Artist of Change, Angela Clerkin presents The Festival of Radical Care, a series of workshops, installations, music and dancing exploring how the arts can help us care for each other and our world.
Artists of Change is an initiative established by the Albany and ARC Stockton to work with artists who will create, curate or lead activity to create work that responds to the needs, interests and tastes of local people.
You can find out more about Artists of Change here.
Full programme of events
Art Installations
Come and browse art installations within the Albany café space, all highlighting a wide range of local acts of care and projects:
Manifesto of Care by Bernadette Russell – Showing from Monday 20 September – Sunday 17 October
If you search for me, I’m home by Sounds Like Chaos – Showing from Monday 20 September – Sunday 26 September
Pods of Solace by Spare Tyre – Showing from Wednesday 29 September – Saturday 2 October
Meet Me – Staying Connected by Meet Me at the Albany – Showing from Tuesday 5 October – Friday 8 October
The rain is falling, the needles are clicking, I peel an orange by Entelechy Arts – Monday 11 October – Friday 15 October
LGBTQ+ workshops
Tuesday 21 September – Tuesday 12 October
6.30pm – 8pm
As part of the Festival of Radical Care these three workshops are open to LGBTQ+ actors, improvisors and theatre-makers at all levels of experience who want to play, practise and hone their improvisation and devising skills.
We especially encourage LGBTQ+ Lewisham residents and/or working class and/or global majority and/or disabled people to come. It is possible to attend individual sessions, however attendees are encouraged to attend all three if possible.
Queer Joy and Euphoria led by Tabby Lamb
Tuesday 28 September
Challenging ‘Good’ Theatre led by Emily Aboud
Tuesday 5 October
Rainbow Rebellions led by Angela Clerkin
Tuesday 12 October
Spare Tyre Takeover: Saturday 2 October
Writing for Healing and Self Care
Saturday 2 October, 10:30am-12pm
Join Hasan for a workshop exploring writing, mark making and drawing as tools for self-care, healing, insight, memory and joy. You will leave the workshop with a few pieces to work on, and tools to take into your everyday. No pressure to share, although exploring your voice is encouraged! Book your tickets for free here
Saturday 2 October, 12:45pm – 1:30pm
Through this workshop with Jasmine, you will learn about vegetables and herbs that can be grown in small spaces as microgreens, and sow your own little container of Shiso, Basil and Daikon Radish to care for. We will explore how we can connect to a sense of place through the seasoning of food and the care and conditions it takes for the plants to grow. Book your free tickets here.
World cafe – Reclaiming Self Care as Radical Care
Saturday 2 October, 2pm – 4pm
“I respect the time I spend each day treating my body, and I consider it part of my political work . . . a kind of training in self-love and physical resistance” —Audre Lorde, “A Burst of Light”
A world café is an interactive way of having a discussion on a certain topic. In this case we invite you to share on the topic of “Reclaiming Self Care as Radical Care”. You will be invited to sit with a group of people and have a discussion, rotating tables every twenty minutes. Each table will be hosted by one of our guest facilitators who will guide a conversation based on their own lived experiences on how to protect, preserve and fight for your wellbeing, in a world that can often neglect and exploit. Book your free tickets here.
REZON8 takeover
Friday 8 October, 7.30pm
Join us for a night in our main space as we celebrate home-grown talent with music from youth led record label, REZON8.
Entelechy Arts presents Homecoming: A 21st Century Tea Dance in partnership with the Albany
Tuesday 12 October, 2pm – 4pm
Entelechy Arts is delighted to present Homecoming, our first Tea Dance since 2019! Hosted by Christopher Green, join us for a jam-packed afternoon of dancing, music, performance, tea and cake! With contributions from communities across our programme, featuring Meet Me at the Choir, The Home Roadshow, Ambient Jam Collective, Meet Me at the Albany, Glorious Age and music from The Spitz. Due to a limited capacity to allow social distancing, this event is invitation only however we will be live streaming it, and would love you to join us digitally! To register for the live stream please email info@entelechyarts.org.
Improbable- Devoted and Disgruntled event
Sunday 17 October, 12pm – 4pm
How can we continue to work together towards anti racist care in our theatre sector?
Queer Cabaret
Sunday 17 October, 7.30pm – 9pm
This fabulous queer cabaret is the closing event of the Festival of Radical Care – tonight is about how Kings, Queens and in-betweens care radically through queer joy, swagger, spoken word and lip syncing. It’s time to put on your wig and sashay down to the Albany.
Access: The Albany is fully wheelchair-accessible. We actively encourage participation from people with disabilities. For full details visit our accessibility page or contact our box office team with any access needs.
About Angela Clerkin
Angela Clerkin is an actor, writer and theatre maker who first performed at the Albany in the 1980s with Irish dance/comedy group The Hairy Marys and is thrilled to return as one of the Artists of Change.
Her theatre company ClerkinWorks has toured the UK with 4* shows The Secret Keeper and The Bear, using personal stories to tell global tales. The next show in development is The Time Kings, exploring time and colonialism in the music hall era. Currently Angela runs Through the Door improvisation & devising workshops for women and non-binary people. Angela is an Associate Artist with Improbable.
“As an Artist of Change I wanted to create the Festival of Radical Care to highlight and celebrate some of the amazing creativity and connection with Albany’s resident companies, Associate Artists and Lewisham residents that went on during lockdown – and continues today. The resident companies involved in the festival include Meet Me, Albany Connects, REZON8, Spare Tyre, Sounds Like Chaos, Entelechy, Bernadette Russell & Friends and Displace Yourself. Joining the festival are also some wonderful, radically caring guests including Lewisham Young Carers, Dr Yewande Okuleye, Tabby Lamb, Emily Aboud,. I’m also delighted to team up with Improbable to host a Devoted and Disgruntled Satellite. Pauline Mayers will facilitate the Open Space event and our question is “How can we continue to work together towards anti racist care in our theatre sector?” The closing event of is a joyous and wild Queer Cabaret night including Louis CYfer, Rhys’s Pieces and Mr Wesley Dykes. I look forward to seeing you during these fabulous four weeks of the Festival of Radical Care.”
Angela Clerkin
We are constantly monitoring the government’s COVID-19 guidelines. Should the situation change, the event will be postponed and bookers will be notified in regards to their options.
Supported by the Garfield Weston Foundation through the Weston Culture Fund
