Scottee's workshop explored making art about 'issues'. Photo Alexa Ledecky

Our Spring 2019 season of theatre and dance presented innovative artists who spoke from the heart and asked: How do we strip away the layers of expectation placed on us by society to find the truest version of ourselves?

Shows included: Fat Blokes from Scottee; Confessions of a Cockney Temple Dancer by Shane Shambhu; Rent Party by Darren Pritchard Dance; Windows of Displacement by Toussaint To Move.

All shows included ways for audiences to get involved, from Scottee's workshop Getting Things Off Your Chest to Rent Party's post show disco.

We also welcome and supported four IGNiTE artists in residence -Ania Varez developed and shared her project 'Guayabo' (Venezuelan slang for 'heartbreak').  Read her thoughts on taking the project to Spill festival and an honest and brave interview about the reasons and importance of the project with the BBC online.

Vicki Hearne, creative director of Untold Dance Theatre an all female intergenerational company, created a new piece ‘Practically Perfect’, a project that focused on the idea of perfectionism, the journey to strive for this unattainable goal and how this affects women in particular.

Audiences take a short break during Roxana Vilk's sharing of Lullabies. Photo Alexa Ledecky

Roxana Vilk's  'Lullabies' explored heritage migration and identity though collecting lullabies sung to children by families and parents across Bristol.

Sharing Hyper Fem - Viki Brown. Photo Khali Ackford

Viki Browne's 'Hyper Fem' asked whether the performance of femininity through Drag can be as powerful, political or subversive when performed on a female identifying body.

IGNiTE is programmed in collaboration with our Programming Forum.The forum is made up of members of the communities who regularly use Trinity and they help advise our programme.

IGNiTE is supported using public funding by Bristol City Council and by the National Lottery through Arts Council England

Ania sharing her work in progress at Trinity (photo @ Alastair Brookes)

A few thoughts about sharing Guayabo at SPILL Festival of performance 2018

"I just didn’t know how it would go until I had this experience"

Ania Varez is one of four Bristol based artists who are developing exciting new work in collaboration with communities at Trinity over six months as part of our IGNiTE theatre and dance programme.

During her residency Ania is developing ‘Guayabo’ a participatory work that invites people to gather around their pain and the pain of others and is heavily influenced by Ania’s move from Venezuela to leave her country’s violent dictatorship. The crisis is rarely mentioned in mainstream media and Ania has been using her art to share her and her family’s experiences with others.

Ania recently took ‘Guaybo’ to Spill Festival, an international festival of contemporary arts and activism in Ipswich. We asked her to tell us the four things she learnt while she was there.

Maybe not all works are meant for art festivals (or maybe they need a bit more help)

Guayabo is a very challenging piece to share for different reasons. Mostly, because it requires placing myself in a very vulnerable state, my family is also exposed through the videos and texts I read, and the topic is extremely painful and difficult on its own.

I was concerned that those who came to experience the work might not have the capacity to offer the mental and emotional investment this piece requires due to the festival environment which is overwhelming with people quickly moving from one performance to another. I also felt the audience needed more time to process the difficult information that Guayabo conveys, whilst in a safe environment, before leaving the room and returning to a conventional social mode.

Towards the end of the work, I invite people to stay in the room for as long as they need and to chat with me if they wish, but since people had to rush to another show, most of them could not have that time, which felt important in terms of caring for themselves and for me. To know this for future sharings is really positive!

I will think about what needs to change inside the work to ensure people receive the care they need. However, the context is also important. I’m sure SPILL would have made a bigger effort to ensure these things happened if I had spoken about them beforehand, but I just didn’t know how it would go until I had this experience. Maybe arts festivals are not the right context for Guayabo, or maybe it just needs some programming adjustments (have more time altogether, organising a meal to share right after, for example) would really help to overcome these difficulties.

Guayabo connects people in the UK with Ania's family in Venezuela

It’s nicer to meet people outside of performance settings

Whilst being at SPILL I slightly regretted not having the time to see other works and meet many people. Sharing this piece took all of my time and energy and I didn’t have the space to experience much more. In hindsight, I notice that I naturally felt more inclined to encounter people outside of the performance settings (at breakfast, or in the artists green room) in a more relaxed and meaningful way, and most of the time we didn’t even talk about our work which I enjoyed much more.

