We had a very successful day running an East storytelling tent at Great Day Out in Victoria Park. Here are some lovely photos by Rehan Jami of tellers Alia Alzougbi and Sef Townsend in action.
Help us tell the real story of our country’s history…
With politicians across the world trying to twist history to serve their own ends, we, the people, need to tell our own stories. That’s why Daedalus Theatre Company and The Black Smock Band are working with Ovalhouse Theatre, students at Queen Mary, University of London and local residents wherever we vist, to develop an exciting new project: Gerrard Winstanley’s True and Righteous Mobile Incitement Unit.
Part gig, part theatre, part political meeting, part public participation project, it will tour the country with songs and stories of dissent and rebellion… and an invitation to speak up and get involved. There’ll also be a website where we and the public can share ideas, texts and songs, and discuss England’s radical past, present and future.
Developed over the last few years under the working title of The Radical History Project, the piece centres on the Mobile Incitement Unit, a kind of portable, interactive installation, containing an archive, props and costumes, materials for making placards and writing protest songs, a miniature field for enacting land rights issues, tea-making facilities and much more besides. But we need to crowd-fund £2,000 to build it.
Please consider making a donation. Everything helps, however small! And, unless you want to be anonymous, you’ll be credited as a funder (or a sponsor for amounts over £250).
Go on, click the button below. You know you want to.
Thank you!
We’re back in Victoria Park again this Sat…
Specifically, we’re proud to present, in conjunction with BSK, storytelling this Sat, with two amazing tellers: Sef Townsend and Alia Alzougbi. It’s part of LBTH’s A Great Day Out, and of the East Storytelling project. Look out for the storytelling tent. It’s all happening near the bandstand in the East part of the park.
Come along!
We’re absolutely delighted to be part of this year’s Eid-al-Fitr celebrations in Victoria Park, Tower Hamlets. As part of our East storytelling project, organised in collaboration with Bishwo Shahitto Kendro, we’ll be running a storytelling tent with amazing tale-spinners Shamim Azad and Sef Townsend, supported by musician Paul Burgess. Info on the flyer below. It’s this Sunday. See you there!
We’ve been talking to the inspiring Kinsi Abdulleh about adding some Somali storytelling to the East Archive, and she invited us to the launch event of this year’s Numbi Festival. Numbi is “a platform for collaborative cross-cultural exchange for artists working in theatre, visual arts/photography, music/dance, and film, that draws from the experience of Somali communities around the world.” And, like us, it’s based in Tower Hamlets. We have great neighbours!
Last night’s event focused on a discussion of Hadrawi’s Baladweyn. Sef (one of East‘s professional storytellers) and Paul (our artistic director) went along. It was a really inspiring evening, and eye-opening for those who didn’t know a great deal about Somali literature. There are two more days of the festival to go. Details are here.
Thanks to Sef for the photo.
Paul, our artistic director and also one of the organisers of East, wrote a piece about the evolution of the East project for the Apples and Snakes Blog. You can read it here.
As you will see from the blogpost, Apples and Snakes helped get the project off the ground in the first place. So it’s great to have its continued support!
The three arts professionals who initially got East off the ground, Sef, Shamim and Paul, also ran an East storytelling tent at Tower Hamlets council’s flagship event for families; The Great Day Out, which takes place in Victoria Park every summer. A lot of fun was had by all. Here’s a photo of the ‘East Three’ (in E3) by Simon Daw.
Shamim Azad, Sef Townsend and Paul Burgess from East will be sharing stories, poems, songs and some instrumental music in the East storytelling tent at the Great Day Out event in Victoria Park tomorrow. It’s mainly aimed at families with kids 5+ but everyone’s welcome to come by.
Details from the Tower Hamlets Council’s website are here. It’d be lovely to see you!
The photos above come from the last time the “East Three” performed together, which was at Boi-Lit 2016 Children’s Day,at Rich Mix. They’re by Shoayeeb Chamak from BSK.
A selection of some of the wonderful photos taken by visiting Thai photographer Tan Nidhivir of our Woodland Walk tryout the other week in Butcher’s Wood, Hassocks. Led by Dan Cox, the walk links natural history, folklore and mental health and is a collaboration with The Brightwood Project. We were very pleased with how it went and got some great feedback from our invited audience.
