Kristina Mansbridge writes:
Bermondsey Voices is a community choir open to everyone. We sing a varied and fun repertoire, perform in our community and sometimes go to the pub after rehearsals. We meet every Tuesday evening 7.30-9.00pm at St James Church on Thurland Road. For more information, please contact Kristina Mansbridge – [email protected]
Two professional musicians are launching a new music school in Rotherhithe aimed at children of primary school age. Details below.
A new term of weekly theatre-making groups for children, teenagers and adults starts in September at London Bubble.
The groups are friendly, fun and creative, and include games and exercises which will help to develop confidence and a range of performance skills.
No previous experience necessary, just turn up with enthusiasm.
The autumn term runs from the week commencing 17 September till the week of 3 December 2012.
6-8 years: Tuesdays 5-6.30pm
Saturdays 10-11.30am
9-11 years: Tuesdays 6.30-8pm.
12-14 years: Thursdays 5-6.30pm
15-19 years: Mondays 6.30 – 8.30pm
Adults: Wednesdays 7-9pm
Thursdays 7-9pm
Venue: London Bubble, 5 Elephant Lane, London SE16 4JD.
Taster classes:
If you’re new to Bubble you can come along for a trial class when the new term starts in September. Just call to find out more or to register
HOW TO BOOK
To find out more or register for a class
call: 020 7237 4434
email: [email protected]
Sign up online: www.londonbubble.org.uk
Following the success of its Grandchildren of the Blitz project, local theatre company London Bubble has received a second grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
From Docks to Desktops will involve local people, including children and elders in exploring the history of Work in Bermondsey, Rotherhithe and Deptford. It will look at how the area has changed since the closure of the Surrey Commercial Docks and related industries. The project will also look more widely at how changes in employment have affected community life, friendships and health.
“The Grandchildren of the Blitz was a fantastic process, involving hundreds of local people in exploring what happened locally in living memory and leading to a great show,” says director Jonathan Petherbridge.
“Lots of the people we interviewed talked about the docks and how the area has changed. Bubble itself works out of a former sacking warehouse near the river, and the building retains some of its original features, including a small crane and loading doors. During the Blitz project one of the older participants told me she used to work here mending sacks and described the machinery in the buildings and the bustle of the surrounding streets. We want to find out more, and scratch beneath the surface.”
Bubble are asking for volunteers to help them develop the project. The aim is to collect personal testimonies from older people and members of South East London’s diverse international communities, talking about their working life and their reflections on how south London has changed in that time. These oral histories will then be developed into a play performed by an intergenerational community cast in the summer of 2013 to audiences in the area.
If you want to tell your story or would like to help Bubble – with interviews, local research, helping with events or simply want to find out more, register your interest with Claire Sexton on 020 7237 4434 or email [email protected]
Last week 10 former street-children performed in Kagyu Samye Dzong’s shrine room in front of a full house.
The children were brought to London by the ROKPA charity, which runs the orphanage in Kathmandu where the kids have been looked after, cared for and educated after becoming homeless in often very traumatic circumstances.
The evening started off with a moving speech by the co-founder of ROKPA and vice-president of the charity Lea Wyler. She explained how much it has helped the children to be given a platform to tell of their traumatic experiences in the form of song, dance and play.
The children’s lively eyes, engaging smiles and faces full of hope could not fail to melt every one of the 120 hearts in the room. Photographs and film footage projected onto a screen behind the young performers provided the context to their story showing shots of their home country and also of what their lives were like before they were taken in by the ROKPA children’s home.
After the tumultuous applause had quietened down, Dr Akong Tulku Rinpoche the founder of Samye Ling Monastery in Scotland, and co-founder of the ROKPA charity was invited onto the stage. He spoke of his own struggles of facing a situation of near-starvation when he escaped Tibet, having to beg and experiencing tremendous suffering and explained how that has lead him to see how important it is to provide, food, shelter and, possibly above all, much-needed kindness.
The new term at London Bubble starts on 24 April.
They have groups for:
These weekly sessions give the opportunity for a wide range of people to make theatre together, assisted by experienced theatre practitioners and other specialists.