Welcome

In September 2018, BLACKHORSE ARTS presented our first project: WELCOME.

A pilot project, WELCOME was something special. We teamed up Waltham Forest based theatre makers with local residents. The theatre makers met their resident, then created a special performance just for their host (and anyone the host chose to invite) which was then performed in the host’s home.

WELCOME was inspired by Home Theatre, a global movement created by Kerry Michael (former artistic director of Theatre Royal Stratford East) and Marcus Faustini (Rio de Janeiro).

WELCOME was generously supported by funding from Higham Hill ward forum.

Meet the Artists:

Catherine Skinner is an actor and creative producer. She grew up in Birmingham and has lived in Walthamstow for over 12 years. As an actor she has worked in theatre, television and radio; credits include: Birmingham Rep, Royal Shakespeare Company, Gielgud and Wyndhams Theatre in the West End and in various roles on BBC Radio 4. On television she has appeared in Call the Midwife, Casualty, Doctors and Close to the Enemy (BBC), Trauma (ITV), Catastrophe (Channel 4) and in Housewife 49 with Victoria Wood.
She has also devised work with Kaos and Platform 4, as well as facilitating workshops in primary schools with Language Alive in Birmingham. She has produced work for her own company, The Equilibrium, and last year was commissioned by Waltham Forest Council to create a pop up event for Silver Sunday – a “Vintage Humans” Afternoon Tea celebrating what people gain with age and bringing generations together. She has also helped produce “All Together Now” with Mrs H and the Sing-Along Band, bringing local pre-school children and older people from the local community together at a series of concerts across the borough.

Del Taylor is an arts practitioner who delivers collaborative, cross-art form projects with a range of participants, both in the UK and internationally. Her work is participation focused, process driven, and always playful, with the emphasis on listening to the stories and ideas of participants and the places and spaces they inhabit. Del’s work merges elements of multiple art forms including performance, puppetry, visual art, design and site specific response, to co-create exhibitions, installations and performances. She is currently working with Studio 3Arts, Polka Theatre, the Barbican and the National Theatre.

The E17 Puppetry Project (Alexandra Leiva and Nigel Munson) produces engaging and immersive theatre experiences, using the playful and accessible medium of puppetry to explore even the most complex themes, stories and emotions. For The Welcome Festival Alexandra and Nigel will explore ideas generated through discussion with their host using hand puppets inspired by those of artist Paul Klee.

Kat Bond is an actress, writer and comic based in Higham Hill. She won the Vault comedy award for her critically acclaimed solo show Loo Roll. Tv includes Call the Midwife BBC, Urban Myths for Sky and Dr Brown CH4. She’s just returned from Ed Fringe with Fringe First winning play ‘It’s True, it’s True It’s True’.

Matthew Xia is a director and was born and brought up in Waltham Forest. He was associate artistic director at the Royal Exchange Manchester from 2014-17, where credits included Frankenstein, Wish List and Into the Woods. He was previously director in residence at the Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse, associate director at Theatre Royal Stratford East, and has worked at the Young Vic, Royal Court and the Nottingham Playhouse.

Derek Bond wrote a piece for The Guardian newspaper about WELCOME, click here to view it.

We produced a report about our pilot of WELCOME, click here to view it and read some of our feedback and view images of the event.