An incredible circus spectacular and a feel-good music event will be the first shows that will take place in the Assembly Festival Garden this summer, the Coventry City of Culture Trust has announced along with a whole host of new programme activity.
Circolombia and Choir of Man are the first shows to be announced at the Assembly Festival Garden, a major new festival hub in the city centre that will present live theatre, cabaret and comedy.
Performances will take place in the Queen of Flanders, an iconic and beautiful 1,000-seater double-decker Spiegeltent; the Piccolo, a smaller 180 seat Spiegeltent; a treehouse that will look out over the site; and an outdoor venue in front of the Piccolo which can play to the entire audience in the Garden.
The site will be run by Edinburgh Fringe favourites Assembly Festival and be a centrepiece for the city’s year of cultural celebrations opening, with Choir of Man opening on 1 July and Circolombia on 2 July.
Fresh from Bogotá, Circolombia will see one of the world's leading contemporary circus companies bring their sassy show featuring jaw dropping acts, transporting the raw energy of Colombia's capital city to Coventry. Runaway global sensation, Choir of Man, sees "the ultimate feel-good show of the Fringe," come to Coventry. Audiences can expect the most incredible pub gig they’ve ever been to as they enjoy pop tunes, folk, rock and Broadway numbers with world-class tappers, singers and multi-instrumentalists.
Coventry’s Summer of Surprises continues with the spectacular Midsummer Fire Garden in Caludon Castle Park on 25 & 26 June.
An adventure in a fiery night-time landscape, it will feature Walk the Plank’s intricately carved botanically themed fire sculptures alongside the incredible Dr Kronovator’s Fire Laboratory installation by Emergency Exit Arts.
Also, as part of Summer of Surprises, Coventry Pride will present Classically Queer, a special performance of classical and contemporary music in the stunning setting of Coventry Cathedral Ruins celebrating the best of LGBTQI+ musicians in the region.
Starting from July, the Festival of Ideas will be a year-round programme of talks, debates and conferences confronting the big issues of our time. It will see national and international collaborations with ground-breaking organisations presenting everything from political debate and citizens’ assemblies to intimate interviews. Programme announced today includes the Psychology of the City Summit, The Big Tent Ideas Festival 2021, and Made in the Midlands, a new podcast featuring interviews with well-known faces from the region.
Home, Coventry’s first Art and Homelessness Festival will open 8 to 16 October with a programme that explores art for social change. Highlights include Cardboard Citizens with the first ever homeless musical with music composed by Chumbawamba and an exhibition with socially engaged-photographer Anthony Luvera as part of his Assisted Self Portraits series, working with people with experience of homelessness to develop their photography skills and curate the exhibition.
Coventry City of Culture Trust and the Irish community of the city will host FÉILE 2021, an annual event run by Comhaltas in Britain, with a weekend of traditional Irish music, dance, activities and storytelling in the city and around the UK. This culminates in the All-Britain Finals of the Online Comhaltas Competitions, an incredible display of musical talent.
The Trust has also added further events and detail to its flagship Green Futures programme, supported by National Lottery Heritage Fund, which works with local and global partners to connect communities with nature and heritage, grow social connections, and build green knowledge. Flock Together challenges the underrepresentation of people of colour in nature on a series of scouted bird watching walks, and We Come Far is a Black led artist walk in green spaces to encourage wellbeing in men, especially those who are Black, Asian or from the global majority groups.
Meanwhile Open Theatre presents Uncover/Discover, with a variety of artistic works created with young people with learning disabilities and inspired by the waterways of the city. Tickets also go on sale for Small Bells Ring, an extraordinary floating library crammed full of short stories created in partnership with the Coventry Library Service, which arrives in Coventry Canal basin this summer.
Running from 15 - 17 June at Warwick Arts Centre, Petticoat Council, tells the story of the ‘Petticoat Council’ which was formed by a group of women from Bishop’s Itchington in rural Warwickshire. They became the first female majority council in Britain, breaking down barriers to transform their community. Presented by BoysClub & Steph Hartland Productions, supported by Warwick Arts Centre and Coventry City of Culture Trust.
