Step inside The Corner Shop

Looks interesting…

Foursight Theatre & Black Country Touring will be presenting The Corner Shop from 23 October to 8 November at Mander Shopping Centre in Wolverhampton.

“Incense sticks and Imperial Leather soap. Fresh ginger, dried chillies and cassava chips. Caribbean vegetables, gaudy penny sweets, cards for all occasions.

Welcome to the corner shop: part grocery store, part Aladdin’s cave, and part community centre.

A cast of aspiring shopkeepers – English, Indian, Iranian, Caribbean and Polish – invite you into their lives and living rooms as they set up shop in the Black Country fighting to adapt and survive in a fast changing world.”

It’s “a promenade performance inspired by real-life stories from the world of the corner shop”

Tickets
£7/£5 concessions (including 50p booking fee).
Early booking is advisable.

To book call 0870 320 7000 or visit Midland Box Office, 18 Queen Square, Wolverhampton.

Tindal Street Press look for Publicity and Marketing Assistant

Our friends at Tindal Street Press are looking for a Publicity and Marketing Assistant:

An exciting opportunity to join Birmingham’s prize-winning independent fiction publisher and work within a small energetic team three days per week or equivalent.

We seek an organised graduate with promotional flair and a passion for reading, who must be enthusiastic about marketing literary fiction.
Previous PR, marketing or publishing experience desirable. £14,000 pro rata 0.6

The successful candidate will focus on marketing and publicity work and gain a broad understanding of the publishing industry.
Tasks will include:

Assisting in creating imaginative marketing and publicity campaigns for our books

Writing marketing copy, sales material and press releases under direction

Pursuing press coverage by phone and by email

Building network of publicity and trade contacts; organising mail-outs

Working closely with authors to generate ideas; accompanying them to events, festivals, etc.

Creating and managing marketing and publicity schedules and ensuring deadlines are met

Significant responsibility for editing website: writing news articles, event promos, updating books and author pages, generating feature ideas, synchronising new content with social networking sites like facebook and twitter

Updating sales material for sales reps at our London-based sales and distribution force

Assessing manuscripts alongside editors – for commercial appeal and potential marketing ideas

Managing submissions alongside editors

Representing Tindal Street Press at launches, book events, trade fairs, etc

There will be opportunities for training and development, and to develop some editorial experience with manuscripts. There is potential for the role to grow over time.

Please apply with CV and letter of application to Alan Mahar, Publishing Director at editorial@tindalstreet.co.uk or Tindal Street Press, 217 Custard Factory, Gibb Street, Birmingham B9 4AA.

Closing date: 30 October 2009.
Interviews are planned to take place on 12 November.
To start mid-December or beginning of January.

BYPY is looking for a Creative Agency

Something interesting that has come into our inbox…

‘Birmingham Young Professional of the Year (BYPY) is looking for a creative agency to work on the design for the event’s 10th anniversary next year.

We are looking for an agency that can put together BYPY 2010’s overall design concept, as well as the tickets, programmes, winners’ certificates and other incidentals.

Ideally the successful team will also be able to create the opening sequence, which will be broadcast on big screens at the event, and take responsibility for producing video content for use on the night and on the BYPY website.

We would like a little help with our BYPY website too! It’s a tall order but if you want to be part of one of the premier events on the Birmingham calendar and you can fulfil all or any of these requirements, then your business could benefit from exposure to hundreds of the city’s professionals.

There will be an opportunity for the chosen business to appoint a representative to the BYPY Committee, becoming more involved with Birmingham Future and working with the team on all aspects of the event. If you would like further information then please contact the Birmingham Future office. The deadline for submission is 2nd October 2009.’

Celebrating 10 Years!

Helga’s most recent column for Birmingham Post is online now: ‘Helga Henry: 1999 was a special year for Birmingham culturally’

‘What was in the water in Birmingham in 1999?

