Disability Rights UK - Networking and Empowerment meeting in Birmingham on 1 March

Disability Rights UK is a new organisation formed from the recent merger of Radar, Disability Alliance and the National Centre for Independent Living.

We are holding a series of regional events to introduce the new organisation to disabled people and their organisations across the country. This is an opportunity for you and / or your organisation to find out about Disability Rights UK, to ask questions, and crucially, to get involved. Disability Rights UK aims to be a user-led organisation, so we need you to be part of it.

Please come along to one of the events; we’d love to see you there.

Thursday 16th February, Darlington, Dolphin Centre
Tuesday 21st February, Leicester, Leicester CIL
Thursday 1st March, Birmingham, RNIB
Tuesday 6th March, Ipswich, IP City
Tuesday 13th March, London, SCOPE, Market Road
Wednesday 14th March, Southampton, Southampton CIL
Monday 19th March, Sheffield, The Circle
Tuesday 27th March, Manchester, Breakthrough UK
Wednesday 4th April, Plymouth, HQ

For Darlington, Sheffield and Manchester download the Booking Form or contact Cheryl Gowar, 020 7503 6176, Cheryl.Gowar@radar.org.uk

For Leicester, Birmingham, Ipswich, London, Southampton and Plymouth download the Booking Form or contact Karen Earl, 020 7587 1663, projects@ncil.org.uk

Agenda

10.00 Arrival and Refreshments

10.30 Welcome, Introductions and Purpose of the Day

10.40 Disability Rights UK – An Introduction Why a new organisation? How will it be led by disabled people? What is the vision, mission, values and objectives of Disability Rights UK?Questions

11.15 What is Disability Rights UK currently doing?Outline of what we are doing on policy and campaigns,independent living, poverty.Development of our organisations, disabled leaders,information and services.

11.45 Break

12.00 What is happening in your area?Table discussion and feedback

12.45 Lunch

1.30 What do you think Disability Rights UK should be doing?Facilitated table discussi

2.30 Break

2.45 Putting it all together – A Plan of Action

3.15 Last Comments and Evaluation of the Day

3.30 Close

Chance to learn about irritable bowel syndrome from Hospital specialist

Locals interested in learning more about irritable bowel syndrome have the chance to hear from a Solihull Hospital specialist when the Hospital hosts a talk on the subject.

Consultant Dr Rex J Polson will talk about the digestive condition experienced by many people at some point in their life. There is no cure or clear, precise cause but he will talk about how to improve symptoms and deal with aggravating factors.

Dr Polson explains: “Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is not a dangerous condition but it can cause bouts of stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation that can be distressing and make life difficult. It is unpredictable. A flare-up can follow many symptom-free months but with treatment and lifestyle changes there is no reason why people with IBS should not expect to live a normal, full and active life.”

Seminar organiser, membership and community engagement manager, Sandra White said: “We hope people will come along to the seminar and leave feeling a lot more knowledgeable about irritable bowel syndrome. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask our expert questions and discuss their own thoughts and experiences of the disease. The Hospital is committed to educating the public about their health.”

The seminar is taking place on 21 February at 5pm in the Education Centre at Solihull Hospital. To book your place or to find out details of the Hospital’s future health seminars, contact Sandra White on 0121 424 1218 or email Sandra.white@heartofengland.nhs.uk.  

Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival - Press Release – First Artists Announced

The Mostly Jazz Festival is back... well almost!

The Mostly Jazz Festival is set to return on 29th, 30th June & 1st July 2012 as The Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival.

Doing exactly what it says on the tin, The Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival offers a blistering weekend of Jazz, Funk & Soul with a host of household names bringing the party atmosphere back to Moseley Park!

With the success of the festival growing each year, we are delighted to announce that BBC Radio 1’s purveyor of eclectic sounds Gilles Peterson and BBC Radio 6’s Funk & Soul Maestro Craig Charles will be returning to compere with the latter curating the Saturday Line Up. They’ll also be jumping behind the decks for sets for DJ sets in the park!