In Radford, a purpose-built photo studio is being created in the Jubilee Crescent Community Centre by local designer Ella Clarke to celebrate the support bubbles that helped people get through the pandemic. Portrait photographer Fran Monks will lead a group of community studio photographers to capture images of people in a commission known as Radford Bubbles.
Chenine Bhathena, Creative Director for Coventry City of Culture said: “From our Summer of Surprises and the arrival of the Assembly Festival Garden in the city, Coventry is going to be buzzing with incredible experiences, events and activities. Whether you are from Coventry or visiting us for the first time, there are plenty of ways to get involved, see a show, and share some live experiences with family and friends in the coming months.”
Darren Henley, Chief Executive, Arts Council England, said: “We’re really excited about the latest programme launch, in particular the return of planned live events, and we’re pleased that Coventry’s year is finally here for the community to enjoy.
“The first two events from the Assembly Festival Garden and Feile 2021 will inspire and excite audiences and will provide opportunities for new talent and leaders to emerge from the city. We know that arts and culture can play a key part in enhancing wellbeing, so we hope that experiencing world class arts and culture on their doorstop will be uplifting for local people.”
For more information or to buy tickets go to: coventry2021.co.uk
Newly announced programme:
Open Theatre’s Uncover/Discover (Theatre)
May 2021 – April 2022
With Coventry’s SEND Schools
Inspired by the rivers and waterways of Coventry, Uncover/Discover will create artistic with groups of young people with learning disabilities, which will transform into a large showcase, Water Takes Over The City, in April 2022.
Flock Together (Walks)
Tue 22 Jun - Sun 15 Aug 2021
Coventry Heritage Park
Flock Together will challenge the under-representation of people of colour in nature. Led by Flock Together founders Nadeem Perera and Ollie Olanipekun, they will host a series of scouted bird watching walks. It is presented in conjunction with Observations on Being and commissioned by Coventry City of Culture Trust as part of its Green Futures programme by National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Midsummer Fire Garden (Outdoor arts)
Fri 25 - Sat 26 June
Caludon Castle Park
An adventure set in a fiery night-time landscape, the Midsummer Fire Garden features Walk the Plank’s intricately carved flaming flower boxes and delicately patterned floral chimneys, flame tipped bulrushes and colossal lilies belching plumes of fire. It will also feature the incredible Dr Kronovator’s Fire Laboratory installation by Emergency Exit Arts.
The Midsummer Fire Garden is part of the Summer of Surprises, which is supported by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
FÉILE 2021 (Festival)
Sat 25 - Mon 27 June
Broadcast live from venues across Coventry
An annual event run by Comhaltas in Britain, FÉILE 2021 promises an array of free online performances and workshops from Friday 25 to Sunday 27 June. Irish communities across Coventry and the UK will come together for a weekend of traditional music, dance, activities and storytelling.
Highlights include:
Showcase Concert
Fri 25 Jun
Broadcast live from the Albany Theatre, Coventry
Featuring BBC Radio 2 Folk award winning Michael McGoldrick, Dezi Donnelly & Ed Boyd.
Going to the Pub
Sat 26 June
Broadcast live from Christ the King Parish Centre, Coventry
Live music, song and dance and to hear the stories of Coventry people who champion Irish culture and as they look towards the future. Join in with the world’s biggest online Irish session – with individuals from across the world encouraged to take part in playing, singing, and dancing along to the house band.
Online Comhaltas Competitions: All-Britain Finals
Sun 27 June
Broadcast live from across Britain
Following regional heats across England, Scotland and Wales, the All-Britain Finals of the Online Comhaltas Competitions are a showcase of the incredible talent across the UK.
Assembly Festival Garden
The first shows to take place in the Assembly Festival Garden have been announced today. Tickets will go on sale on 4 June.
Choir of Man (Music-Theatre)
From Thu 1 July
Runaway global sensation of 2018 and 2019, "the ultimate feel-good show of the Fringe," comes to Coventry. Imagine the most incredible pub gig you've ever been to and come ready to drink in the action!
