Ella Mesma

"I am super happy to be coming back to my Bristol Roots. It will be a very special project for me to be working in my home town and getting to know the community."  Ella Mesma

During her 2017 IGNiTE Artist residency, Ella Mesma used Latin, HipHop and Contemporary dance theatre to explore what it is to be a 'citizen of the world' and challenge notions of belonging, home, identity and coming of age as other through her project Foreign Bodies.

Ella discovered dance at Cotham school in Bristol, then trained at Laban and The Place, graduating with a postgraduate diploma in 2011. She also has a Politics and Sociology degree from Leeds University.

In 2013, she was selected as a future Dance Leader for the ABLE leadership program and in 2015, awarded a Bench fellowship for emerging female choreographers. She has trained internationally in Cuba, Brazil and USA including The Graham school- New York, La Ena- Havana, Deborah Colker- Rio De Janeiro and Funceb- Salvador da Bahia.

Credits include Russell Maliphant Company, Southpaw Company, Professional cast of the Olympics Opening Ceremony, Wendy Houston, poet Warsan Shire, Adidas, and apprentice for Upswing Circus. She established Latin company Element Arts in Leeds in 2005 and has produced Roots of Rumba (an annual Latin Dance Theatre Festival) since 2013.

Sara Dos Santos

Following a successful career as a performer Sara Dos Santos commenced choreographing in 2011. Her thought provoking and emotionally charged work incorporates a variation of urban contemporary styles and raises awareness to social and political affairs.

Sara was awarded The Neriah Kumah Legacy GiG supported by One Dance UK, enabling her to travel to Brazil on a International exchange project to work alongside four astonishing dance companies and organisations across the country.

Over the course of the IGNiTE 2017 residency Sara worked to research and develop a new piece entitled Journies - A site specific piece incorporating an array of cross-generational artists working together to investigate, create and discuss submerged topics influencing our ever changing society.

Visit the artist's website to find out more.

Caroline Williams

Caroline Williams is an artist working in multi-disciplinary participatory performance. Her work focuses on current political issues. Using personal stories, she works to find the best way to powerfully communicate the heart of those stories.

At the core of her work is a passion to give an artistic platform to people who wouldn't necessarily think of themselves as artists. She is the lead artist of International Activities Club a company focusing on cross-cultural participatory performance.

Caroline used her time at Trinity to dive head first into creating experiments around the notion of ethnic segregation in Bristol and exploring what happens on a personal level and to communities through naming segregation before trying to break it apart through devising new patterns of communication and exchange.

2017 dance workshops hosted at Trinity by Latisha Cesar with Peniel Guerrier

"Historically Trinity has been a refuge for the outcast and has been known to stretch the boundaries of social acceptability. I feel it is only fitting that I explore my shame with a community that has never been mainstream but has always been accepting"

Latisha Cesar

Latisha Cesar is dancer and dance teacher that has studied, taught, and performed in the US, UK, Brazil. A native New Yorker, she studied dance at Lehman College at City University New York.

During Latisha's 2017 residency the artist developed Barye - a project that offered an introduction of Haitian culture to communities based in and around Trinity.

The programme included workshops and a sharing of traditional Haitian drumming and dance. The project also explored the themes of taboo, shame and the barriers that come with being other.

Visit the artist's website for more info

Uninvited Guests

Uninvited Guests are a Bristol-based company led by Paul Clarke, Richard Dufty and Jessica Hoffmann who took part in our 2017 IGNiTE Summer residencies programme.

"We intend to engage local participants in the process of creating and contributing to the project and we would like to conduct workshops with key community groups to develop the overarching narrative, to create the piece and to test its participative elements." Uninvited Guests

They create entertaining and provocative performance that combines high-tech with low tech, the visceral with the virtual and work in various contexts, focusing mainly on theatre and producing installation and audio walks.

Their work blurs the line between theatre and social festivities, with audiences joining in events that are celebratory and critical of the current times and they have toured nationally and internationally.

As part of their residency they worked on developing a new small-scale touring participative theatre piece (To Those Born Later, working title) about the legacy we leave our families, communities and society.

During this R&D phase they focused on creating the piece with the involvement of Trinity’s groups and that was stage as a public sharing for audiences in February 2018.

Art in Motion

“This opportunity will give us time and space to explore our common interest in the impact environments have on society and in imagining possible futures”. Helen Grant, Back in 5 Minutes Squad

Art in Motion and Back in 5 Minutes Squad - two very different artists groups based at Spike Island Studios in Bristol - worked together for the first time to produce an epic, evolving installation during their 2017 IGNiTE Summer residency.

