Mike
Lande Belo suggested the theme “Ain’t I a woman?” to black female writers and the resulting plays were presented at the Tower Theatre this week. The question was originally posed by Sojourner Truth at the Women’s Rights Convention in 1851 to address the dual impact of racism and sexism on black women. Read more “Short plays by black female writers presented at Tower Theatre”
On 28 June there was a concert by the Mojo Big Band (Blow the Fuse Jazz Club) at St Matthias Church Hall, This was the last concert in the Blow the Fuse season. The Mojo Big Band plays in a variety of styles, not exclusively Jazz. Read more “Mojo Big Band at St Matthias Church Hall”
Tower theatre has presented an adaptation of the well known novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky. It tells the story of a philosophy student, Raskolnikov, who wishes to test his theorem that certain individuals are entitled to be outside the law. It is set in Russia in the eighteen sixties. Read more “Tower Theatre presented an adaptation of Crime and Punishment in June”
This new play by Laura Walden shows a handful of people in a eating disorder unit. It describes the way in which they are treated. The problems which led to their coming to the unit are hinted at as are some of the problems they are likely to encounter should an attempt be made to return them to the outside. Read more “Some Demon at the Arcola Theatre”
This month the Rio showed a film directed by Sidney Poitier for its Classic Matinee. People who had previously been slaves were making their way to Kansas where they hoped to find land which they could cultivate for themselves and where they could rear cattle. Read more “Buck and the preacher: Classic matinee at the Rio”
Julia Lafferty gave an account of the colourful history surrounding the Agapemonite church in Upper Clapton to the Hackney Historic Buildings Trust. The Sects founder Henry James Prince gathered around himself a group of wealthy followers, predominantly female who funded the building of the Church. Read more “Personalities in history of Agapemonite church”
This week the Tower theatre is showing “Out of Sorts” a play by Danusia Samal. It describes the degree to which a family from the middle east can adapt to life in England. They bring up their children to be more at home in England, with the result that they find their parents embarrassing much of the time. Read more “Out of sorts at the Tower Theatre”
This short play is a retelling of the story of the sirens who sing to ships and entice sailors to their end. Here the three sirens have retired from this activity after failing to trap Odysseus. A desperate woman attempts to bring them into service one more time as she wants to get rid of her wicked husband. Read more “Fabulous creatures at the Arcola theatre”
This week the Tower Theatre gave a performance of Shakespeare’s play Measure for Measure. Some of the early performance were given with the title “The Law against lovers” which gives a better idea of what it is about. A Duke has come to the opinion that the Laws on fidelity applied in his state are so onerous that they have had to be interpreted too liberally. Read more “Measure for Measure at Tower Theatre”
This play by Susan-Lori Parks is about Grace, a woman seeking positivity in the world by keeping a book of everything good in her life. Her husband is a patrol officer on the Texas -Mexico border. When he is awarded a medal for his service, Grace invites his estranged son Buddy to join them at the ceremony. Read more “Book of Grace at the Arcola Theatre”
This month;s talk as the East London History Society was about the good working that Henrietta Barnett did at this Victorian workhouse ensuring that the women and girls were properly cared for and acquired skills which they can make use of.
From 10 to 12 May there was a Hackney History Festival organised by Hackney Society and Hackney Archives. There were lots of interesting talke on such subjects as Famous Women from Hackney, the Siege of Sidney Street and the Gainsborough Studios. Read more “Hackney History Festival”
A play by Kwame Kwei-Armah at the Tower Theatre, Stoke Newington. It asks whether a successful TV personality can become a successful politician. It asks what this individual represents to the public and whether he is satisfied enough with this to promote himself as a politician.
This week the Writers’ Room were invited to wrote a short play in response to the theme of “Home”. I thought Sibila Diaz-Plaja chose a theme which was most appropriate. Her play was about a couple who were splitting up after spending some years together. Read more “Writers’ room: Home at the Tower Theatre”
Food writer for a monthly magazine that describes an ideal way of life in the home represents herself as a hard working farm woman, taking care of her children and describing the wonderful meals she cooks. This is all in her imagination as she cant cook and lives in a flat in New York. Read more “Christmas in Connecticut Rio monthly film for the elderly”