The Beach is by Stephen Lightbrown, was presented as part of our inclusive cabaret What Words Are Ours? originally live streamed via Zoom and Facebook, Nov 2020 as part of Trinity Presents Online, funded by The Culture Recovery Fund.

Funds have been made available by the Government to support organisations like Trinity to weather the impact of coronavirus and come back even stronger, whilst also providing a much needed arts offer.

What Words Are Ours? was an exciting D/deaf inclusive poetry cabaret performance, featuring BSL interpreter Becky Barry.

Keep an eye out on our website and social media channels for other upcoming performances as part of #CultureRecoveryFund.

#TrinityPresents

#HereForCulture

Uchenna Dance deliver a dance workshop at Trinity in 2018. Photo @Khali Ackford

Trinity is pleased to announce that, as part of the Bristol Dance Futures ‘Dance Connect’ programme, five Bristol-based dance practitioners will be funded to undertake year-long residencies in organisations across the city.

The residencies are an opportunity for practitioners, organisations and communities to collaboratively develop a programme of dance activity. Artists will explore and develop ways that dance can be enjoyed and experienced by new and existing audiences and participants across the city.

'It was great to see such high-quality applications and be part of the selection process with a different perspective from the health sector'

Karen Lloyd, Active Ageing Bristol

To ensure a wide range of voices and perspectives helped select the Dance Connect Residencies, the project's Producer Deborah Baddoo invited Karen Lloyd from Active Ageing Bristol and Zannah Chisolm, Artistic Director and CEO Pavilion Dance South West to sit on the selection panels, alongside members of the Dance Futures steering group including independent artist Deepraj Singh.

With the COVID-19 pandemic likely to exacerbate impacts of pre-existing health conditions, two projects will look at the importance of using dance to improve and support good emotional wellbeing and health:

Lerato Dunn will work will work with Southmead Development Trust and Sirona Care to explore how dance can contribute to the physical and emotional health, with the aim to develop a ‘Dance on Prescription’ model that can support vulnerable people.

Rachel James, who leads Dance For Parkinson's at Trinity, will be working with Fresh Arts to create a high-quality dance programme supporting the recovery of elderly and frail patients, designed to help them to get home quicker.

Trinity will be working with both Lerato and Rachel to programme activity in our role as the Arts & Health Dance Hub for the project.

The following collaborations will see artists connecting with new communities strengthening dance participation beyond the city centre:

Penny Caffrey and Helen Wilson will be collaborating with Filwood Community Centre to create a number of different ‘dance happenings’ to promote a positive sense of place within communities.

Katy Noakes will be working with Knowle West Media Centre explore ways to bridge the gap between street and contemporary dance in Bristol.

Dance Connect is an initiative by Bristol Dance Futures - a consortia of Bristol arts organisations and independent artists, that aims to create a vibrant dance ecology across the city, so people of all ages can engage with high-quality dance.

Dance Connect is supported by funding from Arts Council England

Applications are now open for a brand-new £6,000 Research and Development commission

Thanks to the Cultural Recovery Fund we are inviting Bristol based organisations or artists to apply for a new commission  to support a Young Audiences Research and Development project. The successful company/artist will work toward creating a live performance or experience made for Young Audiences aged 3-10 years. We welcome artists of any practice and working in any art-form to apply.

Trinity is a cultural-hub for the city, where people of all ages and backgrounds come together. As well as hosting 600 capacity live music performances we also programme theatre and dance in our flexible studio space.

Our building sits at the meeting point of three distinctive and diverse Bristol wards - Easton, Ashley (St Pauls) and Lawrence Hill - whose residents make up Trinity’s local community. In these difficult times, we believe that the arts can bring together communities and we want to commission a piece of work that will do just that.

We’re looking for a Bristol based (within a 20 mile radius of Trinity Centre) artist or organisation, who will Research and Develop/ Create an experience for young audiences that is welcoming and accessible to people from all walks of life including young audiences who may not speak English as a first language and young audiences with disabilities.

The Research and Development period must take place before 12th March 2021.

This commission is for R&D but we expect that the results of the R&D will be shared or showcased in some form.

We will provide:

-£6,000 commission fee (Please note that you must have a bank account in your organisation’s name or be registered as self-employed)

-Opportunity to use our Trinity building space as in-kind support to develop the project

-Advice and guidance from relevant members of staff at Trinity and relevant partners

-Opportunity to share progress of the project with community members, industry professionals and other artists. We particularly welcome applications from artists whose experiences are less visible in 'mainstream' arts programming.