Circolombia (Circus / Dance)
From Fri 2 July
Fresh from Bogotá, one of the world's leading circus companies brings you extraordinary feats and seamless acts, all performed with breathtaking courage. This stunning show will transport you to the streets of Colombia's capital city and beyond.
Curious Club, We Come Far (Walks)
4 Jul 2021
A co-production between CBGC, Coventry City Of Culture Trust and Grapevine
We Come Far is an artist-led walk around the green spaces of the city, kick-starting a range of wellbeing events specifically aimed at reaching men aged 25-55. The Curious Club is a growing community of local creatives, led by two black British-Caribbean dads, Gordon Lowe and Cory Barrett.
Festival of Ideas
Coventry has always been a home to curious eyes and new ways of thinking. The Festival of Ideas, which will span Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture, will get the city thinking, talking and confronting the big issues of our time. National and international collaborations with ground-breaking organisations will bring political debate, citizens’ assemblies, talks, conferences and interviews to the heart of the city.
Psychology and the City Summit (Talks)
Fri 9 July
Online
The Summit is made of three sessions: the first outlines ideas like urban psychology and where its potential lies; the second reflects on the results of the research, investigating the findings and what they suggest about the future of Coventry; finally, participants will look to the actions that Coventry can take to positively respond to the results of the project.
The Summit will include time for questions and debate about how Coventry features in its residents’ everyday lives, and how the city can change and grow with the people that live in it.
The Big Tent Ideas Festival 2021 (Talks)
Sat 10 July
Assembly Festival Garden
With the theme “Healthier, Cleaner and Creative Growth” the Big Tent Ideas Festival and Leaders’ Summit will explore how the City of Culture can be a catalyst for lasting cultural and economic regeneration of the region. The line-up boasts the likes of Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP, Layla Moran MP, Nadhim Zahawi MP Stephen Kinnock MP, George Freeman MP and many more.
The Island (Film/Discussion/Debate)
11 July
An exciting online social experiment in which a diverse group of citizens from Coventry, democratically create a shared home on an island. What rules do we need to ensure peace and tranquility? At what price can prosperity be maintained? When and why is solidarity needed? The Island is a projects by De Balie in the Netherlands and film director Árpád Schilling.
Made in the Midlands (Podcasts)
Jul - Oct 2021
A new podcast exploring the identity of the region through the voices of famous Midlanders. Made by Loftus Media in association with Coventry City of Culture Trust, produced by Andrew Smith and presented by Brummie and Baggie Adrian Goldberg, guests include novelist Lee Child with more to be announced soon.
Classically Queer (Music)
Sat 17 July
Coventry Cathedral Ruins
A co-production between Coventry City of Culture Trust and Coventry Pride, in partnership with Coventry Cathedral.
Coventry Pride present a special performance of classical and contemporary music by this new Queer music ensemble, celebrating the best of LGBTQI+ musicians in the region. It will take place in the spectacular setting of Coventry Cathedral Ruins, inspired by gay composer, Benjamin Britten, who wrote War Requiem for the consecration of the new Cathedral in 1962. Classically Queer is part of the Summer of Surprises, which is supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Beneath the Trees (Festival)
Sat 28 Aug
Naul’s Mill Park
Co-produced by Coventry Arts Collective and Coventry City of Culture Trust, supported by National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery Community Fund.
An urban village fete of music, food, dancing, performance, people, and storytelling at Naul’s Mill Park, a beautiful Edwardian park in the centre of the city. Families can enjoy all that the park has to offer including the rose garden, the spoken word tree, the nearby River Sherbourne, as well as a thought provoking new sculpture from Knife Angel artist Alfie Bradley.
Home, Coventry’s First Arts and Homelessness Festival
8 - 16 Oct 2021
Various
Home is a week-long celebration of arts and homelessness projects in Coventry made by people who are, or have been, homeless.
Cardboard Camps residency at the Belgrade Theatre Coventry, July
The programme aims to discover the issues homeless people face in Coventry through a series of workshops, discussions and devising of a play which will culminate in a performance in July, as well as opportunities to perform in The Ruff Tuff Cream Puff Estate Agency – as members of the chorus.
