Genesis Kickstart Fund project activity | Dec 22 – Jan 23

6 December 2022

The image is split in 3. On the left is an image of a woman wearing a black headscarf, sitting on a sofa inside a room with plain white walls, looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression. Behind the woman is a glass cabinet with framed photos, China pots and glasses on the shelves. To the left of her is a table with a sewing machine on. The middle image: In front of a white wall and a fake tree, two actors stand beside each other, looking out into the distance, and holding on hand next to their mouth, as if calling out. The actor on the left has curly brown hair that is tucked into a mustard cap, and is wearing a matching mustard jumper. The actor on the right has brown hair tied up into two high buns. and is wearing a light blue dress with a matching cardigan. The image on the right: Inside an art studio with white walls, two people sit with their legs crossed, smiling at the camera. Beside them is a wooden table with stacks of books and pots of paintbrushes on.

Images: AMMA (Tara Theatre), Hansel and Gretel (Opera Ed, Photo: Nick Rutter), Amy Steel and Avril Corroon (Acme)

Theatre 

AMMA | Tara Theatre 

Tara Theatre’s virtual reality experience ‘AMMA’ is currently running in Wimbledon until 17 December. 

‘AMMA’, meaning mother in Bengali, uses 360 VR to transport audiences into one woman’s memory of the War of Independence in Bangladesh, and rebuilding a life in Britain thereafter in the 1970-80s. The piece has been developed by writer Kamal Kaan and director Abdul Shayek, using testimonies from Bangladeshi women in Birmingham, Walsall, Manchester and London.  

Book tickets for AMMA

Best Seat in Your House | Young Vic 

In January 2023, Young Vic’s new musical Mandela will be broadcast live to audiences at home as part of Best Seat in Your House: a series of live-streamed productions filmed through multiple cameras placed throughout the theatre’s auditorium, with audiences able to choose which camera angle they view the show. 

Supported by our Genesis Kickstart Fund, Best Seat in Your House aims to increase access to theatre by delivering a better ‘from home’ experience. 

With book by Laiona Michelle, music and lyrics by Greg Dean Borowsky and Shaun Borowsky, and directed by Schele Williams, Mandela will be streaming live via Best Seat in Your House on 19, 20, 21 and 23 January 2023 at 7.30pm, and 21 January 2023 at 2pm. 

Book tickets for Mandela 

MATCH/PLAY | tiata fahodzi 

tiata fahodzi has announced the 6 artists of its MATCH/PLAY project: a series of commissions, supported by the Genesis Kickstart Fund, where pairs of artists will work in their local area to produce a 15-minute theatre piece. 

The pieces include ‘FINESSE’ by theatre-makers Stephanie Stevens and Jasmine Kahlia, a two-hander musical exploring loneliness, scamming, insecurities and belonging; ‘Black British Yearbook’ by artists Raphael Dada and Karis Beaumont, an intergenerational exploration of the immigrant experience through portraiture, music and food; and a new musical (currently untitled) by musicians and actors Alexander Williams and Lexie Dufficy, which explores race and identity in modern Britain. 

Find out more 

Music 

Opera for Young Hearts | OperaEd 

OperaEd is in the midst of its ‘Hansel and Gretel’ workshops and performances for schools in Haringey and Enfield, as part of Opera for Young Hearts. 

The programme aims to inspire and educate a new generation of opera-lovers, who don’t currently have access to the art form, through the re-imagined story of a classic fairy tale. 

Photos by Nick Rutter.

Read more about Hansel and Gretel 

In front of a white wall and a fake tree, two actors stand beside each other, looking out into the distance, and holding on hand next to their mouth, as if calling out. The actor on the left has curly brown hair that is tucked into a mustard cap, and is wearing a matching mustard jumper. The actor on the right has brown hair tied up into two high buns. and is wearing a light blue dress with a matching cardigan.
Inside a rehearsal room with coat stands propped up to look like trees, a group of four actors stand in a group, posing for a photo. The actor at the front of the group is holding up a silver spoon, which the others look into and pose, as if the spoon is a phone camera.
Inside a large school hall, an actor wearing a red top hat and waistcoat holds a magic wand, and crouches in front of a group of smiling school children.

Visual Arts 

Acme Alternative Pathway Awards | Acme 

Visual arts charity Acme has launched its 50th anniversary programme of events and artist programmes, which includes the Acme Alternative Pathway Awards.  

Supported by the Genesis Kickstart Fund, these awards aim to support artists that are within their first five years of practice and are from groups currently underrepresented in the arts. 

More information about the awards, as well as other events and announcements, can be found on Acme’s new 50th anniversary webpage. 

Visit the new webpage 

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