Before arriving to SPILL, I was quite worried that everyone around me would be trying to constantly pitch their work at each other, but I was glad to discover that most people seemed to agree that having a good time and laughing together was more important.

Self care and support kept everything together

I had severe technical difficulties during my first show and right until the beginning of my second show. This uncertainty added pressure to sharing such personal work, which massively compromised my mental health during the performance days.

Having my producer, Katherine Hall, with me during the first two days really kept me safe and capable of getting through the difficulties, as she took care of many things and allowed me to concentrate on the work. Sadly, she could not stay for the last two days and that would have really affected me if it wasn’t for Shabnam Shabazi (the Wellbeing Liaison of the festival) and Manon Santi (part of the SPILL team) who were there to support me. They gave such gentle and caring attention to me and to the work: this meant I could present the work without having a breakdown or feeling like I was delivering it on my own.

It’s not the end of the line

SPILL felt like an incredible opportunity for me as an artist and a person. It’s the biggest platform I have ever shared work on. But I didn’t want it to feel like the ultimate platform, or the culmination of this long process. I wanted it to feel like another island I stumble upon in the middle of this long trip. A place to pass by, gather things that felt valuable, meet great people and then continue on the journey. Almost one month after the festival, I see this opportunity has brought a few open doors, some new friends and a lot of learning. I enjoy holding on to this feeling of continuation, this long process that exists independently of the platforms that I visit, but continues to be nourished by them. I am looking forward to continuing my research at Trinity Centre next year.

Read more about our IGNiTE programme and artist in residence just here.

She Called Me Mother is a story of distance. Distance caused by travelling from one continent to another. The distance that secrets create. Distance made by time. Distance between generations. Distance as enforced protection when love is lost to broken trust.

Evangeline is waiting, waiting for a woman, waiting for her black swan. Meanwhile she observes passers by. From her spot at London Bridge station she is only really visible to those who choose to see her. She is asking for money, an interaction and kindness in exchange for a magazine. Evangeline recounts moments in her long life that have led her to this place. Her past is set in Trinidad where she held many roles; she was a wife and, most importantly to the tale, she was a mother. She speaks out to us, explaining her history while the figure of a younger woman casually moves around in background like the ghost of a life lost. The figure is the thought at the front of Evangeline's mind, loitering in her present life, unable or unwilling to be shaken off.

When we finally meet this figure we are not surprised to learn that she is Evangeline's daughter Shirley. Through the Shirley we hear a different side to the tale. The gulf of experience between the two women is evident in their accents, use of language and points of view. Deeper secrets are revealed; alcoholism, abuse, protection and neglect. Could more have been done to prevent a lifetime's worth of damage? Once these buried pains are brought to the surface can a broken relationship be fixed?

When the two women come together their focus on us as an audience ceases. Suddenly they occupy the same space, the same place in time and we, the audience, are redundant. We are no longer listening to a story, we are now witnessing a coming together of a bygone relationship. There is something inharmonious about this jump of focus which is followed by an overly drawn out scene of attempted reconciliation that finds the actors vying for emotional one upmanship. However, She Called Me Mother, overall, feels like something of a breakthrough. As a debut play it more than succeeds in giving voice to traumatic experiences in a palatable fashion. Respect and realism are prioritised where the writing and performances could have easily swayed to sentimentality and the question of blame and accepting accountability is, authentically, never fully resolved. There is no fairy tale ending, no wave of a magic wand. But there is life and, for Shirley at least, the chance to live it.

Lullabies workshop at Easton Community Centre. Photo @ Alexa Ledecky

Roxana is a multi-award winning Iranian/British multi-disciplinary artist working with music, storytelling, film and live performance in a participatory context for over 20 years. Core to Roxana’s work is a desire to connect with the human stories that unite us, using a multi art approach to tackle issues of racism, discrimination and belonging.

In 2018 Roxana joined the Trinity team developing her project, Lullabies, during her IGNiTE residency. Lullabies, was inspired by Roxana signing traditional Iranian lullabies to her children at night. Here she began to imagine how many others might be singing songs in different languages to their children and the stories behind them.

During her pilot project Roxana worked with local communities and schools to collect lullabies from families. She recorded interviews and songs from communities across Bristol, including Somali, Kurdish, Irish, Israeli, Iranian, Hungarian, German and Afro-Cuban songs.

