Theatre / Bristol old vic
The theatre company intent on transforming representation in Bristol arts and culture
Performers in a brand new show by theatre company Stomping Ground will take to the stage in Bristol Old Vic on Monday night.
Telling the unique stories of different people who live on the same road, Our Street, starring Stara Hendricks, Chris Hendricks and Ebunoluwa Taiwo, is stripped back of pomp and circumstance to focus on the messages and experiences of actors in a performance described as “theatre at its most accessible”.
Appearing in Bristol Old Vic’s Weston Studio for one night only on Monday, January 13, the show is by Stomping Ground, a new theatre company for young people of colour that aims to improve representation in the performing arts across the city and beyond.
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Pravanya Pillay is passionate about making performing arts more accesible. Photo by Sue Reddy
Speaking ahead of the upcoming show Pravanya Pillay, the director and founder of Stomping Ground, explains why she set up the company.
“I think that arts and culture provide a record of human civilisation, so if you don’t have access to it then you don’t have access to human history, and if you’re not represented in it then you’re not part of the human narrative,” says Pillay, who also works for youth empowerment organisation Babbasa.
“That’s why access and representation in the arts are so important to me and that’s why I set up Stomping Ground.
“There are so many stories going untold, so many experiences being ignored and that is bad for everyone. I think Bristol has the potential to be the arts and cultural hub of the UK, but not without providing a platform for all the stories and experiences that have been disregarded in the past.
“Innovation and creativity come from inclusion and accessibility.
“Stomping Ground isn’t just an organisation to me, it’s a promise to the city of Bristol to overhaul our arts and cultural landscape so that it is fully representative of and fully accessible to all our citizens.”
Stomping Ground aims to transform Bristol’s arts and culture. Photo by Pravanya Pillay
Our Street is on at Bristol Old Vic’s Weston Studio on Monday, January 13, from 7pm. To book tickets, visit: www.bristololdvic.org.uk/boxoffice/ticket/352724.
Main photo by Pravanya Pillay
Read more: Agents of Change: representation in Bristol’s creative sector
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