Joining Gilles Peterson on the Friday will be the genre defying Ghostpoet (pictured), cover Maestro’s Introducing who will be taking on DJ Shadow’s ‘Entroducing’ in full as well Local Tropical Dub Pioneers Troumaca and Electro Heroes Free School.

On Saturday we’ll be joined by the legendary Native New Yorkers Odyssey, Speedometer, The Atlantic Players, The Bongolian, Lack of Afro (DJ Set) & Federation Of The Disco Pimp as well as Introducing coming back to play their second show of the weekend with their take on the music of Mr. Scruff.

Sunday we will be joined by James Brown’s Trombone player and master in his own right Fred Wesley who will be joined by his long time band The New JB’s. Fred Wesley & The New JB’s will be joined by Soweto Kinch, Andy Hamilton & The Bluenotes, Husk, Steve Ajao & Birmingham Jazz Youth Ensemble.

In 2012.... There will be, once again, two stages side by side at the festival, the second of which will feature up and coming talent. As in 2011, Tony Dudley-Evans’ development agency Birmingham Jazz and Birmingham’s premier jazz & funk parlour The Yardbird will be curating the second stage, whilst Gilles Peterson’s favourite Birmingham promoters Leftfoot will be taking the reigns on Friday. Each will showcase some of their top acts so expect to see a wealth of emerging sounds.


The Line Ups for both stages will be announced gradually over the coming months but as you can see we already have some amazing artists for 2012! We’ll also be keeping you updated with further events happening in the build up to the festival!

Tickets for Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul 2012 are now on sale via www.mostlyjazz.co.uk. To avoid booking fees there will also be the option to send in a postal form which is now available from the website. Alternatively, you can visit one of our outlets listed on our site to pick up the tickets in person.


2012 Dates - 30th, 31st June & 1st July 2012

BBC Radio 6 Music’s Craig Charles will be festival compere for the second year. Saturday 30th June will be the Craig Charles Funk and Soul Club featuring performances from acts who have been championed on Craig’s radio show.

BBC Radio 1DJ Gilles Peterson is going to be at the festival on Friday 29th June. Gilles is a well known champion of jazz and world music, top DJ and now also runs Brownswood Recordings, an outlet for his favourite musical discoveries.

Local to the festival, Warwickshire based Purity Brewing Co. are again the official sponsor and the festival bars will be stocked with their award winning ales, premium local ciders and exclusive imported lagers. Producing premium ales using only the best natural ingredients, Purity’s UBU, Mad Goose and Pure Gold have been converting people into ale drinking enthusiasts for over five years. For more information on Purity Brewing Co. see http://www.puritybrewing.com/.

2011 Dates - 1st, 2nd & 3rd July 2012

2011 Line Up - Booker T, The Cinematic Orchestra, Gilles Peterson, Matthew Herbert Big Band, Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club, Pigbag, Alice Russell, Brassroots, Smoove & Turrell, Hidden Orchestra, Milestones play “ Kind of Blue”, Matthew Halsall, Ariya Astrobeat Arkestra,Brandt Brauer Frick, Manouche , Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra, Alternative Dubstep Orchestra Lluis Matther & Noose, The Steve Tromans Debop Band, Levi French Trio, Birmingham Jazz Ensemble, The Paris 1940’s, The Atlantic Players, Oya Batucada.

Birmingham’s Moseley Park is a privately owned park run as a charity and is usually only open to key holders. The Mostly Jazz Festival is by the same production team behind Moseley Folk Festival which also takes place in the park in September.

Olympic opportunities for Worcestershire businesses

The arrival of the Olympic Torch in Worcester will put the city under an international spotlight, and now details have been revealed of how local businesses can get a slice of Olympic glory.

The Torch arrives in Worcester on May 24, carried by a team of inspirational Torchbearers. It will stay overnight in the city and the event will be marked by a major evening celebration at the Worcestershire County Cricket Club ground.

There will be a range of opportunities for local businesses to get in on the action, with contracts available for video filming of the event, marketing services, the supply of crowd barriers – and much more.

