Black and Minority Ethnic
The New Black – Work with Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities.
Critical Mass 2013
We are running our fourth Critical Mass programme for budding playwrights aged 18 and over from Black and Minority Ethnic Communities. Previous participants have gone on to have their work performed at the theatre by a company of professional actors. There are 20 places available. For more details about the course and how to apply, an attachment is available on the left-hand side of the screen. Deadline for submitting is Fri 19 July. If stuck on what to write for your submission there is also a simple exercise sheet available for download which is also on the left hand side of the screen. Good luck!
The Belgrade Theatre has a strong commitment to representing the diversity of the city’s communities, and for the last few years has been working hard to build links with local BME groups. Whilst the representation of BME communities in our existing groups is largely reflective of the city ratios, the voices of these communities are rarely heard since they are always a minority voice within a group. So the theatre’s work has focused on developing a writing programme, Critical Mass, to develop writers from within the local community; and on running targeted projects, such as the Black Youth Theatre.
All New Black groups engage with the rest of the theatre’s Community & Education programme, and the New Black strand of work provides opportunities for other groups to engage with the breadth of the city’s context and heritage. In December 2010, the theatre was commended at the national Awards for Bridging Cultures for its work in encouraging intercultural dialogue.
Work has included Hussan and Harry (2005), a project about experiences of warfare, with a group of young asylum seekers and the Senior Youth Theatre; The First Time I Saw Snow (2008), a TiE tour about new incoming communities, as well as smaller-scale collaborations with grassroots BME organisations such as Black Boys Can. More recently, the theatre has established a reputation for its In Our Own Words community festivals, with the 2009 festival, The Mysteries – In Our Own Words inspired by stories from both the Bible and the Qur’an, and the 2010 festival based on true stories of immigration to the city.
The Community & Education Company welcome contact with organisations working with the city’s BME communities.
Organisations or individuals wishing to get involved in the work of the C&E Company should contact 024 7684 6741 or communityadmin@belgrade.co.uk
