Month: May 2022

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CCL’s Postcolonial Theatre series concludes with The Transmuted Form of Europe’s Ambassador to Africa – a free online presentation

CCL’s Postcolonial Theatre series comes to a close on Thursday, 26 May at 6.00pm BST with Refracted from the Canon: The Transmuted Form of Europe’s Ambassador to Africa.

The talk is given by Dr Sola Adeyemi, who says:.

“In this presentation, I am going to be exploring the idea of tragedy from the perspective of Yoruba culture. I shall frame this exploration from the refracted premise of classical European canon and how the meaning of tragedy has been altered to become part of the arsenal of anticolonial agency as deployed to the consecrated ritual space of the Yoruba people of West Africa.

More specifically, I shall be examining the transmutation of the tragic form in Nigerian playwright Femi Osofisan’s Wèsóo, Hamlet! Or The Resurrection of Hamlet (Re-reading of Shakespeare’s Hamlet) (2012) and in Wole Soyinka’s The Bacchae of Euripides (1969).

My focus will be on how these playwrights’ re-reading – or re-interpretation – of Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark and Euripides’ Bacchae serve as a refraction of the tragic form from the canon to a different understanding, in a different cultural setting, with diverse conventions; and where the understanding of tragedy is somewhat more communal, abstract, and more intercultural, and where the recognition accorded that form of drama is elevated.

In my presentation, I aim to show that the process of re-interpreting the essence of the canonical god in the new space of Yoruba culture, or of translating the attributes with a new understanding and awareness, is more dialectical and more interwoven than the historical or anthropological process of re-working canonical texts by African writers.”

The participants:
Dr Sola Adeyemi is a Lecturer in Drama at the University of East Anglia. His researches are in world theatre and performance studies, African Literary Studies, and postcolonial literature and theatre (and the themes of decolonial and Global South studies). He is the author of Vision of Change in African Drama: Deconstructing Identity and Reconfiguring History (2019). Currently, he is working on ‘Dramatizing the Postcolony: Nigerian Drama and Theatre. His latest research is on performances after apartheid in South Africa and in Nigeria after the military dictatorship morphed into situations of ‘undeclared’ pre-colonial feudalistic insurrections, titled “Laughing from Both Barrels: New Satire in Modern African Performances”.

Sola’s talk will be chaired by Professor Samuel Kasule. Professor Kasule holds a BA in English and Drama and Diploma in Education from Makerere University, Uganda, and MA in Theatre Studies and PhD in Drama and Theatre from the University of Leeds. He is a founding member of the African Theatre Association and founding Reviews Editor of African Performance Review (APR). He was the President of the African Theatre Association between 2014 and 2020. His latest work (with Osita Okagbue) is Theatre and Performance in East Africa (London: Routledge, 2021).

Attendance is free but booking is essential to receive a link to attend.

To book your place, and for more information, click here

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Celebrate the Royal Theater, Baltimore on June 17th

Royal Theatre, Baltimore. uncredited photograph.

On Friday, June 17th at 6:00 pm BST, the Baltimore Architecture Foundation present REVIVING THE ROYAL THEATRE, a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the opening of this legendary now-lost theatre, its history and legacy.

This event comprises a talk about the theatre and the work being done to revive this historic community through the insights of three guest speakers.

Photojournalist Amy Davis will present vintage images of the Royal Theater and few of the other opulent movie palaces in its day looking through a social, cultural and architectural prism to understand Baltimore’s history. The Royal Theater, located at 1329 Pennsylvania Avenue in Baltimore, first opened in February 1922 as the black-owned Douglass Theatre before changing its name in 1925 to The Royal. It became the most famous theater along West Baltimore City’s Pennsylvania Avenue, one of a circuit of five such theaters for black entertainment in big cities, which hosted some of the world’s greatest musical acts and entertainers, before it was demolished in 1971.

James Hamlin, president and founder of The Royal Theater & Community Heritage Corporation, will share some of what is being done to preserve, promote, and recreate the greatness of the African American Historic West Baltimore Community and Historic Pennsylvania Avenue. In his words: “2-1-2-1-7 on Pennsylvania Avenue and the surrounding community were the epicenters of the African-American [life] in Baltimore. This is a community where Cab Calloway walked. This is where Billie Holiday landed. This is where Thurgood Marshall grew up. This is where every entertainer that you can think of has walked up and down The Avenue and entertained at The Royal Theatre.” Hamlin is also owner of The Avenue Bakery, a community hub and revival pioneer in the area.

Architect Kathleen Sherrill, AIA will highlight her work along the Pennsylvania Avenue corridor, Maryland’s only designated Black Arts and Entertainment District. She firmly believes that architects should challenge themselves to play a key role in improving and supporting Baltimore’s underserved neighborhoods, guiding communities to invest in themselves and the next generation through ownership

This special programme is hosted in partnership with the Maryland Center for History and Culture, who are currently hosting the exhibit “Flickering Treasures” which runs through to September 2023.

