“We miss you! See you after the interval” proclaims a large banner outside Derby Theatre. Tonight that interval came to an end and the ghost light which had been burning since mid-March was extinguished. How glorious it felt to be inside a theatre again, to be part of an audience – albeit a socially-distanced audience of about 80 in an auditorium designed for perhaps 400.
“Derby Rises” in more than one way. Yes, it is about a city rising up and rebuilding its cultural life after the hideous Lockdown period, but it’s also got a lot to do with sourdough bread which needs to rest or “prove” before it goes in the oven in order to rise properly. Many ideas featured in tonight’s Celebration Event had their genesis in Leo Kay’s Bakery Of Slow Ideas project which brought people from all walks of life to bake bread together – a basic human activity which is meaningful regardless of class, creed, nationality or status – and to reflect upon their experiences of the last few months and their hopes for the future while the dough was proving.
Another important feature of this project is the Graffiti Wall to which local people have been encouraged to add their hopes and dreams for the future. These have been distilled into a poem, “Derby Rises”, by performance poet Jamie Thrasivoulou who is tonight’s first act. This is hard-hitting stuff:
“Some folks want us to stop wasting their taxes / Sick of the same old cream rising to the top / Sick of being told their culture’s too pop / For the arts.”
Derby’s cultural revival, it is clear, will come from the grassroots and not from a faceless elite telling people what is, and what is not, art.
Next, was a diverse and carefully-chosen classical set from a string quartet drawn from Derby’s hugely-respected Sinfonia ViVA. From the technical precision of Ravel’s String Quartet to the raw passion of Piazzolla’s Libertango via the too little-known work of Fanny Mendelssohn, this was a first-rate performance. It’s a pity some younger members of the audience felt the need to talk through most of it.
Derby Theatre’s Artistic Director Sarah Brigham had to apologise to about 70 people who couldn’t connect to the live feed on Facebook until half-way through Sinfonia ViVA’s set. This, she said, proves that live theatre is better than digital (which we knew already!) but it did give us another chance to listen to Thrasivoulou’s poem – he is clearly a local favourite judging by the reception he received.
Symoné and Sky’s dance piece honoured the LGBTQ artists who took part in the workshops. Taking as its theme “reclaiming identity” this was a mesmerising and cleverly-choreographed routine featuring improbably high-heeled roller boots and illuminated hula hoops, executed with assurance by these talented young performers.
Amy Pennington’s witty “Bread And Butter Letter” was a reflection on her experiences in the Bakery of Slow Ideas. It’s clear that this project had a profound therapeutic effect on Pennington and the other participants, providing much-needed interaction after months of isolation and offering a safe space in which to “rest and digest”. Her class-based preconceptions were challenged too: after a lifetime of thinking sourdough bread “too holey and too expensive”, she can now make it herself. Nice food is for everyone, not just the middle classes!
Hip-hop artist Mr. Supreme wrote his first piece, the punchy and intelligent “Derby Rise Up” at one of the community workshops. This, along with “True Anthems” for which he was joined by his crew, was a clear hit with the audience. At this point I have to mention one of the unsung heroes of the whole night, Laura Goulden who threw herself with gusto into the task of providing BSL interpretation. Fast-paced hip-hop can’t be easy to sign effectively.
After a short break during which we were served vegetable curry and rice and the Facebook audience made themselves a cuppa, it was time for the finale. Derby Jazz have been entertaining the city for 40 years and during Lockdown formed an eleven-piece acoustic offshoot, Loosen Up, in order to lift the city’s spirits with free open-air concerts. Under the leadership of trombonist Dennis Rollins MBE, Loosen Up entertained us with a glittering set including two pieces written and arranged by their own Sousaphone player Steve Nutter. It is obvious when performers are just joyful to be making music, and it is this infectious joy, this optimism, that I will take away from tonight’s two sparkling hours of celebration. Derby rises. The arts rise. The new normal will not be the same as the old normal, but if it is more inclusive and engages people of all backgrounds then we are in for an exciting time.
Before the show I had a chat with Baby J of Baby People, a local hip-hop school which is one of the partner organisations in Derby CAN (Creative Arts Network), a three-year, £1.5 million Arts Council-funded project aimed at engaging and nurturing talent in the community and finding the voices of those who aren’t often heard by the big arts organisations. Derby CAN is still at a relatively early stage in its life and had to adapt massively to cope with Lockdown.
Baby People has been heavily involved in the creation of the Graffiti Wall at Cathedral Green, running workshops for the public and getting them to share their hopes and dreams for the future. These were then turned into street art by three local artists. The most striking work features a quotation of Teilhard de Chardin, “The future belongs to those who give the next generation reason for hope”. How apt and timely this message is in 2020!
Baby J explains that the message of the Graffiti Wall is about welcoming people back into the city rather than being a forum for general angst. It is one of the many ways in which Derby CAN is engaging with working class and young people in particular as groups who might be less likely to walk in through the doors of a more formal arts organisation. In that sense it’s about breaking down the invisible barriers which put people off participating in the Arts.
Derby CAN works with Asylum Seekers too. There are a few activities in which they can get involved and they are glad to be given a voice which can be heard, – in the visuals behind Loosen Up’s performance tonight a number of the quotations were in languages such as Albanian and Farsi, – as well as something useful to do with their time.
I’m sure we can look forward to much more brilliant art coming out of Derby CAN, Derby Theatre, and from everyone involved in tonight’s performance, over the next few years.
Reviewer - Ian Simpson
on - 27/9/20
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