There must have been a strange cultural karma or zeitgeist – Jonathan Watkins became director of the Ikon Gallery, it was the formation of both Capsule and Tindal Street Press, and it was the first Rhubarb-Rhubarb International Portfolio Review.

Fierce Earth was a toddling two-year-old in 1999.

We marked the passage into our second decade with our largest ever festival which included the now legendary Ballet on the Buses and the eerily beautiful Tunnel Vision.

And our cultural younger siblings are also celebrating.

Tindal Street are launching Roads Ahead, an anthology of stories edited by Catherine O’Flynn.

She will also be reading from What Was Lost (my top read of 2008) together with the rest of the Tindal St Three, Clare Morrall and Gaynor Arnold.

All featured in this national prize long list in the last six years.

A stonking 12 out of Tindal Street’s 48 books have had national prize listings – where is the blue plaque for Tindal Street in Balsall Heath?

The 10th International Portfolio Review capped off a red letter year for Rhubarb, following the world premier of Obama’s People (which opened last week in London).

Attracting 100,000 visitors to the Museum and Art Gallery, the show generated over £4 million to the visitor economy.

Capsule’s season of 10th birthday celebrations kicks off with a suitably eclectic line up at the Town Hall in early December.

When I asked Rhonda at Rhubarb, Alan of Tindal Street and Jenny and Lisa at Capsule to consider what it took to survive the last turbulent decade, they had similar responses.

They highlighted what Alan called a “survival instinct” and what Capsule considered to be “stubbornness and determination”.

Rhonda mentioned the battle for recognition at home and needing at all times to trust yourself.

But allied to that all mentioned a need to respond to changing circumstances, to improve continually and to keep your artistic integrity while aligning yourself to your marketplace and your audience.

Of plans for a Museum of Modern Art, Jonathan has said: “The opportunities here are so exciting. There’s so much here, and there’s so much about the city that I really, really like. Where would I go to do something as exciting? Ikon without a museum isn’t bad, but with an affiliated museum I can’t think of anything else like it.” Tindal Street and Capsule want to grow sales and grow artistically.

I’ll leave the last word with Rhonda – it is a rallying cry for us all in the next ten years: “We have a plan, the credibility to action it and the knowledge to make

it work – what we need now is for Birmingham to realise its assets in the arts and creative industry world.”’

Here’s to another 10 years!

Final Call for 7 Youth Dancers

Recently into our mailbox is this ‘great opportunity for 7 youth dancers to become part of Nutkhut’s BOLLYWOOD STEPS by Simmy Gupta as part of Town Hall’s 175th birthday celebrations on 9th and 10th October in Victoria Square, Birmingham.’ Details below:

YOUTH DANCE AUDITION

SUNDAY 6TH SEPTEMBER, TOWN HALL BIRMINGHAM, 12NOON

We are looking for 7 experienced youth dancers (aged between 18 – 25) to perform alongside the professional cast in ‘BOLLYWOOD STEPS’. You will be part of the production, spectacularly positioned on the peristyle of Town Hall (in between the columns along the outside of the building) reflecting the performance on stage.

Time Commitment

Rehearsals

Sunday 13th September 10am – 5pm

Saturday 26th AND Sunday 27th September 10am – 5pm

All youth dancers are required for (times to be confirmed):
Dress & Technical Rehearsal
Thursday 8th October

Performances
Friday 9th October (1 performance, evening)
Saturday 10th October (2 performances, afternoon and evening)

If you would like further information please email sabrakhan@hotmail.com or call Sabra on 07946 382489

‘Fierce! festival promises to be bold, brave and naughty’

Terry Grimley from the Birmingham Post recently met with Fierce’s newly appointed artistic directors, Laura and Harun. His article appeared in last weeks post and is online now.

They talk about their past, the Fierce legacy, the future and moving to Birmingham:

‘Initially, I assumed that McDermott and Morrison would not be lured away from the London scene and that Fierce! would be in for a period of programming by remote control. In fact, I could not have been more wrong.

