We’re so pleased to have been a part of this year’s A Season of Bangla Drama. It was a fantastic month and, as ever, proved that art can be open and inclusive at the same time as being ambitious.
Here are some photos by Rehan Jamil of our East storytelling performance at Rich Mix London, which we produced in association with BSK.
You can see the whole album of photos from the rest of the season here.
As you probably know, East, the storytelling group we run in partnership with Bishwo Shahitto Kendro, will be performing at Rich Mix this Friday, as part of A Season of Bangla Drama 2017. A Season of Bangla Drama is a major event in the Tower Hamlets cultural calendar and it’s a huge privilege to be a part of it.
As ever, we’ll be sharing stories and songs, new and old, told and sung the mix of professionals and community members that comprise East. But this time we’ll also have guest appearances from two wonderful artists: Somali teller Kinsi Abdulleh and folk singer Dan Cox. It’s going to be a great evening.
This Friday, 10th Nov, 7pm, at Rich Mix.
Here’s the event on the Rich Mix website and here’s the Facebook event.
We really hope to see you there!
Some of the group from East – the storytelling group we run in partnership with BSK – joined other theatre companies from A Season of Bangla Drama 2017 yesterday, to get to know each other and see extracts of work in progress. It was a great day and a great chance to meet some very lovely and talented people!
East will be performing at Rich Mix on Nov 10th at 7pm. More info here: https://www.richmix.org.uk/events/theatre/east
Photo: A Season of Bangla Drama
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.
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!
On April 2nd we’re doing a couple of storytelling workshops for kids and we’ve been preparing them alongside our work on the East Archive. Big, big thanks to Rich Mix for giving us the space to work as part of their ongoing generous support for East. (As you probably know, East is our community storytelling project and it’s a partnership with Bishwo Shaitto Kendro, or BSK.)
As you’ll see, rehearsals have been very boring, sedate and serious affairs and we’ve not been having any fun at all!
We’re just putting the finishing touches to the publicity material (mainly checking we have the right logos), though if you’re feeling impatient the key info is that they take place at The Brady Centre, Whitechapel on 2nd April (chose between morning and afternoon), they’re aimed at 6-9 year-olds and they’re free. And fun! You can book here.
Oh and we filmed a load more stuff for the archive. The whole thing will go public later next month…
Rich Mix, which made possible our East community storytelling project, is under threat of closure by London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Your help is needed to tell Tower Hamlets just how important this venue is to the local community, audiences and artists alike.
For more information and to sign the petition, click here: http://chn.ge/1F0tOQU
