As part of the National Lottery Heritage Fund project
MOONBEAM MAGIC
Unity Arts and the Rio Cinema are hosting an event
SEPTEMBER 29 from 830pm
The Beauty of Silent Film
looking at the history of silent movies in post WWI Britain.
This in the year that the Rio celebrate their 115th Anniversary as arguably the longest running cinema in the UK.
The event will include a presentation by expert Andrew Woodyatt from the Rio Cinema, a live performance from Dan de la Motte and Lil Warren created by Unity Arts, based on the very first films made by Edison.
There will be a small installation in the foyer created by participants in our first set of Silent Film workshops at St Margaret’s House in Bethnal Green (where silent star Mabel Poulton is from). One discovery was the first screen male on male kiss.
All followed by a screening of the silent film The Pleasure Garden, the directorial debut of Alfred Hitchcock.
Hitchcock and his wife Alma
The bar will be open. There will be 1920s music played and a bottle of champagne for the most interesting costume worn!!!
This is a FREE event but you need to register on the link below (for obvious reasons).
There was a much deserved warm reception at the Hen & Chickens Theatre tonight for Wonder in Aliceland by Alice Henley, directed by the theatre’s Artistic Director, James Wren. I always look forward to seeing new writing in this gorgeous wee gem of a venue at Highbury Corner.
Some of the best theatre you can see in London is in its many excellent pub theatres and I for one am so grateful that this one survived. As a side note it has also been my experience there is sometimes a disconnect between Team Pub and Team Theatre. Not so here. A friendly and warm vibe and cheery and charming bar staff. It really does make a difference.
Wonder in Aliceland is a one act play of four scenes with two characters played by Zahra Browne and the author, Alice Henley over ten years which at its conclusion takes us back to the beginning of their story. The centrepiece is an oh so beautifully written and performed monologue by Alice (played by Henley) set in a hospital waiting room. So true, so delicate. Impressive.
Alice Henley
Both performers nailed the hazy pissed upness of drinking indoors with a mate before facing the dating world. A world where there is an ever present danger of possible sexual and or physical aggression from someone you have only known via a screen. Where you have to watch your drink like a hawk, lest it be spiked.
A witty script. Seemingly airing the usual “men are pricks” tropes with some good gags about internet dating in your 30s “he posted pictures of his SON!” but these recognisable and relatable conversations hold darker and sadder back stories for both characters.
Zahra Browne’s portrayal of a single parent was just the right shade of exhausted and I really related to the speed at which she drank her wine so she could get through a difficult conversation with her friend Alice. (We have all done it). She spoke of that shag you do to just get your date out of the house. There was much nodding from the audience so, worryingly, this still resonates.
Zahra Browne
The complicity between these actors was superb and the natural way they were with each other spoke to me of a lot of work in the rehearsal room. They made something I know is hard to pull off, look easy.
This will be in no short measure because of the director, James Wren. He lets the words breathe, allowing the actors to work on their good instincts and given some of the difficult issues raised, has directed with subtlety and clarity.
It takes some doing to fully engage an audience on one of the warmest days of the year. But during this performance you could hear a pin drop. The show deserved its long and loud applause and I look forward to the next new work from this team.
On at the Hen & Chickens 16, 17 & 18 June and as part of Camden Fringe Festival 26, 27, 28 August at 730pm. Tickets £10.00
We did an online survey for participants to feedback their preferences and the first book we will be reading is
LOVE IN A COLD CLIMATE by Nancy Mitford.
Originally planned as solely an online activity respondents told us they would prefer a mix of engagement so that is what we will be delivering.
Our first in person meeting will be held at one of our favourite venues in Hackney – NEWINGTON GREEN MEETING HOUSE https://www.ngmeeting.house/at 2pm on 18 May.
The Book Club will run throughout the next 12 months as a blended online/in person/in pairs activity and findings will feed into our Audio, Digital and Live Heritage outputs.
We will be sourcing second hand books as again we listened to the answers in our survey and 100% of those wanting to take part requested a hard copy rather than online/Kindle version.
We will also share other resources such as Radio drama versions and films.
