Clapham theatre announces winners of award for emerging companies
Two production companies led by underrepresented groups have been awarded a research and development grant by a Clapham Theatre.
The Bread and Roses Theatre, a fringe venue opened in 2014, has awarded their annual Emerging Company Award 2021 to female led arts collective Leading Light and new production company Velvet Smoke.
Leading Light will develop their digital series ‘Dear Mother Nature’, aiming to take it into script and then onto a full live production.
The purpose of the project is to educate and normalise the conversation surrounding menstruation and period poverty.
The company intends to build the partnership already created with Ditch the Rag to develop school and community workshops to further inform young womxn of the topic and to challenge the current statistics.
Velvet Smoke Productions was established in December 2020 by Sian Duggan and Tiwai Muza.
Having recently graduated from the MA Acting course at Drama Centre London, they were keen to start their own company in order to showcase new and emerging artists.
The company will produce their project Disc Jockey, by Mr Muza, in partnership with the Bread and Roses Theatre.
Velenzia Spearpoint, Artistic Director at the Bread and Roses Theatre, said “We feel incredibly privileged to have received many high calibre applications and read through many inspiring ideas.
“We are excited to be going onto this journey with Leading Light Collective and Velvet Smoke Productions under these extraordinary circumstances.”
Pictured top: Leading Light