Release tension, stress and anxiety

Push yourselves and try something different:


FREE AFRICAN DANCE WORKSHOPS

*led by Alphonse Bhupanga of Suku Dia Kongo

* based around African drumming and movement, an excellent way of helping shake
off tension, stress and anxiety
*working towards performances all over London
*no experience necessary
*learn about Congolese culture & tradition

MONDAYS
6-7pm
Term-time only
Starting 19th Nov 2007
Kilburn (near Kilburn tube station)

For more information on volunteering for Upbeat and to book your place on these
workshops please contact:

Lucia Way
Development Manager
UPBEAT

E: mailto:project24eight@yahoo.co.uk
T: 078 6077 8133

Creative Minds Making Music

Exceptional Contribution to Arts and Culture in Camden 2006 Award

Blog information provided courtesy of: http://www.ethnicshowcase.com
London's Premier Ethnic Talent Agency

Panto's - Have you been to one lately?

Panto season is a busy time for actors who can get work.
Actors normally waork 6weeks to 2months and can earn any where from £500 to £2000+ per week.

It's a lucrative and fun industry.

ES recommends that all budding actors should get themselves along to a panto this christmas and new year season and pick up a few hints and tips.

Panto is really good fun and you see actors working hard for their money!!

Here are some interesting panto's that we have found, we hope you'll find them useful.

The ES Team.
www.ethnicshowcase.com Talent Agency

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The Brothers Size
“Opening this week at the Young Vic Theatre, fusing Yoruba myth with the earthly poetic life of present day Louisiana, the productions follows the lives of brothers Ogun and Oshooi Size. Features Live Music and dance from the rich traditions of West Africa and America’s Deep South. Also running currently at the Public Theatre New York.”

November 8 - December 8
Tickets
Weekdays and matinees £15.50
Last performances £18.50
Under 26s £9.50
Other discounts available

---------------------------

A Christmas Carol- Ikrismas Kherol
Adapted from Dickens

A vibrant, thrilling musical adaptation of the most enduring of all ghost stories. This time Scrooge is a woman, the setting is today’s South Africa and the past is life under the apartheid regime.
These are exciting times... The rise of a new economic class. Others face harsh poverty while Scrooge is rich and successful. But she lives a lonely, loveless life. Three ancestral spirits come to visit. By the end she understands it is never too late to learn from the past, to change and live a meaningful and happy life.
20 November 2007-
19 January 2008
Tickets
Previews £18.50
Weekdays and matinees £21.50
Christmas week (20-31 Dec) £24.50
Under 26s £9.50
Other discounts available

Call 020 7992 2922 or visit www.youngvic.org

-------------------------Pantomimes in London
2007 - 2008
Peter Pan
Millfield Theatre
Silver Street, Edmonton, London, N18 1PJ
30th Nov 2007 to 6th Jan 2008
A boy will fly at Millfield this Christmas!
Website http://www.millfieldtheatre.co.uk/

Aladdin
Broadway Theatre Catford
Catford Broadway Catford SE6 4RU
15th Dec 2007 to 6th Jan 2008
Classic tale from the Arabian Nights
Website http://www.broadwaytheatre.org.uk/

Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs
New Wimbledon Theatre
The Broadway, Wimbledon, London, SW19 1QG
7th Dec 2007 to 20th Jan 2008
Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all? Get ready for the ultimate adventure as the Wicked Queen tries her hardest to woo the Prince away from Snow White, and journey deep into the magical forest to meet seven loveable dwarfs.
Website http://www.theambassadors.com/newwimbledon/

Jack and the Beanstalk
Barbican Centre
Silk Street London EC2Y 8DS
1st Dec 2007 to 12th Jan 2008
Starring Suzanne Shaw (Hear'say) plays Princess Melody. She is joined by popular comic actors Mel Giedroyc (Mel and Sue) as Fairy Liquid and Steve Furst (Little Britain).
Website http://www.barbican.org.uk/

A Christmas Carol
The Rayne Theatre
Chicken Shed, London N14
3rd Dec 2007 to 12th Jan 2008
Chickenshed?s unique adaptation of Charles Dickens? classic novel will transport you back to Victorian London to witness the transformation of Scrooge.
Website http://www.chickenshed.org.uk/

Fungus the Bogeyman
artsdepot
Tally Ho Corner, North Finchley N12
24th Nov 2007 to 5th Jan 2008
Enter the underground kingdom of bogey wonderland! slime every mountain and pop up in the bright, shiny overworld of the dry cleaners in this disgusting show for all the family over the festive season.
Website http://www.artsdepot.co.uk/

