Working Parts

Meeting with 10 artists who are going to do the seven days of Working Parts training at Penn Hall School with Graeae Theatre, we were excited by the art and drama everyone had made, and the diversity of the artists. We went on to discuss what we thought made a good workshop and the qualities of a workshop leader, we will ask that question again when we complete the training. Working Parts is pleased that a number of deaf and disabled artists who attended “Artists of the Future” are going on to do the artists training at Penn Hall School, which will be a marvellous professional development opportunity.

Working Parts were contacted by a Psychologist who is trying to establish a drama group in Sandwell.  We are going to meet the group and find out what they want to do, we can offer a range of  taster workshops, Song writing, using masks, stand up comedy. We hope to involve artists with experience of mental health, like Sean Burn who is an artist working at New Art Gallery Walsall.They also want help evaluating the benefit of using the performing arts and creativity, as well as planning a series of drama workshops.Working Parts hope to support this project because it seeks a community outcomes, like workshops at the public, run by members of the group.

Andrew Muir says “I want a write a play that is fresh and original and one that tackles deafness in a non patronising, theatrical way as oppose to a running commentary. I want to research thoroughly the area in and around Birmingham and listen to the stories of the people that I meet. Is there any one particular story or event that you know about/have heard about/were involved with that you would like to see onstage?”

Andrew Muir says “I want a write a play that is fresh and original and one that tackles deafness in a non patronising, theatrical way as oppose to a running commentary. I want to research thoroughly the area in and around Birmingham and listen to the stories of the people that I meet. Is there any one particular story or event that you know about/have heard about/were involved with that you would like to see onstage?”
Here are the questions he posed…
1. Who was you first kiss with? Can you remember that moment?
2. Life as a teenager – describe what that was like for you. Were you going out dancing, courting, drinking, smoking, what was going on in your life as a teenager? Were you in a gang? What fashion did you follow?
3. What did you want to be when you were growing up? A famous star, sportsman, astronaut – anything you can think of.
4. Has there been a moment in your life that had you not been deaf the outcome may well have been different?

Have a look at the video asking people what they thought about the workshops. Deafinately theatre are working with Black Country Touring and Deaf Cultural Centre to create a new play. To expose Deaf and hard of hearing people to this artistic process they are running a series of workshops with community groups in the Black Country and Birmingham. The purpose of the workshops is for Deafinitely’s writer to gather a wide range of opinions from community groups, including young people, about a given subject, such as deafness in the past and future. It is not our intention that the community groups “write” a play, but their reactions to, and discussions about the given topic will provide a broader background of material from which the writer and director draw when creating the script. The groups participating will have had an influence upon the creative process of Deafinitely Theatre Company and because of their participation in this process, we hope a greater interest in the show that is finally produced.

No limits for Autism welcomes new people for drama workshops in summer. At the end of July the No limits drama group will meet from 10:30 AM in the morning until 4:00 PM in the afternoon.   Each Friday from the 30 July through to the 3 September will be a workshop at the Coach house in Stourbridge, please contact Chris Morgan if you are interested in attending or would like to find out more.
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A sign song workshop in Walsall with DAD to celebrate the performance of Graeae’s “Signs of a Star Shaped Diva” at the Birmingham Rep Theatre with the excellent Caroline Parker who plays Sue Graves, Sue is an undertaker, running the family ­business started by her great gran, Mabel, who turned to the dead when her heart was broken. Quiet, single and heading reasonably contentedly towards middle age, Sue finds romance when she meets Lawrence Stone. It is love at first sight for the couple whose conjoined names are “the Grave-Stones”. But Sue, who is deaf, has a secret. By night, the unassuming Sue becomes the ­glamorous Tammy Frascati, who performs the hits of our greatest divas using British Sign Language in a local night club where she has become a cult hit. (from Guardian) Jayne Fletcher and Angela Twigg successfully brought the fun, mischief and quandaries about the use of BSL in “signs of a star shaped diva” to DAD which I think stands for deaf adult drama, who are a group which meets every Thursday at Walsall deaf people’s centre. I participated in a sign song workshop which began by learning the verses in British sign language (BSL) of Snow patrol’s “Open your eyes” Jayne and Angela made everyone warmly welcome, it was great fun learning the signs and finding out to different signs for “cuts” and which ones, were more dramatic, and fitted Snow patrol’s melancholy intention. Read the rest of this entry →

