“We’re opposites, even though we came from the same, she’s nuttin’ like me, an that shames me.”

Directed by Genesis Fellow Gbolahan Obisesan, Cuttin’ It runs at the Young Vic’s Maria theatre from Friday 20 May until Saturday 11 June 2016; the first production to benefit from the Genesis Fellow Production Fund, Cuttin’ it is a collaboration between five UK theatres that brings the issue of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) to a wide audience.

Written by Charlene James, this urgent and award-winning play looks at ritual, shame and bravery through the prism of different cultural perspectives. A work that speaks to young women across the UK, Cuttin’ It highlights the issue of FGM here and abroad.

David Lan, Artistic Director of the Young Vic, on the new fund:

“The Genesis Fellow Production Fund is a new addition to the Genesis Foundation and Young Vic’s long standing partnership. The generous support of the foundation contributes towards the research, workshopping and staging costs required over the Fellow’s two year position, enabling them to work in the best possible conditions, supported by the whole of the Young Vic team.”

Watch the trailer for Cuttin’ it below:

The Genesis Foundation works with the Young Vic to nurture directors in the early stages of their professional lives; it has supported the Young Vic for over ten years and, in addition to the new production fund, it currently supports the two-year Genesis Fellowship, the Genesis Directors Network and the Genesis Future Directors Award.

Former Genesis Fellows include Natalie Abrahami (2013-2014), Carrie Cracknell (2012–2013) and Joe Hill-Gibbins (2010–2011).

To find out more about the Genesis Foundation’s partnership with the Young Vic, click here.

At the core of the Genesis Foundation is the belief that a holistic approach must be taken to the development of young artistic talent; a unique philosophy whereby the Foundation works in partnership with the leaders of prestigious arts organisations to nurture directors, playwrights and musicians in the early stages of their professional lives. This month, the success of this ideology has been further corroborated by the exciting career developments of two Genesis Foundation alumni.

Two-time Tony Award nominee and first generation Genesis LAMDA Scholar, Samuel Barnett will play the eponymous lead in BBC America’s television revival of Dirk Gently, based on Douglas Adams’ novel, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency. In the programme, scheduled to premiere in the autumn of 2016, Barnett will perform alongside international star Elijah Wood in a series of eight, hour-long episodes that see Dirk and his reluctant assistant Todd navigate a bizarre and winding mystery.

For over 15 years, John Studzinski and the Genesis Foundation have supported LAMDA by helping the Academy nurture and develop talented young actors through an annual Genesis Scholarship. Genesis Scholars have their tuition fees paid in their entirety over the three years of LAMDA’s BA (Hons) in Professional Acting and also receive a contribution towards their living expenses.

Tenor William Wallace has been named the winner of the prestigious London Handel Singing Competition 2016, Regina Etz Prize. A first generation member of Genesis Sixteen, Wallace currently studies as a Young Artist at the National Opera Studio, having graduated from the Royal College of Music with a Performance Masters in 2015.

Genesis Sixteen is the UK’s first fully-funded programme that aims to nurture the next generation of talented choral singers. Participants receive group tuition, individual mentoring and masterclasses run by some of the industry’s top vocal experts, including Harry Christophers and Eamonn Dougan. As part of a unique partnership between The Sixteen and the Genesis Foundation, successful candidates are awarded a bursary for UK travel, accommodation and board costs while participating on the scheme’s four courses, around the UK.

To find out more about the Genesis Foundation’s partnership with LAMDA, click here, and for Genesis Sixteen, click here.

“Speak to me in your mother-tongue and I will let you go”

On Wednesday 13 April Mongiwekhaya’s I See You transferred to The Market Theatre, Johannesburg for the second phase of its inaugural run. Presented as part of International Playwrights: A Genesis Foundation Project, I See Youwas developed during the Royal Court’s new writing project in South Africa and premièred to critical acclaim when it opened at the Royal Court Theatre in February 2016; a series of 22 sold out performances followed.

