Ankur Productions Blog

Would you like to be in with the chance to win a free family ticket to see the debut show titled Mwana?

If so, all you have to do to enter the competition is to write up to 100 words of your top-tip on ‘How to Survive School’.

Be as creative and as unusual as you like! For example, you could write us a poem or lyrics to your song or even a short story on how you have survived through school.

We are offering the competition winner the choice of taking up to three people to see the show in either the Tron Theatre in Glasgow or the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh.

Presented by ANKUR PRODUCTIONS in a co-production with TRON THEATRE COMPANY, ‘Mwana’ is a play written by the Glasgow based Zimbabwean poet and writer Tawona Sitole and directed by Shabina Aslam.

Mwana is a coming of age story which explores the relationships of family, race, tradition, and secrets. The show infuses elements of spoken word, film and sound design to transport you to the city of Harare in Zimbabwe.

The play is centred around Mwanawashe, or Mwana as he is better known to some, he is a young Zimbabwean who has studied in Glasgow. He is torn between his love for the West and the traditional values and expectations put upon him from his heritage. Mwana is a salad boy -he is neither Western nor African. Mwana returns to Harare for his elder brother’s wedding, yet he has a deep secret to reveal which has far more profound consequences than he can even imagine. Mwana needs to face up to his responsibilities, but can he?

Please email your entries to office@ankurproductions.org.uk or post them to
Unit 232/ the Briggait
141 Bridgegate
Glasgow
G1 5HZ

Remember to put your full name, age, contact telephone number, email address, your year group and school/ college/ university in with your entry.

Competition closes on the Friday 3rd February.

Ankur Productions is looking for a small group of people to create new stories using mobile phone technology.

The project is based on our new production, Mwana which is a co-production with The Tron Theatre in Glasgow. This is the first play by Glasgow based Zimbabwean poet Tawona Sitholé.

We are interested in supporting new writers to create work based around the play. The project is also an opportunity to develop new audiences using social media.

If selected, you will be working with Mariza Dima, a digital designer from the Moving Targets project and Tawona Sitholé, poet and playwright.

What does it involve?
We have programmed 3 x 2 hour sessions alongside the opportunity to attend rehearsals in (all based in Glasgow):
10th January 6pm – 8pm: an introduction to the technology
17th January 6pm – 8pm: a walking tour with Tawona exploring ‘Mwana’s Glasgow’
w/c 24th January: the opportunity to attend rehearsals
31st January 6pm – 8pm: update session: a chance to feedback on stories and progress
3rd February: stories are ready for digital distribution

How to get involved
Simply email a short paragraph on what you think makes a good story, along with your name, to karen.shaw@ankurproductions.org.uk by midday Monday 9th January 2011. We will select 6-8 people to take part in the project. To be able to participate in the project you must have your own smart phone and be over 16 years of age.

The stories will then be promoted digitally as part of the promotion and marketing of Mwana.

GIRL is a celebration and exploration of women in Glasgow, past and present.

In recent weeks, artist Adura Onashile and a team of artists have led arts workshops which used sound, text, film, music, movement and testimonies to explore, within a Scottish context, the rules we learnt from our mothers (and other female relatives) which inform our contemporary sense of womanhood.

We've had a diverse mix of women from various ages and backgrounds join us for these workshops. All workshops have been inspired by the rules which have been instilled in us, such rules as "This is how to sew a button. This is how to make a bed. This is how to cook a perfect curry."

The visual artist Lindsey Perth, as well as the sound artist Kim Moore, and Claire Docherty -a chorus artist have led some fantastic community workshops. From these workshops, we have visual & sound recordings which we will merge with live performance for our sharing.

We invite you, and hope that, you can come join us at our Sharing.

The sharings will be held at StreetLevel Photoworks, Trongate 103, Glasgow, G1 5HD
Thursday 1st December @ 7pm
Friday 2nd December @ 7pm
Saturday 3rd December @ 2pm

For more information, please get in contact with Rhea via email at rhea.lewis@ankurproductions.org.uk

We now have a facebook event page!
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=133583220083867&pending&context=c...

Ankur Productions is currently seeking a full time General Manager to work with the Artistic Director to develop and deliver a new programme of work. The General Manager will ensure that the general administration of the company, its offices and projects are efficiently planned and managed.

The company has played a pioneering role in developing Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic arts (BAME) in Scotland. Set up in 2004, it mounts professional theatre productions, music and literature events and runs an extensive programme of community workshops. The three programme strands are world class theatre; community and outreach programmes; and supporting emerging artists.

Key skills include producing, financial management and income generation.

The salary is £23,000-£25,000 dependent on experience.

