Community Post Type: Callouts

Considering a career in food? Join in this years exciting Food Biz Course starting 2nd week of October!

To find out more or to sign up, drop into to speak to Sally-Anne at Squash next Tues 1st Oct or Weds 2nd Oct any time between 10.30 & 12.30. Or email becky@squashliverpool.co.uk

These 12 week courses run on Tuesday or Wednesday mornings from 8th or 9th October.

Through this training you will:

-discover new talents and interests

-gain practical skills and experiences

-increase your business ‘know how’

-meet inspiring local business leaders

-learn how to grow, prepare, cook, share and enjoy food that is good for you, your family, your community and for the planet!

The course is funded through Liverpool City Region’s Multiply Community Fund that supports trainees to gain better understanding and confidence around the calculations, sums, measuring and maths of food business!

TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THIS COURSE YOU MUST:

* reside within Liverpool City Region
* have been living in the UK for a minimum of 3 years
* be 19 or over
* NOT already have a GCSE grade C/4 (or equivalent/higher) in maths

CHILDCARE ALLOWANCE AVAILABLE

This year’s Liverpool Acoustic Songwriting Challenge closes on 30th September meaning there’s just one week left to enter.

The Liverpool Acoustic Songwriting Challenge is a truly unique event where songwriters are challenged to write a brand new song inspired by a local work of art.

Now in its fourteenth year the Songwriting Challenge welcomes back judges Jon Lawton (Owner/producer, Crosstown Studios), Kaya Herstad Carney (musician/vocal coach), Luke Moore (composer/Operation Lightfoot), Robert Vincent (award-winning musician and songwriter), and Alison Benson (musician, music teacher, and multiple Challenge winner).

To enter the Challenge a songwriter must visit the Liverpool City Region (Merseyside and Halton) during the entry period of 1st to 30th September and choose a piece of art that inspires them to write a new song. The songwriter or songwriters (collaborations are allowed) can choose any work of art on public display in the Liverpool City Region during the entry period, whether a painting, mural, statue, sculpture, stained glass window, pavement art, or anything else generally accepted as ‘art’.

Songwriters have one month from the launch date to write the song and submit it as a basic recording along with a copy of the lyrics and a photo of the art that inspired it. The judges will then listen to the songs and mark each one on lyrics, melody, composition and originality.

At the end of November the ten highest scoring songs will be revealed with the songwriters being invited to perform them at the Showcase Final at LEAF on Bold St on Saturday 8th February 2025. On the night the audience will get to vote for the Audience Favourite award and the Judges’ Award winner will be announced.

The winning songwriters in the two categories – Judges’ Award and Audience Favourite – receive the following prizes:-

• Song professionally recorded by judge Jon Lawton at Liverpool’s Crosstown Studios.
• A two hour vocal or songwriting lesson, from judge Kaya Herstad Carney.
• A cello lesson or a cello part on the song recording, from Operation Lightfoot’s Luke Moore.

Liverpool Acoustic’s Graham Holland says:-

“As the Liverpool Acoustic Songwriting Challenge enters its fourteenth year I can’t wait to see who will enter this time round. It’s always exciting to see songwriters new to the Challenge having a go alongside seasoned veterans. Judges Kaya, Jon, Robert, Alison and Luke will have their work cut out to score them all. I don’t envy them in the slightest!“

The Songwriting Challenge is open to anyone of any age living in the UK. However, entrants must have visited the Liverpool City Region (Liverpool, Sefton, Wirral, St Helens, Knowsley, and Halton) between 1st September and the closing date of 30th September.

The Liverpool Acoustic Songwriting Challenge is free to enter.

The entry form and full rules (including a new rule for 2024!) are available here

Tickets for the Showcase Final on 8th February 2025 will be available from the beginning of December 2024. All profits raised will be split between Marie Curie Cancer Care and Garston Animal Rescue in memory of Liverpool Acoustic team member Sharon Jones who died in May 2011.

Imagine writing a poem with the trees, the clouds, or the wind… Step into the enchanting world of WILDWRIGHTS at Liverpool’s beautiful Sudley Walled Garden with Theatre in the Rough.

