Crafting & Grafting

Across two meteorologically fickle September weeks, Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter witnessed what could almost be called a happening. Not a common occurrence, it had done well to court a range of reactions from onlookers: bafflement, delight, flitting interest, scorn, intrigue. And that’s to say nothing of what the paying audience thought. This was Gem of a

What a weekend!

At 11.30am on 9th September we sit near Chamberlain’s Clock in Golden Square and the magic begins. The clock exerts its power and time becomes fluid. As writers, we see our words spring to life when the actors arrive to take the audience with them on their journey round the Jewellery Quarter. There are stories

History – what is it good for?

Everyone studies History at school but what do we learn? There are so many different histories – kings and queens, wars, political, social, Commonwealth, world. How does it help us? The philosopher Santayana said ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’ Judging by the number of times history repeats itself, we’re

Timeless

An elegant green Edwardian clock stands at the heart of Birmingham’s beloved Jewellery Quarter, towering above the bustling lives of residents, workers, shoppers and visitors. The Chamberlain Clock has been an impressive sight since it was unveiled by Joseph Chamberlain back in 1903 to commemorate his visit to South Africa after the controversial 2nd Boer

Green door, what’s that secret you’re keeping?

According to the 1956 hit song, ‘there’s an old piano and they play it hot behind the green door’. It’s a tune that was running through my head as I approached a battered green door in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. However, rather than finding a smoke-filled speakeasy, I discovered an entirely different world of wonders: a

The power of collective strength

Google searches for ‘how can I join a union’ went up by 500 per cent at the end of June, driven by coverage of the rail strikes and by the growing number of planned industrial disputes fuelled by the cost-of-living crisis. My short play for GEM OF A PLACE – about women penmakers being urged

The Cheeky Back Kick

It’s been an exciting summer so far, Wimbledon, a mini heatwave, the Lionesses through to the Euros final, the Commonwealth Games kicking off in Birmingham, Prima Facie hitting the cinemas… who doesn’t love Jodie Comer? People often compare the funding of sports and the arts –  which gets most, which is perceived to be more

Our show needs YOU!

BOLDtext Playwrights’ latest show, GEM OF A PLACE, is welcoming a community cast to support our production with a dash of visual/physical theatre.  This is the first time we’ve worked with a community cast but we’re looking forward to co-creating some theatrical moments which will complement the micro-plays from BOLDtext writers. We’d like these fleeting

Something major and important that will change everything

I’m confused. And I’m a news junkie too. It’s a bad combination.  I think if I watch just a little more bloodshed and misery, I might understand the world better. It might all become clear. It doesn’t. Today tanks roll through Ukraine, asylum seekers could be flown to Rwanda, Boris Johnson is Prime Minister. How

Admitting we’re only human after all

I’ve just come back from a restorative trip to Greece. Sun, sea, sand… yes and storms, wind and rain. It was too cold for the beach in the first week so I went on walks in the hills and gorges. This period away was intended to allow me time to stop. To get off the