Beyond the Drum documents

Beyond the Drum Proposal
Black British Theatre Research Brief
Black British Theatre Story Board
The Black Presence on the London Stage - key players and timeline
Analysis of Diversity in UK Cultural Organisations
Black Productions from 1975

Ex-Aid Ghanian Exchange

For an update of what we discussed, check the nu century arts projects facebook group page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nu-Century-Arts-Projects/147921901953825

please log into your accounts and like the page so that you can be kept in the loop and access/add to the group page.

Hi Guys,
First of all I'd like to say I love what you have done with the site Tonya and Simone, it looks really good! and the research is a positive step towards our goal. I like :)
sorry about the communication issues. I emailed everyone, but I realise this isn't enough and we have set some things in place to improve this.
Today's meeting was mainly about the activities we plan to carry out in Ghana - the Beyond Beyond the Drum project if you like. I will tell you more about this in a minute (see next post)

In terms of the beyond the drum project, the first update is that we have heard from the OHS and the 5th of August is not appropriate for the Oral History training. I have rearranged it for the 26th of August and am awaiting confirmation. As for next Friday, I will arrange to bring the workshop with Yannis forward if he is available and do that instead. I will let you know the outcome of this.

We also started a facebook group. I know you set up a page Tonya, but as a group we don't have to worry about logging in separately, but rather add to the page via our existing pages. The link foe this is http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nu-Century-Arts-Projects/147921901953825 . Please like this through your facebook pages and it will give you full access to discuss and add things to it that are of interest or important to the various projects that we do with Nu Century Arts.

Todays meeting

Hi All,

I have spoke with Mirranda this afternoon and she told me that a meeting was scheduled for today. I was not aware of this meeting as it was arranged after myself and Tonia had left so we were non the wiser. Ruvimbo made a post after that meeting with a time table and description of events but today's meeting wasn't included with these dates or any indication of any meeting before the 5'th august . For future reference it may be a good idea to post meeting details or a reminder on the post beforehand and to liaise via this blog as it was set up for this purpose and is a brilliant and convenient tool for communicating with each other. I hope you all are well and lets speak soon. Could someone please post the outcome brief of today's brainstorming session on the blog asap so we can keep up to date

Regards

Personal Profile

Greetings all my name is Simone Shepherd. I am 26 years old. I'm currently studying at Wolverhampton university, I am taking a degree in events and venue management and in October I will be commencing year three so this time next year I Will be preparing to graduate its been a hard but enjoyable road and on reflection I am very pleased I chose to go back into education as a mature student as after having my son Remon who is now six it hit me that I was no longer living as i was at that time 'for the moment', but I had responsibilities another very important life was depending on my success and I had an example to set, I had become someones role model.

When I graduate I plan to work as an events co-coordinator for an events company specialising in corporate events, I also plan to work freelance as a wedding planner, as i have a passion for this type of event. Some of my other passions centre around the arts, I can sing but don't sing lol I need vocal training as at the moment I possess a raw talent at some point I may take that route to perfect my voice but at the moment it isn't a priority.

I also have a special love for drama, which goes back to secondary school when I took gcse drama I excelled in this subject and loved it dearly but decided not to take it up when I left school which on reflection was down to lack of self belief that I could actually make it as an actor, I was a great actor and I knew that but i'Il naively believed at the time that successful actors were the product of luck and I thought if i ventured down that route it would be a waste of time, saying that I still dabbled in it for a short time after school but only as a hobby.

I have done some work with Birmingham opera company which I found very exhilarating and enjoyable as it allowed me to truly express who i was and what made me interesting and unique.

I first heard about this project 'Beyond the drum' via my sister Tonia Shepherd who is also a volunteer, our mother Joan Campbell is a Friend of Don Kinch and told us how amazing he was and the work that he was doing within the arts and urged my sister a drama performance graduate to contact him to see what work we could get involved in. I attended the workshop and was really excited about the project, 'Black theatre' is an area that is of particular interest to me and I know its an area that if explored will provide interesting and insightful information that will aid us to create a brilliant documentary. At the workshop I met up with people of different ages and backgrounds, all with different career prospects and different lifestyles and circumstances but the common denominator was they were all 'enthusiastic' people. Lets work together as a team. lets utilise our individual skills and respect each others opinions and create a great peice .

" Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. our deepest fear is that we are powerfull beyond measure" ( Marriane Williamson)

Layout looks good Tonia, Well done some really literature. I feel inspired to do some research now. Im going to research black brittish theatre a generalised search iniatially just to get some insight. Very excited about this project I beleive we will acheive great things, we have a brilliant team all whom have individual and unique skills lets utilise theese skills to get some good work done. I will post my personal profile tommorow, it might be usefull if we all do this too, a breif profile and upload a picture. Speak soon guys :)

Hey Guys

Hey I got fiddling with the layout and fonts.. Hope you all like it =)

Ira Aldridge the African Roscius

Aldridge was born in New York City to Reverend Daniel and Luranah Aldridge July 24, 1805. According to Aldridge, his paternal grandfather was a Christian chief of the Fula in Senegal. At age 13, Aldridge went to the African Free School in New York City. His early "education" in theater included viewing plays from the high balcony of the Park Theatre, New York's leading theater of the time.

