Class Act Drama Centre offers the opportunity to learn drama techniques with professional actors and directors. Classes are open to complete beginners as well as experienced thesps, and even better, tuition fees start from a piddling £2.50 per half hour, which sounds like a bargain to me. Here’s what they have to say about themselves:

With our realistic approach to drama and our range of classes we believe that we offer something for everyone from beginners to advanced performers. Class Act’s tutors offer the very best in part time theatrical training and opportunities. We aim to make drama accessible to people of all ages and capabilities at a practical cost.

They hold classes in Digbeth, Solihull, Sutton Coldfield and Yardley, as well as other areas of the East and West Midlands. For more information about classes and venues, or to arrange a trial session, please visit the Class Act website or contact Marian by email or on 0121-244-321.

Friday, 05/06/09, 19:00

Ten high-backed chairs, some seating elderly people and some seating younger people, spanned the back of the stage area at The Door, the studio theatre at Birmingham Rep. Above this seating arrangement was a large screen, showing slow panoramics of the Birmingham skyline. In front of them, a gently-lit bed with a man lying down, a wheeled trolley next to him and a fan pointed at him.

A short film entitled “Hats” began. The first shot panned out to show a woman, with coarse patchy hair and a massive grin cackling as she tried on the most extravagant yellow hat with massive straw brim. She looked into the camera and said, “Yes. This is me.”

At this point, I have to admit to no longer being able to see very well due to the large amounts of tears gushing down my face – so if my descriptions fall short somehow, I apologise.

Rosetta Life is a charity dedicated to working with people who have life-threatening illnesses.  “The Magical Glow of the Co Op” was a rehearsed reading as part of the Rosetta Live celebrations that featured the work of two hospices; Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice in Selly Park and St Giles Hospice Whittington, near Lichfield. Working together, more than 30 hospice users generated a performance script that looked at the choices people face when dying and the difficulties they face when making these choices.  In the 10 chairs sat 3 professional actors (the fourth was lying on the bed), 6 hospice users and one care professional.  Throughout the reading hospice users took to the stage to perform alongside the professional actors which really added weight and poignancy (as well as some unexpected laughs) to the evening.

The performance finished with an aftershow discussion called ‘The Big Conversation – Let’s Talk About Living’.  The audience were invited to ask questions of the panel of hospice users who had taken part in the perfomance, health care practitioners and the actors who were still in character.  Until then, I had kept my eyes focused on the stage, hoping to hide anonymously at the edge of a row.  However once the lights went up, I really looked at the audience – at those people who had chosen to spend a night in the company of such a taboo subject.   The audience consisted of every economic/social/cultural background you can imagine, all sat in one small venue watching their loved ones perform, or the words of their lost loved one performed by their peers.  And there were no dry eyes.  Not one.

I feel excited that Birmingham East and North PCT were brave enough not only to fund this project, but also to enable Birmingham to become the first UK city that is making steps to talk openly about how it’s citizens positively approach life as it draws to a close, as well as how they want to be remembered. Created in Birmingham has always highlighted exciting and relevant creative ventures linked to the city, and I can’t think of a more perfect project to write about in my first post proper.  Actors, hospice users, venue and funders are all citizens of Birmingham, breaking new and important (if at times uncomfortable) ground.  This was a performance that anyone touched by illness should see, not just the friends and families of those performing.

“The Magical Glow of the Co-op” was just one small part of the Rosetta Live celebration running throughout June. It culminates in a film premiere at The Electric Cinema on 29th June commencing at 6.00pm.  To book, please contact bookings@rosettalive.org – I know I’m going to be there.

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 jazz workshops, to youth theatre and group trips as far a field as South Africa and the United States.

Given Birmingham’s location within the United Kingdom and the breadth of talent within the city, Nu Century Arts has maintained that its artists should not be marginal, but play a central role in the cultural direction of the country; have access to the fullest possible range of skills; and produce the highest quality work. Moreover, it seeks to provide a consistent base and a framework promoting new African Caribbean work, irrespective of political/ cultural trends and fashions.

The do work in a variety of venues including The Drum and The Rep and the artists listed on their site include Soweto Kinch, Julie Dexter, Eska Mtungwazi and Shabaka Hutchins.

Awareness came to me from Osahon Orchard who is running a free 10 week acting course for over 19 year olds as a “way to regain confidence as well as get back into performing” at 16 Grosevenor Road B20 3NP. Contact him on osahon.orchard [at] ntlworld.com for details.

Government News Network
BBC News
Education Guardian
The Stirrer
The Post will presumably have something later next week, as is their way.

The Typ-Tap Festival at the MAC on July 10-11th sees two days of looking at new theatre writing for a young audience. A number of plays are being performed along with discussions and seminars.

More details of the methodology of this festival and the schedule on the MAC website.

Interesting looking spoken word piece coming up at The Drum on June 15th.

If you though you understood Africa in relation to your own life in the West, even just a little, think again…

Africa attacks all the senses – an unparalleled cacophony of sounds, smells, colours and feelings from a continent with a rich, magnificent history and deep rooted culture. I Dream of Accra… captures this frenzied spirit in an epic multimedia poem featuring African and European musicians, poets, storytellers, DJs rappers and visual artists, including Tunde Jegede and his string quartet, MC poet B.R.I.E.S. and Kelly Budge from Your Mum.

Doors are 7.30pm and tickets are a fiver. More info.