VisitWorcester, which is leading the organisation of events around the Torch’s arrival, has formed a partnership with Finditinworcestershire to advertise the Olympic business opportunities.

Details of the first contract are available now at www.finditinworcestershire.com – with many more due to be added in the next few weeks.

Kathryn Wagstaff, Project Manager of Finditinworcestershire, said: "It's fantastic we are able to support Worcestershire businesses in this way by Finditinworcestershire acting as a gateway to Olympic opportunities. It goes to show that there are real local benefits to be had by local companies in what promises to be an exciting year.”

Georgia Smith, head of VisitWorcester and event lead for the city, said: “We are both excited and honoured by this unique opportunity. The Olympic Flame is an iconic symbol that generates worldwide interest wherever it goes and we want to see local businesses benefit from the fantastic opportunities it creates.”

Businesses can register for free on http://www.finditinworcestershire.com/.

Businesses on the Olympic Torch route are also being encouraged to get involved by displaying celebratory bunting – either showing the Union Jack or the London 2012 colours of gold yellow and orange.

The arrival of the Olympic Torch in Worcester, the first in the West Midlands, takes place on Day Six of the Torch Relay, a 70-day tour of 1,018 locations all around the UK. It will start on 18 May when the Olympic Flame arrives from Greece at Land’s End and will culminate in the arrival of the Torch at the Olympic Stadium in London on 27 July 2012.

The Torch will arrive in Worcester from an evening celebration in Cheltenham on Day Five of the Relay and go on to Cardiff on Day Seven. In the West Midlands, Birmingham, Coventry and Stoke-on-Trent will also host evening celebrations later in the Torch Relay tour.

The Olympic Flame will be carried across the UK by 8,000 inspirational Torchbearers. The aim is for 95% of the UK population to be within a one hour’s journey time of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay.

Urgently seeking help with your office needs? Let us come to your aid with SOS

Smart Office Solutions



Smart Office Solutions (SOS) is a new service launched in 2012 by the Disability Resource Centre.

SOS offers a package of cost-effective office services for the third sector, small enterprises and independent consultants. Services range from one-off room hire to professional virtual office solutions – all delivered from our high specification office accommodation close to the centre of Birmingham.

Tenancy

Our tenancy service provides incubator space for small third sector organisations and individual traders, allowing them to lease office space on a short- or long-term basis, with accessible room hire for events and conferences.

Meeting Room Service

Our Meeting Room Service provides affordable room hire for events and conferences

Conference Room

• 43 x 19 ft

• Accommodating up to 50 people

• Full/half day hire

Meeting Room

• 18 x 17 ft

• Accommodating up to 12 people

• Full/half day hire

IT Suite

• Accommodating up to 9 people

• Hourly rates available

Our competitive prices include the following facilities: Wi-Fi Connectivity


• Hearing Loop System

• Audio-visual Equipment

• Messaging Service

A photocopying service is available at an additional charge.

Refreshments, including breakfast and lunch menus, are available at an additional charge.

Hot Desk and Flexible Office Space

Our Hot Desk and Flexible Office Space is for small companies and individuals, who need a space to meet with clients on an ad hoc basis.

Back Office Support Services

A range of essential services designed to meet the needs of clients using our tenancy, flexible office and virtual office services as well as small start up organisations within the third sector that do not require tenancy or flexible office space.

Services include:

• Photocopying

• Telephone and e-mail messaging services

• Payroll and finance

• IT support and maintenance

Virtual Office Service

Our Virtual Office Service has been created for those small organisations and individual traders who cannot afford administrative staff, but want to ensure that they don’t miss business opportunities whilst they are working.