Back in 5 Minutes Squad make immersive installations that imagine possible futures, taking a toungue-in-cheek look at the post-apocalyptic, the nihilistic, the existential and the revolutionary through the lens of popular culture.

Art in Motion is a not-for-prophit participatory arts organisation established in Bristol in 2013. The purpose of AIM is to provide opportunities for artists with learning disabilities to engage with contemporary multidisciplinary arts to explore ideas and concepts with a specific focus on heritage the built environment and a sense of place.

I am French but was born in Switzerland. I am mixed race. I currently in Staple Hill, Bristol. I was born with schizophrenia. I love music especially writing and recording positive rap lyrics. I am currently unemployed.

I was referred across to Trinity by one of my college tutors at Access to Music. I had managed to get through the first year of the course and achieved a pass but it was clear I would really struggle with the amount of assignments and paperwork involved in the second year so they linked me in with Trinity as an alternative. I can now focus on my music without stressing about paperwork which is a really good for me.

The benefit’s of being on a music course at Trinity  are that I can work on my lyrics, music, beats and prepare my album without any pressure. I can take my time. I’m really struggling with my illness at the moment and have been experimenting with different dosages of medication. Sometimes I come in and am too drowsy to properly concentrate on my work. Dave and Al are always really supportive and assure me that I can use the session in whatever way best suits me at the time. It’s good to know they understand. That makes a lot of difference. I enjoy working on a 1:1 basis this means I can get more positive things done in a short space of time.

It is nice to look back.

Last year we very excitedly launched our in- house Theatre and Dance and programme - IGNiTE. Our aim - to curate  an exciting programme of work that would resonate with everyone who uses and lives around Trinity.

Thanks to funding from Arts Council, an amazing team,  our programming forum (who have helped steer the programme throughout the year) and every artist, audience member and participant our first step into the world of programming world class theatre and dance , supporting artists to crete new work and ensuring our community benefits from artistic excellence .... has been great.

So while we sit back and make plans for our next programme we thought we'd share some of the best moments and successes.

1.Vicki Igbokwe talking to us about the power of dance

2.  Cardboard Citizens challenging us all in the Forum Theatre section of Cathy.

3. Selling nearly half of all our ticket at concessions rate

4. Meaning that our audiences are reflective of Bristol's inclusive and diverse communities

5. Rider Shafique blowing us away with his solo performance of I-Dentity

6. 1500+ people watching, taking part, dancing, asking questions and celebrating with us

7.  Afreena Islam's honest performance to a room full of our regular centre users

8. Supporting six artists and companies with community & participation at the core of their practice to develop work and deliver workshops at Trinity

9. All the people who stayed for the Q+A's and took part in sometimes difficult but always provoking conversations

Read more about IGNiTE here

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Paradise City

Over ten days IGNiTE summer residents Back in 5 Minutes Squad and Art in Motion will be creating an evolving installation up in our Fyfle Hall.

This is super exciting as Spike Island Residents  - Back in 5 Minutes Squad and emerging not-for-profit participatory arts organisation Art in Motion (AIM) will be collaborating for the first time for this project.

Evolving over the ten days of the residency these two diverse groups will collaborate to portray their vision of an ideal, egalitarian future in which humans of all types and abilities coexist peacefully and purposefully together - the fabric of this future city will reflect the diverse and idiosyncratic interests of all the artists involved.

From Monday 19 the artists invite you to visit during this exciting process and Paradise City will be open to everyone for a celebration event from 5-7pm in the Graffiti Room at Trinity on Thursday 29 June.

Paradise City is supported by Arts Council England via Grants for the Arts and by Trinity Community Arts.

Dave volunteers at Trinity, helping our programming team every Thursday.

When I come to Trinity I send some emails out advertising gigs and classes, what are going on here. I like getting out and meeting people and having a laugh. I like getting out and socialising and getting out of the house for a day. I am always kept busy at Trinity and I enjoy myself.

(Us) Can you describe your time at Trinity in three words? Happy, working hard

I am 18. I live in Yate. I like to play music and read. Trinity was recommended to me by my support worker who had heard me play and recognised my potential. In the last few weeks I have already recorded a couple of original songs. My confidence as a songwriter and performer is really growing each time I come in. It’s brilliant to have access to a professional studio and spend time working on my music in a calm relaxed environment. The staff are helpful and always willing try new ideas. It’s really interesting to see how the recording process works. I have also enjoyed the social side and have collaborated on a track with one of the other students who regularly attends. Trinity is great! It’s a friendly, clean and safe place to come and make music. It’s fun to record in a professional studio and work with people who really know what they are doing. I’m loving it!

Spring Season of Theatre & Dance at Trinity Centre

As an iconic Arts Centre with forty years of music programming experience under their belt it should come as no surprise to you that the Trinity team are continuing to push boundaries with their IGNiTE programme of performance in 2017.