Cinderella
Theatre Royal Stratford East
Gerry Raffles Square, Stratford, London, E15 1BN
1st Dec 2007 to 19th Jan 2008
Will Cinderella go to the ball to meet her Prince Charming, despite the wicked efforts of her smelly, nasty step-sisters?
Website http://www.stratfordeast.com/

The Snowman
The Peacock Theatre
Portugal Street, LONDON, WC2A 2HT
5th Dec 2007 to 6th Jan 2008
This delightful version of Raymond Briggs' tale returns for the tenth year.
Website http://www.sadlerswells.com/peacock/

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Beck Theatre
Grange Road, HAYES, UB3 2UE
14th Dec 2007 to 6th Jan 2008
Hi Ho!
Website http://www.livenation.co.uk/venue/getVenue/venueId/16785/

Puss In Boots
Glaxo Smithkline Sports and Social Club
Oldfield Lane North, Greenford, Middlesex
10th Jan 2008 to 12th Jan 2008
Holy Cross Players proudly present an all new version of the classic, and sadly neglected, pantomime. Fun for all the family guaranteed!
Website http://www.holycrossplayers.org.uk/

Aladdin
South London Theatre
2a Norwood High Street, London SE27 9NS
4th Dec 2007 to 16th Dec 2007
Magical festive fun for all the family, with South London's biggest and brightest pantomime. Join Aladdin and his friends on the quest to find the lamp, defeat the evil Vizier Abanazer and bring freedom to the people of Peking!
Website http://www.southlondontheatre.co.uk/

Dick Whittington
Greenwich Theatre
Crooms Hill, London SE10 8ES
4th Dec 2007 to 5th Jan 2008
Alderman Fitzwarren is not a happy man. His cheese shop is infested with rats, his daughter is determined to ignore all talk of pirates and set sail for foreign lands, and as for his latest employee, Mrs Willamena Whittington..........
Website http://www.greenwichtheatre.org.uk/

Trouble in Pantoland
Intimate Theatre
Bourne Hill Palmers Green N13
20th Dec 2007 to 22nd Dec 2007
A seriously evil wizard has invaded panto land. With all your favourite Disney characters appearing which one will save the day? Will it be the Wicked Queens obsessive step daughter Snow white, jilted Cinderella, Amelia sweet heart or perhaps a frog.
Website http://www.platinum1entertainment.co.uk/

Dick Whittington
Intimate Theatre
521 Green Lanes, Palmers Green, N13
3rd Jan 2008 to 6th Jan 2008
A traditional family pantomime for all ages! Thursday to Saturday at 7.30pm. Saturday and Sunday at 3.00pm. Box Office: 020 8807 1810. Profits donated to Arnold House Leonard Cheshire Home who support physically disabled adults (Charity No. 218186).
Website http://www.acorntheatre.com/


Aladdin
Bridewell Theatre
Bride Lane, Fleet Street, London EC4Y 8EQ
8th Jan 2008 to 12th Jan 2008
Come and meet Aladdin, Widow Twanki, Wishi Washi, Emperor Wong Wei, Empress Wong Ki, PC's Dim & Sum, evil Abanazar, Princess Su Shi, & the magical Genies of the Lamp and Ring.
Website http://www.blucow.co.uk/boxoffice/

Jack and the Beanstalk
The Intimate Theatre
521 Green Lanes, Palmers Green, N13
5th Dec 2007 to 16th Dec 2007
The London Pantomimers present Jack and the Beanstalk the well known family favourite!
Website http://www.thelondonpantomimers.org.uk/

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Black actresses - "White up"

Diversity event to see black actress white up as Queen.

Exclusive - Theatre Royal, Stratford East is to stage a controversial revival of Jean Genet's The Blacks - in which a black actress will be 'whited up' to play the Queen - to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery and a major conference discussing diversity within the arts.

The production, which has been remixed to create a hip hop version of the 1958 play, is also being staged to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Ghanian independence from the British Empire - Genet's initial impetus to write the piece.

The run will culminate in a day-long conference organised by Equity and Stratford East to discuss issues surrounding diversity in the performing arts. Excalibah, who will appear in and co-direct the show with Ultz, told The Stage that the pair had worked to update Genet's verse to slam poetry and hip hop inorder to give the piece greater relevance for modern audiences.

"With it being 50 years since Ghanaian independence - which was Genet's initial inspiration for writing the piece - and 200 since the abolition of theslave trade, it is perfect timing" he said.