We provide a package of virtual office support services including:

• Office and registered address (for not-for-personal-profit groups)

• Telephone ‘live’ answering and message taking

• Email answering, appointment booking and message forwarding

• Typing, note-taking and other administrative functions

• Back Office Services (see above)

Contact us to find out more:

SOS Team, Head Office, 11th Floor, Edgbaston House, 3 Duchess Place, Five Ways, Birmingham B16 8NH

Telephone: 0121 789 7365

Minicom: 0121 248 4522

Fax: 0121 248 4521

E-mail: sos@disability.co.uk

Sex Pistols Experience + Rebel Truce - The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton : Saturday 12th May 2012

They've played well over 1000+ worldwide shows, are regulars on the U.K & European touring & festival scene, & have to date completed hundreds of U.K gigs, done extensive tours of the U.S.A, Europe, & South America, taking in cities from New York to Los Angeles, El Paso to Seattle, Sao Paulo, Rio, & Maringa, Berlin to Barcelona & everywhere in between. So convincing is the live show that the BBC, Sky TV, Ch4, Fox TV (in the U.S), and lately the new movie 'Who Killed Nancy?' (out now on DVD) have all hired this band for their look-alike & sound-alike abilities for re-enactments in film & T.V.

No other Sex Pistols show has the commitment to perfecting the Pistols distinctive look and sound down to every last detail, making sure every concert performed is as dynamic, explosive & exciting as the 'real deal'. They have all the spirit & energy of the bands peak 1977 period, blended with the ability of the seasoned musicians of the later Sex Pistols reformation tours.

Gaining recognition in the entertainment capital of the world - as "Pick of the Week" for their 2nd appearance in Las Vegas over the likes of Barry Manilow & Guns & Roses who were both performing the same night! Going on to perform a sell-out show at BB Kings on Broadway - New York . 'The Sunday Times' Style magazine voted the band as one of the 'Top 50 Hottest things to see' the summer 2008 - right behind the re-formed Led Zepplin..! The 'Sex pistols' were probably the most influential band of all time, likewise the 'Sex Pistols Experience' are one of the most respected & influential tribute bands in the World today, playing the nostalgia trip for the fans of 30yrs ago, & influencing a whole new generation of disaffected youth.!

"Best of F'kin luck with it!" - John Lydon, (Hammersmith aftershow party)

"They Really ARE The Sex Pistols - splendid!" - Steve Jones (live on Jonesy's Jukebox L.A)

"Great fun - the cheeky buggers!"- Glen Matlock (Pistols convention day, Liverpool )

Official Website: http://www.sexpistolsexperience.co.uk/

MySpace: www.myspace.com/sexpistolsexperienceontour

Tickets priced £10.00 are available from Midland Box Office : 0870 320 7000 or online at http://www.wolvescivic.co.uk/

Herefordshire’s youth service reviewed

The way youth services are provided comes under the spotlight this month as Herefordshire Council launches a consultation on the future of the county’s youth services.

At the moment, the council works from eight youth centres across the county, an outdoor education centre based in Hereford and also provides targeted youth support to young vulnerable people.

About a quarter of the county’s 13-19 year olds use one of these services or clubs. The majority of young people access clubs and groups delivered by other organisations including young farmers, voluntary youth groups, schools and churches. Some simply do not access youth services at all.

Due to budget pressures, the council needs to explore a range of options for the future. This involves doing things differently by considering a package of changes in line with recommendations approved by the council’s cabinet earlier this year. These recommendations were to prioritise services for the most vulnerable young people in the county, encourage positive activities for young people through promoting more community involvement and consider transforming outdoor education services into a self-financing business.

As a result, the council has published a consultative document explaining the challenge being faced and asking for the views of young people, and other interested parties including adults and carers, providers and agencies working with young people.

Councillor Patricia Morgan, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “We are consulting on the principles presented in the Youth Review and need to keep our options open until we have gathered the views of young people. To keep things as they are is not feasible. Like our neighbouring authorities in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire we need to explore how we can do things differently to make sure that the cash we have available is being spent well and targeted in the right places.

"We are very keen to hear what young people would like their services to look like and are particularly interesting in receiving feedback from those who don’t use council youth services at the moment.”

The deadline for responses is 20 April 2012. Findings will be published on the council’s web site and recommendations made to the council’s cabinet when it meets in June.

Youth Conference in Birmingham

Disabled People Against Cuts

Both Watchdog and Dispatches programmes are being made about ATOS and WCA assessments affecting disabled people.

