next 15 months to support the creative freelance workforce to rebuild as we begin to navigate our way out of lockdown. The spaces can be accessed through an open call for applications that is open now. 

Exploring new and risk free structures for creatives, London Performance Studios’ bursaries provide artists with one to three weeks of free space in its South Bermondsey rehearsal rooms for theatre companies, community groups, and independent artists working across the performing or visual arts fields, to develop new or existing works.

The stark numbers of freelancers that have fallen through the cracks over the past year and long before across different demographic groups remains an alarming issue that requires urgent attention within the creative industries. Seeding Space is meeting some immediate requirements of artists by democratising this SE15 space in London.

The aim is to remove some of the current barriers to creative development for the visual and performing arts community – identified through a queer, anti-racist, feminist, and equalist lens – through both the provision of free space and learning development opportunities.

More than just the provision of free space, the successful applicants will have access to the London Performance Studios’ rehearsal space including kitchen, breakout space and rehearsal room; access to a fully-equipped workshop, industry advice and career support and an outside eye or dramaturgical support. There is also an opportunity to participate in the future of London Performance Studios wider vision and to become a part of the community with priority access to other upcoming initiatives. 

New to this round of bursaries, successful applicants will now have access to two fundraising masterclasses and one on one support provided by social business Cause 4. To be delivered in August / September 2021. 

Applications are open to all artistic and community ideas no matter how ‘out of the box’. Anyone is welcome to apply who can clearly demonstrate a need for the space be it for R+D rehearsals, full rehearsals, gallery exhibitions, creation of a large scale piece of art, a community gathering, a public sharing or long table event. 

The first group of successful applicants featured a variety of artists and practices including Mariana Malena, an award-winning female-led theatre company giving voice to Latin American stories; Kaivalya Brewerton, a multidisciplinary artist pulling on themes of socio-political, philosophical and utilitarian themes; Beth Watson, a performer, theatre-maker and facilitator with a special interest in gender and LGBTQ+ representation on stage; Ghost and John, a Hong Kong multi-disciplinary art duo known for their innovative integration of performance and technology; F*Choir, an all genders choir led by Jenny Moore that sing songs about gender, sexuality, freedom and rage and more. 

This project has been developed by Than Hussein Clark and Lise Bell. They began working together in September 2021, combining their extensive knowledge of the visual and performing arts, to develop this new artistic initiative. 

As a visual artist, Than is currently participating in the British Art Show 9 and the upcoming Belgrade Biennale. For the Belgrade Biennale, Than is developing a 16 part radio drama In Alphabetic Gardens with The Director’s Theatre Writer’s Theatre ensemble. 

Lise, a specialist in the performing arts most recently joint CEO and Executive Director at the Gate Theatre. 
The second round of applications for Seeding Space is open now. For full details visit londonperformancestudios.com.

Scissor Kick presents Graeme Leak’s SAVED

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ZOOTV
8 – 25 August 2021

SAVED, created by performer, composer, music director and instrument maker Graeme Leak (The Spaghetti Western Orchestra), is a meditative, musical journey through the mundanity of everyday life. Part of the 2021 Made in Scotland showcase, SAVED finds beauty in the little moments of life, elegantly crafted through instruments onto which Leak has lovingly bestowed a new lease of life.

This multi-layered, retro-mechanical performance is built around two rescued 1970s home organs turned inside out, their internal spinning speakers exposed for us to see as well as hear. Saved from the scrapheap, Leak invites us into the world of these instruments through his meticulous, balletic performance, where each movement, note and pause is considered. 

In our highly digital world, SAVED reminds us that beauty is found within the analog moments, from the sound of a glass rolling against a plate, to simple, everyday conversations. Leak weaves moments of musical joy from nearly 20 rescued, found and lovingly crafted instruments: including a ‘string can’ bass guitar – made from reclaimed hardwood, an oil-can and a cello string; a musically modified kitchen whisk; and a collection of AM radios. 

SAVED is the first show to be produced by new production company Scissor Kick, which champions artists to make observant, transformative and unsettling work. Launched in June 2021, Scissor Kick produces live experiences, nationally and internationally, while providing general management services to independent artists. 

Creator and performer of SAVED, Graeme Leak, said: “1970s home organs were once a huge purchase, akin to a new car or kitchen, and are now often being sold for pennies, given or thrown away. I paid £7 and £2 respectively for the organs in SAVED and was determined to give them a new musical future. The music evolved organically from rescued items, ordinary objects, and mundane moments of daily conversation. I have assembled all these things to create SAVED and I can’t wait to share it with you. I hope you enjoy the show.”

Producer and Founder of Scissor Kick, Stephanie Katie Hunter, said: “I am delighted to be launching Scissor Kick with the world premiere of SAVED. Working with Graeme Leak – with his eclectic career and generous nature – encapsulates exactly what it is I love about producing which is getting to collaborate with world class artists with big visions and curious minds.