The production will feature a company of 13 black actors, five of whom will play the Queen, her footman, an ambassador, a judge and a missionary. These performers will be 'whited-up' and positioned in a royal box watching the play within a play.

According to a spokesperson for the show, the actress playing the Queen will be made 'as close a facsimile of Queen Elizabeth II as we can manage. We'll be flipping stereotypes on their head,' added Excalibah, 'and that's exactly what Genet's play does. It plays around with the ideas of black and white.'

The Blacks runs at Theatre Royal, Stratford East from October 12 to November 10.

For more information follow the link: http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/17571/diversity-event-to-see-black-actress-white·

TICKETS: £10 & £18 (concs £7 & £12)Days:
Tues - Sat Times: 7.30pm Extra show: 2pm, Wed 31st Oct

To book on online, click http://www.theatreroyallondon.com/shows.php\?display=upcoming

www.ethnicshowcase.com - UK Community Talent Agents

A FESTIVAL WORTH CHECKING OUT!

Friday 2nd August

From the 2nd- 19th August Trafalgar Square is hosting a free festival.
There will be inspirational performances to be held over the next couple weeks. It is set to show London's creative connection with India through new collaborations and pioneering outdoor commissions.

If you are interested in Dance, Music and stunning performances then this festival with it's cultural fusion of contemporary performances with classical and folk is a must see. It takes place Thursday and Friday evenings, and Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

"The 2007 Trafalgar Square Festival takes inspiration from the Mayor's 'India Now' season with three weeks of breathtaking outdoor dance, theatre and spectacle."

If you can't make any of the mid-week events then don't miss the Festival Finale, which will reach it's climax with a large scale Bollywood dance extravaganza, featuring dance groups all over London.

To find out more about the festival follow the link: http://www.london.gov.uk/trafalgarsquare/events/tsf/index.jsp

EthnicShowcase.com - UK Talent Agency

Posted by Ella Fleming

EXCITING THEATRE WORKSHOP

Another Training notice for all you actors:

INVISIBLE THEATRE WORKSHOP

An intensive fun-packed, charged, hands-on workshop suited to people who want skills experience & knowledge in creating issue-based scenes that are performed in public without the public knowing the scenes have been staged.

Come and lose yourself within the mysteries of invisible theatre and learn techniques of the Theatre of the Oppressed and those pioneered by Augusto Boal, Keith Johnston, Clive Barker and many others.

Taking place in London UK 8th – 11th November 2007

Led by Tony Cealy

The workshop cost is £150.00 Spaces are limited.
To secure your place or for more information contact Noh Budget Films PO Box 45770 London SW16 5WS 07956 877358 info@nohbudgetfilms.freeserve.co.uk

The workshop is completely interactive and peppered with creative action methods that will take you through a series of dynamic exercises, image theatre and role-play, to devise a piece of invisible theatre that will be performed in public.

In this workshop you will practice, play and perform techniques from the ‘theatre of the oppressed’. As a group we will choose an issue to explore which we will use in our final show. Participants will be encouraged to challenge their preconceptions about the final piece throughout the workshop.

Though no drama experience is necessary to participate you must be willing to actively explore new methods and best practice learnt through skills sharing & networking in a safe and supportive environment.

Participants from previous workshop:

“For me this workshop was about how we look at ourselves and what we believe about ourselves, as well as what we can do to make people more aware of important issues” –Owen Thomas, Education Partnerships Manager, Skyline Partnership

"Everyone in my organisation should take this workshop every year, because of the way it inspires and revitalises" – Sandra Brown Director, Cycle of Life

“A powerful insight into image theory and its application to facilitation and performance training” Ebony Okolo Artistic Director Forsight Theatre

“A packed-full, exciting workshop that shows us what and how to make change happen dramatically and memorable in our daily lives”. Steve Wright Connexions Manager London

“It works on a number of levels, helping to connect the personal & political to the wider context of the world we live in” Mary O’ Silver Freelance Therapist & Counsellor

“Stimulating, involving and value for money” Paul Rackford - Actor

“Thoroughly enjoyable, contact me for the next one!” participant

Information circulated via www.ethnicshowcase.com training iniative

The Nig**r word - Is RAP music to blame?

You'd think after the Shilpa Shetty affair, people going into the Big Brother house would know better than to draw for racial comments but one of the current bunch of idiots housemates obviously missed that memo. Last night, Emily (the posh airhead one who thinks of Pete Doherty as her ideal man which speaks volumes in itself) decided to call Charley a n**ger.
Here's extracts from the official Channel 4 statement:

"Contestant Emily Parr was removed from the Big Brother House in the early hours of this morning after using a racially offensive word to a fellow housemate. Emily was with Charley and Nicky in the garden of the Big Brother House at approximately 8.30pm last night when she was heard to say "Are you pushing it out you ni**er?" to Charley.