In 2020 the project was selected to be part of Here and Now, a national project celebrating of 25 years of National Lottery Funding and showcasing everyday culture.

With the support of Trinity Roxana is continuing to develop Lullabies and in 2021 and will deliver online Zoom workshops. There is an open call for the public to submit their Lullabies and there are a series of adaptive podcasts with BBC R+D.

Join an unforgettable evening of passion and rhythm at the Flamenco Dance Show 'RAÍCES' ("ROOTS") presented by the internationally acclaimed prized winner flamenco dancer from Madrid, Rebeca Ortega accompanied by UK leading flamenco guitarist and composer from Granada, Ramón Ruiz, established star flamenco singer from Cádiz, Natalia Marín, London rising percussionist, Sebastian Ruiz.

Get ready to be mesmerized by the fiery footwork and soul-stirring music that will transport you to the heart of Spain.

S.U.S.A.A.N the socially distanced robot toured the local area and collected responses from residents

Deadline for Proposals: 9am Friday 25th June

Earlier this year we asked the people of Bristol to respond to the sentence ‘What I Want to Be, What I Want to See’.

Over two weeks we programmed free-online workshops with Vanessa Kisuule, Rider Shafique, Gerry's Attic - plus more - to inspire people to creatively share what they wanted to see for themselves and others in the world around them, post-pandemic.

S.U.S.A.A.N, a socially distanced robot, toured the local area collecting responses from members of the local community. In Trinity's community garden Artist Amy May-Ellis welcomed people to take part in a socially distanced workshop to share their hopes and dreams.

On our social media platforms we shared videos from groups who use Trinity regularly, including Misfits Theatre Company and Dance for Parkinsons.

Responses came in from across Bristol - from wanting to be a marine biologist to hoping to spend more time with family, wanting to see more bikes and less cars and much more. People responded in many forms including poems and drawings.

We are now looking for an artist or collective of artists to creatively interpret the responses, capturing this moment and continuing the conversation with the many communities who connect with Trinity.  This is a paid commission with a fixed fee of £9000.

The call is open to a Bristol based (within a 20 mile radius of Trinity Centre) artist or collective that is reflective of Trinity’s diverse communities.  We’re open to people working in any art-form but you must have experience of co-creating with communities.

Please note:

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

Timeline:

• Deadline for Proposals: 9am Friday 25th June
• Artists Selection Panel Meeting with Programming Forum: w/c 28th June.
• Successful applicant receive notification by: Wednesday 30th June.
• Residency Period: 1st July – 31st December 2021

How to apply

• Download the full artist commission brief here
• Download the application guidelines here
• When you have read the guidelines you can submit your application online here

You’ll need to attach or link to examples of your work and a budget detailing how you will spend the available commission (each question can be submitted as a video or audio recording if preferred)

We held an informal Q&A session about the commission and you can view the recording of that session here.

If you have access needs in order to join the Q&A session. Please let us know in advance by emailing info@trinitybristol.org.uk or telephoning 0117 935 1200

What I Want To Be, What I Want To See is supported through funding from the Cultural Recovery Fund

‘One Foot in the Dark’ is an exploration of our known and unknown experiences of identity, culture and change through text and movement.

It comprises a double bill of solo ‘The Skeleton is White’, exploring how the colour of our skin can affect our relationship to each other and to the environment and ‘Six Degrees from Home’, an inter-disciplinary duet by Divija Melally and Saili Katebe, exploring borders and connection through movement and poetry.

Both are honest explorations of two artists from the global majority understanding what it means to navigate through life, questions and unknowns.

Credits: First commissioned by Pegasus Theatre and Dancin’ Oxford Festival 2023.

About Trinity Presents:

This is part of Trinity Presents - our in-house programme of music and performance, bringing world-class artists and emerging talent to inner-city audiences.

Nine Lives is a one-man show about asylum seeker Ishmael, played by Lladel Bryant, from Zimbabwe and his struggle to gain asylum in Armley. Bryant does a superb job of bringing the character to life, he is animated and convincingly plays Ishmael, and the characters he comes across, with lightness and ease.