Anyone can join at anytime and books we have coming up are:
VILE BODIES by Evelyn Waugh
THE WELL OF LONELINESS by Radclyffe Hall
Radclyffe Hall
COLD COMFORT FARM by Stella Gibbons
SERIOUS PLEASURES: THE LIFE OF STEPHEN TENANT by Phillip Hoare
THE ENIGMA OF ARRIVAL by V S Naipaul
THE VORTEX by Noel Coward
Launch at Newington Green Meeting House
If you have any interest in Moonbeam Magic generally or in the Book Club specificall just drop us an email
unityarts@unityartslondon or message us on Twitter arts_unity
This activity is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund
Theatre Soap as part of the #CLASS Season at Hoxton Hall
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
“nails the complexity of London working-class life”
I do not watch soaps. It’s not really a loaded statement, it’s just we don’t have a tv for fear of the tv licensing people knocking down our door, and netflix has a strangle-hold on our quiet nights. So when my partner mentioned she had tickets to Hoxton Street, a Theatre Soap written by working-class writing duo Oladipo Agboluaje and Lil Warren (based on a concept from Karena Johnson) about life on the street, I was not prepared in the slightest. I’m a stranger to soap dramas, a relative stranger to the theatre, and a stranger to Hoxton Street.
I’ve cycled it’s length a few times and always been surprised at its old London feel – even the skyline high-rises of the city can’t overshadow the bustle of the market, nor the proximity to the ultra-gentrified stomping grounds of Shoreditch and beyond.
Alan Turkington (Zach) and Nathan Welsh (Tony)
The set is our first introduction to the street. (Designed by Amy Yardley). It’s wonderfully simple, belying the choice power of its cultural cues; from a record shop with a Janet Kay lover’s rock record on the wall, to a family-run falafel stand on the market, or a new-build living tower for yuppies (they’re clearly not estates when the middle classes move in) – these are scenes we all recognise on streets like Hoxton street. The cast flit between these uncompromisingly effortless settings, as thick east-end accents spin stories that are instantly relatable.
We follow the arrival of Tony Maynard (Nathan Welsh), a returning Hoxton street fixture who’s about to cause trouble for the street’s residents new and old. What unfurls are a small clutch of mini-dramas, that in true soap style, are forever ending on cliffhangers and intrigue, carrying each episode at pace. This was not my sort of thing, I had told myself, yet there I was, clinging to the edge of the wrought-iron balcony of Hoxton Hall, itching to jump to the next scene.
Merch Husey (Okhan), Helen Pearson (Josie), Hannah Traylen (Ella)
And though there was a healthy dose of soap-esque melodrama, a little hamming it up here and there (to a raucous response from the audience), the relationships and situations were also shown with remarkable sincerity. Take Tony’s mother (Helen Pearson) and her relationship with her daughter (Hannah Traylen). There’s something incredibly touching about their bond – it’s undoubtedly genuine – and yet it also highlights the struggles they have faced as a pair, and the expectations that they, as working class women, thrust on themselves. It is remarkable how fluently all of these ideas are delivered.
Nathan Welsh as Tony Maynard
The same exists across the piece – in Episode One alone we hear themes of class shame, the tussle between old locals and (arguably old) gentrifiers, the generational struggle within migrant families – and remember, this is a soap! A drama filled with giggles, and oohs and aahs from the audience. All of this, crammed into quick, half-hour-long-ish episodes.
There seems to be a real love for these characters from the writers – none are scorned or oversimplified, in a world where still to this day, major broadcasters fail to represent working class people as having any depth. It nails the complexity of London working-class life without doing any disservice to the people. And nor does it do a disservice to the audience; we shout and holla on cue, as each episode finishes with a dual cliff-hanger – we are chosen to deliver the next instalment, voting on which outcome we would like to see aided by the gossipy Monica Belo (Carol Moses).
Carol Moses as Monica Belo
And boy does it work well, because glancing around the gorgeous old music hall, it’s filled with plenty of local characters, heady from a mix of Eastenders omnibuses and the twinkle of a night out with friends.