In response to the overwhelmingly positive response to the play and in recognition of its significance at an important time in South Africa’s history, the production’s tour has now been extended to include a run of performances at The Fugard Studio Theatre, Cape Town between 6 May and 28 May 2016.

Based on a real encounter, I See You is set after dark in Post-Apartheid South Africa and addresses the questions of a new generation of South Africans encountering their country’s traumatised past.

The Genesis Foundation supports the Royal Court’s ground-breaking work with emerging playwrights from around the world. Led by Elyse Dodgson, Head of the International Department, the Royal Court Theatre has worked with playwrights in 70 countries. Each year, it works to develop emerging international talent through workshops, residencies and touring.

Find out more about the Genesis Foundation’s partnership with the Royal Court Theatre here.

The Cumnock Tryst Festival, established just two years ago by composer Sir James MacMillan with support from individuals and organisations including the Genesis Foundation, has been shortlisted for a prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award. 65 independent jurors considered 350 nominations across 13 categories; the Festival is one of only three organisations to be shortlisted in the Concert Series and Festivals category.

“We are thrilled that the Cumnock Tryst Festival has been shortlisted for these prestigious awards in only its second year. The nomination recognises the incredible hard work and valued contribution of so many different people.” Festival Founder and Artistic Director, Sir James MacMillan

On Thursday 2 October 2014, Harry Christophers and The Sixteen opened the inaugural Cumnock Tryst Festival, performing the Scottish premieres of three Genesis Foundation Stabat Mater commissions by Alissa Firsova, Matthew Martin and Tõnu Kõrvits. In 2015, Eamonn Dougan, associate conductor of The Sixteen, lead the first ever performance by The Cumnock Tryst Festival Chorus at a concert funded by the Genesis Foundation. The chorus, a special ensemble made up of members of the local community and joined by alumni of Genesis Sixteen, will return to the festival in 2016, again with support from the Genesis Foundation:

“As well as bringing great musicians to perform in Cumnock, The Tryst aims to give people in the area as much opportunity as possible to make music themselves … and mould [them] into a Chorus that can perform masterworks from the repertoire.” Sir James MacMillan

The Genesis Foundation’s association with James MacMillan dates back to 2008 when he was commissioned by the Foundation to compose musical settings for Padre Pio’s Stay with Me Lord. In February 2016 it was announced that the Foundation had commissioned MacMillan to compose a new Stabat Mater, with its world premiere being given by Harry Christophers, The Sixteen and Britten Sinfonia at the Barbican Centre, London on 15 October 2016. Surrounding the premiere of the piece will be a series of concerts and talks dedicated to MacMillan; at 60 minutes in length and for choir and string orchestra, Stabat Mater will undoubtedly be one of his most important works to date.

The Genesis Foundation first commissioned Roxanna Panufnik to compose Westminster Mass 15 years ago. Since then, the Foundation has committed itself to ensuring that new pieces of sacred music are commissioned, performed and recorded. Other associated composers include Will Todd, Tarik O’Regan and Roderick Williams.

The winners of the 2016 RPS Awards will be announced on Tuesday 10 May, whilst the programme for the 2016 Cumnock Festival will be unveiled on Wednesday 25 May.

To find out more about the Genesis Foundation’s rich history of commissioning new music, click here. To learn about the Foundation’s free young artists’ scheme, Genesis Sixteen, click here.

Dutchman, directed by Ola Ince, will run from 6 – 16 April

trade, directed by Bryony Shanahan,will run from 16 – 26 November

Amiri Baraka’s play, Dutchman, centres on two strangers as they meet on a subway train on an oppressively hot day: Lula, a white woman and Clay, a black man. Striking up a conversation that twists and turns through dangerous territory, the characters hurtle at full speed towards their fate. Written in the 1960s, Baraka’s powerful play explores the reality of race relations and freedom in America. Ola Ince,one of two winners of the Genesis Future Directors Award 2016 and who first worked at the Young Vic in 2012 on One Million Tiny Plays About Britain, will highlight the enduring relevance of Dutchman when this newproduction opens at the Young Vic’s Clare Theatre.

