'40 Miles West' album launch at The Wokingham Theatre

Simon Williams is launching his debut album '40 Miles West' at The Wokingham Theatre, Twyford Road, Wokingham tomorrow night (Saturday 27 February). Check out www.myspace.com/siwilliamsmusic for more information.

The evening will include 2 hours of great live music with support from top quality acts as well as the debut performance of Simon's album. Ticket price includes a programme and a free copy of Simon's 12 track album all for £5. Tickets in advance so please contact Simon on 07795 383631.

Youth and Children’s Theatre Club Leaders

Organisation: Stage-Fright

Location: Wokingham, Berks

Description: Stage-Fright runs imaginative theatre projects and workshops through which young people explore life values, morals, faith and beliefs. We are opening 5 new after-school clubs for Year 5 & 6 children in 5 schools (once-a-week). We wish to appoint two theatre workshop leaders (both full-time positions):

· to open and run 5 new clubs
· to work with our established teenage theatre club
· to accept sessional work in schools
· to work on occasional projects with church members
· to explore and develop new opportunities

Two full-time salary levels offered (according to experience)

Closing date: Fri 10th July 2009
Interviews: July 2009
Start date: September 2009
For details: Michael Johnson,

0118 979 0098
newjob@stage-fright.org.uk
www.stage-fright.org.uk

Acoustic Artsbar - Friday 17 April

The Artree and Good Intentions Music teams come together to present a very special evening of free live acoustic music at the recently opened Artsbar at the Cantley Lodge Hotel, very close to Wokingham station.

The Artsbar was created as a hub for the local artistic community and an opportunity for artists' work to be shared. On Friday 17 April, this will include the work of local musicians for the first time.

Creative partner sought - photographer/multi-media specialist

Hawthorns Primary School in Wokingham and Creative Partnerships wish to contract a creative partner or partners to support the delivery of their creative learning programme, of which the theme is increasing enjoyment of learning, and enabling a greater effectiveness in learning and teaching.

For a full brief please email philippa.berry@southhillpark.org.uk.

Submission deadline: 4.00 pm on Friday 17 April 2009

Berkshire Sings! event 25/3/09

FREE singing CPD day
March 25th 2009. The Spirit Conferencing Centre, Farnham Road, Slough.
9.30am to 3pm, then performances from 4.30pm – 6pm

March 25th is a day for teachers and other school staff, singing leaders, children and young people. This is a chance for your school to be part of the national ambition for singing! And to be in at the start of the two year Sing Up journey in this area. Not to be missed.

Singing is good for learners: it improves concentration, lifting standards across the curriculum
Singing is good for individuals, improving health and increasing feelings of well-being
Singing is good for communities – bringing people together in harmonious ways

For more information or a booking form, contact Philippa Berry at mail@philippaberryarts.com.

And another exhibition in 43a!

This was the third exhibition in 43a Peach Street - this time by a group of local artists called Cree8.
A great mix of ceramics, textiles and other artwork was on display, brightening up the winter days for shoppers.

ReOrsa Exhibition

Another empty shop initiative! A second group of local artists is exhibiting in 43a Peach Street. The artists have responded to the space in varying and interesting ways - come along to the private view on Tuesday 4th November, 6pm-8pm, or some day during opening hours, Weds - Sats, 5th - 15th November.

Exhibitions in empty shops!

This was the private view on Friday 17th October for the Hands On exhibition of weaving, jewellery, ceramics and pastels that is currently on show at 43a Peach Street, Wokingham. The exhibition is on from 11am to 5pm, Tues 21, Wed 22, Fri 24 and Sat 25 October. (The empty shop used is on the left hand side just past the Easthampstead Rd turn off as you come in to Wokingham from Bracknell - opposite the Baranda restaurant.)

Wokingham - Performing Arts Summer Workshops

Wokingham Youth Service have set up some Performing Arts Summer Workshops, to be held at Emmbrook School, Wokingham.

FOR AGES 12 – 18

Monday 4 - Friday 8 August
OR
Monday 11 - Friday 15 August

Cost: £50 per week

For an application form and more information, call 0118 9783610.

Freelancers' survey

Creative & Cultural Skills, the sector skills council for the creative and cultural industries, would like to know what kinds of skills you think are relevant to make it as a successful freelancer.

To help them do this, Creative People (www.creativepeople.org.uk) is asking you as to whether you could help them by completing a short survey about what skills, activities and knowledge are important for freelancers to work effectively in your sector.

The survey should only take around fifteen minutes to complete and can be found at http://www.ccskills-nos.org.uk/freelance.html By completing these questions you will be helping Creative & Cultural Skills to write a series of professional standards which will in turn help freelancers, employers and clients understand the skills that are needed to work freelance.

Creative & Cultural Skills is the sector skills council for the creative and cultural industries which campaigns on behalf of advertising, crafts, cultural heritage, design, literature, music, performing and visual arts. It acts as a link between industry, government and education. The qualifications team at Creative & Cultural Skills work on curriculum reform through various projects including writing National Occupational Standards (NOS) like these. If you would like more information about the work that they do please contact them directly or visit: http://www.ccskills.org.uk/

June's Arts & Crafts Sunday Market

Well, everyone agreed it was a good day and we're all looking forward to the next one on Sunday July 6!

Arts & Crafts Sunday markets

Come along and browse the Arts & Crafts market, and enjoy live music! If you want to have a stall to sell your own art/craft, email wokinghamarts%yahoo.co.uk, replacing the % sign with the usual 'at' sign.

More May Fayre pics!

Well, the first one worked, so here are some more - puppetmaking, weaving, spinning & lacemaking.

May Fayre - Hands-on-Arts Pavilion

My first attempt at uploading a picture to the blog -hope it works! I'm just posting a pic of the printmaking in the Hands-on-Arts Pavilion to begin with. If successful, I'll try more. Anne.

Contemporary Dance

I'm trying to find out if there are any dancers out there who might be interested in a contemporary dance class or know of one that's already going on.

The reason for this is because through my freelance arts project management work with Creative Partnerships, I've recently met another trained dancer. The two of us were discussing how we would love to do a regular technique class (preferably Cunningham/Graham based) somewhere locally, rather than having to travel into London or out to Newbury or Guildford. Having struggled to find anything, we've now begun to think about setting up a class ourselves.

If you are interested, know someone else who might be, or have any relevant information, it would be great to hear via mail@philippaberryarts.com.

New arts market for Wokingham

Wokingham’s Town Centre Manager has agreed to trial a Sunday Art & Craft Market in Wokingham, the first Sundays of June, July and August, beginning Sunday June 1st. Trading hours will be 11am to 3pm, the cost of a stall is £5.

The idea is to copy the farmers' market ethos, in that local artists and craftspeople will be encouraged to sell their work, rather than importers or sellers of factory-made goods.

We can interpret 'local' quite flexibly - you don't necessarily have to be within Wokingham to have a stall, just within reasonable striking distance.

If you are interested and would like an application form, please send an e-mail to:

wokinghamarts%yahoo.co.uk

but replacing the % with the character you always get in e-mail addresses. (This is to avoid spambots harvesting the address).

Welcome!

In a second bold attempt to get people communicating about local arts on the web, voila the new blog for the Wokingham Arts Forum. Feel free to send me any notices, press releases etc for display. Use the 'post a comment' link to add messages.

Anything obscene, irrelevant or connected to reality TV will be ruthlessly deleted when I get round to it...