So here I find myself, itching to watch Episode Two, shouting from the balcony for more alongside a gaggle of local Hoxton life. Hoxton Street has been cleverly serialised, with episodes one and two back to back in the first weeks, and an omnibus of all episodes finishes the run.
It’s like an homage to music hall programmes, the bastions of working class entertainment in these parts of London. Hoxton Street is fun, joyous, yet doesn’t skip over or shy away from the very real problems that normal working people face day-to-day. Soak it in, and join me for the next episodes.
Hoxton Street Omnibus runs 18-28 May.
For more info on the #CLASS season and tickets visit the Hoxton Hall website
We have just had the exciting news that our submission to NLHF to fund a 30 month project with a 1920s heritage focus has been successful!
MOONBEAM MAGIC will deliver a blended programme of in person and online events and activities looking at post-war social history including the subjects the “Bright Young Thing” Stephen Tennant and silent movie star Mabel Poulton.
Over the life of the project there are so many activities to get involved in which include:
Working with Queer Tours of London to create a walking tour and App based on the letters of Stephen Tennant.
Heritage site visits and Specialist talks.
Create exhibitions and installations and learn analogue photography.
Archive research and training to help deliver an Audio output and an ebook
Work on a silent movie.
Our flagship event at The Rio Cinema in 2024 will include all our research and the silent movie screening!
We will officially launch the project in January 2022 please let us know if you would like to sign up or find out more!
I saw 10 Nights by Shahid Iqbal Khan and directed by Kash Arshad (a Graeae and Tamasha co-production) at the Bush Theatre this week .
I am so used to Graeae producing accessible, challenging, inspiring and often experimental or pioneering work, I have become slightly blasé at rolling up to one of their productions or co-productions just expecting innovation and excellence. Even though I only have a small inkling as to the devastatingly huge amount of extra work (that mainstream productions would completely wilt under) that goes into creating integrated and accessible performances.
This new work by Shahid Iqbal Khan is excellent on so many levels which I will expand on below. But I suspect the show’s postponement was due to insufficient funding for exploration time of a new work. This has now been so normalised that sometimes actors are expected to turn up to their first day of a TWO WEEK rehearsal period OFF BOOK. (To put this in perspective many European companies get SEVEN weeks rehearsal).
Come on loves we have ALL done it. When we were starting out. When we had no union protection. We are now so desperate to get our shows on and funding is so scarce that we have normalised this practice of having to put out under rehearsed work across the board. Most shows do not settle until the second week but by that time the reviews are in. Sigh.
Back to 10 Nights. We entered the dimly lit small studio. A simple but effective set (design by Khadija Raza) backed by a screen for captioning. (Hats off to whoever created the captioning which was colour coded and in English and Arabic).
Yasser (played with total conviction by Zaqi Ismaili – who also portrays most of the other characters ) is going through his first Itikaf, the last ten nights of Ramadan when the devoted retreat to the mosque for an extended period of ibadah (worship and contemplation of Allah).
Ismaili is my favourite kind of performer. His character work was some of the best I have seen this year. His “cleaning off” between character jumps was impeccable. He is vocally agile and what a treat to hear such beautiful diction. (I saw a show earlier this week in a 50 seater when I could not hear the actors at all). He is playful but has an underlying anger that he chooses to only allow us to glimpse at. I liked the choices he made. Not always obvious. And he was totally engaging for 80 minutes. Never flagging. That takes nerve and focus. Excellent.
Yaseer is not a devout man and rarely even prays with any intention. During this time of enforced introspection and fasting and for him, a punishing prayer schedule, he is tormented by visions of a long dead friend, Aftab (played by Safyan Iqbal) and various other characters in the mosque, who really should be leaving him alone.
Onstage is also BSL interpreter, Chandrika Gopalakrishnan, an interesting co-narrator and at times commentator who has fun sending up some of Yasser’s sometimes very ripe comments about the other people in the mosque.
There is comedy abounding and Ismail is a fantastic clown and performer and the tiny, I mean tiny space was used well . I should imagine that the Movement Director (Jennifer Kay) had a hand in these aspects. I saw this show week two so I do not agree with many of the comments I have read about the lack of depth or dramatic drive. I enjoyed the use of repetition, the direct enagement with the audience, and Yaseer’s pain, both physical and spiritual that in the end gave some clarity to a clearly troubled man veiling the stain on his soul with drink and wit.