“A lot of people seem to assume that, but for us it doesn’t seem possible not to come and be embedded in the city,” says Laura. “I think the really big discovery for me so far is the incredible energy here.”

“We feel that Birmingham is on the cusp of having its moment as the next big cultural centre,” says Harun.’

Terry’s meeting comes following the announcement of their appointment and Anna Blackaby’s coverage ‘Fierce Festival takes on new artistic directors’ and our blog post here.

We’re excited about what the future holds, we hope you are too!

A creative introduction to Birmingham

On Monday Helga’s most recent column for the Birmingham Post went to print, you can find it here.

“Fierce Earth recently announced the exciting arrival of its new joint Artistic Directors, Laura McDermott and Harun Morrison. Hailing from London, most recently from Battersea Arts Centre, relocating to Birmingham later in the year…

So how best to introduce Laura and Harun to the city and its creative and cultural life? In particular, what hidden gems could they find in the region beyond the usual suspects.

To find out, I did what is now called “crowdsourcing”, but in my day was known as “asking around”. What follows is a selection of my creative colleagues’ brilliant ideas. I don’t have space to name-check them here but, thank you, you know who you are!

From our office in the Jewellery Quarter, they could nip into the Pen Museum and make their own steel pen using Victorian presses. Or the button factory at Toye, Kenning & Spencer.

In addition to the world-class Pre-Raphaelite paintings at the Museum and Art Gallery, they could enjoy the Burne-Jones stained glass windows at St Phillips Cathedral, then the Pugin architecture of St Chad’s.

You encounter the creative city where it socialises. The Rainbow on Digbeth High St, coffee and patisseries at Maison Mayçi, Kings Heath, fabulous Thai food and architecture at Bartons Arms, Newtown.

My personal hidden gem, Russells on Lozells Road, for a feast of mutton soup, chicken and dumplings, rice and peas washed down with tropical “Sexy”.

Perhaps you only truly know Birmingham once you’ve travelled the entire Outer Circle bus route. Perhaps Laura and Harun could join the psychogeographers of www.birminghamitsnotshit.co.uk. Every 11 November, they board the 11C for eleven hours, disembarking at ten that night, having documented the experience (and taking breaks of up to 30 minutes wherever they fancy).

Probably because our suburbs are essentially a network of connecting villages, they are a fund of under-appreciated treasures, including Moseley private park, home of Moseley Folk Festival, Perrot’s Folly in Edgbaston and Saint Nicolas Place at Kings Norton Green (one of the oldest collection of Tudor buildings in the UK). One is never far from a green space, be it Cofton Park, Cannon Hill or the Waseley and Lickey Hills.

At this rate, Laura and Harun will have an unusually pleasant induction process! Discovering Birmingham’s treasures can take a lifetime. By showing our city off to newcomers, we discover it ourselves.”

Can you suggest any more of Birmingham’s hidden treasures?

PUNCH Internship

Our friends at Punch have a great opportunity for a marketing intern…here are the details:

We are looking for an intern to help us with our day to day marketing activities, in particular working the social and digital media networks – you will be busy blogging, updating our social networking groups and utilising our local and national press contacts.

In reward we will train you with the marketing tools you need to succeed, provide you with hands on experience and pay your travel expenses. We will ensure you get the very best out of your internship and will welcome you into our friendly, busy yet fun office based in the Custard Factory in Birmingham.

You’ll get to assist with putting together the marketing strategy for our projects, creating on and off-line publicity materials, building our distribution networks and online presence and getting involved in our PR campaigns.

During your time with us you will pick up new skills, experience what it’s like to organise a packed programme of events and of course get insider information and valuable knowledge to kick start your career in arts and music marketing.

We expect the internship to last between 3 and 12 months (negotiable).

