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Party! Party! Poetry Party!
You are invited to a Poetry Party! Curated by popular North Staffs poet Gabriella Gay, join the studio audience for this not to be missed hour of contemporary poetry and inspiring voices.
Stoke Creates Exchange Forum in association with Honey Box Live presents some of North Staffordshire and the West Midlands’ finest poets and spoken word artists at a special live-streamed studio event on Sunday 17th March.
If you’ve been in the audience at a Honey Box Live event before you’ll know you’re in for a real treat.
The live event takes place at B Arts in Stoke (72 Hartshill Rd, Stoke, ST4 7RB). Doors and bar open to the public at 2pm, with the live streamed hour starting at 3pm.
Tickets (free!) to join the studio audience are available here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/poetry-party-tickets-851492616337
And, if you can’t make it, look out for the live stream across social on the afternoon of the 17th!
FRONTLINE Arts Festival to celebrate the creativity of disabled artists
Local integrated dance company FRONTLINEdance is holding their FRONTLINE Arts Festival – Legacy Event (#FAF2024) on Thursday 28th March.
Taking place in The Catalyst Building, Staffordshire University, from 9.30am – 5pm, FRONTLINE Arts Festival – Legacy Event is an arts symposium to advocate for and showcase the work of d/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists. It’s set to be an exciting day of performances, panel discussions, and connecting.
Showcasing the talent of UK d/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists, #FAF2024 will include a range of performances, including spoken word, music and poetry, and the premieres of two of FRONTLINEdance’s commissioned films. There will also be the chance to connect with local d/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent charities, hear from #FAF2024 commissioned artists, a ‘Pitch & Mix’ speed networking session, and engaging panel discussions.
Tickets can be booked and a programme for the day found at:https://frontlinedance.co.uk/advocacy/
This event is ‘pay as you feel’, meaning attendees can select their chosen donation amount when booking.
The festival is open to all and is a brilliant opportunity to experience new work and join in discussions around disability, creativity and the arts.
Rachael Lines, Artistic Director for FRONTLINEdance, said: “The FRONTLINE Arts Festival is a fantastic event for having conversations, meeting people and finding out about the exciting and important work d/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists are doing nationally. It’s also about sharing the work we are doing in both an artistic and advocacy context, and linking artists and organisations with the partner charities who we co-create and regularly consult with. The event will open minds, educate, and connect people together. We want people to leave having gained new contacts, knowledge and experiences, but most importantly, feeling connected to one another with tools and ideas to move their organisations and practice forward.”
FRONTLINEdance are also looking for volunteers to get involved with FRONTLINE Arts Festival. These roles will include stewarding and event support, to help make sure the day is enjoyable and engaging for everyone. They are also interested in hearing from volunteers who would like to help creatively document the day, whether snapping photos, penning poetry, or filming the action. Contact hello@frontlinedance.co.uk if you would like to have a chat about volunteer opportunities.
FRONTLINEdance is proud to be working in partnership with Appetite, New Vic Theatre and Staffordshire University to make FRONTLINE Arts Festival happen. Together they will make sure Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire is a place where d/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people can enjoy arts and culture with ease, and thrive as an important part of our workforces.
#FAF24 follows on from a six-week arts festival FRONTLINEdance held in 2019, celebrating its impact and legacy. Alongside #FAF24, there will also be performances by disabled artists throughout North Staffordshire. This will include The Explorers! performing at Stoke Library and City Central Library on 25th March, and storyteller Helena Ascough at a North Staffordshire venue with her new work, F(able), a funny, uplifting and modern theatrical retelling of fairytales, where disabled characters are the heroes.
‘What’s all the FAF about?’ is a four-month awareness raising project from FRONTLINEdance that started in November last year, culminating in the day-long festival that will highlight the creativity and skills of d/Deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent artists.
FAF aims to increase the number of d/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists working, commissioned, and showcased in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire, along with working for a national and international reach. The whole project brokers and supports relationships between programmers, producers, venues and disabled artists.
FRONTLINEdance provides a year-round range of opportunities for all to dance, whether new to dancing or more experienced. To find out more about FRONTLINEdance, visit www.frontlinedance.co.uk
News with a positive purpose!
NSN is a ‘constructive journalism’ project and platform for North Staffordshire.
We’re a growing movement of readers and contributors sharing a positive narrative about Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme, and North Staffordshire’s surrounding areas - because we love where we live.
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Email: editor@northstaffs.news
thanks for now,
Jerome, the editor
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