✊What do we mean by radical economics?

❤️What would it mean to age well under socialism?

⚡Why does the West support Israel?

✊How can you unionise your workplace?

⚡How do we counter common arguments against socialism?

Do you want to learn more about left politics and how to transform the world?

Programme coming soon

DIASPORA! Festival Flag Making Workshop

DIASPORA! Festival is a vibrant celebration of people, arts, culture, film, and more, taking place at host venues across the city on Early May Bank Holiday weekend 03 - 06 May. Brought to the South West by Diverse Artists Network, the festival aims to reflect the rich variety of talent within the south west’s global communities, with an emphasis on the creative arts that reside within these communities. Trinity is very proud to be partnering with Diverse Artist Network to bring Diaspora to Trinity, through a programme of workshops, music events and arts.

“Brilliant people, really welcoming and great level of diversity and lovely to talk to people from different backgrounds” - Diaspora! Flag Making Workshop Participant

As part of Diaspora’s engagement fringe programme in the lead up to their festival weekend, Trinity partnered up with them to deliver their programme of free creative workshops named ‘Flag Up Your Identity’. These workshops were open to all and served to unleash the creativity of the workshop participants to make a unique flag that embodied their identity and heritage. Participants were encouraged to create unique flags influenced by their cultural roots and their personal journey. Over the Easter period, Trinity welcomed over 30 participants who made wonderful flags which will be showcased at Trinity and other locations around the city.

DIASPORA! Festival continues throughout the May bank holiday weekend, kicking off with the official opening ceremony for the festival taking place on Friday 03 May 4pm – 7pm. Expect an evening of dance, music, poetry, food, and folklore, showcasing the extraordinary talents of our local community while fostering meaningful cross-cultural connections. Tickets are free, find out more here.

After the opening ceremony on 03 May, we will be hosting Pangea at Trinity. Pangea is a club night which celebrates sound system music from around the globe, bringing together a diverse range of genres including Samba, Bhangra, highlife, gospel, dancehall and much more. Click here to get tickets.

Closing out proceedings, on Sunday 05 May we have Alkebulan, African Storytelling Village, a day of African arts and culture featuring captivating storytelling to vibrant dance performances. Featuring local artists from the likes of Kabbo Hue Ferdinand, MoYah, Ian Solomon-Kawall, Penny Avery, and Mohammed Errebba, this event promises an unforgettable cultural showcase. Find out more here.

We are very proud to be partnering with Diverse Artists Network for DIASPORA! Festival, highlighting our commitment to providing accessible cultural events for the community, and a space to learn arts and crafts as well as opportunities for participants to skill share.

Owners of record labels such as TDK, Pauper, Huppel, alongside many releases on other European tekno labels. They have been playing live for more than two decades, so expect one of the finest liveset experiences ever. They will play for two hours as well to help you get into the loop!

Line up:

- Brz vs Stije (live

- Maddike (live)

- SJRS

- 3Morph (live)

- Potatox (live)

- Hate Mondays

Get ready for one of their biggest parties ever made

Massive turbo sound aspect rig.

Big video-mapping and lighting setup.

Please note this is a standing event, accessible seating is available.

Last entry: 2 hours before curfew

Venue levy: Trinity is introducing a £1 Restoration Levy on every event ticket sold. This income will be used to create a dedicated fund for critical building works that will protect and maintain the Trinity Centre building and grounds.

The Earth Rocker ABA SHANTI-I Sounds of Jay Lightning & Thunder

meets

The Mighty ENTEBBE The Rasta Chanters

These sounds do not meet often these days so make sure you grab your ticket as this dance will be ram out!

Please note this is a standing event, accessible seating is available.

Last entry: 2 hours before curfew

Venue levy: Trinity is introducing a £1 Restoration Levy on every event ticket sold. This income will be used to create a dedicated fund for critical building works that will protect and maintain the Trinity Centre building and grounds.

Savour the flavours of Sudanese coffee and Jamaican cuisine to a backdrop of beats brought by local DJs and talented rappers. Featuring local artists from the likes of //Kabbo Hue Ferdinand, MoYah, Ian Solomon-Kawall, Penny Avery, and Mohammed Errebba, this event promises an unforgettable cultural showcase.