Discover nature’s wonders in these free creative writing workshops for all ages, which aim to spark creative adventures for curious minds by connecting with the wild world.

With fun Expedition Guides and activities for all, you’ll enjoy crafting poetic treasures and tales by exploring the vibrant ecosystem around you. Ask for help from our friendly guides, or just take some self-guided time to enjoy the garden and fresh air.

Open to all. Suitable for families or individuals.

Funded by The Save Our Wild Isles Community Fund, The PH Holt Foundation, The HDH Wills 1965 Charitable Trust, and The Alpkit Foundation

FREE NATURE WRITING EVENT | SUDLEY WALLED GARDEN, LIVERPOOL | SUN 29 SEPTEMBER | ❗FINAL EVENT❗

🎟️ BOOKING LINK here

Always wanted to act in a panto? Now’s your chance. Valley Theatre are auditioning for their popular annual Panto. This year it’s Jack and the Beanstalk. It’s a great way to get real theatre experience and learn what it’s like to perform in front of  a real audience. And great fun  too.

Both first-time actors as well as those with experience are welcomed. No prep needed for audition which will consist of a few scenes from the panto and time will be given on the night to read the scenes and prepare.

Valley are also looking for singers and backstage help.

Audition is held 30 September, 7pm, Valley Community Theatre, Childwall Valley Road, L27 3YA

The 2025 iteration of Tip Tray Theatre’s playwriting competition, What Happens Next?, is set to take the stage, merging interactive theatre, exciting competition and development. This unique event offers playwrights an opportunity to showcase their work, engage with audiences and industry experts, and be in with a chance to win a fantastic prize package.

What Happens Next? is now in its third year, continuing its tradition of spotlighting exceptional new writing. The 2023 winner, I Am Steven Gerrard by Sean McLoughlin, has just completed a successful run at the Royal Court Liverpool following its origination at The Hope Street Theatre. 

As we look forward, we’re excited to be working on the 2024 winner, Four by Elspeth Todd, gearing up for its debut in the near future. What Happens Next? distinguishes itself from traditional writing contests by involving both the audience and a panel of judges in the selection process and having a deep focus on providing training opportunities to local artists.

Over the course of three evenings, eight compelling plays will showcase their opening 20 minutes in front of a live audience. The audience, alongside the expert panel of industry professionals, will cast their votes to determine which play deserves the spotlight, the coveted prizes and most importantly, which play made them say ‘What Happens Next?

The winners of What Happens Next? will be awarded an impressive array of prizes designed to support their artistic practice going forward:

• Five Days of Complimentary Theatre Space: Utilise The Hope Street Theatre for a week, providing a dedicated space to develop and rehearse your play.
• Professional Production Contract: Tip Tray Theatre will contract the full production of the winning play, offering a platform for a polished, professional showcase.
• Expert Dramaturgy: Benefit from in-depth dramaturgical support from Papatango Theatre Company, ensuring that your play reaches its highest potential.
• £1000 Kickstarter Budget: Secure a financial boost to support the realisation of your creative vision with a £1000 Kickstarter budget.

What Happens Next? focuses on the development of early career artists in Liverpool. Tip Tray Theatre started the competition as a way to develop and showcase emerging talent, providing a platform for new voices to be heard. The initiative was designed not only to discover fresh, dynamic work but also to foster a supportive environment where writers, directors, and performers can collaborate and grow. By offering the opportunity for artists to see their work staged in front of a live audience, Tip Tray Theatre aims to bridge the gap between script and performance, helping new artists take their first steps toward a sustainable career in the arts.

Maisy Gordon, Tip Tray Theatre’s Executive Producer talks about how important the competition is for local artists:

“There are so many barriers to accessing the arts. We wanted to create a platform for writers to have their work staged in front of a paying audience and industry professionals without having to worry about theatre hire, paying a team and selling tickets. What Happens Next? offers the chance to win some fantastic prizes, but aside from that, our competition gives all involved the chance to build a community, network with professionals, showcase their work and get a headstart in the arts. So far, the competition has allowed many participants to progress onto future work in the industry and we are so excited to be running the competition again in January 2025!”