The Ruff Tuff Cream Puff Estate Agency (Musical)
Sat 9 - Sat 16 Oct 2021
Belgrade Theatre
Co-Produced by Cardboard Citizens, Coventry City of Culture Trust and the Belgrade Theatre Coventry.
Based on a true story from the 1970s, this new musical tells the story of the workings of the world’s first ‘estate agency for squatters’ and the foundation of a new nation, Frestonia. Book and lyrics by Sarah Woods, from an original story by Heathcote Williams, with music by Boff Whalley of Chumbawumba and directed by Adrian Jackson.
Anthony Luvera, Assisted Self-Portraits (Photography)
A new project by Coventry-based socially engaged artist Anthony Luvera, made in collaboration with people experiencing homelessness in Coventry, which culminates in an outdoor public exhibition.
Send a Smile (Exhibition)
Developed by Underground Lights with support from Coventry City of Culture Trust, Arts and Homelessness International, The Belgrade Theatre Coventry and Crisis.
An international postcard project started during the pandemic, which began in Coventry before travelling to homeless communities in the USA, Brazil, South Africa, India, Japan, and Australia. It is now presented as an exhibition that presents the stories behind the postcards.
St Basil’s Sleepout
Sat 9 Oct
Coventry Cathedral Ruins
Taking place overnight on the eve of World Homelessness Day with local charities taking part and the sponsorship money raised will go toward preventing homelessness in Coventry.
There will also be an open mic featuring poetry, spoken word and music; Arts for Social change talks and debates; a visual arts exhibition and much more to be announced in the build up to the festival.
Previously announced events now on sale
Coventry Welcomes
Mon 14- Sun 20 June 2021
Various
Coventry Welcomes is a major celebration of the people of Coventry, which takes place at the same time as the national Refugee Week initiative led by Counterpoints Arts. It has been created with over 30 partner organisations across the city including Positive Images Festival, Coventry Asylum and Refugee Action Group (CARAG), Coventry Refugee & Migration Centre (CRMC) and Counterpoints Arts.
No Direction Home - In association with Counterpoints Arts (Comedy)
Mon 14 June at The Box, FarGo Village
A comedy night created by Camden People’s Theatre, Counterpoints Arts, and award-winning comedian Tom Parry, which offers support to aspiring comics from refugee and migrant backgrounds. The event will be hosted by Coventry-born comedian Stella Graham, supported by Yuriko Kontani, Edin Suljic, Yasmin Moradi and headlined by Shappi Korsandi, one of the country’s finest comedians.
Still We Rise Podcast Live Episodes 11 & 12 (Podcast)
Tue 15 & Thu 17 June at The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum
Coventry Asylum & Refugee Action Group (CARAG)
Join us as our podcast, Still We Rise, is recorded in conversation with special guests in front of a small live audience. Over two nights, we will be in conversation with people at the front line of UK immigration policy.
Nanjing – Performing Forgiveness (Theatre)
Wed 16 June at Coventry Cathedral
Coventry University with Jude Christian
Coventry-born writer and director Jude Christian’s acclaimed play Nanjing explores themes of identity, displacement and conflict in a personal response to the 1937 Nanjing Massacre. It has been reconceived for 2021 as a piece of digital theatre with integral discussion.
Presented by Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations and Tamara Moore. Developed with support from Ovalhouse and created for NOW Festival at The Yard Theatre. Supported using public funding by Arts Council England.
Putting the Flags Out for Coventry Welcomes (Workshops)
Positive Images Festival with Chrysalis Craft & Hillz FM
Wed 16 & Thu 17 June at WATCH Centre
A fun session for children and young people making decorative flag bunting and exploring different cultures.
Inini & CARAG Zine launch
Fri 18 June at The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum
Inini and Coventry Asylum & Refugee Action Group (CARAG)
Inini and CARAG support people seeking sanctuary in Coventry to tackle the challenges they face while trying to integrate into their communities. At this event, they will launch their new Zine, made up of articles wholly produced by artists seeking or who have sought sanctuary in Coventry including illustrator Majid Adin (Rocket Man, Hamid & Shakespeare).
