Celebrating 25 years, 1990-2015
Autumn Season 2015
For further details about any of sampad’s events visit www.sampad.org.uk or telephone 0121 446 3260
Copies of this programme are available in large print
sampad: promoting excellence and access in south asian arts since 1990
Welcome to our Autumn 2015 season programme This is a special season for us as we celebrate our 25th anniversary. We have a great mix of lively and captivating music, dance, theatre and literature events to keep you entertained over the coming months. In September we’ll be joining many of Birmingham’s leading arts and cultural organisations to showcase the city’s extraordinary cultural offer at Birmingham Weekender (page 3). The free outdoor weekend offers a truly impressive range of activities that will appeal to all ages and interests, so come and join the celebrations! The mood of celebration continues into November (page 6), as Sampad marks its 25th anniversary with a very special gala performance, featuring many renowned artists and luminaries who have been part of our journey, including long-time friend and collaborator Chitraleka Bolar who will be marking her own 25 years of dance at Adrian Boult Hall, 24-25 October. We’re delighted that the third in our series of international writing competitions, Inspired by Gandhi, caught the imagination of budding writers everywhere, with entries from more than 35 countries throughout the world. You can come and experience readings of some of the winning entries as Sampad joins Birmingham Literature Festival at the Library of Birmingham in October (page 3). Don’t forget to keep an eye on our website www.sampad.org.uk and social media feeds for updates about all of our activities Best wishes and a big thank you to all who have been and continue to be a part of Sampad.
Piali Ray OBE, Director
Photo: Sreenanda Shankar Mish
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Dance and Spoken Word Saturday 26 & Sunday 27 September, between 11am & 4pm
Sampad presents WordPlay at Birmingham Weekender Free performances! Sampad joins the fun at Birmingham Weekender, a free weekend of amazing outdoor arts and entertainment throughout the city centre. Showcasing the city’s extraordinary cultural offering, the festival features world-class artists, companies and performances and marks the opening of the newly transformed New Street Station and Grand Central and coincides with Style Birmingham Live and the Rugby World Cup. Prepare to be surprised and delighted as Sampad creates short, playful encounters with the public, with talented local artists popping up to perform captivating spoken word poetry and Indian dance. Venue
In and around the Bull Ring, Birmingham City Centre
Photo: Andrew Fox
Birmingham Weekender is organised by Birmingham Arts Partnership and produced by Birmingham Hippodrome. For full details, visit www.birminghamweekender.com @BhamWeekender #BhamWE
Spoken Word Monday 12 October, between 5pm & 7pm
Inspired by Gandhi: Pop-Up Readings at Birmingham Literature Festival Mahatma Gandhi is a towering figure in history, whose philosophy of non-violence, passion for equality and socio-political intelligence continues to be an inspiration for many. Come and experience readings, in various Library locations, of some of the winning entries from Sampad’s Inspired by Gandhi international writing competition, which invited writers aged 8 upwards to respond to and reflect on his life, philosophy and vision. Venue
Library of Birmingham (meet in Foyer), Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2ND www.birminghamliteraturefestival.org 8-17 October 2015
04 Information 0121 446 3260
Music Wednesday 30 September, 8.30pm
Sain Zahoor – live in concert Asian Arts Agency is delighted to present Sain Zahoor on his UK tour this autumn. A leading street musician from Pakistan, Zahoor is a true original who has spent most of his life singing in Sufi shrines. Rising to prominence in 1989 at the All Pakistan Music Conference, where he enthralled audiences with his passionate singing style, he didn’t produce a record until 2006 – and was then promptly nominated for a BBC World Music Award. Accompanied by his small five-piece ensemble, this charismatic figure with his raw and powerful voice is a true holy man, who makes an unforgettable impression.
“Fans of the Sufiana kalams claim that seeing and hearing Sain Zahoor in full flow is the closest anyone alive will get to being in the presence of the Sufi mystics of yore” BBC Radio 3
Venue
Symphony Hall, Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2EA Tickets
£15/£20* Ticket Office/Online Booking
0121 345 0600 www.thsh.co.uk *A £3 transaction fee per booking, plus £1 (optional) postage, will be charged on all bookings except purchases made in person at the Town Hall or Symphony Hall Box office. Presented by Asian Arts Agency
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Theatre Friday 9 - Saturday 24 October, various times
Anita and Me By Meera Syal Adapted by Tanika Gupta World premiere presented by Birmingham Repertory Theatre, in association with Theatre Royal Stratford East.
An In Conversation event with Meera Syal and Tanika Gupta will take place on 10 October.
Meera Syal’s much-loved novel bursts onto the stage for the very first time.
Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2EP
This poignant coming-of-age tale follows Meena, the irreverent teenage daughter of the only Punjabi family in the mining village of Tollington.
See birmingham-rep.co.uk for performance times
When she becomes friends with the impossibly feisty Anita, she thinks she’s found her soul mate but her world is turned upside down and she finds herself caught between her two cultures. Adapted from the much-loved novel by the award-winning playwright, Tanika Gupta and with specially composed music by the Ringham Brothers, Anita and Me paints a colourful portrait of village life in 1970s West Midlands during the era of flares, power cuts and glam rock.
