Zodwa Nyoni Archives - North West End UK

Chisholm For President! – The Warehouse in Holbeck

18Apr

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Chisholm For President! – The Warehouse in Holbeck

It’s always risky when you see any work in progress which can often just be a series of vignettes that don’t really knit together, even if you can see the potential of the material being tested in front of a live audience. That was most definitely not the case at this taster session for Chisholm For President!, based on the life of the first black woman elected to the US Congress in 1968 and then the first woman of colour to run for President in 1972. Sitting in Slung Low’s cavernous newish home I was wondering why a brand-new musical, that is basically performers acting with script in hand and singing a bunch of original songs, seemed so fully formed. But then the penny dropped that this fledgling production has a very strong creative team behind it. Playwright Zodwa Nyoni has cr...

Zodwa Nyoni talks about new musical Chisholm for President!

1Apr

By NewsdeskNo Comments

NEWS

Zodwa Nyoni talks about new musical Chisholm for President!

Chisholm for President! is a brand-new musical inspired by the remarkable journey of the first Black woman to be elected to the United States Congress, and who then dared to run for the Democratic nomination for President in 1972. Playwright Zodwa Nyoni has teamed up with Leeds based rapper Testament to develop a musical that traces Shirley Chisholm’s life as the daughter of immigrants who then battled racism and misogyny to win a seat in Congress. Chisholm was known for her advocacy on behalf of women, minorities, stood with the gay community, was way ahead of her time on environmental protections, fought against child poverty and was noted for her opposition to the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Chisholm served in Congress for seven terms before passing away in 2005...

New show Chisholm for President! celebrates the life of a civil rights legend

2Mar

By NewsdeskNo Comments

NEWS

New show Chisholm for President! celebrates the life of a civil rights legend

New soul/funk musical Chisholm for President! tells the inspiring story of the first Black woman to be elected to Congress and to run for the nomination of the President of the United States. Through live music and performance, it recalls the life of Shirley Chisholm who struggled against the political machine and made her trailblazing run for the Democratic US presidential nomination in 1972. Shirley Chisholm was a trailblazer as the first Black woman to be elected to Congress in 1968 and was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, before making history as the first African American to make a serious bid for the Presidency of the United States of America in 1972. She was known for her advocacy on behalf of women and minorities, standing with the Gay com...

Freedom Studios are looking for experienced Yorkshire writers for free playwriting course

31Jul

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Freedom Studios are looking for experienced Yorkshire writers for free playwriting course

Bradford theatre company Freedom Studios are looking for experienced writers to join Street Voices 8, the company’s popular free six-month playwriting course. They want to support distinctive voices who can offer new perspectives, but have an ability to write, and the potential to develop their skills. They will work under the guidance of playwright and previous course graduate Zodwa Nyoni, who went on to write Boi Boi is Dead for Leeds Playhouse, Tiata Fahodzi, & Watford Palace Theatre. Freedom are looking for writers who may have been writing creatively in other forms and are looking to broaden their practice. All applicants must have a willingness to take risks, and try out new ideas, along with a commitment to attend all course dates, which will run from 10th October 2020 til...