The Bundle (Theatre)
Sat 19 June at St Peter’s Centre
Journeymen Theatre with Coventry Refugee & Migrant Centre
Based closely on the story of a real woman and her three young children, The Bundle theatre show follows Adilah’s domestic persecution and denial of human rights in Chechnya, her abduction and eventual fleeing to the UK, and her experiences of the hostile environment policy on arrival.
REWIND (Theatre)
Sat 19 June at the Belgrade Theatre Coventry
University of Warwick with Ephemeral Ensemble and Belgrade Theatre Coventry
Ephemeral Ensemble presents the universe of Forensic Anthropology, the study of human remains to discover how and when a person dies. Adapted from fact-based stories of resistance into a physical theatre performance, inspired by testimonies from refugees whose lives were affected by dictatorship in Latin America in the 1970s.
Presented as part of the University of Warwick’s Resonate Festival with Belgrade Theatre Coventry, proud to be a Theatre of Sanctuary.
Can You Hear Me, Now? (Outdoor arts)
Sun 20 June at Swanswell Park
Stand and Be Counted, in partnership with Belgrade Theatre Coventry and Coventry Refugee & Migrant Centre. Commissioned by Coventry City of Culture Trust
Can You Hear Me, Now? is a celebratory, large-scale outdoor performance. It will be an immersive and joyous experience, made with and for the people of Coventry. Expect live music, dance, spoken word, storytelling and spectacle.
Stand and Be Counted, the UK’s first Theatre Company of Sanctuary, have been working with people seeking sanctuary in the City to create an urgent response to what it feels like to be silenced and how society can and must learn to listen. Supported by Arts Council England and Spirit of 2012.
I am Kalam (PG): An evening of film, food and talk (Film)
Sahyadri Friends & Screening Rights
Sun 20 June at the Cheylesmore Community Centre
Screening of the acclaimed film I am Kalam (Nila Madhab Panda, 2011) which tells the story of a young boy inspired by the life of India's president at the time to beat the odds of poverty.
She Cannot Walk Alone
Laura Nyehuye & Maokwo
Sun 20 June online
7 -8.30pm
Coventry is reclaiming its streets. This event turns the spotlight on the streets of Coventry and what they look like through the lenses of a woman seeking refuge /a refugee/ an asylum seeker. How do we walk with her? #lAmHer #SheCannotWalkAlone
No Direction Home: Coventry Showcase (Comedy)
In association with Counterpoints Arts, Tom Parry, & Stella Graham
Fri 25, Sat 26, & Sun 27 June
No Direction Home is a pioneering festival featuring stand-up comedians from refugee and migrant backgrounds, mentored by award winning comedian Tom Parry (Pappy’s; Badults; The Lost Disc) and Coventry Comedian Stella Graham. Professional comedians will be joining the group each night to deliver an unforgettable night of comedy. Headliners include Fatiha El-Ghorri (25 June), Rosie Jones (26 June), Nish Kumar (27 June).
Small Bells Ring (Literature)
From July 2021
Coventry Canal Basin
Hop aboard the RV Furor Scribendi, a floating library crammed full of short stories. The boat has been created with both usefulness and beauty in mind, and will visit set locations across our waterways, offering visitors the opportunity to browse and borrow books or stay on board and read as it moves between stops.
Small Bells Ring by Studio Morison is a Super Slow Way and Coventry City of Culture Trust co-commission created with the support of National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Canal & River Trust and British Council and in collaboration with Lancashire and Coventry Library Services and their communities.
Theatre of Wandering (Theatre)
A Coventry City of Culture Trust and Entelechy Arts co-production, in association with OiBokkeShi
Sat 18 & Sun 19 September
In a new production co-created and inspired by Coventry residents, this walk-about theatrical experience through the city centre blurs the boundaries between fiction and reality. The audience is playfully invited to follow one person’s journey through the city centre as they wander, uncovering the hidden stories about dementia, one of our society’s greatest challenges. Made in partnership with local Coventry health care professionals, schools, shopkeepers and residents.
Theatre of Wandering is part of the Caring City programme for Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 which is funded by Spirit of 2012, Arts Council England, National Lottery Community Fund and the Daiwa Foundation