The play explores what happens when Ishmael, who is seeking asylum because he is gay, starts the asylum process in Britain. The production focuses on the loss, creation and slippage of identity when faced with such a situation. How much of himself does Ishmael leave in Zimbabwe, how much does he hang onto and how much does he make himself anew?

This production, with beautiful African music introducing new aspects of the story, is a very honest and human account of this confusing, heart breaking and totally transformational time in Ishmael’s life. The script is excellent, the performance strong and honest and the design is elegant. There are no theatrical fireworks here, but there do not need to be, a simple story of Ishmael’s arrival and the difficulty in the decisions he has to make are powerful enough.

The script is written by Zodwan Nyoni, for Leeds playhouse where she was writer in residence in 2014. One of the effective aspects of Ishmael’s story is that it is entirely individual, prompting audience members to realise that asylum seekers are not a homogenous group in the same situation with the same concerns and problems, but each one is a person with their own very particular set of circumstances. Ishmael has to decide if he tells other African asylum seekers about why he is seeking asylum with the knowledge that he might be persecuted by his own countrymen or keep it quiet so he can seek the comfort of those with a shared background.

The narrative never rests, Ishmael is not allowed to settle, his story has no resolution. This echoes the transient, ever changing and never-resolved state that he is in. While he awaits the government’s decision as to whether Britain can harbour him, he has no firm ground to stand on. This production is very pertinent and has a lightness of touch that allows it to transcend the media coverage of this plight and depict one person’s difficult journey to a new start.

This year has seen even more bold, curious and talented young people come to NextGen-Sounds at Trinity Centre to learn more about music production, DJing, and playing musical instruments. Whether writing lyrics, jamming in bands, rapping on the mic or beat matching on the decks- it's all been going on.

Image: Nathalie Codsi in Arnold's Big Adventure by Tessa Bide Productions, photo by Kai Taylor

Spilt Ink Theatre Company have been awarded Trinity’s Young Audiences Commission to develop a new piece of work for 3-10 year olds. The £6,000 commission has been made possible through the support of the Cultural Recovery Fund.

Spilt Ink are a physical theatre company who create playful, joyful and fun work with and for communities and children. During their development commission they will be exploring the themes of home and identity.

“We will create a fantasy ‘home’ rooted in real stories of our multicultural community. It will explore both the physical sensation of home and the cultural meaning of home.  We will question what home means to ourselves, as diverse artists, and to the multicultural local community of East Bristol.”

They will work with Trinity and local community partners to deliver creative and playful workshops with local children and families; sharing and exploring the stories of the many communities living in Lawrence Hill and Easton.

Spilt Ink were selected for the commission following an open call out that received 20 project proposals. Their project, Home, stood out to our parent-led selection panel - made up of staff, volunteers and community reps - for the way it placed co-creation at its core and young people at the centre of deciding where the project journey would take them.

Between its members - Lebanese/Italian actor and theatre maker Nathalie Codsi, Bristol-based international theatre director, community arts facilitator and performer Hester Welch, and British actor, puppeteer/ theatre maker Sarah Cribdon, Spilt Ink have a wealth of experience of working with diverse communities across the world and we look forward to seeing where Home will take them.

If you are interested in finding out more about how to get involved with the Young Audiences Commission as it emerges, please get in touch or sign up to our mailing list.

Local children took part in What I Want To Be, What I Want to See in April 2021

In 2021 we asked the people of Bristol to tell us their hopes and dreams for the future as part of our ambitious community arts project, What I Want To Be, What I Want To See.

Trinity collected over 70 responses that ranged from a community mural, celebrating heroes, a daily protest, listening posts of voices we should listen to - young & old, a playlist for Newtown, a silent disco, a place for tea and cake, a zine to remind us ‘how to be nice’ and a day of art and dolphins.

In Autumn 2021 we sent an open call for an artist, collective or company to creatively respond to these. The successful project The Wish List by artist Michelle Roche was selected by Trinity’s programming forum. The forum, are made up of local residents, Trinity Members and regular groups and classes, chose Michelle’s project as it connected with the local community in a fun and playful way.

Working with grassroots organisation, Newtown Network, The Wish List will make the hopes and dreams, collected during the call out, a reality by co-creating creative happenings with local communities this December and January.

Newtown Coffee Mornings Throughout December local residents joined artist Michelle Roche for a cup of tea coffee and cake and creative activities.