For a full recruitment pack please contact Karen Shaw on 0141 559 4935 or email karen.shaw@ankurproductions.org.uk

Closing date for applications is midday, Friday 9th December 2011.

Last week we had the first meeting with our artists who we will be developing their ideas for a Scratch Performance night at the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow in April 2012.

The selected artists will be mentored by Ankur's Artistic Director, Shabina Aslam and Guy Hollands, Citizens Theatre. The programme offers support, mentoring and a small bursary to develop work over a 6 month period.

We had a great response to the programme, so much so that we had to choose 7 proposals instead of 6. The work represents a range of art forms including: writing, spoken word, photography and dance.

The artists we will be working with are:
Arpita Shah
Lou Prendergast
Louie bhoy
Nalini Chetty
Nalini Paul
Satya Dunning
Shahzaib Saleem

Ankur Productions are launching our artist residency programme 2011/12.
We are currently inviting proposals from artists of any discipline to apply for 6 available places.
Selected artists will be awarded:
- Mentorship from an experienced arts professional, involving 6 meetings (1 per month) from November 2011 – April 2012.
- The opportunity to develop a new piece of work over the course of the residency, to be presented at a Glasgow city centre venue to be confirmed, as part of a ‘scratch’ style programme.
- £400 bursary award.

To apply please send the following to Karen Shaw on karen.shaw@ankurproductions.org.uk by midday on Thursday 27th October 2011:
- an artistic proposal outlining the artistic idea you would like to develop, why you want to develop this work with Ankur and what you hope to gain from the experience (no more than 1 side A4)
- A CV

About Ankur Productions:

Vision:
Ankur Productions aims to transform the representation of Black and Minority Ethnic artists and Black and Minority Ethnic communities in the production, consumption and enjoyment of arts and culture in Scotland.

Ankur aims to change the expectations, aspirations and perceptions of audiences and funders.

Mission:
To achieve this vision, Ankur’s mission is to:
develop creative projects across all media that break new ground. This is achieved by initiating innovative collaborations between professional Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) artists at a national and international level and by providing the BME communities in Scotland increased opportunities to create and be involved in high quality arts and cultural projects.

Founded in 2004, Ankur Productions is committed to supporting the development of emerging talent from Scotland’s many diverse communities by creating projects that encourage an engagement with the arts in all their forms. www.ankurproductions.org.uk

Ankur Productions are looking for a General Manager to cover an interim period from October – December 2011, while the post is recruited for on a longer term basis. The post would commence on Monday 10th October.

For more details, including a job description, or to apply, please contact suzi.simpson@ankurproductions.org.uk with the following by 12pm on Thursday 29th September:

- Your CV
- A covering letter (no more than 2 A4 sides)

You may be contacted for an interview. We will only contact shortlisted applicants.

www.ankurproductions.org.uk

This is how to sew a button.
This is how to make a bed.
This is how to cook a perfect curry.

GIRL is a participation project inspired by Antiguan writer Jamaica Kincaid’s poem of the same name. Using sound, text, film, music, movement and testimonies workshops will explore, within a Scottish context, the rules we learnt from our mothers, grandmothers or pass on to our daughters that inform our contemporary sense of womanhood.

Get involved! We are looking for women of any age to join our creative workshops taking place:

Mon 3rd & Tues 4th October, 6 – 9pm
Focus on visual & filming

Mon 17th & Tues 18th October, 6-9pm
Focus on sound & recording

Mon 14th & Tues 15th November, 6-9pm
Focus on choral music & song

Mon 28th & Tues 29th November, 6-9pm
Focus on movement & dance

Wed 30th November, 6-9pm
Rehearsal workshop

Location: All workshops will take place at Street Level Photoworks @ Trongate 103, Glasgow, G1 5HD. For directions please follow the link: http://www.streetlevelphotoworks.org/streetlevel/contact/contact.html

The workshop sessions will culminate in a performance installation sharing of live performance, recordings and film on Thursday 1st, Friday 2nd & Saturday 3rd December at Street Level Photoworks.

You don’t need to attend all of the sessions to contribute to or take part in the final installation & sharing.

To secure your place or for further information please contact Raisah Ahmed on raisah.ahmed@ankurproductions.org.uk / 07554355333.

*Workshops are free. No experience necessary!

This is a call out to all you storytellers in Glasgow!

Ankur Productions in association with the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights present

STORYTELLING SLAM

How would you like to win a £1000 commission to write and perform a brand new story about your experience of growing up or living in Glasgow? We are looking for storytellers from Glasgow’s Black and Asian communities to take part in two rounds of an X Factor, Hip-Hop style face off with other storytellers in Glasgow to be
in with the chance of winning this £1000 commission.

All ages 14+ welcome.
All art forms welcome.