Ranging from the playful to the sometimes hard-to-swallow realities of life, the newly announced spring selection of programming is destine to challenge and excite audiences. Fergus Evans, Trinity’s theatre and dance producer says that all the shows presented are ‘a celebration of the spaces we make for ourselves when none of the boxes fit quite right.’

Mixing the exciting with the unexpected, the season’s five shows set out to provoke conversations. In I-Dentity Rider Shafique explores being mixed race and what it is like when you are neither but also both. Liz Aggiss’ giddy and sometimes sinister Slap and Tickle cheekily explores female sexuality and growing older. What you see is not always what you get in Alesandra Seutin's  C'eci n'est past Noire (This is not Black) - a journey through identity politics, Beyonce and, a few parlour games. Putting the Band Back Together is a playful story about why we give up on our dreams and how we find them again. Gather the round dinner table in Daughters of the Curry Revolution and find out what it means to be the daughter of a migrant.

At Trinity you're never just a member of the audience, and this carefully selected programming certainly reflects this. From picking up an instrument and joining Unfolding Theatre’s house band to learning new ways to move with Alesandra Seutin (Vocab Dance Company). You can sign up to be a member of one of our test audiences and see work in development from our resident artists. Let us know what you think of the show you’ve seen or volunteer as a steward. The message is clear: Don't just come see a show. Take part. Speak up. Start something.

Alongside our regular programme of live music and community events, we present world-class, innovative artists whose work is about issues that matter to people now, starting conversations and sparking debate. IGNiTE is supported by funding from Arts Council England.

Further Info:

Tickets go on Sale 10am Friday 3rd Feb http://www.3ca.org.uk/ignite ​ ​

Slap and Tickle, Liz Aggis 18th March 7.30pm £10 / £8

Ceci n'est pas Noire (This is not Black), Alesandra Seutin I Vocab Dance Company 25th March, 7.30pm £10 / £8

Putting The Band Back Together, Unfolding Theatre 21st April, 7.30pm £10 / £8

I-Dentity, Rider Shafique 28th April, 7.30pm £10 / £8

Daughters of the Curry Revolution, Afreena Islam 5th/6th/7th May : 3pm / 5pm / 7pm £12 / £10

We hope you are all enjoying the mix of rain and sunshine! In order to celebrate the never boring weather in Bristol, we have a wide range of summer activities for children and young people starting this week, so don't let them get bored this summer! Get creative at Trinity whatever the weather!

Children's Adventures in Nature

Mon, Wed & Thu from 27 Jul to 31 Aug, 2pm-4pm

Children aged 6-12 can join the fun at the Trinity Community Garden, where they can connect with nature through all weather activities, like forest school, bushcraft and play. Free  - suggested donation £5. Contact Lisa: lisat@3ca.org.uk / 07791 140 916

Outdoor Adventure Youth Group

Mondays, 6pm-8pm

12-18 year olds can join us every week to learn about bush-craft, fire-lighting, shelter building, foraging, food growing and cooking at the Trinity Garden. No need to book, just come along, its free! Contact Lisa: lisat@3ca.org.uk / 07791 140 916

Holiday Lunch Clubs

Wednesdays: 29 July, 12 & 26 Aug, 10am-12pm

A cookery club for parents and children of all ages. Come and enjoy cooking with other local families, and enjoy your creations in our beautiful garden. Free (donations welcome) - Booking essential, contact Helen: helenw@3ca.org.uk / 0117 935 1200

World's Largest Samba Dance!

Wednesdays 29 Jul; 5, 12 & 19 Aug, 5.30pm-6pm

Help us beat the current Guinness World Record for the World's Largest Samba Dance at the Stapleton Rd Make Sunday Special event on Sunday 23 August. Join the free dance workshop sessions and learn the simple routine created by World Jungle Samba Dancers. Contact Ripley: ripley@3ca.org.uk / 0117 935 1200

Hype Dance Street Dance

Wednesdays, 6pm-7pm and 7pm-8pm

Exciting and vibrant street dance training, which is not only fun but a good way of keeping fit! for ages 5 to 11 and 12 to 25 yrs old. £5 per session (please arrive 10 minutes early to sign in). Contact Natasha: thype@hotmail.co.uk / 0117 935 1200

Little Green Warriors

Fridays, 12.30-2.30pm

A weekly meet for parents, carers & their preschoolers to enjoy seasonal activities and the urban outdoors in our beautiful community garden – Free! Contact Helen: helenw@3ca.org.uk / 0117 935 1200

Music Open Day!