Emily immediately made clear that she had not intended to offend and that the comment had been meant as a joke. In discussing what she had said, Charley and Nicky agreed that they were not personally offended, although both did express shock at the language she had used. In the ensuing discussion, Emily acknowledged that she should have been more careful with her words. The comment was not screened as part of the 'as live' streaming on E4 and was immediately reported up to senior production staff at Brighter Pictures, the Endemol UK subsidiary that produces the show. In consultation with senior executives at Channel 4 the decision was taken to remove Emily from the House on the grounds that she had broken the rules governing contestant behaviour.

The House Rules given to all contestants clearly state:

Big Brother will intervene and take appropriate action if housemates behave in a way that Big Brother considers is unacceptable. Unacceptable behaviour includes: behaving in a way that could cause serious offence to either their fellow housemates or members of the viewing public including serious offence based on the grounds of race. Housemates who act in a way that is seriously unacceptable will be evicted.

Emily was called to the Diary Room at approximately 03.30am to be informed of the decision and was removed from the House immediately without further contact with other contestants. The remaining housemates were informed of Big Brother's decision at approximately 9.30am. Emily was one of two housemates nominated for eviction this week and as a result the latest eviction vote has been suspended. Angela Jain, who heads the Big Brother commissioning team at Channel 4, said: "I think people watching the show tonight will agree that Emily spoke carelessly rather than maliciously - certainly Charley and Nicky, the two housemates most directly involved in the conversation with her,seem to accept that she did. She understands why her involvement in Big Brother has had to come an end and she very much regrets what she said."

"In the wake of Celebrity Big Brother we must consider the potential offence to viewers regardless of Emily's intentions and her housemates' response. The word ni**er is clearly racially offensive and there was no justification for its use. We have removed Emily from the house to once again make it clear to all housemates and the viewers at home that such behaviour won't be tolerated."

I know the debate has been raging on for a while now about Hip Hop glorifying the use of the N word amongst others but this is the first high profile incident in the UK and I'm sure that somewhere along the line, someone will try and use Hip Hop as a scapegoat. In this case, I want to hear your thoughts - is HipHop to blame here? Has Emily thought that she can use that word because she hears it being thrown about in music?

Content above has been quoted from the BBC 1xtra website on a higly topical debate.
What are your views on this?

Remi O
Ethnicshowcase.com - UK Talent Agency

Full Time Performing Arts Course, London

WAC; Auditions this Saturday 9th June 2007
for Full Time Performing Arts Course, London

www.wac.co.uk

3 Year Full-Time Performing Arts course, North London.
WAC Performing Arts and Media College are holding an all day audition on Saturday 9th June 2007 for the course commencing in October 2007. We have a high level of diversity amongst our students and have been responsible for introducing some of England's leading black performers into the industry.

Our main objective is to enable access to training to a professional standard to all young people.
The course culminates in an end of course week long showcase which is attended by both established and burgeoning Industry professionals.

Our graduates have a truly unique skills base having trained in all 3 art forms of Drama, Dance and Vocals both classically and the styles from European, African and Asian Diasporas. This has already prompted a great interest from professional employers within the industry.

These include DV8, The Sony street team, Irie dance company, Felix cross of Nitro, Cleveland Watkiss, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Boy Blue Entertainment, Noel McCoy, Movement Angol, Pinise Saul, The Royal Opera House and the RSC........To name but a few.....

Below is a more detailed description of the course and audition process.
If you require any other information, or if you would like to audition please feel free to contact Steve on 020 7692 5872 steve@wac.co.uk or Anne 020 7692 5875 anne@wac.co.uk
Many Thanks
Steve Medin & Anne Devlin

Study Level: UndergraduateStudy Mode: Full Time

Course Length: Three YearsStart Date: October 2007

Entry Requirements:
We require candidates to have some experience or accessibility in the art forms.