Aldridge's first professional acting experience was in the early 1820s with the company associated with the African Grove, an African-American theatre. He debuted as Rolla in Pizzaro. He went on to play Shakespeare's Romeo and later became a notable Hamlet.

The British actor and comedian Charles Mathews came to the United States on tour in 1822–23. He had developed table entertainments, one-man shows in which he played a variety of parts. From his seeing the African-American actor James Hewlett, he developed a piece which he called "The African Tragedian", which he performed while still in the US. (This became part of his larger work entitled A Trip To America). Mathews was very popular in London, so many people became familiar with his new work after he returned to London. Hewlett wrote a letter to him, which was published, challenging him on his satirical portrayal.

Confronted with the persistent discrimination which black actors endured in the United States, Aldridge emigrated to England, where he first worked as a dresser to the British actor Henry Wallack. According to the scholar Shane White, English people had heard of the African Theatre because of Mathews, so Aldridge associated himself with that. Bernth Lindfors says, "[W]hen Aldridge starts appearing on the stage at the Royalty Theatre, he’s just called a gentleman of color. But when he moves over to the Royal Coburg, he’s advertised in the first playbill as the American Tragedian from the African Theater New York City. The second playbill refers to him as 'The African Tragedian.' So everybody goes to the theater expecting to laugh because this is the man they think Mathews saw in New York City." In his performances, he used his skill to reverse what was expected.

Aldridge performed scenes from Othello that stunned reviewers. One critic wrote, "In Othello (Aldridge) delivers the most difficult passages with a degree of correctness that surprises the beholder." He gradually progressed to larger roles; by 1825, he had top billing at London's Coburg Theatre as Oronoko in A Slave's Revenge, soon to be followed by the role of Gambia in The Slave and the title role of Shakespeare's Othello. He also played major roles in plays such as The Castle Spectre and The Padlock, and played several roles of specifically white characters, including Captain Dirk Hatteraick and Bertram in Rev. R. C. Maturin's Bertram, the title role in Shakespeare's Richard III, and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice.

Touring and later years

Portrait in pastel, by Taras Shevchenko, 1858

In 1831 he successfully played in Dublin; several locations in southern Ireland, where he created a sensation in the small towns; as well as in Bath, and Edinburgh, Scotland. The actor Edmund Kean praised his Othello; some took him to task for taking liberties with the text, while others attacked his race. Since he was an American black actor from the African Theater, the Times called him the "African Roscius". Aldridge used this to his benefit and expanded African references in his biography that appeared in playbills.

Aldridge first toured to continental Europe in 1852, with successes in Germany, where he was presented to the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, performed for Frederick William IV of Prussia, and performed in Budapest. An 1858 tour took him to Serbia and to Imperial Russia, where he became acquainted with Leo Tolstoy, Mikhail Shchepkin and the Ukrainian poet and artist Taras Shevchenko, who did his portrait in pastel.

Now of an appropriate age, about this time, he played the title role of King Lear (in England) for the first time. He purchased some property in England, toured Russia again (1862), and applied for British citizenship (1863).

Marriage and family

Soon after going to England, in 1824 Aldridge married Margaret Gill, an English woman. They were married for 40 years before her death in 1864.

A year after Margaret's death, on April 20, 1865, Aldridge married his mistress, the self-styled Swedish countess Amanda von Brandt, with whom he already had a son, Ira Daniel. They had four more children: Irene Luranah, Ira Frederick and Amanda Aldridge all went on to musical careers, the two girls as opera singers. Their daughter Rachael was born shortly after Aldridge's death and died in infancy.

Aldridge spent most of his final years with his family in Russia and continental Europe, interspersed with occasional visits to England. He planned to return to the post-Civil-War United States, but he died in August 1867 while visiting Łódź, Poland.

His remains were buried in the city's Evangelical Cemetery; 23 years passed before a proper tombstone was erected. His grave is tended by the Society of Polish Artists of Film and Theatre.
A half-length portrait of 1826 by James Northcote of Aldridge dressed for the role of Othello, but in a relatively undramatic portrait pose, is on display at the Manchester Art Gallery (in the Manchester section); Aldridge performed in the city many times.

Children

• Ira Daniel Aldridge, 1847 – ?. Teacher. Migrated to Australia in 1867.
• Irene Luranah Pauline Aldridge, 1860–1932. Opera singer.
• Ira Frederick Olaff Aldridge, 1862 – ?. Musician and composer.
• Amanda Christina Elizabeth Aldridge (Amanda Ira Aldridge), 1866–1956. Opera singer, teacher and composer under name of Montague Ring.
• Rachael Margaret Frederika Aldridge, 1867, died in infancy.