More about this rather exciting project as it develops…
Woodland Walk pilot – Photo: Tan Nidhivir
Woodland Walk pilot – Photo: Tan Nidhivir
Woodland Walk pilot – Photo: Tan Nidhivir
Woodland Walk pilot – Photo: Tan Nidhivir
Woodland Walk pilot – Photo: Tan Nidhivir
Woodland Walk pilot – Photo: Tan Nidhivir
Woodland Walk pilot – Photo: Tan Nidhivir
Woodland Walk pilot – Photo: Tan Nidhivir
Woodland Walk pilot – Photo: Tan Nidhivir
Woodland Walk pilot – Photo: Tan Nidhivir
Woodland Walk pilot – Photo: Tan Nidhivir
Woodland Walk pilot – Photo: Tan Nidhivir
Woodland Walk pilot – Photo: Tan Nidhivir
Woodland Walk pilot – Photo: Tan Nidhivir
Woodland Walk pilot – Photo: Tan Nidhivir
Woodland Walk pilot – Photo: Tan Nidhivir
Woodland Walk pilot – Photo: Tan Nidhivir
Woodland Walk pilot – Photo: Tan Nidhivir
We were honoured to be invited, as partners in the East project, to participate in BSK’s Boi-Lit Festival, the annual Bangla Literature Festival at Rich Mix. It’s a wonderful event, which combines creativity and intellect.
On Day 1, Families Day, Sef Townsend, Shamim Azad, Farah Naz and Paul Burgess presented an interactive programme of stories and songs. On Day 2, which focussed on the Bangla Renaissance, Paul presented a segment on the Illiad, as part of a section directed by Khadijah Rahman that explored the links between Valmiki’s Ramayan and Homer’s epic.
BSK’s official photographer, Shoayeeb Chamak took lots of great photos: here are a selection.
East at Boi-Lit 16 – photo by Shoayeeb Chamak for BSK
East at Boi-Lit 16 – photo by Shoayeeb Chamak for BSK
East at Boi-Lit 16 – photo by Shoayeeb Chamak for BSK
East at Boi-Lit 16 – photo by Shoayeeb Chamak for BSK
East at Boi-Lit 16 – photo by Shoayeeb Chamak for BSK
East at Boi-Lit 16 – photo by Shoayeeb Chamak for BSK
East at Boi-Lit 16 – photo by Shoayeeb Chamak for BSK
East at Boi-Lit 16 – photo by Shoayeeb Chamak for BSK
East at Boi-Lit 16 – photo by Shoayeeb Chamak for BSK
East at Boi-Lit 16 – photo by Shoayeeb Chamak for BSK
East at Boi-Lit 16 – photo by Shoayeeb Chamak for BSK
East at Boi-Lit 16 – photo by Shoayeeb Chamak for BSK
East at Boi-Lit 16 – photo by Shoayeeb Chamak for BSK
East at Boi-Lit 16 – photo by Shoayeeb Chamak for BSK
East at Boi-Lit 16 – photo by Shoayeeb Chamak for BSK
East at Boi-Lit 16 – photo by Shoayeeb Chamak for BSK
East at Boi-Lit 16 – photo by Shoayeeb Chamak for BSK
East at Boi-Lit 16 – photo by Shoayeeb Chamak for BSK
East at Boi-Lit 16 – photo by Shoayeeb Chamak for BSK
East at Boi-Lit 16 – photo by Shoayeeb Chamak for BSK
East at Boi-Lit 16 – photo by Shoayeeb Chamak for BSK
East at Boi-Lit 16 – photo by Shoayeeb Chamak for BSK
East at Boi-Lit 16 – photo by Shoayeeb Chamak for BSK
East at Boi-Lit 16 – photo by Shoayeeb Chamak for BSK
We had a really delightful launch for the East Archive at Rich Mix. Here are some photos from Farah Naz. And don’t forget to take a look at the archive itself: www.eastarchive.com!
East Archive Launch at Rich Mix – Photo by Farah Naz
East Archive Launch at Rich Mix – Photo by Farah Naz
East Archive Launch at Rich Mix – Photo by Farah Naz
East Archive Launch at Rich Mix – Photo by Farah Naz
East Archive Launch at Rich Mix – Photo by Farah Naz
East Archive Launch at Rich Mix – Photo by Farah Naz
East Archive Launch at Rich Mix – Photo by Farah Naz
East Archive Launch at Rich Mix – Photo by Farah Naz
East Archive Launch at Rich Mix – Photo by Farah Naz
East Archive Launch at Rich Mix – Photo by Farah Naz
East Archive Launch at Rich Mix – Photo by Farah Naz