Don't miss out on this dynamic fusion of music, food, and creativity!

DIASPORA! festival is a vibrant celebration of people, music, film, poetry, dance, storytelling, and more, taking place at venues across the city on the Early May Bank Holiday weekend. These events aim to reflect the variety of talent within the region’s cultural communities.

This event is presented by Trinity in partnership with Diaspora! festival.

DIASPORA! festival is a vibrant celebration of people, music, film, poetry, dance, storytelling, and more, taking place at venues across the city on the Early May Bank Holiday weekend. These events aim to reflect the variety of talent within the region’s cultural communities.

This event is presented by Trinity in partnership with Diaspora! festival.

In that comparatively brief time, though, the Hurray for the Riff Raff founder has been something of a modern Huck Finn, an itinerant traveller whose adventures prompt art that reminds us there are always other ways to live.

Hurray for the Riff Raff steadily rose from house shows to a major label, where Segarra became a pan-everything fixture of the modern from movement. But that Yoke became a burden, prompting Segarra to make the probing and poignant electronic opus ‘Life on Earth’ their Nonesuch debut.

Doors: 7.30pm

Support: 8pm

HRR: 9pm

Please note this is a standing event, accessible seating is available.

Last entry: 2 hours before curfew

Carnival workshops at Trinity.Photo Alastair Brookes/KoLAB Studios

With the support of West of England Sport Trust (Wesport) we are expanding our creative offer for primary-aged children living/ attending school within the locality.

Through our partnership work with local primary schools, we will be working with Easton Academy to offer key stage 1 and key stage 2 children free-to-access after school activities, a summer school as well as provision for parents/carers.

Building upon previous projects, including last year's Easter Carnival workshops and 2022/23 ‘World in a Box’ programme, leading dance company Movema will embed themselves within the school to deliver the programme that aims to encourage schools to offer their facilities for activities that encourage healthy and active lives.

‘We are thrilled to be supporting local partners through our place-based work. Through supporting schools to open their facilities outside of the school day to both school and community users, we hope to create sustainable change in increased physical activity levels in communities where they are needed most.” Nicole Emmanuel, West of England Sport Trust

Shaping the offer to reach children, who may be living in under-resourced communities, Movema will host after-school clubs that will include dance and movement workshops. They will also work with teachers and children to shape and deliver a creative offer for free activities during the summer break.

Our Children and Young People's team will collaborate with parent/carers at Easton Academy to develop free to access sessions that will take place within the school to encourage movement, active lives and improve wellbeing.

The programme will run until March 2025 and will further support our ‘Cultural Alliance’ a partnership with three-local schools. Developed through conversations with primary school pupils, teachers, governors and community organisations, the Alliance aims to address existing gaps that many children experience in accessing creative activities as well as strengthening the educational growth and wellbeing of children.

You can find out more about our Children and Young People's programme here or sign up to our mailing list to keep-up to date.

Join us for an evening of sharing work, performances and networking

What have we learnt?

What do we know?

What's next?

Igloo - Image Credit: Alastair Brookes

As part of our Children and Young People’s programme, we brought Igloo, an interactive early year's performance, to Trinity. Igloo was created by Barton Hill-based Travelling Light Theatre. The company created the show specifically to tour to non-traditional theatre venues with the aim of breaking down barriers to accessing theatre.

We connected with our partners, Central Bristol Children Centre, to offer children (and their grown ups) who attend the centre’s weekly Stay & Play at Trinity, the opportunity to watch the show for free. Igloo was shared in a separate space running alongside Stay & Play, allowing families to choose if they wanted to give the performance a try during a familiar group session. In total we welcomed over 100 families/carers to two performances of Igloo.

Through feedback from conversations between children, families and local community groups and building upon our pledges we are looking at ways to create a responsive programme that aims to offer young children the opportunity to take their first steps in their creative journey.

Coming up in the summer we are pleased to host theatre company Tidal Tales who will be bring their latest show, Fairy Forest: Stories from the Trees, for an outdoor performance. This follows the 'The Hare the Moon and the River' that we programmed as part of our Summer Sessions last year.