Catch sight of The Newtown Dolphin Parade

In January keep an eye out through the curtains and look for the Dolphin Lantern parade that will take place in the streets on Newtown.

Get involved:

If you would like some further information on the project contact Stefan Boakye on stefan@trinitybristol.org.uk

We're super happy to be hosting the launch for this year's Mayfest festival...as well as three fantastic shows.

To celebrate their return (having taken the decision to become a biannual festival), Mayfest have invited "Ghanaian DJ and producer Katapila to kick off the festival with one of his marathon, euphoria-drenched DJ sets. Splicing the neo-traditional dance music styles of his youth in Accra with the up-tempo, bass-heavy, Roland 808 sounds of Detroit techno, Chicago acid and house, Katapila’s relentlessly joyful sets have become a thing of legend" in Trinity's Main Hall. Come on down (10 May) and expect killer selections adorned with splashes of digital synths, electronic percussion and vocal interjections that galvanise waves of full-blown euphoria wherever he plays.

So, for those who haven't been - what is Mayfest? Mayfest is Bristol’s unique international festival of contemporary theatre, "dedicated to presenting a broad range of unusual, playful and ambitious work from leading theatre makers from Bristol, the UK and beyond". They will be taking over theatre (and non theatre) spaces across the city bringing 10 days of back to back performances, workshops and talks from Thur 10th - to Sun 20th May.

This year we are excited to be hosting How (not) to live in Surburbia (14-15 May) a new show from Annie Siddons "a hilarious, brutal and poignant attempt" to describe what happened next when "in the middle of a shitstorm of life events, single mother, artist and proud Londoner Annie Siddons found herself living in suburbia by accident".

Meanwhile, Scottish Dance Theatre bring Velvet Petal (16-18 May) to Fyfe Hall where they present their latest show about"tough girls and pretty boys living life in the margins, dreaming about being at the centre". They explore "the transformative power of beauty, created out of whatever is on the bedroom floor" in this "truly compelling piece, exquisitely performed” (The Stage).

Finally it feels very fitting to be hosting acclaimed Australian artist Joseph O’Farrell (JOF) and Sam Halmarack who combine theatre with the fist-pumping euphoria and power ballads of a stadium gig, in WE ARE LIGHTNING! (15-18 May) "a darkly comical work that reflects on the importance of communal spaces where people can come together and express themselves".

For more info on the rest of their programming visit Mayfest's website here.

Scottee makes work with non-professionals artists (in Fat Blokes the four dancers had ‘never done this kind of thing before’), exploring issues about personal experiences that have a common theme. His work is about encouraging ‘safe spaces’ for new work to be created – ensuring new voices get heard.

Before the show Scottee ran an afternoon session ‘Making Stuff About Stuff’ - a workshop designed to address the things that make us angry in the world. Aspiring actor and Bristol resident Maya went along to find out what a workshop with Scottee was like for a young person starting out.

Scottee (second from LHS) leading 'Making Stuff About Stuff' photo @Alexa Ledecky

“I found out about this workshop and the shows taking place through Roseanna, the Assistant Producer at Trinity, and wanted to take part to develop my confidence and learn new skills.Before attending this workshop I had no expectations of what was going to happen or exactly what I was going to get out of it but I saw it as a new opportunity to get closer to where I want to be as a performer/actor.

"One thing I liked about the workshop was there was no pressure to share anything we didn’t want to and there were no right or wrong answers."

When I arrived into the room, chairs were set out in a circle at one side of the room where we all sat. The workshop began and Scottee introduced himself and what he identifies as, and then everyone in the circle went round and introduced themselves, what they identify as and where they want to be. We were told that there should be no expectations set and we are not here to learn anything.

Scottee asked us to each take a piece of paper and pen. We folded the piece of paper into a leaflet style and on one side, those who wanted to, wrote down all their identities and how others see them. If we wanted to we could then discuss them and people got the opportunity to ask questions on any specific identities we were unsure of, had questions about or found interesting. I decided to share my list with the group.

We then went to another side of the paper and wrote all the things that made us angry. After mentioning the things that made us angry we then wrote down a rant about this particular thing which we hated. I wrote about racism and my rant was against those who are racist or who don’t see racism as a serious issue. At first some of us struggled, finding it difficult to rant about something when we were not in an angry mood. For others it was an opportunity to get the issue off their chests. There was a mixture of very individual issues and those that affect lots of people. Scottee encouraged us to read over it and add more details into the rant.