Later in the year, Bryony Shanahan’s production of trade will take to the same stage. In this play, written by award-winning playwright debbie tucker green, three women, Local, Regular and Novice, navigate their way through a series of powerful oppositions: here and there, attack and defence, us and them. Charged with undertones of exploitation and self-justification, fragments of dialogue offer an insight into their lives and the concept of financial and emotional trade.

The Genesis Future Directors Award nurtures and develops emerging young directors by providing them with an invaluable opportunity to explore and develop their craft while creating their first fully resourced production at the Young Vic without the scrutiny of the media. Ola and Bryony became the sixth and seventh recipients of this award earlier this year and will be supported and mentored by the Young Vic including Artistic Director David Lan and Genesis Fellow Gbolahan Obisesan.

Former recipients of a Genesis Future Directors Award include Rikki Henry (2015), Finn Beames (2014), Tinuke Craig (2014), Matthew Xia (2013) and Ben Kidd (2012).

To find out more about the Genesis Foundation’s partnership with the Young Vic, click here.

Broadcasts:

Wednesday 30 March 2016 3.30pm – 4.30pm 

Sunday 3 April 2016 3pm – 4pm

On 9 February 2016, the Genesis and Choral Foundations brought together leaders from the Catholic and Anglican Church for the first service according to the Roman Catholic Latin Rite to be celebrated at Hampton Court Palace’s Chapel Royal in 450 years. The service is being broadcast exclusively on BBC Radio 3’s Choral Evensong, giving worldwide audiences the chance to tune in and listen to Thomas Tallis’ Magnificat, William Cornysh’s Salve Regina and John Taverner’s ‘Leroy’ Kyrie performed by ensembles The Sixteen and Genesis Sixteen, conducted by Harry Christophers.

Vespers was celebrated by His Eminence Cardinal Vincent Nichols and includes a sermon from The Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dr Richard Chartres KCVO, Bishop of London and Dean of Her Majesty’s Chapels Royal.

“Speak to me in your mother-tongue and I will let you go”

I See You, by South African Playwright Mongiwekhaya, is presented as part of International Playwrights: A Genesis Foundation Project and was developed during the Royal Court’s new writing project in South Africa which began in 2013.

Directed by Noma Dumezweni, I See You runs from Thursday 25 February – Saturday 26 March 2016 in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs. Mongiwekhaya will also give a post-show talk Mongiwekhaya in Conversation with Royal Court International Director, Elyse Dodgson on Friday 4 March in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs as part of The Big Idea series.

Based on a real encounter, I See You is set after dark in Post-Apartheid South Africa and addresses the questions of a new generation of South Africans encountering their country’s traumatised past.

After its run at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, I See You will play at the Market Theatre, Johannesburg.

Click here to see The Royal Court Theatre’s full Sixty Years New season which also includes Cuttin’ It, a co-production with the Young Vic Theatre directed by Genesis Fellow Gbolahan Obisesan,

Find out more about the Genesis Foundation’s partnership with the Royal Court Theatre here.

People from around the world were inspired by Faith and the Crown, an historic event on the evening of Tuesday 9 February 2016 that saw the Genesis and Choral Foundations bring together leaders from the Catholic and Anglican Church for the first service according to the Roman Catholic Latin Rite to be celebrated at Hampton Court Palace’s Chapel Royal in more than 450 years; the event received international press coverage in more than 25 countries and across all six continents. Stories of the event were featured on the front page of The New York Times, the BBC News at Ten headlines and more than 200 TV stations around the world. From London to Los Angeles, Borneo to Brazil, this monumental occasion was firmly on the world stage.