Scissor Kick strives to provide audiences with innovative and thought provoking productions all while supporting artists to share their valuable knowledge and experience with a sector that needs to move with the times. SAVED is a delightfully playful show which, despite it not being intended, speaks to the universal experience of the pandemic – being stuck in one place, finding the joy in the everyday, yet always looking forward. This sentiment acts as the foundation of Scissor Kick. It’s time to break down walls, look forward, and make noise.”

Remade Network extends its community repair service to the East End of Glasgow.

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The service sees the launch of a new Tech Drop service – offering a safe disposal route for small electrical items.

The storefront of Remade in Govanhill. It is white and green with the words repair, learn, buy and resuse in large text on the front with the slogan "a repair & resume social enterprise". This was the official opening of the new shop in Glasgow's south side.

Remade will provide a repair service for household items from their Cranhill kiosk in partnership with Cranhill Development Trust and Glasgow City Council, launching Friday 25 June. Every Friday from 10am – 12pm, members of the community can bring their textiles, electronics and tech along for repair, to collect the following week. 

Glasgow residents coming out of lockdown will also be able to easily declutter their unwanted electricals using Remade’s new Tech Drop service supported by the Recycle Your Electricals campaign. Remade Network will take donations of small electricals and electronics – anything with a plug that fits within a carrier bag – to repair, reuse or recycle, providing an easy and sustainable answer to lockdown clearouts. 

Opening the project, David Linden MP for Glasgow East commented: 

“Politicians are fond of talking about building back better and greener post-Covid.  However, as we emerge from lockdown, neighbourhoods across Glasgow are looking to emerge into a greener future and it’s great to see our communities – such as Cranhill – bursting with amazing ideas to make that a reality.  I’m so delighted to support this campaign and to see Remade extending its services from the Southside to the East End.”

Sophie Unwin, Director of Remade Network, said: 

“For too long, consumers have been blamed for not reusing and repairing enough when the facilities don’t exist for people to make better choices. This project seeks to change this. Huge thanks to Glasgow City Council’s Social Enterprise Fund and the Recycle your Electrical Campaign for their support.”

Marie Ward, Chief Executive at Cranhill Development Trust said: 

“We’re delighted to partner with Remade Network on this project to provide affordable repair and reuse services to local residents.”

Scott Butler, Executive Director of Material Focus added: 

“This project is vital to ensuring that we make good use of our old electricals. Whether they are re-used or recycled – these items contain valuable materials that will otherwise be lost forever.  Our research has shown that in the UK we are hoarding over 527 million small electrical items, an average of 20 per household, which is why we have recently launched our Recycle Your Electricals campaign.  We are delighted to be working with Remade Network, who are one of a number of  new reuse projects that we are funding in the UK.  So whether you are at home or work, please hunt out your old electricals and donate them to benefit your community.”  

Remade runs repair and digital inclusion projects across Glasgow and has already diverted over 1000 desktop PCs from landfill, refurbishing and distributing them to over 50 charities and community groups across the city. Cranhill Development Trust, Springburn Parish Church and Elmvale Primary are just some of the projects receiving devices.  Over the past year, the social enterprise has created 12 jobs and diverted 250 tonnes of CO2 – with plans to double this impact over the next year. 

The new electrical waste drop-off points – Tech Drops – in Glasgow aim to collect 3,500 unwanted electrical items over the next year. It is estimated that 25% of these will be suitable for repair and reuse, while the other 75% are safely recycled. 

The scheme, supported by the Recycle your Electricals campaign, will collect phones, laptops, and home electronics – anything with a plug, battery, or cable could potentially be re-used or recycled.  

Recent research, by the not for profit Material Focus behind the Recycle Your Electricals campaign, has found that UK householders are hoarding 527 million small electrical items, an average of nearly 20 per household.  The problem is set to get worse as waste electricals are one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world and the UK. Instead, the majority of electricals can either be re-used or the materials contained in them recycled by being turned into anything, from life-saving equipment to children’s playgrounds.*

How to use Remade Network

  • To donate unwanted items, just bring your unwanted tech to Remade in Cranhill, located at the Cranhill Development Trust or to Remade in Govanhill, located at 421 Victoria Rd.   
  • The scheme will also offer affordable repairs of phones and computers and clothes, including the cost of parts, to local residents in Cranhill.
  • The scheme will ensure that all items are safe, with Remade Network securely collecting, cleaning and testing equipment before making it available in their shop for locals to purchase or distributing to charities. 
  • The collection scheme is also open to other local organisations, with both householders and businesses provided with the peace of mind that all data bearing devices will be securely wiped by Remade Network.