Please note.

All work carried out as part of the commission must adhere to current Covid-19 regulations and guidelines.

We will be hosting a Zoom call on 8th December at 4pm for an informal Q&A session around the commission.

This opportunity is now closed

Making Tracks is a life-changing music making project for young people, aged 16-25, delivered by Trinity in partnership with ACE and Basement.

The first Steering Group meeting was held on Thursday 15th October. The Steering Group gives Making Tracks participants a chance to share their opinions to help shape the programme and opportunities to connect with others on the programme.

The meeting was led by Steering Group Producer, Amber Watsonn, who is on a work placement through BE IT - a radical leadership programme run by Rising Arts Agency.

Amber is dedicated to improving representation in thearts sector and is bringing her passion for empowering and championing young people's voices into the steering group.

With the help of project intern, Thomas Meadley, Amber invited four young people to take part in this meeting that aimed to be an accessible space and allow for all voices to be heard.

The first part of the session focused on understanding the purpose and aims of the steering group. The session was briefly joined by Dave Thomas, Trinity’s Youth Activities Manager. His contagious enthusiasm for Making Tracks and Youth Music helped spark young people to share their love for the programme.

Young people shared their thoughts on how the Making Tracks project is accessible to them; how it caters to everyone no matter their skill, home life or musical interests. The group shared how much taking part in the project helps support mental health and confidence building. They also commented on the supportive staff that show how much they want to be there and help in any way they can.

Amber then supported the group to share how they may want to shape the project in the future. This included:

- an online forum for young people to network, share their music, and see news and project updates

- more studio access to record music

- more online resources

- how they can help support the project

The meeting ended, as all good meetings should do, with pizza and an opportunity to discuss the next meeting's agenda.

Want to get Involved?

The steering group is always open to new members. Please email amber@trinitybristol.org.uk if you would like more information or have any questions.

Making Tracks is supported by Youth Music and using public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England, as well as support from match funders.

Trinity's Dave Thomas and Noods Radio's Leon Patrick and Jack Machin take a socially distanced delivery of the new equipment

Noods Radio, the independent radio station broadcasting from Bristol's Stokes Croft, have raised money for new equipment for Trinity’s life-changing music making programme, Making Tracks.

The release of the 11 track Hypha compilation CD, earlier this year, saw all profits being donated to the youth music project; with South West cider Thatchers providing match funding for the purchase of mic stands, mics and other technical equipment.

The new equipment means the young people who take part in the project have access to professional equipment to gain skills and confidence through music making.

We are really grateful to Leon Patrick and Jack Machin, owners of Noods Radio, who contacted us to offer their support to the project.

Making Tracks is supported by Youth Music, using funds from the National Lottery

Lullabies is a project by Associate Artist Roxana Vilk, connecting people around the world through lullabies.

Inspired by singing traditional Iranian lullabies to her children at night, Roxana wondered how many other families where singing lullabies in the many languages spoken across Bristol. In 2018, Roxana began to collect lullabies with local families, during her IGNiTE residency at Trinity.

In 2020, the project was selected to be part of the Nationwide Here & Now project, celebrating 25 years of The National Lottery. Roxana continues to collect, record, and share lullabies from around the world, using them to find common ground between different communities and cultures.

You can take part in the project and be part of an online exhibition sharing Lullabies from across the world.  Submit yours online here.

Lady Like by Ella Mesma, programmed as part of IGNiTE at Trinity.  Photo @Jessica Bartolini

Bristol Dance Futures are offering £8,000 for four Dance Connect Artist residencies. The residencies will see artists work in collaboration with Bristol based organisations, with the aim to see how dance practise could enrich a working environment and to exchange learning.

Dance Connect is an initiative by Bristol Dance Futures and aims to nurture talent, provide continuing professional development opportunities for dancers, and create a vibrant dance ecology so people of all ages can engage with high quality dance.

The Dance Connect initiative will embed four dance artists in Bristol’s arts, cultural and community organisations for 40 days, over a period of up to 11 months from November 2020

To apply now* please complete the Full Partnership Application form addressing the aims and the assessment criteria below.