Legacy and honors

• He received awards for his art from European heads of state and governments: the Prussian Gold Medal for Arts and Sciences from King Frederick William III, the Golden Cross of Leopold from the Czar of Russia, and the Maltese Cross from Berne, Switzerland.
• Aldridge is the only African-American to have a bronze plaque among the 33 actors honored at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon.
• In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante listed Ira Aldridge on his 100 Greatest African Americans.

 References

1. ^ Marshall, Stock, 1993, pp. 14-15
2. ^ Shane White, , Shakespeare in American Life, accessed 14 Oct 2010
3. ^ ^{a b} Bernth Lindfors, "Aldridge in Europe: How Aldridge Controlled His Identity as the "African Roscius", Shakespeare in American Life, Folger Shakespeare Theatre, accessed 15 Oct 2010
4. ^ Herbert Marshall, Ira Aldridge: The African Tragedian,
5. ^ Manchester Art Gallery
6. ^ Douglas O. Barnett, "Ira Aldridge", Black Past, accessed 15 Oct 2010

Nu Century Arts

About Nu Century Arts

Nu Century Arts is a dynamic resource for new writers, musicians, directors and actors, Providing an umbrella for the development of the arts within Birmingham’s African Caribbean community and beyond. The details of the latest dramatic events and productions can be found in the Theatre section of this site. The Live Box is our regular live music event that platforms the latest talent from around the country, and includes a popular jam session.
Nu Century Arts, in its theatre and live music combines established world-class names with the new and unknown. We are always looking for new talent in every area and encourage people to get in touch. Please contact us and share your thoughts through our our multipurpose feedback form

Making a lasting difference

Since being founded in 2000, Nu Century Arts has established an international reputation for producing ground breaking and influential work of a global standard. Based in the Handsworth area of Birmingham UK, its mission statement is to ‘make a lasting difference’ to the expectations and opportunities of African-Caribbean artists both at home and abroad.
The organisation embraces an interdisciplinary approach to arts and education. The company’s work encompasses a professional theatre group, organising a regular live music event ‘The Live Box’, literature in the shape of ‘Wired Up’ magazine and a broad range of education work, from open workshops, to youth theatre and group trips as far a field as South Africa, Ghana and the United States.


Established in the summer by a small yet committed team, Nu Century set out to facilitate the creative plans of Birmingham’s black artists and meet the challenges faced by a new millennium. Run initially from the organisers’ homes, the organisation grew steadily to take on large - scale music and theatre commissions, forge partnerships both in Britain and internationally and inhabit a key place within Birmingham’s diverse communities.

 

http://www.nucenturyarts.co.uk/

 

'Beyond The Drum'

Beyond The Drum is a journey through 190 years of Black theatre in Britain. It is a journey that will ultimately focus on the rich heritage of Black British Theatre from the 19th Century (1824) Until the present day. This project will chart that heritage from Ira Aldridge, one of the most famous Shakespearean actors of his time.

This project will cover a period of 190years and will seek to link the work of those artists who sought to make their careers within the mainstream of British theatre and those who sought to create alternatives by forming their own theatre companies.

Black Theatre development in Britain has a story to tell. The hidden histories of people from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean are just beginning to be revealed. Preserving the material that will enable more people to disseminate information about the complex, multifaced past of this country and the place of these artists in it is vital.

Nu Century Arts aim to make a 1-hour documentary film detailing the long and varied history of the Black theatrical heritage that will engage a wide and diverse audience both as participants and viewers. Using hitherto unseen footage, a range of interviews from key contemporary Black Theatre players such as Kwame Kwei Armah, Don Kinch, Bola Agbaje and Roy Williams, as well as theatre partners Royal Court, Birmingham Repertory, The Tricycle and Theatre Stratford Royal. The film will be in high definition and of broadcast quality in order to attract and impress a wide audience of thousands of people across the country, as well as to attract attention from the mainstream press.

Timetable

Hello, Hello Hello

Here's the proposed timetable we made on 22-07-2011.

So it's all on Fridays.

5th August 12:00 til 17:00- Oral History Society (questions for interviews & interview techniques)

12th August 12:00 til 17:00- Film workshop with Yanis & conducting interviews around Birmingham

If you have any contacts with professionals in the theatre and performing arts industry let Don or Miranda know so they can set up interviews.

19th August 12:00 til 17:00- Seminar with Don. Topic: Black Theatre from the 60s onward: Margins to Mainstream.

Research anything regarding this topic prior to the seminar if possible; it'll be beneficial.

26th August 12:00 til 17:00- Workshop on process from the concept to the final product

GAME ON

Hi Guys
The game has started.  What's the game?  Find out what has been going for the past 190 years.  Thanks to the support of Heritage Lottery we can tell you. Keep in tune with us and we will share with you.

finally lol

Hi, guys

lets start blogging :)