Local children took part in What I Want To Be, What I Want to See in April 2021

In 2021 we asked the people of Bristol to tell us their hopes and dreams for the future as part of our ambitious community arts project, What I Want To Be, What I Want To See.

Trinity collected over 70 responses that ranged from a community mural, celebrating heroes, a daily protest, listening posts of voices we should listen to - young & old, a playlist for Newtown, a silent disco, a place for tea and cake, a zine to remind us ‘how to be nice’ and a day of art and dolphins.

In Autumn 2021 we sent an open call for an artist, collective or company to creatively respond to these. The successful project The Wish List by artist Michelle Roche was selected by Trinity’s programming forum. The forum, are made up of local residents, Trinity Members and regular groups and classes, chose Michelle’s project as it connected with the local community in a fun and playful way.

Working with grassroots organisation, Newtown Network, The Wish List will make the hopes and dreams, collected during the call out, a reality by co-creating creative happenings with local communities this December and January.

Newtown Coffee Mornings Throughout December local residents joined artist Michelle Roche for a cup of tea coffee and cake and creative activities.

Catch sight of The Newtown Dolphin Parade

In January keep an eye out through the curtains and look for the Dolphin Lantern parade that will take place in the streets on Newtown.

Get involved:

If you would like some further information on the project contact Stefan Boakye on stefan@trinitybristol.org.uk

After a few years testing the mainstream stage with a major record deal Pepino has moved back to her roots as a leftfield rock and electronica songwriter. As well as drawing influence from contemporary electronic passions like Caribou, Grizzly Bear and Sylvan Esso, Pepino also draws from late 60s and early 70s folk and popular music such as the song-smithery of Carole King, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. The song content for ‘Heterogaster’ is based around ideas of family, sex, trust and disconnection, using rich vocal harmonies, beautifully layered to musically represent these issues.

In Mesadorm’s debut album ‘Heterogaster’ listeners will find songwriter and lyricist Pepino in happy harmony with producer Aaron Zahl, fleshing out her musical world with his electronic soundscapes. Each musician then adds his or her unique musical touch to every song, resulting in a truly special and original sound. Having known each other since they were teenagers and weathered various phases of life and musical outfits, Zahl, Pepino, Palmer, Johnston and Silverston have a unique connection that plays out in their music with depth and assuredness. Their writing sits somewhere between the domestic observation of Suzanne Vega and the powerful, elemental other-worldliness of Bjork.

Blythe Pepino - Vocals/Keys

Aaron Zahl - Guitars/Keys/Bvs

Jo Silverston - Cello/Keys/Bvs

David Johnston - Bass/Keys/Bvs

Daisy Palmer - Drums/Bvs

“Blimey! That’s the sound of Mesadorm!” - Huw Stephens, BBC Radio 1

“Loving the sound of Mesadorm. I reckon the next 12 months could be chock-a-block for those guys" - BBC Introducing in the West

“Mesadorm have that uncanny ability to find that perfect line between pop and experimentation. They achieve a rare and colourful psychedelic minimalism that is strikingly engaging.” - Folk Radio UK

Meet Selina Thompson

“How can you write about lives you have never lived. Spaces you have never visited” Immersion is key for critically acclaimed artist and performer Selina Thompson. She has worked as a hairdresser, spent time with job centre employees and service users in order to create shows that shows that are intimate, playful – she's worn a giant dress made out of cake - and deceptively poignant.

For her latest show 'Salt', Selina has undertaken an intensive tour of the UK, talking to old friends, hairdressers, academics, teenagers, artists, her nan, granddad, & god daughter before boarding a working cargo vessel, retracing the ancestral voyage from England to Ghana to Jamaica in a quest to connect past and present Black experience. She has returned rich with ideas for her new show but she is missing one crucial ingredient. You. She needs to know what's it like to be Black in Bristol. She needs our help.

Meet Selina, listen to her tales of travel, and share your experiences at an informal afternoon gathering at the Trinity Centre. Music and buffet provided.

Selina's show 'salt.' will be performed at the Arnolfini as part of Mayfest on the 12th, 13th, 18th & 19th May. Tickets available here:

http://mayfestbristol.co.uk/mayfest2016/salt-2/

Salt is co-commissioned by Theatre Bristol and Mayfest as part of the Mayfest 2016 programme.

Expect killer selections adorned with splashes of digital synths, electronic percussion and vocal interjections that galvanise waves of full-blown euphoria wherever he plays. DJ Katapila’s new Aroo EP (Awesome Tapes From Africa) is the latest addition to the iconoclastic producer’s catalog of fast-paced, pan-West African-influenced dance music and follows his debut Trotro (2016) which ignited the international acclaim for his work, with the likes of The New York Times, Pitchfork, Resident Advisor and FACT heaping praise on his work.