(*Please note applications will only be accepted from those who have completed an Expression of Interest form. You can also download the Full Partnership Application form as a PDF here and the Guidelines and Assessment criteria here)

For more info please contact Deborah Baddoo - dancefutures@theatrebristol.net

Dance Connect Aims:

• Raise the profile of dance within individual organisations and more broadly within the cultural sector
• Embed the value of dance and the contribution dance artists can make within and across organisations - strengthen Bristol’s dance ecology and lever more support for dance
• Better equip organisations to work with dance artists
• Create opportunities for critical dialogue between organisations, dance artists and audiences
• Provide opportunities to test, grow and change the practice of individual dance artists, people working within organisations and the wider sector
• Create models of working which can be sustained beyond the period of this initiative

Criteria for Assessment:

• Experience in working within their chosen field of activity
• Imaginative and ambitious nature of the application
• Specificity of ideas
• Potential for impact of the residency
• What difference the residency will make to the artists' and organisations' practice
• Potential for legacy after the residency has ended
• Ideas on how they might share the impact of the Dance Connect residency

Full Partnership Application deadline 5pm 13th November 2020

Students and professionals take part in a Making Tracks sector sharing day. Making Tracks is a  life changing music making project delivered by us, in partnership with leading youth services providers Basement Studios and ACE. Photo Paul Blakemore

With the DWP's announcement of the Kickstart Scheme, Trinity explores what such jobs might mean for the Creative industries

People from lower socio-economic backgrounds make up just 12% of the workforce in the creative industries, despite being 44% of the UK population and the Creative Industries Federation highlight the inherent inequality within the creative and cultural workforce across almost every protected characteristic.
Covid-19 will mean high unemployment for young people, as well as having profound impact on the cultural and creative industries.Diversifying the creative industries remains high on the agenda with the Creative Industries Federation citing lack of diversity still a persistent failing across the sector.

Possible redundancies may only serve to harm representation through the loss of junior workforce.

At a time when we need to do more to create alternative pathways, the challenge has been compounded by the pandemic with more experienced people willing to volunteer time or remain in lower-paid roles and less job-mobility at senior or executive level.

The announcement of more detail about the Government's Kickstart Scheme in September 2020 offers some hope - with opportunities created for paid employment for unemployed 18-24yr olds.

But it is by no means a magic bullet and must be accompanied by strong youth provision to ensure that those who stand to gain most from such placements are given every opportunity to access and succeed in any roles created.

Though many will know Trinity as one of the most loved and iconic music venues in the city, what many don't know is that Trinity has delivered youth arts training since 2005, providing creative courses for young people, with a focus on working with those Not in Education Employment or Training (NEET), in partnership with Education Unlimited, City of Bristol College, Weston College, as well as Bristol’s wider youth sector.

Personal development through creative expression can be a critical factor in a young person's success.

Since 2018 we have led a Youth Music funded consortia with Basement Studio and Aspiration Creation Elevation working with 250 young people from challenging circumstances annually, giving them a chance to realise their potential through participation in arts and culture, giving access to free music-making which has truly been a life-changing opportunity for those who come through our doors.

Through our a decade of delivery, we are now part of a network of specialist providers who support with referrals, pastoral care and progression. Being part of this network who work to support the needs of NEET young people is a combined effort it is clear that, in most cases, multiple cross-sector agencies are involved in supporting a young person on their journey. The success of Kickstart in really changing the lives of those who need this chance the most rests on the ability to mobilise a cross-sector approach and support employers to help them realise the potential of a diverse young workforce.

Trinity has been part of a number of youth education and employment schemes historically, including The Future Job Fund, cited by NIESR as one of the most successful back-to-work schemes in history. Schemes such as FJF and the Creative Employment Programme have meant that we have been able to provide 33 young people aged 18-24 through with paid-internships since 2009, providing alternative pathways into creative industries.

Though not always perfect, they show us that this investment can provide a critical pathway into the creative workforce - over 1/4 of young people taken on via an internship remained employed at Trinity beyond the grant-funded post, including our Venue Manager Jamell, who started with us in 2010 on a 6mth FJF placement.

Read more about Jamell's story, here.

Making Tracks Intern and musician Thomas Meadley introduces some of Bristol's rising stars, in this Making Tracks Showcase. The Making Tracks programme is brought to you by Trinity, ACE and Basement Studio.

This is brought to you by Trinity Presents. Click here to see more arts, community, well-being and education content or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Trinity are working with external artists, partners and organisations as part of Trinity Presents Online to provide exciting content, relevant to Trinity's diverse audiences and in line with our Equal Opportunities and Free Speech Policies. Click here for more information about our Policies. While we endeavour to ensure content we share is relevant and appropriate, Trinity is not responsible for individual content created by third parties.