To enter the Storytelling Slam and guarantee your place on the night please contact Steve on steve.collins@ankurproductions.org.uk / 07531 033696 by Thursday 29th September.

Round One: Thursday 6th October, 8pm
Round Two: Thursday 27th October, 8pm
@ MONO, 12 Kings Court, Glasgow

For directions please visit: www.monocafebar.com

In Round Two eight Storytellers go head to head. Only one will survive and win a £1000 commission to write and perform a new story in 2012.

FREE admission, come along and help decide who wins!

ROUND 1 - FAQs

What is a Storytelling Slam?

It?s a competition where storytellers compete to win a £1000 commission. To celebrate Black History Month during October, Ankur Productions are inviting you to tell a 1-3 minute story based on the theme Glasgow and Me.

Who can take part?

Anyone from 14 to 114. As this event is part of Black History Month we particularly encourage storytellers from Glasgow?s Black and Asian Communities.

What if I've never performed a story before?

It doesn?t matter, we are looking for all sorts of people to get involved. If you?ve got a story, we want to hear it.

How long can my story be?

All stories must be no more than 1-3 minutes long.

Do I just have to speak my story?

No. You can perform it in any way you want to. Speak it, sing it, dance it, whatever.

What if I want to perform my story with friends?

That?s great but due to the nature of the space groups can only be a maximum of 4.

What happens in Round 1?

In Round 1 you will compete against 2 other storytellers. The audience and judges will decide who goes through.

Who judges my story?

Beatboxer Bigg Taj, Ankur?s Shabina Aslam and playwright Tawona Sithole.

What happens if I get through to the Final?

If you come through Round 1 you will be invited to attend a Saturday master class session with Taj, Paul and Shabina to be held at the Briggait and you will be invited to compete in the Final on the 27th October to win £1000 commission to develop a piece that will be
shown before Tawona Sithole?s Mwanawashe, at the Tron theatre in February.

Any more questions email steve.collins@ankurproductions.org.uk

All stories will be published by Ankur after the competition. If you do not want Ankur to publish your story please let us know.

ANKUR PRODUCTIONS’ PANGAA PROJECT NOMINATED FOR NATIONAL LOTTERY AWARDS 2011

Ankur Productions’ PANGAA project is one of only ten projects (with only one other from Scotland- the Briggait) to make it through to the semi-finals of the National Lottery Awards in the Best Arts Project category.

Voting for the finals starts at 9am on Tuesday 31st May and ends at 12pm on Monday 20th June. Votes can be placed on our dedicated phoneline number: 08448369675 or online: www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards/best-arts-project/95/

Ankur’s 18-month long PANGAA (meaning ‘chaos’ in Punjabi) project invited young people from across Glasgow’s diverse communities to take part in a broad range of urban arts, including Capoeira, filmmaking, beatboxing, DJing and street dance. The project was aimed primarily, but not exclusively, at Glasgow’s Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities and consisted of 17 satellite projects and workshops across the city that culminated in a short film, live music events, mini theatre performances and a final large scale site specific theatre and music production entitled Playback (by Davey Anderson, dir. Paddy Cunneen, the Briggait, Oct 2010), all of which served to bring a host of young people from different cultures together.

Emma Campbell, PANGAA’s Project Manager said “Territorial issues in Glasgow can lead to a lack of socialising between communities in the different geographical areas. Ankur already had some success running projects in different communities and the idea was to bring them together to break down those territorial barriers. National Lottery funding enabled us to take the model we had created with smaller projects and turn it into a much more ambitious, city-wide enterprise.”

The National Lottery Awards are an annual search to find the UK's favourite Lottery-funded projects. The winning project in each category will receive national recognition on a BBC One TV show and, in addition to the Lottery funding they have already received, will receive a £2,000 cash prize to spend on their project.

Shereen Nanjiani, Ankur’s Chairperson said, “We’re delighted to have made it to the semi-finals of the National Lottery awards. The work Ankur has done with the PANGAA project has succeeded in making the arts accessible to a whole group of young people who wouldn’t otherwise have had that opportunity. It’s one of Ankur’s key aims to promote cultural diversity in the arts. If we were to win the award, it would allow us to build on what we’ve achieved with PANGAA and encourage more young people to get involved. I urge people to take a few minutes to vote for us. It would mean so much to the work we do.”

Ankur Productions, along with Pachamama Productions, have also been nominated for the upcoming CATS (Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland) 2011 in 5 categories for their production Roadkill.

Now in their 8th year, the National Lottery Awards aim to recognise the incredible difference that Lottery-funded projects have made to people, places and communities all across the UK. They also celebrate the talent, hard work and amazing dedication of the people involved in running Lottery-funded projects.