Cutting his teeth in the early 90s as a mobile DJ at funerals across Ghana, Katapila began spontaneously inserting Ga- and Twi-language chants and raps into instrumental breaks of the well-trodden international house and techno radio hits he’d been playing. Performing on his Yamaha DD11 electronic drum pads during instrumental breaks, he also added his own percussion. He combined the microphone toasting and his rhythms with a sampler and invented new creations on the fly, establishing his trademark rough-edged dance sound which has now become ubiquitous in Ghana and other parts of West Africa.

We're super happy to be hosting the launch for this year's Mayfest festival...as well as three fantastic shows.

To celebrate their return (having taken the decision to become a biannual festival), Mayfest have invited "Ghanaian DJ and producer Katapila to kick off the festival with one of his marathon, euphoria-drenched DJ sets. Splicing the neo-traditional dance music styles of his youth in Accra with the up-tempo, bass-heavy, Roland 808 sounds of Detroit techno, Chicago acid and house, Katapila’s relentlessly joyful sets have become a thing of legend" in Trinity's Main Hall. Come on down (10 May) and expect killer selections adorned with splashes of digital synths, electronic percussion and vocal interjections that galvanise waves of full-blown euphoria wherever he plays.

So, for those who haven't been - what is Mayfest? Mayfest is Bristol’s unique international festival of contemporary theatre, "dedicated to presenting a broad range of unusual, playful and ambitious work from leading theatre makers from Bristol, the UK and beyond". They will be taking over theatre (and non theatre) spaces across the city bringing 10 days of back to back performances, workshops and talks from Thur 10th - to Sun 20th May.

This year we are excited to be hosting How (not) to live in Surburbia (14-15 May) a new show from Annie Siddons "a hilarious, brutal and poignant attempt" to describe what happened next when "in the middle of a shitstorm of life events, single mother, artist and proud Londoner Annie Siddons found herself living in suburbia by accident".

Meanwhile, Scottish Dance Theatre bring Velvet Petal (16-18 May) to Fyfe Hall where they present their latest show about"tough girls and pretty boys living life in the margins, dreaming about being at the centre". They explore "the transformative power of beauty, created out of whatever is on the bedroom floor" in this "truly compelling piece, exquisitely performed” (The Stage).

Finally it feels very fitting to be hosting acclaimed Australian artist Joseph O’Farrell (JOF) and Sam Halmarack who combine theatre with the fist-pumping euphoria and power ballads of a stadium gig, in WE ARE LIGHTNING! (15-18 May) "a darkly comical work that reflects on the importance of communal spaces where people can come together and express themselves".

For more info on the rest of their programming visit Mayfest's website here.

Celebrate 100 years of the first women gaining the vote and Disability History Month by hearing the widely forgotten story of May Billinghurst. Based on a true story, written and performed by Phoebe Kemp, directed by Alison Farina, ‘May’ has a unique take on the fight for women’s rights. Billinghurst’s story of love, loss and hope will offer you insight into a claustrophobic Edwardian era and reflection on women in present society. '

A one woman show that portrays the un-known struggle with such detail and commitment, you are spellbound throughout.' 4****, Theatre Bath.

In spring 2018 the first tour of 'May' captivated audiences in the south west, and we are excited bring May's story to Bristol for the first time. The play uses original letters and extracts between May Billinghurst, her family, Emmeline Pankhurst and other suffragettes. As well as exploring the constricts facing women alongside their role as wives and mothers, 'May' also journeys into the unspoken nature of LGBTQI individuals, sexual repression and the restricted lives of those with disabilities.

Known as ‘the Cripple Suffragette’ played a key role in the women's rights movement. Today in a society, where women continue to fight for their voices to be heard, Kemp returns to her story and asks - how far have we come in 100 years?

Age recommendation 10+
Performance: 1 hour with Q+A session afterwards
Photo credit: Camilla Adams
Produced by Wyldwood Arts CIC

For more information on the show visit: www.wyldwoodarts.co.uk/collaborations/may

As flashing neon lights descend upon the tracks, a boxing gloved boy with a death wish comes head to head with a white suited locomotive and a deer in black patent stilettos.

Castle Rock is a new story inspired by three of the voiceless characters in Stephen King's novella The Body, most famously adapted by Rob Reiner into the 1986 cult film, Stand By Me.

Expect looped voice, rhythmic physicality and projected words, as Massive Owl twist the film's soundtrack and contort the book's characters into a re-imagined story about friendship, loss and the things we fail to tell each other.

Welcome to Castle Rock!

Supported by Arts Council England, the Barbican Centre, Bristol Ferment, ICIA Bath, The Island, Arnolfini and our partners in Ireland: Project Arts Centre, Live Collision, Fringe Lab and the British Council (Ireland).

With special thanks to Jane Duffy.

