CURVE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
SAT 3 OCT 2020

Accessibility tip: To read this newsletter in an alternative font, colour, format or language, or have it read aloud by a screen reader, please launch the Recite Me assistive toolbar by clicking the pink ‘Audio Visual Help’ button in the bottom right corner of your screen.

If you would like to enjoy this newsletter in an alternative format, please get in touch at [email protected].

————————————————————————————-

Hello from Team Curve. We hope this finds you and your loved ones well.

October is Black History Month, an event which feels more important than ever in the year where the Black Lives Matter movement has been at the forefront of our minds.

Each year our Associates Serendipity curate an inspiring and insightful programme of events to mark the occasion in Leicester, and the theme for this year’s event is Black British Theatre. The programme of events got off to a flying start this week, with the Resilience exhibition at Leicester Gallery on the De Montfort University campus. The exhibition showcases the very best of black British talent across painting, mixed media and film – well worth a visit. You can explore what else is happening here.

Amongst curating great work in 2020, Serendipity are also celebrating their 10th anniversary. Many congratulations to the indomitable Pawlet Brookes and her team on reaching this incredible milestone; Pawlet’s passion, tenacity and vision are an inspiration to us all. We are indebted to her for her commitment to dance in Leicester and we look forward to continuing our work with the company over the next 10 years.

In the coming weeks we’ll be releasing our own digital project to mark Black History Month – stay tuned for more details in future newsletters.

Journeys Festival International is another annual fixture in Leicester’s cultural calendar, and is currently underway until Sun 18 Oct. The festival offers a varied programme of work exploring the refugee experience and global cultures through artistic and creative encounters. Congratulations to our friends at Artreach for bringing together another thought-provoking series of events, and we hope you’re able to watch and interact with some of the performances, discussions, films and exhibitions taking place.

Back at Curve, we’re proud as punch to share the brilliant news our Made at Curve production of Hanif Kureishi‘s My Beautiful Laundrette has been nominated for Best Stage Production at the 2020 Asian Media Awards. The production holds a very special place in our heart and we are all thrilled the production has been recognised in this way. Don’t forget you can watch the dress rehearsal archive recording of the production on our website now, alongside a post show talk with the cast and Kureishi himself.

Also nominated in the category are our friends at Kali Theatre for their production of Homing Birds, which visited Curve last year and featured our Associate Jay Varsani (Memoirs of an Asian Football Casual) as Saeed. Huge congratulations to Jay, Kali and all of our fellow nominees in the category; we wish you all the best of luck.

Our thanks as ever to Leicester City Council, Arts Council England and to you –
our audiences – for your continued support.

Take care and stay well,
Chris & Nikolai

Banner for NHS Test and Trace App. Text: Let's help stop the spread of Coronavirus. Download the NHS COVID-19 app. App Store and Google Play logos on the far right.

THE SHOW MUST GO ON-LINE

My Beautiful Laundrette nominated at Asian Media Awards

We’re delighted our Made at Curve, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, Everyman Theatre – Cheltenham and Leeds Playhouse co-production of Hanif Kureishi’s My Beautiful Laundrette has been nominated for Best Stage Production at the Asian Media Awards!

Directed by Nikolai Foster and featuring new and original music from Tennant/Lowe of Pet Shop Boys, you can watch our dress rehearsal archive recording of the drama online now at the link below.

Two magazines on a grey backdrop. The magazine covers are completely Black, text reads ‘BlackInk’.

Pre-order your copy of BlackInk Magazine 

BlackInk is an incisive new magazine focusing on Black arts, heritage and cultural politics from our Associates, Serendipity.

Rooted in the events of 2020, and the uncertainty of the opportunity to share physical space during Black History Month in October, BlackInk is a creative response bringing together a range of interconnected international voices from across the African and African Caribbean Diaspora and indigenous communities.

Promotional artwork for Journey's Festival International. Five purple illustrated heads sit in a cluster against a red background.

cArtreach's Journeys Festival International now on

With talented artists, great films, inspiring exhibitions and more, the 2020 online edition of Journeys Festival International is now taking place until Sun 18 Oct.

Curated by our friends at Artreach, this year’s festival features three chapters – The World We Live In, How We See The World and Hope & Celebration. Check out the full festival programme at the link below, and join the conversation on social media using #JourneysFestival.

Visit our Digital Hub

White Curve The Show Must Go Online logo on red background.

Enjoy archive recordings, digital performances, artist discussions and more

As the nights start to draw in and television watch lists start to dwindle, we wanted to remind you about our The Show Must Go Online hub, which is packed with Made at Curve show archive recordings, Curve in Conversation discussions, Bedtime Stories, blogs and much more to keep everyone in your ‘bubble’ inspired and entertained.

Visit our website now to explore our full content library, and let us know what you’re enjoying @CurveLeicester.

Follow Curve on:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Header imageThe Color Purple, 2019 – Photo: Manuel Harlan