In the Summer the garden welcomed local children and families for activity days. Photo @Paul Blakemore

Local children, including Tate, received activity packs during Lockdown. Photo via Twitter courtesy of Tate's Mum

"@HannahMorePri huge thanks to you and @TrinityBristol for the fantastic kit for the windowsill grow challenge! Tate really enjoyed potting them. We will keep you posted on their growth" Charlene L. Twitter

Since the Covid-19 lockdown, we have been working closely with local primary schools and Up Our Street to find ways to reach out to young people in the community who can no longer access our community garden and may have limited access to green spaces during this time.

The first batch of activity packs, filled with simple DIY windowsill gardening ideas and craft activities for families, children and carers to get busy with at home, went out in May/June 2020. Activities include sowing seeds, making bird feeders, scavenger hunts and more. A digital version of the pack is downloadable from our website.

“I think the biggest benefit is that it gives children and families who might not be able to get outside, the chance to engage in nature-based activities. Being around nature and doing tasks like planting and looking after plants are great for mental health and well-being and get children engaged in the world around them!”

Natalie Barker, Deputy Head, St Nicholas of Toletine Primary, June 2020

The garden team are also creating videos on everything from handy gardening tips to fun activities you can do at home - keep up-to-date with these on our social media channels or catch up here.

Making Tracks tutor, Oli Cocup, shows how to practise your drum skills without using a drum kit.

This is brought to you by Trinity Presents. Click here to see more arts, community, well-being and education content or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Trinity are working with external artists, partners and organisations as part of Trinity Presents Online to provide exciting content, relevant to Trinity's diverse audiences and in line with our Equal Opportunities and Free Speech Policies. Click here for more information about our Policies. While we endeavour to ensure content we share is relevant and appropriate, Trinity is not responsible for individual content created by third parties.

Our Making Tracks Music programme Intern, Thomas Meadley, recently had a training session with Podcasting and Digital Producing expert Heather Campbell, ahead of the launch of our very own Making Tracks podcast. Watch this space for more news on that! 

We asked Heather to share her top tips for creating your own podcast and here it is! 

Heather has worked for the BBC and ITV developing and creating content for clients such as The Mercury Prize. You can check out the podcast and some brilliant content she has created here https://www.instagram.com/neverseentheoc/ 

Thanks to our Making Tracks programme funders Youth Music for enabling us to create this brilliant top tips video.

This is brought to you by Trinity Presents. Click here to see more arts, community, well-being and education content or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Trinity are working with external artists, partners and organisations as part of Trinity Presents Online to provide exciting content, relevant to Trinity's diverse audiences and in line with our Equal Opportunities and Free Speech Policies. Click here for more information about our Policies. While we endeavour to ensure content we share is relevant and appropriate, Trinity is not responsible for individual content created by third parties.

Before the lockdown a student takes part in a piano lesson in Trinity's music studios. Photo @ KoLAB Studios

When lockdown restrictions were announced Trinity's Music Team worked to move Making Tracks activity online.

So now instead of sessions in our building, young people meet with Tutors online for weekly music making sessions.

Since Mar 16, the team have worked with over 15 young people delivering music production workshops in: vocal tuition, guitar and bass tuition, songwriting, music production and skill sharing sessions. Tutors have also been creating online content, including short videos in industry skills and improving musical abilities. Emerging musicians from Making Tracks including Sam Neal have provided soundtracks.

"It's a lifeline. He loves it. It's really good for his mental health and autism to have these sessions scheduled during this time. It's really, really helping. Thank you so much'.

Parent of a Trinity Making Tracks young person

Partners ACE and Basement Studios continue to provide provisions, including checking in with young people online and providing workshops and bespoke masterclasses.

Trinity have hosted a virtual 3rd Space meeting, where organisations who provide music services for young people across Bristol come together and talk about ideas.

Making Tracks team members have also joined Youth Music’s online sessions; learning from and inputting to the wider sector transition to online working, safeguarding and working with young people who might not have access to equipment.

Making Tracks is supported by Youth Music and using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, as well as support from match funders.

Pete teaches Drum, Piano and Live Performance on Making Tracks - our life changing Music Making Project with Basement Studios and Aspiration Creation Elevation C.I.C.