This year’s competition promises an exhilarating experience for both participants and audiences, blending the excitement of live theatre with the thrill of new writing. Tip Tray Theatre is currently fundraising for this project to ensure the quality of training and financial viability for emerging artists. Help them to continue to provide development opportunities to local artists by checking out the fundraiser here.

Supported by The Hope Street Theatre.

For more information on how to participate or attend, please visit tiptraytheatre.com/whn

Altru Drama CIC are now casting for talented, versatile male identifying actors for our Anti Bullying show ‘Time to be Different’ & our Classic tale ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’.

The shows will tour school and community venues around the North West.

Download full details and application process here

CLOSING DATE for applications: Monday 23rd September 2024

Every other fortnight on the Writer’s Bloc The Reader offer a ‘Time to Write’ session. You can come into Toxteth Library as part of the local writing community and spend some time practicing your writing work.

This might be anything you are currently interested in or working toward: flash fiction, poetry, a novel – anything goes! The aim is to motivate you to commit to a specific time to concentrate on your writing practice, after which the group will reconvene in the children’s library area and you can share your work with the group (if you wish). This is an opportunity to get valuable feedback, gain more confidence in your work and spend time with likeminded people.

At Time to Write sessions, when possible, they will have partner organisations presenting opportunities to the community. These may be educational opportunities such as free courses, and careers or work placement opportunities with local arts organisations, for example. Our partners will spend a little time after the sharing session presenting options that may be of interest.

On this occasion they have representatives from The Reader, an organisation advocating the power of literature, coming in towards the end of the session to discuss their volunteering and careers opportunities. If you are interested in this, you will be able to ask questions and sign up for anything that suits you.

Visit here for details

IMPORTANT: Please do not turn up to a Writer’s Bloc session without registering and being invited. Numbers are limited and session attendance is by invite only. They are unable to allow entry if you have not been accepted onto the session.

Liverpool Improv Festival are thrilled to announce that their first wave of applications for Liverpool Improvisation Festival 2025 are officially live on their website 💻

Whether you’re a solo show, new team, or super experienced troupe, they want to hear from you!! 👋

From local talent to international performers, their team is ready and waiting to see what you have to offer 🤗

And keep an eye out over the coming weeks for workshop teacher and ensemble applications! 👀

So, get Thursday 24th – Sunday 27th April 2025 in your calendar and start applying today 🗓 💕

Application for shows – close on October the 16th, 2024.

Applications for workshop leaders – Open on October the 12th and close on November the 1st.

Applications for ensemble show – Open on November the 1st and close on December the 1st, 2024.

The Liverpool City Region Culture & Creativity Awards recognise and celebrate the incredible contribution that culture and creativity make to our city region. Established in 2019 as part of the Metro Mayor’s commitment to culture, the awards are now in their sixth year.

They know that people in our City Region are very creative, so they want to shine the spotlight on the fantastic work that is making such a difference to people’s lives. Nominations are not just restricted to work done by professionals but can include creative activity that brings people together, in real life or virtually, so this can involve volunteers and community activity too.

The awards are part of the Metro Mayor’s 1% for Culture initiative, and will honour the value and contribution that the cultural and creative sector brings to the Liverpool City Region, making it one of the most vibrant and exciting places to live, work, study, visit or do business in. The Liverpool City Region includes the 6 local authority Boroughs of Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens, and Wirral.

Nominations for the awards can include an individual, organisation, business, group, or partnership that, has demonstrated outstanding achievement through cultural and/or creative activity over the last year. Their definition of creativity extends to include a wider application and use within technology, innovation, and science in order to develop and introduce new ideas and improved ways of doing things.

Finalists are not chosen based on the number of nominations received by the judging panel for a particular project, group or individual, but rather the quality of the work described. One fantastic nomination is all it takes.  

Nominations close on Friday 25 October.

Nominate now

Future Yard’s songwriting programme is back.

There are still a few spaces available to join a small group of other songwriters for this 8 week, free to access programme. You’ll take part in 6 workshops with 2 performance opportunities at their Open Mic night knitted in.

Open to all skill levels. Follow the link for more info and to book your slot.

Starts: 17 September