The service, recorded by BBC Radio 3 for an exclusive broadcast on Wednesday 30 March 2016, was featured widely in print, online and broadcast media, including TV exposure on ABC Australia, radio news on NPR, and features in The Telegraph, the Guardian, the Independent and The Times. Combined with active engagement on social media platforms,the result was a potential impression reach of almost three quarters of a billion people.

The Guardian:

“The scent of incense filled the air beneath the chapel’s magnificent blue and gold ceiling as a small procession made its way towards the altar. Vincent Nichols, the Catholic archbishop of Westminster, in a gold mitre and brocade robe, walked a few steps behind Richard Chartres, the Anglican bishop of London and dean of the royal chapels, in a symbolic gesture of reconciliation.” 

The New York Times:

“During the service, held in the palace’s Chapel Royal, chants in Latin from an 18-person choir swelled up toward turquoise ceilings, adorned with golden stars and gilded cherubs. Around 350 attendees were packed into tiny wooden pews.” 

The Daily Mail:

“Speaking before the service, John Studzinski, founder and chairman of the Genesis Foundation, said: ‘Dialogue between faiths is much needed and welcomed in these turbulent times. We need to recognise that we have more in common than not.” 

The Telegraph:

“In a step hailed as hailed as a landmark in reconciliation between Anglicanism the Catholicism, they joined in a service of vespers in the Chapel Royal. The service, sung mainly in Latin, was the first Roman Catholic act of worship in Henry’s former chapel in more than 450 years.”

The Washington Post:

“Around 350 people assembled on Tuesday (Feb. 9) inside the ornate palace, about 15 miles from London, as Cardinal Vincent Nichols, head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, led a solemn vespers service, known in the Church of England as evensong. The service was a symbolic act cementing growing ties between this country’s two leading Christian faiths, Catholicism and Anglicanism, divided since the Reformation.”

To find out more about this event, watch the short film below:

The weekend of 15/16 October will see the Barbican Centre present a series of concerts and talks dedicated to James MacMillan. At the pinnacle of these celebrations will be the world premiere of his full-length Stabat Mater, commissioned by the Genesis Foundation for Harry Christophers and The Sixteen to be performed with the Britten Sinfonia.

James MacMillan’s Stabat Mater, at 60 minutes for choir and string orchestra, will undoubtedly be one of his most important works to date and reflects his personal response to what is unquestionably the most powerful poem of the liturgy. The thirteenth-century text – Stabat Mater Dolorosa (The grieving mother stood…) – is a meditation on the suffering of Mary as she stands at the foot of the Cross and therefore has a universal resonance that is as timely today as it has ever been.

This major commission from James MacMillan marks the culmination of the Genesis Foundation’s three-year series of commissions and workshops dedicated to the Stabat Mater. Stabat Mater: Spirit, Strength & Sorrow saw three leading young composers – Alissa Firsova, Tõnu Kõrvits and Matthew Martin– write Stabat Maters under the mentorship of James MacMillan and Harry Christophers. Their three works were premiered at a free concert at LSO St Luke’s, London, in June 2014 and subsequently recorded by Christophers and The Sixteen for release on their Coro label.

The Genesis Foundation began 15 years ago with the commissioning of Roxanna Panufnik’s Westminster Mass and since then has continuously committed itself to ensuring that new pieces of sacred choral music get commissioned, performed and recorded. Other composers who have received Genesis Foundation commissions include Will Todd, Tarik O’Regan and Roderick Williams.

Click here for further information (tickets available from 10 February 2016) and click here to read the full press release.

Each year the World Economic Forum plays host to some of the world’s most influential entrepreneurs and premier economists. Speaking with the BBC from Davos, Switzerland, Founder & Chairman of the Genesis Foundation John Studzinski explores the idea that it may now be time for philanthropic efforts toextend beyond First World countries to developing nations:

“Philanthropy can be taught, it can be inculcated… I get really frustrated that people think you must have a lot of money before you can become philanthropic, or become charitable. The reality is a child can be exposed to a role model of a parent… and volunteer their time.”

To watch the full interview on the BBC website, click here.