MANCHESTER JEWISH MUSEUM
PRESENTS
FESTIVAL OF BELONGING
Manchester Jewish Museum presents its first ever Festival of Belonging from March 7-14th – featuring one off events and nights of comedy, theatre, storytelling, films and visual arts to examine how we assimilate in new places, explore what makes us feel that we belong and question what happens when we don’t.
Taking place at different venues across the city including Manchester Central Library where the Jewish Museum is currently in residency during its ‘wandering’ phase, the Festival is inspired by and features the stories found in the Museum’s collection. Through the diverse and creative Festival programme, the events will tell the history of the Jewish people who came to Manchester and how they attempted to assimilate - to celebrate and foster a sense of belonging. Some events will also connect and link with contemporary stories of migration to Manchester within both the Jewish and non-Jewish communities across the city.
Running throughout the Festival is visual art installation - Dark Room by artist Helena Tomlin - a free exhibition at Central Library exploring the anonymous photographs in the Manchester Jewish Museum’s collection. The darkroom is a place to come face to face with the people in its archive about whom nothing is known. It also offers visitors the opportunity to create a caring response to those whose stories have been lost.
All other Festival events are one off. Highlights include: Good Appetite with theatre chef Leo Burtin whose ticketed event at Manchester Art Gallery fuses storytelling, food and film to present a unique and tasty evening inspired by the Jewish kitchen. Stories are sifted into dishes, history is stirred with spices and cultures from around the world are sprinkled on top. Come with an appetite for food and for life; Critically acclaimed comedians Shazia Mirza, Rachel Creeger and Juliet Meyers come together for an all female multi faith night of comedy in Immigrant Diaries, hosted by multi-award winning comedian/writer, actor and activist Sajeela Kershi;
Jerusalem born singer/songwriter Avital Raz brings her solo show, My Jerusalem to the Festival. Renowned for her politically engaged and fearless songs which span a 20 year career in music and performance, this show tells the tale of a drunken one night stand, infused with stories of growing up in the turmoil of 1980s Israel. It is followed by a panel discussion with artists Dani Abulhawa and Sarah Spies; Musical exploration of migration and turmoil can also be found in Songs of Arrival – a one-off performance of songs based on the stories of Jewish refugees arriving in Cheetham Hill taken from the museum’s own oral history collection. A moving and musical evening bringing to life the voices and stories of Manchester migrants past and present. The evening features performance by renowned baritone Peter Brathwaite, and a premiere of specially commissioned music by Israeli composer Na’ama Zisser.
Manchester Jewish Museum Chief Executive, Max Dunbar comments: “We are really thrilled to curate and launch our very first Festival of Belonging. In such changing and often challenging times of political and social unrest, it seems a festival to celebrate unity, diversity and belonging is both timely and needed. We are delighted to bring together so many talented and creative people, many with their own stories to tell and many who will so beautifully bring our own to life. We are extremely grateful to Manchester Central Library for the use of their space and for their continued support offering us a temporary home, and place of belonging whilst major work continues on our permanent site in Cheetham Hill.”
Full festival listings are below. Booking and festival information can also be found via the Manchester Jewish Museum website: https://www.
|
EVENTS:
Dark Room by Helena Tomlin
7th-14th March
Museum Pop-up space Central Library Free
A free installation exploring the anonymous photographs in the museum’s collection, the darkroom is a place to come face to face with the people in our archive that we know nothing about and help us to create a caring response to those whose stories have been lost.
Storytelling with Robin Simpson
Saturday 7th March Museum
Pop-up Space, Manchester Central Library
2pm
Free
Experience the amazing stories in our Story Selector Machine, brought to life. Meet Fanny and the two Freddies who made a long train journey to Manchester, have a boogie to the tunes played at a 1911 dance at Cheetham Assembly Rooms, and find out what happened to boxer Sam Aarons.
Good Appetite with Leo Burtin
Sunday 8th March
Manchester Art Gallery Café
7.30pm
£10 (£8 concessions) plus booking fee
Tickets available at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/
Theatre Chef Leo is your host for a unique foodie film experience. Enter the diverse world of the Jewish kitchen, where stories are sifted into dishes, history is stirred in with spices, and cultures from around the world are sprinkled on top. Taste, listen and tell your own story.
The Great and the Grand with Dynamite Island Theatre
Monday 9th March
Performance Space
Manchester Central Library
5.30pm
Free
A sharing of a new musical theatre work in tribute to the sacrifices, support and adventures of our grandparents. What can we learn about ourselves from them, from tall tales to words of wisdom? Come along and celebrate grandparents everywhere. The Family History Archive will also give advice on researching your family from 4.30pm.
Immigrant Diaries with Sajeela Kershi and special guests
Tuesday 10th March
Performance Space
Manchester Central Library
7.30pm
£10 (£8 concessions) plus booking fee
Tickets available at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/
An all-female multi-faith night of comedy on the Jewish Festival of Purim, with special guests Shazia Mirza, Rachel Creeger and Juliet Meyers. Immigration, migrants, the refugee crisis, are hot topics dividing Britain. How many are there? Why are they coming here? What do they want? ‘Statistics don’t tell the story, people do’
My Jerusalem by Avital Raz
Wednesday 11th March
Performance Space Manchester Central Library
7.30pm
£10 (£8 concessions) plus booking fee
Tickets available at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/
A solo performance derived from a song. A politically-charged tale of a drunken one-night stand, infused with stories of growing up in the turmoil of 1980s Israel. A nuanced exploration of the politics of division, from internal checkpoints and separation walls to gender norms. Can we go beyond the blame game and really see each other’s all too vulnerable humanity? The show is followed by a panel discussion with artists Dani Abulhawa and Sarah Spies.
PLEASE NOTE: Contains adult themes, the content of which may cause distress. In particular, issues of political turmoil and child abuse.
Songs of Arrival with Peter Brathwaite, Na’ama Zisser, Joe Steele and MJM’s Song-writing Group
Thursday 12th March
7.30pm
£10 (£8 concessions) plus booking fee
Tickets available at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/
A performance of songs based on the stories of Jewish refugees arriving in Cheetham from our oral history collection as well as contemporary stories of migration to Manchester. We explore how we try to assimilate in new places and what different communities can learn from each other. Moving and joyous, we give voice to historical and modern stories.
Rendezvous in Bratislava (Affiliated Show) with Miriam Sherwood and Dynamite Island
Saturday 14th March
8pm
Tickets direct from The Lowry https://thelowry.com/whats-on/
Miriam and her granddad are making a cabaret together. They’re the perfect double act: He’s got the stories, she loves telling them, and they both have a flair for the theatrical.
The only problem is – they’ve never met.
And he’s been dead for 39 years.
No comments:
Post a Comment