Tanni-Grey Thompson (greythompsont@parliament.uk ) is looking for people for the Watchdog programme and Richard Butchins for the Dispatches programme.

Do you have any members who could help with either of these?

Also Sheila Gilmour who is a member of DWP select committee is looking for anyone who has lost DLA recently to get in touch with her. sheila.gilmour.mp@parliament.uk

Snap to it!

RSPB WildPix challenge now open as part of the British Wildlife Photography Awards

Do you have an eye like a hawk for taking great pictures? Can you wait patiently for the action to happen? Are you quick on the shutter at just the right moment? Yes?

Then how would you like to be ‘WildPix – Young Photographer of the year 2012’?

The RSPB WildPix competition opens this week and for the first time ever, it has teamed up with the amazing British Wildlife Photography Awards [BWPA].

Winners of the competition will get some fantastic cash prizes and have their work displayed in the BWPA book. The winning shots will also appear in an exhibition that will tour UK galleries.

There are two age categories with massive prizes: Under 12s = £300 and 12-18s = £500. The two lucky winners will also be invited to the BWPA award ceremony in London in September.

The awards celebrate all of Britain’s fantastic nature and the need to understand and protect our environment.

Subject matter can cover anything from marine life and animal behaviour to creepy crawlies and urban wildlife.

The competition is open to all young people, including RSPB Wildlife Explorers from now until 12 May 2012. And it is free to enter!

Go to www.bwpawards.org/wildpix  to find out how to enter. You can enter up to four images of any UK wildlife but, please, no photos of domestic pets, animals in cages or farm animals.

To enter, upload your images directly to the BWPA website; please don’t send them to the RSPB.

So go on, get outside with your cameras now! You never know what wild wonders you might capture

Birmingham Film Co-op Screening of 'Bicycle Thieves', 7pm, this Thursday, 9th February

Birmingham Co-operative Film Society

http://www.justfilm.coop/

Presents:

Bicycle Thieves (93 min U)

Bicycle Thieves is a 1948 Italian neorealist film directed by Vittorio De Sica . It tells the story of a poor man searching the streets of Rome for his stolen bicycle, which he needs to be able to work.

7pm, Thursday 9th February

(Doors open at 6.30pm)

Midlands Co-operative Member Relations Centre

Birmingham & Midlands Institute, Margaret St, Birmingham, B3 3BS

Tickets: £2.50 (members) / £4.50 (non-members)

(Membership costs £10 a year for individuals - first film free)

Thinking of joining a credit union? Try Citysave

Have your say on the future of Fort Royal

Exciting plans are afoot to restore Worcester’s Fort Royal Park to its former glory. Battle of Worcester members Brian Bullock and Roger Fairman, who will be dressed in full Civil War regalia, will join forces with city councillors as they open a public consultation on the Park’s future.

Fort Royal Park is of critical historical significance to the city, as the site of the 1651 Battle of Worcester, the final battle of the English Civil War. It was also visited by the second and third Presidents of the United States of America, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, who were keen to see the site they regarded as the place where democracy was effectively born.

Worcester City Council has already pledged £250,000 towards creating a new £110,000 play area in the park, installing a high powered telescope and viewpoint at the top of the hill and renovating the crumbling boundary walls on Wylds Lane.

In addition, Worcester City Council is applying for approximately £1 million from the Heritage Lottery fund to make further improvements to the park.

“Fort Royal is important to Worcester, both for its historical links to the fight for democracy and freedom and as a stunning public open space in its own right,” said Cllr Roger Knight, Cabinet Member for Cleaner and Greener.

“The City Council has already committed significant investment to Fort Royal, but a Heritage Lottery Fund application gives us the opportunity to take our plans a step further and promote its history in a compelling and dynamic way to a much wider audience.”

We want your views

The City Council is seeking your views on how, if the Heritage Lottery bid proves successful, you would like to see the money spent. The first round application will be made by the City Council by August 2012.

Heritage Lottery Fund priorities are that the community values the park as part of their heritage and the park contributes to urban regeneration.

