Preview by Steve Cooke
Oldham Coliseum Theatre has been working with four local artists selected from the Crafted programme to support them on their artistic journey and support the creation of new theatre. We are now giving the people of Oldham a first look at their developing pieces.
Craft Brew is a creative sharing session for the audience to experience new theatre, dance and performance work freshly brewed by Oldham artists. From 2:30-3:45pm, each artist will perform a short extract of their new work and following this until 4:30pm the audience will have the chance to talk with the artists and give them feedback. Tea and biscuits will be provided, and the session will be facilitated by Emmanuel Bajiiji.
Helen Goodman, Artist Development Coordinator of Oldham Coliseum Theatre said
"It's truly inspiring to witness the exceptional quality of new work emerging right in our community! These artists bring a wealth of experience, and the four projects are incredibly diverse. Where else can you see a John Lennon look-alike alongside homemade instruments and performance poetry? Oldham is a vibrant hub, teeming with creative individuals producing extraordinary new theatre and performance pieces. Craft Brew showcases four of the finest projects, offering us a unique opportunity to contribute to the creative process."
Our Crafted programme for 2025 was designed to support four artists, living or working in Oldham, to develop and showcase their work. We are passionate about making opportunities to create supportive and inspiring spaces for fellow artists to meet, share and collaborate which is what Crafted is all about. The artists are being provided rehearsal space, expenses and bursary, mentors based on their creative processes, and creative production support from Helen Goodman to aid the development of their performances without the pressure of creating a finished product.
‘Broken Bricks Build’ - Dada Zubeda
This solo piece takes you through the journey of Dada’s experience growing up brick by brick, how the foundations for change were laid in her life and how she learned to rebuild. All the emotions, phases of growth and development, observations and reflections will be acknowledged throughout while engaging with the audience to construct a vivid image of the blueprints that tell her history.
She guides you along her story using spoken word poetry, music, rhythm and body movements, making her own instruments with sounds that underscore the text to truly forge a tale of her own and present the process of building with basics, layering it beautifully till the complete project.
Mentored by Zodwa Nyoni who started writing poetry in 2005 with Leeds Young Authors and has now gone on to write full-length plays and multiple short films, the two share a passion for using rhythm and flow to express their creativity.
‘The Quiet Life’ - Elle Warsop
‘The Quiet Life’ is a bold exploration of sound, silence, and the complex layers of identity and communication. It follows a woman in her late 50s who suddenly loses all her hearing after being deaf in one ear her whole life. Through this piece, Elle will explore her own deaf identity and experiment with how to tell this story.
Elle hopes to work with a sound engineer to create an experience that helps audiences understand what it feels like to lose hearing. She also plans to work with a BSL interpreter, to integrate them into the narrative as part of the performance rather than just a translator.
Striving to balance humour and emotion, Elle wants to discover if the piece can make people laugh as well as cry. Mentored by Hull-based writer and director Maureen Lennon, who is currently an Associate Artist at Middle Child Theatre, the two will collaborate to tell a moving story that can be heard by all.
‘Flesh & Bones’ - Heather White
This is an original redeveloped piece by Heather exploring the colonisation, oppression and exploitation of the female body, as well as the reclamation of space and liberation of trauma through movement. It weaves together a constellation of individual stories, tackling issues spanning topics such as self-image, pop culture and the porn industry.
Blending dance, contemporary movement, poetry and projection- ‘Flesh & Bones’ is both beautifully raw and glamorously real. Heather aims to create a powerful work that resonates with and builds community among women.
This is Heather’s most passionate project yet, combining her experience, skills, and knowledge to her emerging company. She hopes to craft an impactful piece that explores the complexities of womanhood with intelligence, humour and emotional depth.
[Most suitable for an 18+ audience due to adult themes].
‘On Air’ - Jake Scott
Jake Scott is passionate about queer representation, new writing, and uplifting under-represented voices. His piece ‘On Air’ embodies these values down to its production. The one-person play follows a trans man facing online harassment after challenging a transphobic guest on a radio show using a minimalist set to focus on what it means to speak/be heard.
The practicalities of working with sound, both recorded and live engineered, are mediums that Jake enjoys exploring. 'On Air’ will showcase his experimentation with sound equipment/effects used on the stage along with segments of the script recorded and played back. Queer music culture will also be a key theme throughout.
Le Gasp! Productions are a group of neurodivergent theatre makers known for their bold new musicals who make the shows they want to see, tell the stories they want to hear and make them the way they want to. They will be mentoring Jake who wants to tell a trans-masculine story that honestly addresses transphobia and trans joy. ‘On Air’ is his opportunity to innovate with sound technology, experiment with playwriting, and grow as a performer.
For more details about the event and to book tickets go to https://www.coliseum.org.uk/spektrix/spektrix-events/craft-brew/
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