This Black History Month, Norwich Theatre is working with Norfolk Black History Month to celebrate creative work, performances, music and stories from Black and Asian artists.
Michael Gyapong, Treasurer of Norfolk Black History Month, said:
“Our aims are for the public benefit, to promote knowledge and experience of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community history and share the positive contributions that BAME people gave to British society.
“We gather in October to celebrate BAME History Past, Present and Future, acknowledging the role of Black History as inspirational for progress in shaping and developing our present world in social, artistic, cultural, economic aspects and bringing scientific and technological advancements.”
To kickstart the month, Norwich Theatre will be hosting artwork in the windows of Norwich Theatre Stage Two from artist Tina Doughty – Art by Cocopina. Based on the artist’s memories of growing up in Africa, the exhibition represents people of colour in beautiful and positive ways. The art will be up for the month of October.
Speaking about her artwork, Tina Doughty said:
“Black History Month is such a powerful month for me and my art. This is an important platform for me to showcase my artwork to the local community in the hope to educate, show positive outlooks and cultures on all people of colour.
“This is a time for not only people of colour to come together but all walks of life to engage, network and celebrate who we are. My artwork shows that people of colour can be seen in a positive, happy, powerful and proud light compared to the constant negativity we receive in the media and society.”
Norwich Theatre is carrying out an important consultation with Global Majority communities to inform actions as part of its new Creative Strategy. We are looking to engage with the Global Majority communities in Norfolk: to have conversations with members of the public around their connection to the theatre; and ways in which people may wish to connect with the theatre. This is the start of a long term conversation to ensure the theatre is meaningful and relevant to more people. Find out more here
Norwich Theatre is marking Black History Month on stage as well.
Hip-hop choreographer Joseph Toonga brought his latest work, Born to Exist: The Woman I Know to Norwich Theatre Playhouse 10 Oct. The show is a response to Joseph’s personal experience of being solely brought up by black women. It is a journey from being a young boy to becoming a man and shows his appreciation of the strong, resilient, and self-sacrificing females.
No one can resist the rhythm and blues of the Black Blues Brothers. This acrobatic tribute to the movie The Blues Brothers heads to Norwich Theatre Royal on 23 Oct. The show is full of high energy, stunts and, let’s not forget, sensational music. Set in a nightclub reminiscent of the Cotton Club, a vintage radio blasts out nostalgic 80s hits from the film.
Courtney Pine (11 Oct) was one of the first black British jazz artists to make a serious mark on the jazz scene in the 80s. Now some 30-plus years on and with an OBE and CBE for services to music, he continues to break new ground. The show celebrates his upcoming album Spirituality featuring Courtney on bass clarinet and Zoe Rahman on grand piano alongside a violin quartet.
Be hypnotised by the sound of the sitar when Multi-Grammy-nominated sitar player and composer Anoushka Shankar and Manu Delago with Britten Sinfonia heads to Norwich Theatre Royal 30 Oct. She was taught how to play the instrument by her father, the legendary musician Ravi Shankar. Today she is a singular, genre-defying artist across the realms of classical, contemporary, acoustic and electronic music.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning The Color Purple by Alice Walker is a heavyweight in the literary world and one of the books that feature on many a must-read list. The transformation of this story into an award-winning musical has seen the show quickly become a modern-day classic.
The story is told over the course of 40 years and is set in the American Deep South. It follows the heroine, Celie, as she journeys through joy, despair, anguish and hope, she discovers her voice.
Although the subject matter might be tough, the songs and the music make this show a joy to watch. The music takes inspiration from high-energy gospel music, ragtime jazz and smoky blues, which take you on an emotional extravaganza. The Color Purple is at Norwich Theatre Royal 1 – 5 Nov.
For the full listing of Black History Month events across Norfolk, head to https://www.norfolkblackhistorymonth.org/