Book some time off in October for the Manchester Literature Festival because if there is nothing for you here, you’re in the wrong job! Events take place in several venues across this vibrant city. Highlights for Ink Pellet include Joanna Trollope in conversation with broadcaster Jenni Murray on her retelling of Sense and Sensibility and author Patrick Ness presenting his new adult novel, The Crane Wife. Two 50th anniversaries are celebrated; firstly Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech will be marked with a new work by poet Lemn Sissay while authors Ali Smith and Jackie Kay will discuss the work and legacy of The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. Get all the news at www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk
It was a case of long time no hear when an email from The Pantaloons popped into Ink Pellet’s electronic mailbox. The theatre company is back with their take on Sherlock Holmes, which they are taking to more than 50 venues. The team has used Arthur Conan Doyle’s text, coupled with new writing in a Holmes ‘mash up’ of some of his greatest stories using live music and audience interaction. The madcap team is also touring A Midsummer Night’s Dream. For details visit their wonderful website www.thepantaloons.co.uk.
Settle Stories found Ink Pellet on twitter, and what a great organisation! So before you hit Manchester, why not nip up to the Dales for the 2013 Settle Storytelling Festival? It runs from October 10th-13th and while plans were still being finalised as we went to press, the festival is running a Storytelling Competition which has a twist – it has to be told not written. Ahh! Check out how to enter before the closing date of September 15th by heading for the website page at www.settlestories.org.uk/competition.
If you can get past the artspeak that characterises what Curiosity: Art and the Pleasures of Knowing is all about, you might wish to take the beach train to Margate for a peek. The Hayward Touring exhibition from the Southbank Centre is spending the summer among the kiss me quick hats of Margate in the Turner Contemporary before heading to Norwich Castle. Taking as a starting point the cabinets of curiosities that flourished throughout Europe in the 17th century, Curiosity is a detailed and spectacular meditation on the nature of wonder, fascination and inquiry curated by Brian Dillon. It includes works by Leonardo da Vinci, Alfred Durer and JMW Turner.
Watch out for the London opening of the Tony award-winning The Scottsboro Boys at the Young Vic. John Kander and Fred Ebb’s exhilarating, dazzling and provocative musical tells the gripping tale of nine black teenagers who, in 1931, board a train in Scottsboro, Alabama, in search of a new life. By the end of their journey, their lives – and those of every American – would be changed forever. Accused of an unspeakable crime, their trial would divide a nation. But behind the screaming headlines was the devastating story of nine young men, desperate to prove to the world that they mattered. With rave reviews, this is a must-see show that is sure to give you and your students plenty of food for thought. Strictly limited run between October 18-November 23. To book visit the Young Vic website.
Applications for the RSC’s Open Stages project are now open. This amazing programme gives amateur theatre companies the chance to work with the RSC’s professional partner theatres on a Shakespeare or Shakespeare-themed production. Not sure the little Am-Dram group I’m with is quite up for the challenge, leaving the door open for your merry band of would-be actors, dear reader…? Check out how to apply by visiting the RSC website.
A quickie: if you have five minutes 17 seconds to spare, check out this brilliant trailer http://vimeo.com/38178445 for Box Clever’s Romeo and Juliet. Then book!
The John Betjeman Poetry Competition for Young People 2013 is open for entries with a fantastic prize of £1,000 to be shared between the winning poet and his or her school. Open to 10-13-year-olds, young people are invited to send in a poem on the theme of ‘place’. Entries will be judged by Susan Hill CBE. Visit www.betjemanpoetrycompetition.com/submit-your-entry to enter as well as for full details. The closing date is July 31st.
Meanwhile, over in the world of dance, England’s new National Youth Dance Company (NYDC) has selected its first intake of company members. Thirty young people aged 16-20 from have been invited to take up places with the company. The new members will work with NYDC’s first Guest Artistic Director, Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Jasmin Vardimon, ahead of a debut performance on the main stage at Sadler’s Wells followed by a short tour taking in Kent, Leeds, Salford and Bristol.
Weike the look of this handy little tome Writing the Ten Minute Play by award-winning playwright and actor Glenn Alterman, who uses personal experience and tried methods to cover every aspect of writing your first ten-minute play. Published by Limelight Editions it also includes advice on marketing, readings, festivals, and publication.