Fri 14 Aug, 10am-4pm

Are you 13-21 yrs old? Try something new for free! Drums, Guitar, DJ, MC, Vocals, Production; followed by a BBQ and your chance to perform on our stage!

Contact Karina: info@3ca.org.uk / 0117 935 1200

Vice & Virtue took a look beneath the area's reputation to explore the many cultures that have lived here, its national significance as an area of architectural conservation and key moments of historical interest.

Themes included: the riots of 1932, the British and GI experience, business, trade and leisure in Old Market, the sex industry, the Gay quarter and new communities in Old Market.

The project - funded by Heritage Lottery Fund, Quartet Community Foundation and the Old Market Community Association - consisted of oral history and reminiscence activities designed to encourage members of the community, of all ages, to share their experiences, photos, documents and memorabilia.

This rigorously researched project built upon existing online and hard copy archive information. It culminated in an exhibition, book and heritage trail featuring all the work gathered through the project.

Old Market history

Much coverage given to the area often refers to it as having a 'seedy reputation'. Comments from other residents and traders have worked to counter this image, including Mr Ferris, a local publican commenting in a local newspaper article, “It's amazing we've done so well in the recession...more and more people are choosing to live here.”

Paul Bradburn, Chair of the Old Market Community Association said; “a project that celebrates the rich heritage of the area and allows the general community to appreciate that heritage will be a great benefit to the people of Bristol”.

The Vice & Virtue Project ran from Autumn 2013-Spring 2015.

Buy the book here!

What's Your Trinity Story? - funded by Heritage Lottery Fund Your Heritage Grant - featured an an oral history and archiving project about Trinity from 1960-today, with specific reference to its role as a music and community venue.

"The Trinity Centre has a fascinating history, and the Heritage Lottery Fund is really pleased to support this inspiring project which will capture what it has meant to people over the last 50 years." Nerys Watts, South West Heritage Lottery Fund Head of Region

Trinity's history

Trinity is probably best known for its role in the music scene of the 1990s, when it played host to some of the biggest domestic and international music stars of the time. Trinity's stage has been graced by the likes of U2, The Wailers and Public Enemy as well as local talents such as Massive Attack. It hosted many famous artists notably from the punk, and reggae genres, and was an important landmark in the globally exported "Bristol Sound" prominent during this era.

The space has also had a number of roles within the community over the years - from a bingo hall to a boxing ring - and is now run as a community arts centre with regular training, projects and events.

The heritage project consisted of workshop activities and sessions designed to engage the community of all ages in sharing their experiences and stories of the space. It involved detailed research to culminate in a final exhibition, book and online archive.

Click here to read the full evaluation report.

In December 2008 Trinity collaborated with The Wonder Club to produce a spectacular site specific promenade theatre performance At Tether's End. The show was inspired by the true story of a local young man William Pullin who tragically stabbed a police man, PC Richard Hill, to death. The show was part of the Bristol Sound Project and featured artwork, set and performances from a large number of young people working alongside professional artists from Bristol.

The show was a resounding success with tickets sold out every one of the six nights the show ran for. It also received a 4/5 star review from Steve Wright in Venue magazine as well as an excellent write up in The British Theatre Guide. Read the reviews here.

After a brief break Trinity are pleased to offer a new theatre training course run by the director of At Tether's End. For more information please visit our home page.

Click here to read more about our current projects.

Movema Schools Workshops - Image Credit: Ted Stargatt

As part of our children and young people’s programme we are working with Bristol-based dance company, Movema to deliver a year long activity of dance in local schools and at Trinity.

“It's been incredible to see individuals participate and have a positive attitude” - Teacher feedback

For the first part of the project, delivered in the autumn/winter term, Movema connected with Hannah More, St Nicolas of Tolentine and Evergreen primary schools to deliver their ‘World in a Box’ dance programme. Children who attend these schools have higher levels of protected characteristics including Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND).

In collaboration with teachers, the company identified children whose access to the arts may be limited by opportunity to take part in weekly workshops at their school. Across eight weeks, 174 children aged 5yrs-10yrs took part in the programme which included workshops exploring Indian, Caribbean and African dance, games and confidence-building activities and elements of arts and crafts.

The workshops had a positive impact on the children who took part; 80% of the children taking part said they had learned more about different cultures, 73% agreed they had learned new dance skills and 86% said they now wanted to do more dance as a result of taking part in the programme.

During the next stage of the programme in the winter and spring terms, children will be invited to take part in World Dance workshops during school holidays which will culminate in sharing what they've learned with their families and friends. Following this,  Carnival Dance Workshops will take place at Trinity. In these workshops, children will have the opportunity to celebrate celebrate St. Pauls Carnival.

Click here to read the announcement of our partnership with Movema.