Stage Manager (Gemma Scott) handIed the many technical cues with both discipline and intuition. What a bloody hero! The sound design (by Sarah Sayeed) was flawless and at times witty and when the show ended I had to take a moment. The achievement was astounding.
Khan is a very talented writer. His authentic and differing speech patterns of all the characters are always lively and oh so true. And that is hard to get right. And oh my, absolutely sublime gags.
I hope that this important show has a continuing life and when that happens some of the backstory can be sharpened up with the help of the dramaturg (Oladipo Agboluaje). That apart a resounding triumph for Graeae and Tamasha who have delivered a beautifully executed, inclusive and unconventional show !
Full disclosure. I am a great admirer of Dean Stalham. As an artist. As a poet. And as an activist and campaigner. His continuing support of “Outsider Art” and own creative outputs since leaving prison have been phenomenal. His unique quality of seeing the artist in everyone has meant he is a man that gets things done and he takes a lot of folk with him on that ride.
Dean Stalham, Editor of SOS – Surviving Suicide
This publication is a testament to this drive and his core belief that arts can give everyone a voice .
I was not surprised therefore that this impressive anthology includes poets from all over the world like Benjamin Zephaniah (UK ) Michael Graves (USA – NYC), Agnes Marton (Hungary), Dariusz Tomaz Lebioda (Poland), Yuyutsu Sharma (Himalayas) and from all backgrounds including those making their poetry debut, poets that normally only perform their words, award winning writers, those living with disabilities, living with homeless issues and those who have experience of the justice system.
I am a writer with only a handful of poems under my belt and for me the wordsmiths who work in the world of poetry are the bravest of us. You cannot cheat as a poet. Your every fibre is exposed. And this is an important collection of work from an astounding array of voices. To quote from the foreword by Carlotta Allum from the charity STRETCH
“Dean had a vision for a collection of work that was not about the poets or the egos of particular artists, but about honest, raw responses to a mental health crisis.”
There are so many brilliant pieces here from over 60 poets illustrating the searing pain of suicide from many perspectives.
From the Martin Head poem What Could I Have Done?
“And when and if I’ve had enough of all this shit
Please remember
There is nothing that you could have done”.
From the Karen Corinne Herceg poem Down From The Ledge
“boldly tearing at the numbness of its own prescence
against the abysmal paralysis of the unrealized
opposing the assassination of our worth.”
From the Sadie Maskery poem No one can tell you
“Emptiness is the wrong word,
I can’t find them now, the right words,
to explain the howl”
And I quote the entire poem which caught me at my throat and my heart and which I can still taste.
Ways Of Survival by Gerard Beirne
Forehead to the night
Silver moon of steel
Tongue to the air
Vials of beaded shell
Neck to the shore
Braided weaves of hemp
Throat to the light
Filament and wire
Wrist to the horizon
Blade of sea and sky
Stomach to the birds
Shrieks of sharpened beaks
Body to the water
Sinking stones of air
Dusk to the dawn
Hope from despair
Globally one person every 40 seconds commits suicide. To echo Carlotta Allum again, this anthology should be held in every student library and I urge you to buy, read and share this important work.
The Hackney Society and Hackney History have launched a new publication containing 113 brief illustrated biographies of women from Hackney’s history who lived or worked, were born or buried in today’s borough. Drawn from widely differing backgrounds, none of these women is still with us but their stories cover five centuries and show us how times have changed for women and for Hackney.
Written and designed by Hackney women (including our very own Lil Warren who wrote of Edith Cavell), the book has been produced in collaboration with Hackney History (Friends of The Hackney Archives).
This 36 page colour booklet gives an overview of the findings during Blue Circle of Dissent. A National Lottery Heritage Fund community research project delivered between 2019 and 2021. (One year of the project was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic). Our researchers and participants responded to artwork, primary sources and the lives and works of
Theatre, Arts, Heritage and Community projects in London
Unity Arts London 