Faced with seemingly impenetrable power what can artists to do respond?
Since 2023 to date Yard Heads International joined and supported collectives, artists and projects, locally and globally, to make a difference and express solidarity with the oppressed and occupied Palestinians and to raise money for vital funds for life-saving and educational projects through events and fundraising campaigns.
Since 2023 Yard Heads has partnered and served the following projects:
We were thrilled to be selected for the Made In Scotland Showcase for Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023 with Tales of Transatlantic Freedom.
The Showcase presents selected work which has been ….. made in Scotland … and we are in great company, check the link above.
Being notified in mid March about the showcase gave us a few short weeks to register for Fringe 2023 and we hot-footed it around numerous venues to identify a place which could accommodate a grand piano, have the right acoustics for a music-based piece and ideally be able to be seen from all or at least three sides.
As we had previously worked with the beautiful room at Nicolson Square Edinburgh, the Methodist church hall, when producing <<<WeCameToDance>>> in 2021. We knew the room would be great for sound and the audience sit on three sides of a thrust stage. Luckily there were slots available for us to fit a run of shows for presentation in the second week of the Fringe, the international week where the Showcase team give us a platform to connect with their international delegates.
For the Showcase we were determined to incorporate new research and material to delve deeper into the themes of the show. During 2023 Tales of Transatlantic Freedom was performed in Charlotte, North Carolina in the area of Brooklyn, the Black community’s neighbourhood, in the 1960’s the community was physically razed and the residents and businesses displaced during Charlotte’s ‘urban renewal’. Andrea discovered that a similar crime against the African diaspora had taken place in Africville, Halifax, Nova Scotia where a Black community and settlement demolished under the guise of economic necessity. The story and related music and poetry had to be part of the show.
There is much excitement about the upcoming show with Tales of Transatlantic Freedom being identified as a stand-out show to look out for this year by the Scotsman’s Brian Ferguson.
Check out our page about the show TALES OF TRANSATLANTIC FREEDOM and more about the wonderful co-creators Andrea Baker and Howard Moody.
Excitement is growing for our upcoming showcase and U.S. premiere of Tales of Transatlantic Freedom taking place at Boston Museum of Fine Art on February 18 at 8pm. This is the inaugural event and new partnership with the National Center for Race Amity.
Following our UK premiere and run of performances of the show as part of the Pianodrome‘s Fringe programme in August 2022 the National Center for Race Amity approached Yard Heads to discuss how performances of Tales of Transatlantic Freedom could support their mission of fostering Race Amity across the United States.
Tales of Transatlantic Freedom is a powerful and memorable piece of music theatre co-created by mezzo-soprano Andrea Baker, opera composer Howard Moody and Yard Heads’ artistic director John Paul McGroarty. Tales of Transatlantic Freedom tells tales in song and movement of power, migration, resistance and emancipation in the transatlantic context since European colonies were founded on the Eastern seaboard of the current United States through the centuries of struggle for freedom and joy which still continue. Bringing a message of joy and hope the audience leaves the auditorium uplifted and empowered, making the show an ideal performance piece for organisations interested in reconciliation, resolution and peaceful freedom fighting.
18 February will be a showcase event where we share the transformational power of the arts in amity and reconciliation. See the NCRA event pages for local booking.
Download our Press and Production Pack and links.
In November 2020 we met artist Andrea Baker when she sang for the US Election Night Cabaret at the Lyceum, John Paul was blown away by her voice and presence.
Two years later and we are delighted to be collaborating on a new show, with Andrea and composer Howard Moody, for her Sing Sister Sing! series. In our conversations about Scotland, Andrea’s chosen homeland, and Robert Burns’s songs and life we discussed the histories of transatlantic relationships, the journeys of people, music and ideas.
This summer we will be presenting Andrea with a show she is creating featuring a selection of songs and texts from across the centuries to trace the threads of power, exploitation and emancipation through songs and tales.
We have found the perfect venue for our artist’s musical talents to be shared with a wider audience in the Pianodrome. This musical amphitheatre made from recycled pianos and populated by an enthusiastic, creative and community-spirited team are running their Resonancy at the Old Royal High, 5-7 Regent Rd, Edinburgh EH7 5BL (https://goo.gl/maps/NxPjBd6Wx7Hj8ubu8) from 1st July to 11th September and will be hosting a full programme during Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Sing Sistah Sing! Tales of Transatlantic Freedom will have a short run of performances at the Pianodrome, Venue 391 alongside an exciting programme of music from other groups and performers. The Cyrenians will be providing food and Bellfield Brewery providing refreshments and we are excited about the spirit of the Festival Fringe being recaptured in this new venue.
Tickets for Sing Sistah Sing! Tales of Transatlantic Freedom are available from 9th June at edfringe.com. Dates are 19th & 20th August at 7pm, 234rd, 24th, 25th, 26th August at 3pm.
MEDIA RELEASE, PRODUCTION PACK and PHOTOS
This event has been supported by the Year of Stories 2022 Community Stories Fund. This fund is being delivered in partnership between VisitScotland and Museums Galleries Scotland with support from National Lottery Heritage Fund thanks to National Lottery players.
In a collaboration with Leith Creative, an independent network of local cultural and creative organisations, Yard Heads is starting a workshop series at Leith Theatre with the support of Postcode Community Trust. Two dates have been identified, 7pm on 12th June and 3pm 26th June.
The first step is to bring those who are interested together in an informal way to discuss and explore our work. We aim over the longer term to work towards concrete projects and collaborations but at this stage we are simply calling out to our community and creative networks to join us to explore issues of commonality, obstacles and opportunity. In our ideal world what would we want to see. We can’t promise that any of these ideals will be realised but articulating them may help.
Expect there to be some semi-structured activity with peer-to-peer support and the chance to meet and discuss with like-minded folk as well as those who may have a different view or different ideas to bring to the table.
Leith is blessed with an active and creative citizenship and a rich background of identity, history, skills, industry and diversity. We believe this is a good place to start when considering culture and action that we hope will result in transnational, outward-looking, supportive, inclusive and enterprising values – and real work and recognition for our associates.
To register follow the date links above.
yardheads.com 