Final Audition Date:
Saturday 9th June 2007 (all day). Please contact Steve Medin 020 7692 5872 steve@wac.co.uk. Or Anne Devlin 020 7692 5875 anne@wac.co.uk

Audition Process:
The audition process takes place in the following three stages
Stage 1:
Candidates need to participate in workshops in all the 3 art forms
Stage 2:
Deliver a solo in all 3 art forms in line with the following requirements:
Drama Solo: This can be any published speech / monologue that can be delivered off the page.
Singing Solo: A full song from any contemporary material (either acapella or with a backing track).
Dance Solo: A maximum 2 minute piece with or without music.
Stage 3:
Interview
Accreditation We are in the process of seeking new accreditation. Formerly a Foundation Degree, the course has now advanced to a 3 year Diploma study in Music Theatre.
Trinity accreditation will hold L6 status which is a degree equivalent. If you wish to take additional modules you can achieve a full BA (Hons).
Please note that as this course is not fully accredited yet, we are not registered with UCAS. You may therefore be unable to access student loans but you can apply for financial support through WAC.

Career Prospects:
During your 3rd year, you will be introduced to employers from the industry through Masterclasses, a touring show and showcases. On graduation, you will be regarded as a fully trained professional performer, ready to seek work.

Course Fees:
Tuition fees for the course are £3000 per year. Scholarships are available for which you will be means-tested. If you perform extremely well at the entry stage but cannot afford the course fees, we will work with you to enable you to gain a place on this course.
Application For an application form and further information about the course, please phone or email:

Stephen Medlin or Anne Devlin WAC Performing Arts & Media CollegeInterchange Studios213 Haverstock HillLondon NW3 4QPTel: 020 7692 5872/ 020 7692 5875Email: steve@wac.co.uk/ anne@wac.co.ukwww.wac.co.uk

EASTENDERS – Where are the ethnic minorities?

Why do main stream shows on British TV like Eastenders disproportionately represent the Blacks and Asians who exist in this world?

I mean, where in the East end of London, in reality, can you find a street that does not have more than a single minority family in it?

If you know of it – please tell me where it is, I’d love to go there and see it for myself.

At present, Eastenders have 1 elderly black couple in it who run a local mini mart store. A black single mum, with 2 teenager daughters. And the only token young black male on the screens is an uneducated street cleaner! Who also, might I add, used to have a criminal brother who was always up to no good and pushing some dodgy deal through.

There are no Asians, Indians or any one from Europe cast on our screens.

My question is... Why is that?

This show is supposed to be up to date, current and dealing with topical issues... Yet grazes over minorities as if they don't exist.

You do have to wonder about what message this is sending out to the British public? And also, how we're seen abroad.

And I wonder... Is this a deliberate message on the part of TV Company’s behind these shows?

Or one that is unfortunately there and exists simply through today’s circumstances and politics?

I’m particularly worried about the people whom, shall we say, are not that well educated or don't possess any real knowledge of the 'real world'. How will they ever know that not all black people are uneducated; Have jobs other than cleaning streets and don’t spend every day plotting ways to rob or steal from others?

Where are all the successful Blacks, Asians and Indian business owners?
Where are their family members?
Where is a taste of other cultures?

And I don’t mean merely throwing another Indian family into a corner shop, cue Coronation Street. I mean real families, with generations, quirks, ambitions, love, rivalry, history and all those exciting and real elements that exist in Ethnic families and cultures right across Britain.

I mean if this show is supposed to be representing the East end of London, in 2007 and not in London 1907, surely our TV’s should be showing us something very different?

It just depresses me sometimes to watch it and see no diversity – no realness, no truth. I mean at the very least, throw us in a West Indian shop on the square and lets see Ian Beale throw his toys out of his pram about his chip prices falling because of the Beef Pattie sales. How about instead of fish and chips for a change why not let’s see Peggy Mitchell going off to buy some curry goat with rice and peas for the Mitchell clan. And the token dreadlock Rasta, whom would invariably have to run the shop, would have to have some awful dalliance with Pat Butcher at some point… Wouldn’t he?

Ok, so my mind is running off track a little here. But you catch my gist I’m sure.

There are so many talented ethnic actors in London who would jump at the chance to be on top shows like this.

There are also so many talented black and ethnic minority writers who could help scope out and develop convincing storylines for ethnic families to be added to these soaps.

Yet they don’t ever seem to be used.
Why is that?

Is casting and using ethnic families really that difficult?
Is it because we now live in such a politically correct world that script writers are scared to portray ethnic families in certain ways, for fear of a backlash?

We need to find a middle ground on this instead of just doing nothing and ignoring it.

There are ethnic actors who want to work.
There are ethnic writers who want to work.
Wouldn’t it be great to just sit down and make it happen?

It’s time.



Remi Oduyemi
Founder of EthnicShowcase.com
Online portal for UK ethnic talent

http://www.ethnicshowcase.com/blog
http://www.bbc.co.uk/eastenders - Official BBC website for Eastenders