Skill Requirements:

Excellent attention to detail

Excellent written and spoken English

A flair for writing and editing copy

Good knowledge and understanding of Windows packages,

Experience of blogs, social networking sites and promotion websites

Excellent communication skills

Willingness to take on a wide range of tasks

Keen interest in Black, Asian and urban music and art

Ability to work as part of a small, focused and busy team

To apply so the position please send your CV and a supporting statement outlining:

1) why you think you would be suitable for the position and

2)what you hope to gain from your time with Punch

to cynthia@punch-record.co.uk

FIERCE! APPOINTS NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTORS

Fierce! Festival heralds new artistic era with appointment of directors

Following an extensive search which attracted international interest, Fierce! Festival are delighted to announce the appointment of its new artistic leaders. Heralding the transition into the next phase of Fierce!’s life, the Board today announced the appointment of Laura McDermott and Harun Morrison as the new Joint Artistic Directors of Fierce! Festival and its related year round programme of work.

Since the departure of Mark Ball, who left his role as founder and artistic director of Fierce to take up the helm at LIFT (London International Festival of Theatre), Fierce! Festival embarked on a search for a new leader. The board wanted a talented individual to maintain Fierce’s role as a vital pioneering organisation and to create a new artistic vision to build on the success of this award winning brand, its internationally acclaimed festival and ground breaking development work. They are delighted to have discovered two such individuals.

Laura and Harun applied jointly with a compelling vision for festival and the region. Talented producers in their own right, with highly developed curatorial voices, between them McDermott and Morrison have worked as producers at Greenwich + Dockland’s Festivals, LIFT and the Royal Opera House. The foundation of their collaboration developed at the award-winning BAC (Battersea Arts Centre) where they have worked together for the last 4 years. Laura has extensive experience of producing work in found, unusual, or outdoor spaces and in a music festival context, both for Glastonbury in the UK and the vinspired Lake of Stars festival in Malawi. Harun has worked extensively in the visual arts sector for Whitechapel Art Gallery, South London Gallery, INIVA and this summer will be working for Tate Modern on their annual Summer Institute project.

Recent standout projects they have worked on during their time at BAC include the Punchdrunk and BAC production The Masque of the Red Death (2007-8), a building-wide performance across all 71 spaces of the former Victorian town hall, which was listed in The Guardian by Lyn Gardner as one of nine ‘Productions that Transformed Theatre’; the BAC and Time Out Young Critics scheme, which developed and showcased the critical voices of under-25-year-olds; and for 2009’s BURST festival, performances by Dries Verhoeven for the foyer payphone, Amy Sharrocks for Battersea Park’s boating lake and Rotozaza for the local ASDA supermarket.

Chair of Fierce! Fesitval, Alan Rivett said: “We are delighted to welcome such a vibrant and dynamic duo to Fierce! We seem to have skipped a generation but not skimped on quality! They have an impeccable pedigree and this new appointment can only further the vision, commitment and international outlook of the arts in the West Midlands. I believe that, together, Laura and Harun with the wider Fierce! team, will re-interpret for a new age Fierce!’s longstanding reputation for wonder and spectacle, excitement and danger, confrontation and intrigue.”

In responding to the news of their appointment, Laura and Harun said: “On our way to the interview we did a straw-poll, asking passers-by: ‘If you could bring any live event to Birmingham what would it be?’ A man called Martin collecting for RNLI, a young guy called Jay Ahmed, and a woman called Ashley in an Afro-Carribean hair care shop each gave us challenging, creative, demanding answers. We want future Fierce! events to be as provocative, enabling and eye-opening as those answers. We want to create a program born from this spirit of dialogue with Birmingham which can resonate throughout the UK and beyond.”

For contact details and full press release please click here.

Sound it Out’s Shine Programme

Sound It Out a social development agency in the West Midlands that uses music as a mechanism for change:

“We were recently awarded £0.5million by the Department for Children, Schools and Families through the Youth Sector Development Fund to deliver a city wide music programme with young people on Fridays and Saturdays until March 2011.

We are looking to employ:

1 Full Time Programme Officer

1 Full Time Office and Finance Assistant

5 Outreach Officers

1 External Evaluator

“

For more info see there website www.sounditout.co.uk or to see the advert click here.