Open Sesame for artists was attended by over twenty artists, The event began with an introduction to Working Parts and overview of the arts organisations involved. Following this Lisa Gunn was invited to talk about her project at Penn Hall school because it is an example of the Working Parts Network, and how it can work. Penn Hall school contacted Working Parts to ask if we knew a photographer who would be confident exploring issues about disability and appreciate a young disabled persons perspective, which is about achievement, confidence and wish to participate in society. In addition, Francis Neilsen from Wolverhampton Art Gallery wanted to provide a way of exhibiting the art work created by the young disabled people. The brief for the artist had considerable depth, the artist experience required that they had empathy with young disabled people, and the craft of making a coherent exhibition or gallery installation, which is aware of a fine art/gallery context, or can stand up as an artwork and be of cultural significance. Above all were the skills and confidence to represent disability.

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Expressions, a creative group of disabled people presented a public
 performance of songs and stories at the Maltings Day Centre in Wolverhampton on Thursday April 1st at 1 pm. Over 150 people attended, many were disability groups from around the city, involved in the Wolverhampton Disability Arts Network, like No-Nonsense Theatre, Wow Theatre and the Discovers. Watch the video about the event.

Expressions are a voluntary group of people with physical disabilities 
in Wolverhampton. They are led by a majority of disabled people. There purpose is to support people with physical disabilities to be creative.
 To realise, and develop talent. Expressions want to bring the arts and music to people by organising events. They also want to develop partnerships, to achieve their aims and benefit disabled artists and disabled people. With support from the National Lottery members of Expressions have been attending workshops by singer Sami Cornick and disabled artist Robin Surgeoner. Together they have been writing and singing songs for the performance on April 1st to mark the end of a new beginning.

Listen to the new song called Moving On

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Micheal Haynes said, “Singing helps relieve the pressure of life and 
helps you forget your aches and pains. After singing, it makes you feel 
better”. Veronica Brindley said,”It gives you confidence, before I was afraid to sing, Sami has patience and it helps you get rid of all your problems, just for a while anyway”. Margaret Harper said that disabled artist Robin Surgeoner, “Gets your mind working. I felt like I had a headache from thinking and I mean that in the nicest way. Robin presented a lot to think about, he was uplifting and inspiring. He was able to help us put words to our feelings, about the centre closing and turn them into a song, a song of our own that we could sing. It’s called Moving On.” Singer Sami Cormick said, It’s fantastic to have the opportunity of teaching people something that they really enjoy. You can see the benefits in peoples expressions, we laugh and smile.

On April Fools Day, Robin Surgeoner, a natural role model to the 
Expressions group, presented his new performance “All the things we could of been” A powerful new play with songs fitting to the lives and 
experience of disabled people. Watch the video to hear a little more.

Expressions are at the start of their journey and welcome new members to 
support the planning and delivery of creative activity in the community
 after March 2010. Expressions want to raise the profile of disabled 
people in the community and will do this by hiring spaces in the
 community for workshops, training and performances. Contact Ginette Mackriel for information Tel 
01902 553558.

The Deaf Cultural Centre are working with Black Country Touring to commission the artistic director of ‘Deafinitely Theatre’ and a writer to involve the Disability groups and the Deaf community and in script development for a new BSL led play.
To find out more contact Alison Breadon Arts Officer at Deaf Cultural centre Minicom: 0121 246 6101 Tel 0121 450 7775 / 0121 246 6100 alisonbreadon@DeafCulturalCentre.com

Promoting the expression’s performance, ran into some unexpected difficulty. Last Thursday Stephen who studies at Pendleton college and is also a member of expressions, gave the poster which he designed, to the office of Pendleton college and ask for it to be displayed, so people who use the college could find out about the performance at the Maltings next Thursday, April 1.The following week Stephen went to the college. To find his poster displayed in the accessible toilet at the college. This was understandably a surprise. Although expressions can see the humour, expression members are going to find out the reason for the decision and tackle the assumptions made by administrative staff at the college.