You can keep up to date with our our Children and Young People's programme here or to hear about upcoming events and activities sign up to our mailing list here

International Women’s Day Celebration - Image Credit: Megan Ip

As part of International Women’s Day celebrations, women's group ‘All Ah Wi’ took over Trinity for a full day of workshops and discussions to celebrate the talents and interests of women.

“It was a really good day, all who came had a great time and got a lot out of it" Saláma Kefentse

Organised by Saláma Kefentse, who leads the ‘All Ah Wi’ group, the take over included dance workshops delivered by Penny Avery, Essential Oils demonstrations and live music by DJs Kissan and Delicious. In the afternoon, Carmen Carol delivered a wellbeing workshop and the event finished with a live podcast with the female-led Keep It Real team.

Salama first connected with Trinity after attending Festus celebrations back in December 2023. During this event she shared that she would like to bring ‘All Ah Wi’ to Trinity and following this our Community and Neighbourhoods team supported Salama to programme the event. This collaborative programming approach is part of our pledge to support people, grassroot groups and artists, living in the locality to deliver grassroots and community-led activities supported by Fun Palaces.

Following the success of ‘All Ah WI's 'International Women’s Day takeover we are pleased to be supporting Salama to host the group regularly at Trinity. All Ah Wi and will take place every three-months. If you would like to find out more about the group please get in contact with Jen Farmer, Arts Engagement Manager or sign up to our mailing list to keep-up-to-date.

Next Gen Sounds Performance - Image Credit: Alastair Brookes

Young people from our free weekly music project, Next Gen Sounds, were invited to perform during Off The Record (OTR)’s exhibition at Trinity. We work in partnership with the OTR team who come along to the weekly Next-Gen sessions as an additional offer for young people.

“It was really great to get the chance to perform live, it’s so much fun, Trinity really give us a lot of chances to perform in front of an audience. It’s really fantastic to be able to play here” - Joe, Next Gen Sounds Participant

On the night, young people from Next Gen Sounds took to the stage for one hour. Giving incredible musical performances, from bands playing covers of much-loved songs by Fleetwood Mac and Radiohead, to acoustic solo performances, rap, and DJ sets, demonstrating the wide range of musical styles that the young people are exploring as part of Next Gen.

OTR’s exhibition featured paintings, drawings, photography, poetry and of course music from Next Gen. Our Next Gen Sounds sessions are supported by staff from OTR who bring their expertise around mental health and wellbeing to the group sessions, ensuring that the support offered by the programme focuses not only on young people’s musical abilities, but also provides a safe space for personal support, in which the young people can develop their confidence, interpersonal skills, and support their mental wellbeing.

As part of our Children and Young Peoples' programme we offer ways in which those aged 0-25yrs can take their first and next steps in creativity. Next Gen creates pathways for young people to develop their musical practice; from supporting song writing, to demystifying music production, and music masterclasses to eventually offering the young people a platform to perform their music to a live audience.

If you'd like to find out more about Next Gen Sounds, or get involved with the sessions yourself, click here for more information.

Nature Play After School Club - Image Credit: Alastair Brookes

As part of our children and young people's programme offer free after school provision for children who attend local primary schools. Children who attend are aged 8yrs-11yrs and many may limited access to any green space at home. We caught up with Liam Callaghan, who delivers the Nature Play sessions to find out more.

Hi! Please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your background

I’m Liam, the Nature Play lead at Trinity – I have a passion for youth work, having written and illustrated my first children’s book, worked with SEND children for several years and facilitated a variety of workshops for young people.

A How did you get involved with Nature Play at Trinity?

I've been leading the Nature Play project since its beginnings in September 2023. I spent a lot of time at Trinity Centre attending various events before I became a part of the team – I first helped with a Nature Play workshop over the summer of 2023 and through this, Trinity reached out with the opportunity of working together long-term on a similar project, and here I am!

What is the Nature Play project?

The after-school Nature Play sessions we run are a perfect opportunity for local 8-11-year-olds to spend some quality time out in nature, thanks to our beautiful garden space in the heart of Bristol. We operate a walking bus from 3 local primary schools to maximise our outreach and have seen amazing results. We began by having the children create a set of ground rules, which they all agreed on, based around respect and getting involved.

