UPDATE………….
The showcase event in March was a great success, the fish factory in Rye Harbour was a fantastic and atmospheric venue and huge thanks to all those who helped to make it such a memorable event and thanks to those who provided a soundbite for the dvd.
We presented three songs from the show together with a brief, linking narrative. We had a great choir, stunning projections from Overlap, live percussion from Mike Osborn and performances from four actors including Olivier award winning Con O’Neil with Pomegranite Restaurant providing delicious food and it really did give everyone a taste of what could come next.
Since March we have been hard at work on the next funding application, which we are just about ready to submit. We have been in discussions with Arts Council South East, the Cultural Olympiad, Creative Partnerships, East Sussex County Council, Rother District Council, Rye Partnerships and have submitted applications to the Esmee Fairburn Foundation, the Heritage Lottery Fund, The Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Youth Music.
We have been progressing our plans for the full production in June 2009 and, if we are successful, hope to host platform performances of local groups and individuals in the event arena, work with Italian mask making company Ca Macana to provide workshops and masks for a casino scene spectacular in the production and launch a community and schools engagement programme.
Members of the choir have been promoting the project, to such an extent that we have received a letter of support from Michael Foster MP after he received a visit from two choir members, telling him how much they had got out of the experience to date. This is fantastic and we would be delighted to receive more letters or messages of support, which we could add to our funding bids – it all helps!
You can either email us, contribute to the blog comments or send a letter. We will post whatever you send on the website and forward it to the relevant funding bodies.
As soon as we hear any news, which may not be until September, we will let everyone know – until then, fingers crossed!