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About the company

Massive Owl are a collaborative theatre company based in Bristol. They tell stories and in the process challenge how a story can look, sound and feel. Their work sits somewhere in the space between theatre, live art and the language of cinema. Massive Owl are Jenny Duffy, Sam Powell and Danny Prosser. They are associate artists of Live Collision and members of artist-led collective, Interval.

Scottee makes work with non-professionals artists (in Fat Blokes the four dancers had ‘never done this kind of thing before’), exploring issues about personal experiences that have a common theme. His work is about encouraging ‘safe spaces’ for new work to be created – ensuring new voices get heard.

Before the show Scottee ran an afternoon session ‘Making Stuff About Stuff’ - a workshop designed to address the things that make us angry in the world. Aspiring actor and Bristol resident Maya went along to find out what a workshop with Scottee was like for a young person starting out.

Scottee (second from LHS) leading 'Making Stuff About Stuff' photo @Alexa Ledecky

“I found out about this workshop and the shows taking place through Roseanna, the Assistant Producer at Trinity, and wanted to take part to develop my confidence and learn new skills.Before attending this workshop I had no expectations of what was going to happen or exactly what I was going to get out of it but I saw it as a new opportunity to get closer to where I want to be as a performer/actor.

"One thing I liked about the workshop was there was no pressure to share anything we didn’t want to and there were no right or wrong answers."

When I arrived into the room, chairs were set out in a circle at one side of the room where we all sat. The workshop began and Scottee introduced himself and what he identifies as, and then everyone in the circle went round and introduced themselves, what they identify as and where they want to be. We were told that there should be no expectations set and we are not here to learn anything.

Scottee asked us to each take a piece of paper and pen. We folded the piece of paper into a leaflet style and on one side, those who wanted to, wrote down all their identities and how others see them. If we wanted to we could then discuss them and people got the opportunity to ask questions on any specific identities we were unsure of, had questions about or found interesting. I decided to share my list with the group.

We then went to another side of the paper and wrote all the things that made us angry. After mentioning the things that made us angry we then wrote down a rant about this particular thing which we hated. I wrote about racism and my rant was against those who are racist or who don’t see racism as a serious issue. At first some of us struggled, finding it difficult to rant about something when we were not in an angry mood. For others it was an opportunity to get the issue off their chests. There was a mixture of very individual issues and those that affect lots of people. Scottee encouraged us to read over it and add more details into the rant.

The group shared their 'rants' about the things that made them cross photo @Alexa Ledecky

We came to a final decision about whether we wanted to throw it away or keep it. If we threw it away, it was like we were done with the issue, and if we kept it then that may have meant there was still more to write, discuss or work on.

One thing I liked about the workshop was there was no pressure to share anything we didn’t want to and there were no right or wrong answers. Everyone showed signs of being comfortable in the group through their body language and the conversations we had. People opened up about their identities and personal issues. It was a relaxed intimate environment without anyone being in your face.

This workshop helped me personally because I was able to think of how I identify myself and how others identify themselves - my confidence in having discussions and sharing things with others has definitely increased."

Scottee’s workshop was a great opportunity for anyone working in performance, particularly socially driven work, to learn techniques around developing work.

Want to take part? We have more workshops coming up as part of our IGNiTE Spring season.

On 10 March, learn Bharatanatyam dance with Shane Shambhu ahead of his for dance/comedy show Confessions of a Cockney Temple Dancer. 16 March learn voguing and house styles at a pre show workshop then join the party crew for dance experience Rent Party and, finally on 23 March join dance artist Toussaint To Move for a workshop about his creative process ahead of his show about migration Windows of Displacement.

Making Stuff About Stuff was presented as part of IGNiTE - our programme of world-class, innovative theatre and dance about issues that matter to people now, starting conversations and sparking debate. IGNiTE is supported using public funding by Bristol City Council and by the National Lottery through Arts Council England

Roxana (far right) and Lullabies producer Katy Noakes (far left) surrounded by children from the Rosemary Nursery @ Alexa Ledecky

Trinity neighbours Rosemary Nursery came along for a workshop in the afternoon. They were welcomed in a cosy space that really reflected the warm and intimate feel of the Lullabies project. The children and carers sat comfortably on colourful cushions and carpets and watched an audio-visual piece that showcases the Lullabies gathered by Roxana and her team.

The Lullabies rickshaw created by Designer Ruth Ramsay @ Alexa Ledecky

They then learnt to sing a Somalian lullaby with two project participants before having their photo taken on the Lullabies rickshaw. The rickshaw was created by Designer Ruth Ramsay with the idea to involve further communities by cycling around more cities to gathering more lullabies.

