Birmingham’s award winning jazz musician Soweto Kinch and much loved Hip Hop theatre pioneer Jonzi D will be taking up residency at Birmingham Hippodrome for a week of intensive masterclasses developing upcoming talent.
The week long course will see Soweto and Jonzi D working with local dancers, DJs, beatboxers, emcees, musicians and graffiti artists. Culminating in the Open Art Surgery performance in the theatre’s Patrick Centre on Saturday 20 July. Results are shared to a live audience who are then invited to critique, question and feedback to the artists.
Open Art Surgery, masterminded by Jonzi D, aims to develop professional hip hop artists from Birmingham to engage and understand hip hop theatre better. Participants will receive training, mentorship and studio space to experiment and create new works in progress.
The live event will be hosted by Jonzi D alongside Soweto Kinch as they introduce the fresh new work developed during the week. The event will feature local artists including Mad Flow, Marso Riviere, MDK and RTKAL. Audiences can expect to see the very best in breaking, popping, locking, rapping and turntablism chewed up and given a theatrical overhaul.
Speaking about the unique event Jonzi D said: “Having worked closely with Birmingham Hippodrome bringing Breakin’ Convention to the city three times since 2009 this is an exciting new opportunity to develop Birmingham’s hip hop theatre talent.”
The audience is then invited to a FREE post show party, featuring DJ Psykhomantus, at Birmingham Hippodrome’s StageSide Bar & Restaurant, Thorp Street, where they can meet the artists and talk to them about their work. The Open Art Surgery performance is the place to see the work of the future first!
The Open Art Surgery performance takes place on Saturday 20 July 2013 at 7.45pm in The Patrick Centre at Birmingham Hippodrome. Tickets are priced at £5 and are available online at www.birminghamhippodrome.com, by phoning 0844 338 5000 or in person at the box office (calls cost from 5p per min, 5% transaction fee applies).