The group shared their 'rants' about the things that made them cross photo @Alexa Ledecky

We came to a final decision about whether we wanted to throw it away or keep it. If we threw it away, it was like we were done with the issue, and if we kept it then that may have meant there was still more to write, discuss or work on.

One thing I liked about the workshop was there was no pressure to share anything we didn’t want to and there were no right or wrong answers. Everyone showed signs of being comfortable in the group through their body language and the conversations we had. People opened up about their identities and personal issues. It was a relaxed intimate environment without anyone being in your face.

This workshop helped me personally because I was able to think of how I identify myself and how others identify themselves - my confidence in having discussions and sharing things with others has definitely increased."

Scottee’s workshop was a great opportunity for anyone working in performance, particularly socially driven work, to learn techniques around developing work.

Want to take part? We have more workshops coming up as part of our IGNiTE Spring season.

On 10 March, learn Bharatanatyam dance with Shane Shambhu ahead of his for dance/comedy show Confessions of a Cockney Temple Dancer. 16 March learn voguing and house styles at a pre show workshop then join the party crew for dance experience Rent Party and, finally on 23 March join dance artist Toussaint To Move for a workshop about his creative process ahead of his show about migration Windows of Displacement.

Making Stuff About Stuff was presented as part of IGNiTE - our programme of world-class, innovative theatre and dance about issues that matter to people now, starting conversations and sparking debate. IGNiTE is supported using public funding by Bristol City Council and by the National Lottery through Arts Council England

Roxana (far right) and Lullabies producer Katy Noakes (far left) surrounded by children from the Rosemary Nursery @ Alexa Ledecky

Trinity neighbours Rosemary Nursery came along for a workshop in the afternoon. They were welcomed in a cosy space that really reflected the warm and intimate feel of the Lullabies project. The children and carers sat comfortably on colourful cushions and carpets and watched an audio-visual piece that showcases the Lullabies gathered by Roxana and her team.

The Lullabies rickshaw created by Designer Ruth Ramsay @ Alexa Ledecky

They then learnt to sing a Somalian lullaby with two project participants before having their photo taken on the Lullabies rickshaw. The rickshaw was created by Designer Ruth Ramsay with the idea to involve further communities by cycling around more cities to gathering more lullabies.

Trinity Engagement Office Edson Burton reading his poem amongst an audience of adults and children @ Alexa Ledecky

The workshop was followed by an evening sharing attended by a larger, mainly adult audience. The audio-visual piece was screened again and followed by a live Kurdish lullaby singing and a poem reading.

Adults and children interact after the screening and live performances before a Q£A with the Lullabies creative team @ Alexa Ledecky

It felt particularly special and soothing to have children and adults come together as part of the sharing. During the feedback session, an audience member said: “Loved having kids around made it beautifully relaxed, comforting and accessible”.

Lullaby contributors serve home made Somalian food to audience members @ Alexa Ledecky

Everyone was able to enjoy freshly cooked Somalian food as part of the sharing, which was kindly prepared and served by local project participants. This brought a particularly heart warming touch to the evening and allowed everyone to engage in informal conversations.

Two audience members sit with colourful pieces of bunting and pens on their knees @ Alexa Ledecky

As well as discussing the project with Roxana and her team in a Q&A, the audience could give written feedback about the sharing, of which: “Beautiful songs, images, words and feelings. Thank you to all who shared. It has inspired me to explore my own heritage through song” and “So much love down the generations. Singing of fears and making them less”.

The IGNiTE and Lullabies teams pose together in front of the Rickshaw @ Alexa Ledecky

Read more about the Lullabies project on Roxana’s website and about our other artists in resident including Ania Varez, Viki Browne and Vicki Hearne.

About IGNiTE

IGNiTE is Trinity's in house programme of world-class, innovative theatre and dance about issues that matter to people now, starting conversations and sparking debate. IGNiTE is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and by Bristol City Council.

Photo Alexa Ledecky

Photo Alexa Ledecky

Trinity has been selected to be one of 40 community arts centres to take part in Here and Now, a national and local celebration of culture within communities running alongside the National Lottery’s 25 year anniversary.