Trinity Engagement Office Edson Burton reading his poem amongst an audience of adults and children @ Alexa Ledecky

The workshop was followed by an evening sharing attended by a larger, mainly adult audience. The audio-visual piece was screened again and followed by a live Kurdish lullaby singing and a poem reading.

Adults and children interact after the screening and live performances before a Q£A with the Lullabies creative team @ Alexa Ledecky

It felt particularly special and soothing to have children and adults come together as part of the sharing. During the feedback session, an audience member said: “Loved having kids around made it beautifully relaxed, comforting and accessible”.

Lullaby contributors serve home made Somalian food to audience members @ Alexa Ledecky

Everyone was able to enjoy freshly cooked Somalian food as part of the sharing, which was kindly prepared and served by local project participants. This brought a particularly heart warming touch to the evening and allowed everyone to engage in informal conversations.

Two audience members sit with colourful pieces of bunting and pens on their knees @ Alexa Ledecky

As well as discussing the project with Roxana and her team in a Q&A, the audience could give written feedback about the sharing, of which: “Beautiful songs, images, words and feelings. Thank you to all who shared. It has inspired me to explore my own heritage through song” and “So much love down the generations. Singing of fears and making them less”.

The IGNiTE and Lullabies teams pose together in front of the Rickshaw @ Alexa Ledecky

Read more about the Lullabies project on Roxana’s website and about our other artists in resident including Ania Varez, Viki Browne and Vicki Hearne.

About IGNiTE

IGNiTE is Trinity's in house programme of world-class, innovative theatre and dance about issues that matter to people now, starting conversations and sparking debate. IGNiTE is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and by Bristol City Council.

Photo Alexa Ledecky

Photo Alexa Ledecky

Trinity has been selected to be one of 40 community arts centres to take part in Here and Now, a national and local celebration of culture within communities running alongside the National Lottery’s 25 year anniversary.

Like Mercury residency, Bellatrix and Emma Houston Dance Collective. Photo credit Khali Ackford

We are pleased to announce that we are looking for exciting new work to present as part of our programme of shows in Spring 2022.

We are keen to hear from artists and companies whose work responds to our current theme of Art of Resistance in exciting and innovative ways, work that is timely and relevant for our diverse local audiences and work that will inspire and engage.

What we’re looking for:

• Performance ready Theatre, Dance, Spoken Word and Cross-art form, work that responds to the themes of arts and resistance and social activism.
• Work that can be presented across two seasons: 1) between January and 31st March 2022, 2) between 1 April and 31st June 2022.
• Small-medium scale work to be programmed as single shows (on occasion we may programme more than 1 day of a performance).
• Work that can be presented outside of a traditional raked seating format. Work that is relatable and exciting to our community whether that be our local residents in inner-city Bristol, service users who regularly meet at the centre or a community that we might not have met yet but who will benefit from experiencing live performance at Trinity.
• Work that has not been previously presented in Bristol in its current state.
• Work that involves wrap-around activity that can engage our community (Q&A, workshops etc)
• At least 2 of the performances we select will be created by Bristol based artists who are based within 15 miles of Trinity Centre.

We will provide:

Between £750 and £1500 in fees to include performance fees, travel, accommodation and expenses. (Please note that you must have a bank account in your organisation’s name or be registered as self-employed) Technical support for get-in, show and get-out. Advice and guidance from relevant members of staff at Trinity and relevant partners on developing your audiences.

Pay What You Can tickets for audience members and free tickets for community participants

How to submit:

We’ll ask you to submit a tour pack of no longer than 4 pages that includes show information, engagement/wraparound activity plans, a tech specification and marketing strategy.

We’ll ask you to answer a question about how you’ll work with us to engage with our community and to tell us which season (1 or 2) your work is available for.

We’ll ask you to complete an equal opportunities form, so we can make sure these opportunities are reaching the right people, but this won’t be used in the decision to programme your show.

How we decide who to programme:

At Trinity we believe that the most important decision makers are our community. Therefore we programme our Trinity Presents Arts Programme using a Programming Forum made up of local artist and community members and people who use our building on a regular basis.

Deadline: The deadline for submissions is 9am 04 Oct

Click here to submit your tour pack and information

A release-based contemporary technique class which is inspired by the Erick Hawkins contemporary dance technique and encourages efficient, easeful and dynamic dancing. Lisa's practice and teaching is also influenced by her many years of training in Martial Arts, Alexander Technique, Yoga, Contact Improvisation and other somatic practices.

Classes are suitable for professional dancers and experienced movers, as well as those with less experience but open to trying out the technique.

Despite the soft, fluid, serene, almost effortless look, Hawkins’ movement required substantial strength and specialized technique. ... a technique known for its directed, free flow of movement initiating from the center (Renata Celichowska, author of The Erick Hawkins Modern Dance Technique).

Class opened to experienced dancers.

Classes run on the following dates, 10.30am - 12pm: