Jackie Hagan's This Is Not A Safe Space celebrates the weird, the wonky, the unruly, and the resilient (Oct 19)

Our Autumn 2018 season of our in house theatre and dance programme, IGNiTE , presents four shows whose themes ask: How far have we actually come?

"Politics, race, gender, sexuality, poverty, crime, austerity, pay gaps, #metoo our society seems deeply polarised. IGNiTE presents four shows that are in different ways providing a snapshot of our divided times and ask: how far have we come?” Rhiannon Jones Programme Manager

Launching on October 19 with award winning comedian and writer, Jackie Hagan’s This Is Not A Safe Space. Commissioned by Unlimited, Jackie conducted interviews with people from all over the country living on the fringes and the spaces in between. These are not sob stories - they are well rounded lives full of the spiky humor and the complicated weirdness of being human. Jackie weaves these narratives together with poetry and anecdotes, in a performance celebrating the weird, the wonky, the unruly, and the resilient.

An all female cast feature in The Forecast, by Limbik Theatre (Oct 20). Based on George Saunders’ short story The Semplica Girl Diaries. Set in the not too distant future, the latest must-have consumer craze and status symbol are Human Garden Ornaments; women, from developing countries, hoisted up in affluent backyards, thin wires through their brains connecting them to news, travel, weather. In The Forecast, we hear what life is like for the four of them in this dystopian theatre piece. It could never happen...could it?

Rachael Young and badass band of super-humans embrace Afrofuturism and the cult of Grace Jones in: Nightclubbing (Nov 2)

Next up, join award winning Rachael Young and her badass band of super-humans as they embrace Afrofuturism, the cult of Grace Jones and intergalactic visions to start a revolution in Nightclubbing (Nov 2). This explosive dance performance traces the connections between Grace Jones’ 1981 landmark album ‘Nightclubbing’ and a London club's refusal to admit three Black women on the grounds of race in 2015?

'It is more than OK to be this way' in Sardoville's For Only An Hour (Nov 24)

Tackling the continuing oppression of LGBTQ++ community, Sardoville’s one man romp For Only An Hour (Nov 24) is a queer manifesto told through dance, song, spoken word and performance art. Created in response to the 2017 persecution of the LGBTQ++ community in Chechnya, this show is about celebrating who we are, and offering support to a new generation by saying: it’s more than OK 'to be this way'.

Get involved

IGNiTE resident artist Vicki Browne will develop a new piece of work 'Hyper Fem'

Throughout the season there are opportunities for public to take part and get more involved. From joining in the conversation in one of our post show talk backs, dancing the night away at our post show club night following Nightclubbing’s to signing up to one of our Artist led workshops. Keep an eye on our website for updates.

As part of the IGNiTE programme Trinity will be supporting four resident artists across the year who will receiving professional support and developing work in Trinity’s performance space – Fyfe Hall. Bristol based artists Ania Varez, Roxana Vilk, Vicki Hearne and Viki Browne will all receive professional help and support, rehearsal space and a bursary to develop new work at Trinity.

Previous IGNITE residents include performance artist Caroline Williams, dance practitioners Ella Mesma,  Sara Dos Santos and Latisha Cesar, theatre makers Uninvited Guests and Back in 5 Minutes Squad who joined up with disability led arts organisation Art in Motion.

Tickets to all IGNiTE shows are priced at £11 standard and £9 for concessions and can be purchased online at trinitybristol.org.uk

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 Bristol City Council and by the National Lottery through Arts Council England

South West Dance Theatre and Breathing Fire team up to bring home to you the riot of emotions that make up this legendary love story - the hatred between the two families sworn enemies, the love that knows no bounds, and the grief and tragedy that ultimately brings reconciliation. With Breathing Fire's inimitable African griot-inspired playback theatre alongside SWDT's signature blend of ballet, contemporary, jazz, capoeira, Latin and tap in a dance performance of Romeo and Juliet – we make you the audience the heroes and heroines experiencing how all this would feel using a mixture of pop, indie and classical music.

South West Dance Theatre draws from styles including ballet, tap, contemporary, Latin, commercial and capoeira, and has danced in venues from festivals and street performances to traditional theatres. The company has generated work around topics ranging from fairy tales to the physics of light and has repeatedly returned to Shakespeare. More details available at www.southwestdancetheatre.co.uk

Breathing Fire is the only all black all women playback theatre group in the UK. By sharing stories offered by the audience taps in to the griot – the culture of Afrikan storytelling, which is grounded in the group’s ancestral African Caribbean heritage. More details available at http://www.breathingfire.co.uk/

Roots of Rumba is coming to Trinity on July the 6th! The Afro-Latin dance festival, curated by fomer IGNiTE artist in resident Ella Mesma features shows that stand for representing the diversity of dances of the African Diaspora.

The line-up includes performances by Sandra Passirani, Latisha Cesar, RJC, Franck Arnaud-Lusbec, Iris de Brito and Myriam Gadri. In “Mine Or Theirs”, Sandra Passirani reflects on her own identity and body as a queer woman of colour. The performance invites the audience to realise how social constructs smother and bend the beauty and sacredness of womanhood.

Franck Arnaud-Lusbec’s “Di-Osmosis” celebrates his Martiniquan roots and how these have shaped and still shape who he is today. Through his performance, he explores how his origins harmoniously blend with his eagerness to discover other cultures to form a perfect osmosis. “Uprooting”, performed by Iris De Brito, is a work in progress centred around the family bonds severed through migration and immigration. The show sheds light on how forced movement creates new identities and trauma that reflect through generations.

Myriam Gadri’s dance piece “The Lost Goddess” depicts the unexpected awakening of the Lady of the River, after a hundred years of ceremonial attempts to break her sleep, Further unexpected events follow and lead two women to eventually discover they are stronger and more in tune with the elements when they coexist.

For further information about the different performances and artists, and to book tickets click here.

"THANK GOD IT'S NOT WINTERSLAM 3"!

Doors 3.30PM, First Match 4PM

No physical tickets will be distributed for this event. Print off your PayPal receipt or present your transaction number on the door. 

This event will be recorded for On Demand. No filming permitted

During the evening there will be performances from the very best of local, national and international dance theatre representing dance of the African diaspora. There will also be two free introductory workshops in Rumba and Samba taught by Ella Mesma between 6:00pm-7.45pm.

Growing up, Ella often felt her dance forms didn’t get the same respect and opportunity to shine as contemporary and ballet. In response to this she decided to create a festival that allows Afro-Latin theatre a spotlight on the stage.

Roots of Rumba is produced & curated by award-winning dancer and choreographer Ella Mesma. Ella Mesma and her Company have been commissioned to curate for a number of leading arts organisations including Sadler’s Well and they have presented work in a number of highly regarded venues and festivals such as Dance City, Breakin’ Convention and Casa Latin American Festival. Roots of Rumba is supported by funding from Arts Council England and will visit Dance City in Newcastle, Lion Salt Works in Northwich (supported by Cheshire Dance), Yorkshire Dance in Leeds and Richmix in London alongside Bristol.

What is Afro-Latin Dance Theatre?

Afro-Latin Dance Theatre includes: Rumba, Tango, Afro-Cuban; Afro-Brasilian; Samba, Salsa; Capoeira; Baile Funk; Kuduru; Bachata; Hip Hop (many forms were created by the Latin community in the USA), Caribbean dances - including Haitian dance, Dance hall and African dances such as Sabar, Kizomba (as all Afro-Latin dance forms can be traced back to Africa in their roots).

Get Involved:

CPD workshops: Are you an artist in one of the above styles?

Would you like to build a long term relationship with the festival? Are you based in one of the above cities? Would you love to spend a day working with us on your newest piece? We would love to hear from you!

Apply using this form

Local artists and performers:-

Are you an artist in one of the above styles based in the above cities? Would you love to present your work in 2018? Do you have a show ready?

Apply using this form

Dance workshops 6th July :-

6.30pm – 7.00pm: Rumba (with Ella Mesma)

Roots of Rumba Promo 2018 from Ella Mesma on Vimeo.

During the evening there will be performances from the very best of local, national and international dance theatre representing dance of the African diaspora. There will also be two free introductory workshops in Rumba and Samba taught by Ella Mesma between 6:00pm-7.45pm.

Growing up, Ella often felt her dance forms didn’t get the same respect and opportunity to shine as contemporary and ballet. In response to this she decided to create a festival that allows Afro-Latin theatre a spotlight on the stage.

Roots of Rumba is produced & curated by award-winning dancer and choreographer Ella Mesma. Ella Mesma and her Company have been commissioned to curate for a number of leading arts organisations including Sadler’s Well and they have presented work in a number of highly regarded venues and festivals such as Dance City, Breakin’ Convention and Casa Latin American Festival. Roots of Rumba is supported by funding from Arts Council England and will visit Dance City in Newcastle, Lion Salt Works in Northwich (supported by Cheshire Dance), Yorkshire Dance in Leeds and Richmix in London alongside Bristol.

What is Afro-Latin Dance Theatre?

Afro-Latin Dance Theatre includes: Rumba, Tango, Afro-Cuban; Afro-Brasilian; Samba, Salsa; Capoeira; Baile Funk; Kuduru; Bachata; Hip Hop (many forms were created by the Latin community in the USA), Caribbean dances - including Haitian dance, Dance hall and African dances such as Sabar, Kizomba (as all Afro-Latin dance forms can be traced back to Africa in their roots).

Get Involved:

CPD workshops: Are you an artist in one of the above styles?

Would you like to build a long term relationship with the festival? Are you based in one of the above cities? Would you love to spend a day working with us on your newest piece? We would love to hear from you!

Apply using this form

Local artists and performers:-

Are you an artist in one of the above styles based in the above cities? Would you love to present your work in 2018? Do you have a show ready?

Apply using this form

Dance workshops 6th July :-

6.30pm – 7.00pm: Rumba (with Ella Mesma)

Roots of Rumba Promo 2018 from Ella Mesma on Vimeo.

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.

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

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.

UK PREMIERE

You are invited to the final requiem for the last music joint left in town.

Acclaimed Australian artist Joseph O’Farrell (JOF) and Sam Halmarack combine theatre with the fist-pumping euphoria and power ballads of a stadium gig, in WE ARE LIGHTNING!, a darkly comical work that reflects on the importance of communal spaces where people can come together and express themselves.

Trinity is transformed into a music venue on the brink of closure. A teen band, a community choir and ageing rockers join JOF’s drums and Sam’s guitar to mark and protest its demise, leading audiences through a strange ceremony and heartfelt celebration of how music shapes the lives of the people who play it.

Join us for our last chance to come together and be saved by music.

“Whole Lotta Love for the spirit of live music.” The AGE

“Spirited and defiant.” Melbourne Arts

Wed 16 May, 4:00pm

Thu 17 May, 9:00pm

Fri 18 May, 9:00pm

Running time: 65 mins

Age guidance: All ages (6-106)

WE ARE LIGHTNING! is supported using public funding by Arts Council England through its Strategic Touring Fund.

Following its performance at Mayfest, WE ARE LIGHTNING! will tour to Strike a Light in Gloucester, Quarterhouse Folkestone and Derby Theatre.

Image by Pia Johnson

Velvet Petal explores the transformative power of beauty, created out of whatever is on the bedroom floor. The dancers experiment, seduce and philosophise through their bodies, clothing and ideas. This fresh new work from Scottish Dance Theatre’s Artistic Director Fleur Darkin is inspired by the life-cycle of the monarch butterfly and Robert Mapplethorpe’s polaroids. Set to a fresh dance-punk score arranged by Torben Lars Sylvest, including music by LCD Soundsystem, Spoek Mathambo and Four Tet.

Scottish Dance Theatre is Scotland’s principal contemporary dance company and is fast becoming one of the foremost contemporary dance companies in Europe. SDT is a research engine for dance, and commission the most exciting choreographers to make original and exclusive works that they bring to Scotland and the world.

★★★★★ “Lively, playful and gutsy and guaranteed to put a spring in your step” Edinburgh Festivals Magazine

★★★★ “A truly compelling piece, exquisitely performed” The Stage

★★★★ “Darkin’s choreography is fresh and clever” The Wee Review

★★★★ "An erotic and electrifying dance-drama" Edinburgh Guide

Wed 16 May, 7:00pm*

Thu 17 May, 7:00pm

Fri 18 May, 7:00pm

Running time: 65 mins

Age guidance: 14+

*Following the performance of Velvet Petal on Wednesday 16 May, Bristol-based band Mesadorm will bring their leftfield melodies and warm vocal harmonies to the Trinity Centre. This five-piece is the new collaborative project of Blythe Pepino, formerly of London Art Pop trio, Vaults. Mesadorm walk the line between pop and experimentation, drawing from a palette of electronica, dance and visual art.

Image by Brian Hartley