So what do the sessions involve?

After introducing the children to the garden space at Trinty, there was still fruit growing in the garden, so the children would pick apples from the apple tree when they arrived as a tasty snack. Most weeks they would forage flavours to make their own tea, learning about when certain plants fruit, the physics of heat drawing out the flavours and nutrients to make the tea, as well as the communal nature of making and sharing tea together. The group are always very happy to show any newcomers around the garden space – they have found a real sense of security and belonging in the garden and have a great sense of agency within the space.

As the nights grew longer, the children learned about how winter is a necessary part of the life cycle, and how we can relate to the seasons within our own lives, have ‘sunny seasons’ and ‘chilly spells’. They also learned how to safely make a fire to get us through the wintry weather, with some children helping others overcome their fear of flames. The children loved sharing stories around the fire (some scarier than others!), instilling a warm sense of community.

What's the plan for Nature Play going forward into the spring?

As we Spring into 2024, the children have begun making use of their raised bed, dedicated to the after-school club (which they have nearly finished decorating) as well as space in the polytunnel, where the children have been learning how and when to plant different veg (and why) and learning about seasonal changes and the effect climate change is having on us and other parts of the world. Some children have some prior knowledge which they have been happy to share with others during the sessions, building a sense of communal skill sharing.

What benefits do you think the children involved with Nature Play gain?

The children who attend the sessions  have really blossomed over the months, and there’s been noticeable growth in individuals’ confidence, knowledge and overall wellbeing as well as seeing friendships being formed. I can’t wait to see how the children grow over the coming months.

If you are a parent/carer of a primary aged child (8yrs-11yrs) who would like to attend Nature Play click here to find out more and sign up.

Nature Play is held on Monday's during term time and is made possible due to funding from Quartet Community Foundation, WESport and Bristol City Council.

In this new piece, Bert and Nasi dance the end of their relationship, imagining what a future without each other might look like. Above the stage and projected onto a screen, two parallel narratives run alongside each other: the end of the Earth and the end of their collaboration.

In the vein of their previous work, it is a poignant, sad and funny account of the ongoing ecological crisis. Their dance is a reminder and a celebration of our own mortality, and that of everything around us.

“Both insistently silly and unreservedly heart-rending” Guardian ★★★★
“playful and poignant” The Stage ★★★★

This performance is part of Mayfest: Bristol's international festival of contemporary theatre and live performance, curated and produced by MAYK. Check out the full programme at www.mayk.org.uk/mayfest.

"It feels special to be able to finally share this work with you in Bristol which feels like one of Bert and Nasi’s creative homes. Their unique creative spark creates heartfelt worlds which are at once light and dark -  funny and sad. And The End is no exception. A sort of movement poem that holds you expertly in the palm of their hands." Kate & Matthew, co-directors, MAYK

Age : 10+ Duration: 55 mins, no interval Access: Wheelchair accessible

Doors 7:00pm

Show Start 7:30pm

Show Dates

24th May 7:30pm

25th May 4:00pm

26th May 6:00pm

Credits - Commissioned by The Place and Warwick Arts Centre, Developed with support from Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Bert & Nasi are produced by Farnham Maltings.

Created and Performed by Bertrand Lesca and Nasi Voutsas In collaboration with: Laura Dannequin Lighting Design: Jessica Hung Han Yun Lighting Associate: Ruth Green

Main image credit: Alex Brenner

About Bert and Nasi: Bertrand and Nasi are two performance makers who met in 2015. Devising projects in an age of austerity, their work is stripped right back and sits somewhere between live art and dance, but if you held them against a wall they would probably say it's theatre. They received the Forced Entertainment Award in 2020.They have created seven shows that have toured the world in prestigious festivals such as the Adelaide Festival, MiTsp, PuSh and Avignon Festival.

Twitter: @bert_nasi / Instagram: @bertandnasi / 
#Mayfest /Twitter: @mayfestbristol / Instagram: @mayfestbristol/

Image Credit: Alastair Brookes

In partnership with St Pauls Carnival, Citizens In Power and West of England Combined Authority we are delivering a Citizens’ Assembly for Culture in 2025.

This ground-breaking initiative will bring together people from across the region, to meet with creative practitioners, cultural providers and decision-makers to shape the future of a cultural delivery plan for the region.

We are currently recruiting for a Producer to help with the successful delivery of the Assembly. We caught up with David Jubb, Co-Director of Citizens In Power, to find out more about the role, the Citizens for Culture project and the plans for the 2025 Assembly.

Hi David! Tell us more about the role and what they'll be working on.

This is a role that I wish had been around when I was developing my practice as a producer. I would have jumped at it. The role will oversee the entire citizens’ assembly process over the coming 12 months. This will include all the current development stages, procuring key partners and laying the groundwork for the UK’s first citizens’ assembly to create a cultural plan for an entire region. The role will work closely with assembly members, supporting their needs and ensuring that each one has a positive and inspiring experience. They will also establish the framework for the assembly’s recommendations to be carried forward. I think one of the many exciting things about the role is that citizen-led decision-making, such as citizens’ juries, citizens’ assemblies and panels, are growing in the creative and cultural sector. So the successful candidate will put themselves in an interesting position in terms of the future opportunities in the sector.

The ideal candidate would be someone who believes in the idea of citizens’ assemblies and cultural democracy, is committed to equity and inclusion in their practice, excels in complex projects with multiple partners, and has an interest in the strategic side of producing. What I mean by this is not just a desire to nail the deliverables each day, but on how those deliverables link to a wider set of strategic aims and partners. This project is a lot about inviting people to work together to lead change – so if they have a passion for supporting change then the role would suit them very well.

Who would the Citizens’ Assembly Producer get to work with?

They would work closely with all the project partners: LaToyah McAllister-Jones, Executive Director of St Pauls Carnival; Emma Harvey, CEO of Trinity; Sarah James, Creative and Cultural Programme Lead at the West of England Combined Authority. Each partner brings different experiences to the project. LaToyah works with Involve to facilitate assemblies as well as her extensive professional experience in and out of the cultural sector. Emma has been a driving force for how cultural buildings can use creativity as a tool for civic participation. Sarah is leading Culture West, a regional programme which brings practitioners together to create a transformational shift to co-created models of practice. The producer would also work with me. My background is in the cultural sector. I was artistic director and CEO of Battersea Arts Centre from 2004-19, before becoming more interested in citizen-led decision-making. Last year I co-founded Citizens In Power as a not-for-profit organisation, with the purpose to co-design ways for citizens to lead decision-making.

In addition to the project partners, the producer would work with the assembly’s Oversight Panel and Advisory Panel, independent groups who will advise on equity and inclusion, and select evidence for the assembly to consider. They will also collaborate with the Lead Facilitator, the Combined Authority and four Unitary Authorities, the assembly’s funding partners, Arts Council England and Gulbenkian Foundation, and everyone involved in the production and logistics of the assembly itself. It’s a big team!

What does success look like for you within this project?

By having a citizens’ assembly for creativity and culture, the project aims to democratise decision-making in the cultural sector. The assembly will empower citizens to co-create a vibrant, inclusive cultural delivery plan for the West of England. It’s important to know that when we say “citizens” we mean people who live, work or stay in a place – i.e. everyone! Success will be a project that constantly challenges itself on issues of equity and inclusion.

Essential success measures are inclusive participation, constructive deliberation and actionable recommendations. We are involving both citizens and practitioners from the sector in the design of the assembly to help us achieve this. Of course, the real test of success for Citizens for Culture will be the delivery of the assembly’s outcomes. This will require the collaboration of lots of different partners: from councils, sector organisations, communities, funders to individuals, all working together to make change happen. We need to grow many of these partnerships in advance of the assembly happening in 2025. We also hope Citizens For Culture provides inspiration for other councils and funders which are seeking to create future delivery plans by putting citizens at the heart of the process.

Anything else you would like to add?

I think this promises to be an inspiring project. I can guarantee that the successful candidate, whether coming with a cultural sector background, or a background in deliberative democracy, will learn lots and widen the kinds of opportunities they can pursue in the future. Come and work with us! Deadline for application is Tuesday 9th April at 5pm and application information is here.