Ideas so far include repairing the parks’ historic infrastructure and improving the interpretation of the area, as well as restoring part of the Civil War earthworks and fort bastions. Other ideas include a sculpture, a history trail, and a permanent exhibition or other feature linking the site’s history to the present day. The bid could also fund a programme of events and activities which will bring the local community together.

There’ll be many opportunities to comment as the bid work progresses and in the meantime we’d love to hear from you!

How to submit your views

You can submit comments online: www.worcester.gov.uk/fortroyal,  www.facebook.com/worcester , or www.twitter.com/myworcester  (use hashtag #fortroyal). Alternatively you can write to us at: Communications Team, Worcester City Council, Freepost WR427, Worcester WR1 2ZD.

Or tell us what you think of the park through our survey tool at http://www.greenstat.org.uk/

Come along to a glittering night to remember

Worcester’s Mayor David Tibbutt is inviting people to dust off their glad rags and get all dressed up for a glittering charity night celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

There are still some tickets left for the Annual Mayor’s Charity Dinner at the Guildhall on Friday 10 February in aid of his chosen charities this year - Leukaemia Care and Worcester Farmers’ Overseas Action Group - and the Rotary Club of Worcester charities.

The evening, called “A Diamond Celebration Dinner”, is being planned on the theme of a “posh street party” reflecting the 1950s and the Queen’s accession to the throne. Guests are being given the chance to don 1950s fancy dress or black tie and there will be a mystery prize awarded on the night for the best outfit.

The guest speaker will be one of Worcester’s best loved treasures - ceramics expert, world authority on Worcester porcelain and broadcaster Henry Sandon MBE.

The Worcestershire Poet Laureate Theo Theobald, who was chosen as Poet Laureate at the inaugural Worcestershire Literary Festival last summer, has written a poem especially for the occasion and will recite it at the dinner.

Cllr Dr Tibbutt said: “This is a very special year. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee gives us the chance to make my major charity fund-raising event a truly spectacular and glamorous occasion.

“I hope people will get into the spirit of this by digging out their 1950s attire and joining me in the Assembly Room at the Guildhall for our street party dinner. It should be great fun.”

Apart from the dinner there will be a grand draw, tombola and an auction conducted by Gerard Smith from Andrew Grant. The lots include a guided tour of the House of Lords with Lord Faulkner of Worcester plus tea in the Peers’ Dining Room; a 1987 cricket bat signed by the England and Pakistan test teams (including Ian Botham); tea at the House of Commons with Robin Walker MP plus a tour of the House of Commons and a Honda lawn mower plus other items.

Tickets cost £34.10s.0d (in 1950s money) or £34.50 and are available from the Mayor’s Secretary Susan O’Kane on 01905 722001 or e-mail susanokane@worcester.gov.uk. The event starts at 6.45pm for 7.30pm.

"The Young Tradition" Emerging young artists monthly event @ the Tower



The Rosellys one of the young duos on at Tower of Song ..do not miss!!!

 "The Young Tradition" Emerging young artists monthly event @ the Tower

3 exciting young acoustic roots bands.THE ROSELLYS..KIM LOWINGS PLOTZ

Saturday, February 11 at 8:30pm

Location: tower of song

107 Pershore Road South, B30 3JX Birmingham, United Kingdom

Brum wins £600K from ‘Transforming Local Infrastructure’ fund

New on the BSSEC blog...

http://www.bssec.org.uk/blog/

Brum wins £600K from ‘Transforming Local Infrastructure’ fund


February 2nd, 2012 by Alun Severn

This morning I heard the best news in ages — the bid submitted by Birmingham’s transforming Local Infrastructure partnership has been successful, securing just under £600k for the transformation of how third sector and social enterprise support in Birmingham is delivered. This is not insignificant in helping to raise Brum’s profile as a centre of sector expertise and innovation.

READ MORE/...

http://www.bssec.org.uk/blog/?p=3075

African Drumming Show - Naseby Centre

Lee Hurst - Too Scared To Leave The House - The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton : Thursday 18th October 2012

Lee takes us through the 'disasters' that have been predicted to destroy us along with the dangers facing us from everyday life.