This free event (donations requested if you feel able to contribute) lasts approximately one hour.

Tickets are donation based. We encourage you to give what you can to support BAF and Baltimore Heritage. Your support helps us make up for lost tour and program revenue from COVID-19 and create more virtual programs like this.

Book your ticket here

You may also be interested to note that the Baltimore Architecture Foundation (BAF) and Baltimore Heritage present the Virtual Histories Series: 30 minute live presentations and virtual tours focusing on Baltimore architecture, preservation and history, hosted twice a month on Fridays at 1:00 pm EST / 6.00pm BST.

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NT talks about design

The National Theatre have been running on Instagram a very interesting weekly series of discussions about the design process and the experience of designing for the National Theatre, and giving audiences the chance to ask their own questions.

Each week a different designer talked about one of their show designs, and each week they featured a different design specialism including costume, set, lighting, puppetry, graphics and sound.

Although the NT’s Instagram Live Design Series has now finished, you can browse the archive for talks on the following:

Vicki Mortimer and Sarah Mercer on Follies Costume Designs
Jessica Hung Han Yun and Jack Williams on the Dick Whittington Lighting Design
Katrina Lindsay and Tariq Rifaat on the Small Island Set Design
Sam Wyer on the Ocean at the End of the Lane Puppetry Design
Rae Smith and Toby Olié on the War Horse Set Design
Bunny Christie and Anthony Newton on the After Life Set Design
Donato Wharton, Edward-Rhys Harry and Marc Tritschler on the Under Milk Wood Sound Design
Louise Richardson on the Under Milk Wood Graphic Design
Toby Olié and Audrey Brisson on the Pinnochio Puppetry Design

Find the IGTV Archive here

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Discover The Origins of Broadway on June 2nd

On Thursday, Jun 2nd from 10:30 pm– 12:00midnight BST, the New York Adventure Club present The Origins of Broadway: Rise of New York’s Early Theater Scene in an online presentation.

(Before you dismiss this one out of hand due to its timing, it’s worth noting that if you can’t make the live broadcast, or simply miss it, your ticket allows you access to the event recording for a week afterwards.)

While Broadway is widely considered one of the top theatrical destinations in the world, have you ever wondered what came before it? And why, and how, New York City became the theater capital of America? This is the story of New York’s earliest theaters and how they transformed a city once fixated on only business and trade into one dedicated to culture and the arts.

Join New York Adventure Club as they explore the evolution of New York’s theater industry through the mid 1800s, and the actors, production managers, and playwrights who helped pave the way for modern-day Broadway to grow.

New York theater-maker Ralph Lewis is the presenter for this discussion which will include:

– An overview of NYC’s very first theaters, including surprising details on the plays, playwrights, managers, and actors who worked there
– A look at how New York’s early theaters compared to those in other cities, and how competition, politics, and touring companies shaped America’s theatrical landscape for centuries to come
– The reasons why so few theaters succeeded, and the importance of their building’s design to that success
– Historic maps showcasing the theatrical locations from Broadway to The Bowery, along with photos of the sites today
– A listen to what critics of the day had to say about these performances, including over-the-top anecdotes, scathing reviews, and lots of gossip
– Excerpts from the rare 1851 book, Before and Behind the Curtain by William Knight Northall, which inspired this presentation

After the presentation, there’ll be time for a Q&A with Ralph so your questions are welcomed.

Tickets are $10 (approximately £7) and you can book them here

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Sheffield Crucible 50th anniversary celebrations include this talk about its design – May 23rd

Sheffield Crucible (image courtesy Sheffield Theatres website)

Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre is 50 years old and to celebrate they are going back to where it all began with a discussion with the theatres’ architect, Nick Thompson.

Nick will discuss the design and building of the Crucible with Tedd George, son of the theatres’ founding artistic director, Colin George. They will explore the original plans for the theatre, why it was decided to adopt a revolutionary thrust stage, and how this creative vision was transformed into an architectural design and an engineering reality.

Their discussion will lead the audience through the design process; from the original sketches of the thrust stage right through to the brilliant engineering solutions devised, highlighting the amazing work of individuals and teams involved in creating this unique building.

Nick and Tedd will also share little-known facts about the Crucible; including why the backstage area is located under the stage, how Agammemnon’s tomb at Mycenae influenced the enormous doors to the auditorium and what secrets lie hidden under the buildings’ structure.

There will be plenty of opportunities for you to ask your questions and share your knowledge, views and experiences of the Crucible.

This in-person event is on Monday May 23rd at 6pm, lasting about 80 minutes. Tickets are £10. Find more information and book here