From his home, he has recorded this short video explaining piano triads and how to play Otis Redding's 'Lean On Me'.

Making Tracks is supported by Youth Music and using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, as well as support from match funders.

This is brought to you by Trinity Presents. Click here to see more arts, community, well-being and education content or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Trinity are working with external artists, partners and organisations as part of Trinity Presents Online to provide exciting content, relevant to Trinity's diverse audiences and in line with our Equal Opportunities and Free Speech Policies. Click here for more information about our Policies. While we endeavour to ensure content we share is relevant and appropriate, Trinity is not responsible for individual content created by third parties.

Making Tracks Tutor Pete is a drummer, keyboard and piano, backing vocalist and percussion player who has industry skills and experience in live performance, touring, street performance, studio work, event promotion, sound engineering, stage coordination, festival booking and organisation.

Pete plays in Bristol based Hip Hop outfit Almatic, as well as hot jazz and swing band the Gin Bowlers, and Bluegrass and Country band Feral Mouth. As well as multi tasking the management of several projects including running a rehearsal studio, providing PA and backline to events around Bristol and Norfolk, he teaches drums from his studio in Bristol.

We're really missing our regular community events, so while the building is closed we have asked some of the groups and classes to tell us about their activities, who takes part in their classes and some of the great things they have achieved so far.

Rachel James from The Original Spinners kindly sent us a lovely little video about Dance For Parkinson's.

The class is for people with Parkinson's, partners and carers and is all about creativity, fun, and an excellent playlist.

Rachel shares some of their highlights from gentle exercises to performances at Bristol Harbour Festival.

You can see more #TrinityPresents videos alongside activities to take part in, live streams and much more by making sure you like and follow our page.

This is brought to you by Trinity Presents. Click here to see more arts, community, well-being and education content or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Trinity are working with external artists, partners and organisations as part of Trinity Presents Online to provide exciting content, relevant to Trinity's diverse audiences and in line with our Equal Opportunities and Free Speech Policies. Click here for more information about our Policies. While we endeavour to ensure content we share is relevant and appropriate, Trinity is not responsible for individual content created by third parties.

We asked two of our tutors, Bethany Stenning and Oliver Cocup, for their top tips on self-releasing your music.

Here at Trinity, all the music tutors who work with the young people who take part in Making Tracks programme (teaching music to young people) are also professional musicians working in the industry.

If you have any questions, or want to know more about Making Tracks, get in touch with our Making Tracks Music Tutors at info@trinitybristol.org.uk

This is brought to you by Trinity Presents. Click here to see more arts, community, well-being and education content or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Trinity are working with external artists, partners and organisations as part of Trinity Presents Online to provide exciting content, relevant to Trinity's diverse audiences and in line with our Equal Opportunities and Free Speech Policies. Click here for more information about our Policies. While we endeavour to ensure content we share is relevant and appropriate, Trinity is not responsible for individual content created by third parties.

Spend an hour with funny man Conor A, as he takes us through the trials and tribulations of learning how to get better at not getting better whilst living with Fibromyalgia.

This show was pre-recorded at Home in Manchester as part of their PUSH Festival. Thanks to Conor A and Hannah Woods for making this livestream possible.

Thanks to all our Digital Partners also live streaming tonight Disability Arts Online, I'm Here, Where Are You?, Cambridge Junction, Fibromyalgia Action UK - FMAUK, The Disabled People's Channel & Morecambe Fringe.

You can find out more about Theatre, Dance and Performance at Trinity here.

This is brought to you by Trinity Presents. Click here to see more arts, community, well-being and education content or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Trinity are working with external artists, partners and organisations as part of Trinity Presents Online to provide exciting content, relevant to Trinity's diverse audiences and in line with our Equal Opportunities and Free Speech Policies. Click here for more information about our Policies. While we endeavour to ensure content we share is relevant and appropriate, Trinity is not responsible for individual content created by third parties.

Sound on for this film of Let Us Dance....

Back last year we teamed up with Arnolfini and young female dancers to takeover institutional spaces. Running alongside the ‘Still I Rise’ exhibition, a large scale exhibition that documented women’s experiences and acts of resistance in the last 150 years, Let Us Dance invited young dancers from across the city to take over a space with Flash Mob style dances.

We will be continuing to programme dance activity throughout 2020 as part of the #MovingBristol Dance Hubs project. Keep an eye out on our website for activity you can get involved in, including Dance Classes for Women who have experienced or currently experiencing cancer.