Venue
Tickets
£7 – £35* (Concessions & group discounts available) Ticket Office/Online Booking
0121 236 4455 birmingham-rep.co.uk
*The BOX will make the following charges to customers purchasing tickets: debit card 50p per transaction, credit card 3% per transaction. These fees are waived for online bookings. See The BOX website for full terms & conditions.
06 Information 0121 446 3260
Dance, Music and Spoken Word Sunday 15 November, 5pm
Sampad 25th Anniversary Gala Sampad Arts celebrates its 25th anniversary with a variety of lively entertainment, including outstanding music, dance, spoken word and artists from Birmingham and beyond. The uplifting, celebratory performances feature renowned artists and luminaries including: Nahid Siddiqui, Chitraleka Bolar, Aakash Odedra, Sanchita Pal, Sanyogita Kumari, Harjinder Matharu, Mendi Singh Trio, Bollywood Dreams Dance, Shane Shambhu, Hassan Mohyeddin (Moyo), Subhash Viman Gorania, Rekesh Chauhan, Amerah Saleh and the Bollywood Therapy Band among others.
Please see www.sampad.org.uk/events for the full line-up. The entertaining family show celebrates many of the achievements and highlights from Sampad’s 25 years, along with many of the artists who have been part of its journey in Birmingham. Dynamic beat-box artist and actor Shan Bansil will MC the show. Venue
Bramall Music Building, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston B15 2TT Tickets
£10 (£8 concs) Ticket Office/Online Booking
0121 446 3232 www.macbirmingham.co.uk
Please note that while tickets can be booked via mac birmingham, the actual event takes place at Bramall Music Building. The University’s North East car park (off Pritchatts Road) is a five minute walk away and parking is free on Sundays. We do advise you to look up the exact location of the Bramall in advance of your visit. A map and directions can be found at www.sampad.org.uk/events
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Theatre Friday 9 October, 1pm and 7.30pm
All Our Heroes Kaka wants to know where his father is ... so does his mother. It’s been months since they last saw him. Weeks later, they receive a letter from the trenches of the northwest frontier in France where he has been fighting for the British Army. How did he get there? What was he doing there? To mark the centenary of the First World War, All Our Heroes explores the stories of men from the Indian sub-continent who left their homes and families to fight for the British Raj in continents far away. A talented cast brings the stories to life through physical theatre, verbatim accounts and vibrant storytelling. Venue
Arena Theatre, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton WV1 1SE Tickets
£10 (£8). All matinee tickets £5 Ticket Office/Online Booking
01902 321 321 www.arena.wlv.ac.uk Presented by Sampad in partnership with Arena Theatre and produced by zeroPlus Theatre. zeroPlus Theatre is offering a follow-up schools workshop after each matinee performance, examining British Asian heritage. Contact Arena Theatre for more details.
Music Friday 4 December, 7pm
Neon Horizon Music producer and percussionist Moyo aka Hassan Mohyeddin (son of acclaimed Kathak artist Nahid Siddiqui) presents his debut performance exploring cultural identity through indigenous roots music with contemporary urban music. As a British-Pakistani trained in both Eastern and Western music, Moyo explores a new sound language through the use of traditional South Asian instruments, digital soundscapes, synthesisers and world instruments. Neon Horizon is a metaphor for the future and explores themes relating to nature versus technology, and human fallibility versus the precision of machines. Projected visuals, including animation, feature to create an enticing narrative. Followed by Q&A with Moyo. Venue
Foyle Studio, mac birmingham, Cannon Hill Park, B12 9QH Tickets
£7 (£5) Ticket Office/Online Booking Sikh soldiers in Paris, 1916
0121 446 3232 www.macbirmingham.co.uk
Diary of Events
Get in touch
SEPTEMBER 26-27 Sampad presents In and around WordPlay at Bullring Birmingham Birmingham Weekender 30
Sain Zahoor live in concert
Between FREE 11am & 4pm
Symphony Hall, 8.30pm £15/£20 Birmingham
Celebrating 25 years, 1990-2015
OCTOBER 9 All Our Heroes
Arena Theatre, 1pm & 7.30pm £10 (£8) Wolverhampton Mat £5
9-24 Anita and Me
Birmingham Rep Various
12
Inspired by Gandhi: Library of Pop Up readings Birmingham at Birmingham Literature Festival
Between 5pm & 7pm
£7-£35 FREE
NOVEMBER 15 Sampad 25th Anniversary Gala
Bramall 5pm £10 (£8) Music Building, University of Birmingham
DECEMBER 4
Neon Horizon
mac birmingham 7pm £7 (£5)
All information in this brochure is correct at the time of printing. However, changes may occasionally be necessary and any up-to-date or additional information can be found on the Sampad website. sampad apologise in advance for any inconvenience this may cause.
Sampad is a dynamic development agency for South Asian arts based in Birmingham. Education, outreach and lifelong learning is at the heart of all our work. We provide everything from single workshops to long term projects using dance, music, theatre, crafts or literature, for all ages and abilities, working in schools, nurseries, youth centres, community organisations, health settings and more. To find out more, please get in touch.
Post c/o mac birmingham, Cannon Hill Park, Edgbaston B12 9QH Telephone 0121 446 3260 Email info@sampad.org.uk Website www.sampad.org.uk Twitter @sampad_arts Facebook /sampad.arts Sampad is a registered charity no. 1088995
You can join Sampad’s free mailing list by visiting www.sampad.org.uk Sampad is proud to be supported by the following organisations