Ultimately you choose your own fate...

You can stay indoors, hoarding cans of beans, clutching a Ray Mears book or you can go out and laugh in the face of doom.

Official Website: http://www.leehurst.com/

Tickets priced £14.00 are available from Midland Box Office : 0870 320 7000 or online at http://www.wolvescivic.co.u/

Handsworth Support Group for people with Parkinson's - Join Us

Are you affected by Parkinson’s?

Living with someone with Parkinson’s?

Caring for someone with Parkinsons?

Dear Sir / Madam

We would like to invite you to join us at our new Support Group

To be held at:

Community Roots
88 Soho Road
Handsworth
Birmingham
B21 9DP

The next meeting will be on Thursday 29th March in Meeting room B @ 11am – 12;30pm

We will continue to meet on the last Thursday of each month @ 11am

Your local contact is:

Jackie Conn – Branch & Volunteer Support Officer – West Midlands
0844 225 3644
jconn@parkinsons.org.uk  

Latest theatre review by Vidar Hjardeng - Measure for Measure

Review of audio described performance of RSC’s Measure for Measure at the Swan Theatre on the afternoon of Saturday 28 Jan 2012.

Measure for Measure, allegedly first performed for James I on Boxing Day 1604, is perhaps a darker play than some of the Bard’s other comedies like Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night etc. For me at least it is not as well known as some of his other work, and so it was really helpful to attend last Saturday’s RSC audio described matinee and touch tour. Set in Vienna, the story focuses on the Duke’s attempts to curb the immorality that he feels is spreading in the city. Leaving his deputy, Angelo in charge, and disguised as a monk, Duke Vincentio - brilliantly played by Raymond Coulthard, complete with magic tricks – goes off incognito to see the full extent of this dissolute behaviour pervading the Austrian capital, leading to a complicated series of events.

Arriving at Stratford-upon-Avon’s Swan Theatre in time for the 11.30 am touch tour, and having had time to do justice to the really informative, introductory notes including a synopsis of the play, (available either on CD or online, ahead of any audio described performance), I was less surprised than I otherwise might have been by some of the more unusual props we discovered on this touch tour. Audio-describers, Janet Jackson and Carolyn Smith, led us onto a black padded stage made to look like leather in front of a rear curtain made up of long rubber thongs, hanging from the ceiling. Fellow visually impaired patrons and myself were then shown a whip, a cod piece and even some nipple clamps! We were also able to literally get a feel for some of the costumes, including a leather jacket worn by Pompey the pimp, and the Duke’s fur jacket (artificial of course!) and Juliet’s dress complete with a padded stomach to represent her pregnancy. We were also encouraged to inspect what were effectively lampshades with metal spikes which were worn by silent female guards who stood motionless at the side of the stage with these lampshades covering their faces.

In this production the use of lighting was particularly effective ranging from a golden chandelier made of chains in the palace, to the red lights glowing in Mistress Overdone’s brothel.

Equipped with our headsets it was good to take our seats in time to listen to a ‘live’ rendition of the pre-show notes which helpfully endorsed what we had found out on the touch tour. One particularly crucial element of Janet and Carolyn’s ‘live’ commentary during the 3 hours performance, was the way that they explained when the Duke and some of the other characters, most particularly Pompey, interacted with the audience to great comic effect so we, too, were able to share in the humour – which we all did with relish!

The next RSC audio described performance will be Taming of the Shrew on the afternoon of Saturday 18 February and information on concessionary tickets, the touch tour and how to book headsets can be obtained from the box office on 0844 800 1110.

New single from new Birmingham band Capital Sun

Capital Sun are a up and coming new band from the West Midlands. They brought out their first single out on the 28th January 2012.

Find out more about Capital Sun at 

www.facebook.com/capitalsun

Video for ‘Forgotten Songs’ - www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ntmh3Wus_I

Glen Boden: Vocals & Acoustic Guitar / Andy Smith: Guitars / Luke Weston: Bass Guitar & Vocals / Chris Taylor: Drums