Get involved in an exciting performance project delivered by enJOY arts, with sessions for mothers/mother figures, of any age, to share their experiences, make their mark and capture living history.
Welcoming all mothers/mother figures, whether you’ve performed before or it’s completely new to you.
Sessions will work towards a devised performance that explores motherhood, experiences of lockdown and stories of mothers from history. Looking at how we all cope in challenging times, the AMAZING role of mothers and the resilience we show.
Sessions will run on Wednesday evenings 19:30-21:30 at Stretford Public Hall M32 0LG. This ticket registers you for all sessions.
Performances will take place at Stretford Public Hall the weekend of the 8th and 9th July, with some weekend rehearsals.
Dates for your diary
Drama sessions – Wednesday 19:30 – 21:30
April 19, 2023
April 26, 2023
May 3, 2023
May 10, 2023
May 24, 2023
June 14, 2023
June 21, 2023
June 28, 2023
July 4, 2023
July 5, 2023
Rehearsals – Sunday 12:00-17:00
June 25, 2023
July 2, 2023
Performances
July 7, 2023 (dress rehearsal)
July 8, 2023
July 9, 2023
More information about the project can be found HERE
Here it is, a new creative documentary Pockets4Grrls, created by young women from Sale, Greater Manchester. Over the summer they created a short film as part of our See us! Hear us! project. Delivered in partnership with Talkshop Sale and working with film-maker Hafsah Nibe from Working Class Film School. The group created this powerful creative documentary that explores rules, school and wider society from the young women’s perspective. We always feel inspired when young people who initially feel self conscious or lack confidence to speak out can grow through a creative process and feel able to voice their opinions in such an artistic way.
The arts really have the power to bring about change, for those taking part and the audience…
Big thanks to National Lottery Community Fund for supporting this project and #NationalLottery players for making it possible.
Did you have a baby in the pandemic? Did you miss out on time with your grandchildren? Did you juggle homeschooling and work?
Come share your experiences of how you got through lockdown life!
Join enJOY arts for 8 weeks of sessions where we’ll be creatively exploring how mothers cope in times of crisis. We’ll be comparing our experiences through the Covid crisis to mothers during WWII, seeing what we can learn and how the world has changed. Sessions will include discussions, crafts, creative activities and of course a brew! ☕️
📆Sessions will be at Stretford Public Hall M32 0LG on Wednesdays evenings 7:30-9:30pm starting 5th October running until Weds 30th November (with a break on 26th October for half term)
Register to attend the sessions by following the Eventbrite link in or through the QR code on the flyer. Any questions please get in touch (contact details on the flyer)
Mothers in Crisis: Then & Now is in full swing, with lots of creative activities being delivered to explore how mothers cope in times of crisis. We ran some really successful sessions with mothers of all different ages throughout June and July. Hearing them talk about their Covid experiences, what they learnt and how they coped has been really powerful, it’s shown us how important this project is for providing a space and opportunity for mothers to come together and share their stories in creative ways.
We’ve also been delivering sessions with our young parents group and went on a trip to People’s History Museum, whilst there they watched a performance and explored the collections, this led to really interesting discussions around mothers roles and balancing childcare and work in times of crisis over the last 100 years. There’s been some changes but so much more that can be done to make this challenge more manageable.
We’re looking forward to starting more sessions in the Autumn at Stretford Public hall to further explore the connections between how mothers coped during WWII and comparing it how we as mothers coped during the Covid pandemic. Keep any eye out on our website and social media channels for info about when they’ll be starting.
Big thank you to The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Trafford Housing Trust and #NationlaLottery players for making this project possible.
We currently have 2 vacancies to work with us on our exciting new creative heritage project, Mothers in Crisis: Then & Now.
Mothers in Crisis: Then & Now is a creative heritage project delivered by enJOY arts working with Mothers in Trafford. This project is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Trafford Housing Trust.
Through this project we will work with mothers to creatively share their experiences of motherhood during Covid, learn about mothers from the past, looking how they coped in times of crisis and capture our living history.
The project is running now until December 2023, including public performances in early July 2023 and exhibition launch in mid October 2023, both at Stretford Public Hall. Alongside the exhibition a digital archive will be launched documenting the stories uncovered as part of the project.
The two freelance opportunities are…
Digital & Evaluation Support Officer
enJOY arts are looking to recruit a Digital & Evaluation Support Officer on a freelance basis to support the project with social media/publicity and the record keeping of material for the digital archive and evaluation purposes. Download the recruitment information HERE
Evaluator
enJOY arts are looking to recruit an experienced Evaluator on a freelance basis to work with the Project Manager to plan and implement the evaluation of the project. Download the recruitment information HERE
How to Apply
Please read the recruitment information, available to download on the links above. If you are interested in this position, then please send a CV and covering letter of no more than two sides of A4, outlining your previous experience and why you are interested in the role to: info@enjoy-arts.org.uk
The deadline for applications is 5pm on Monday 25th April. Interviews will be held at Stretford Public Hall or via Zoom on Wednesday 4th or Thursday 5th May.
If you have any questions/would like an informal chat about the role please feel free to contact Erica Adkins, Project Manager, on 07752 711 650.
enJOY arts has received a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £86,697 plus a further £10,000 from Trafford Housing Trust for a new creative heritage project “Mothers in Crisis: Then and Now” in Trafford, Greater Manchester. Made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, the project focuses on mothers’ experiences during the Pandemic.
Covid has been cited as the biggest crisis the world has experienced since WWII. Focusing on experiences from WWII comparing and contrasting this to the Pandemic, “Mothers in Crisis: Then and Now” will look at how mothers have responded and adapted, showing resilience in times of crises.
Supported through The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project will enable mothers from Trafford, to share their experiences and re-story what has happened in this pandemic, placing it in a context of resilience as they learn about the experiences of mothers in the past. We want mothers of this pandemic to share their voices, make their mark and to capture living history.
Working with artists and volunteers, participants will creatively explore heritage in new and exciting ways. enJOY arts will work in partnership with Stretford Public Hall (SPH) People’s History Museum (PHM) and Working Class Movement Library (WCML), culminating in a performance, exhibition and digital archive.
enJOY arts CIC is an award winning community organisation based in Manchester, working across the North West. For us, the power of the arts lies in their ability to uplift, empower and bring people together. We deliver creative heritage projects with community groups, successfully engaging those who are hard to reach. Working in partnership with heritage venues, to explore untold histories from a female perspective, finding common ground between our participants and the heritage they are exploring.
Commenting on the award, Erica Adkins, Project Manager, said “We are thrilled to have received this support thanks to National Lottery Players. As an organisation run by working mothers we feel passionately that a creative heritage project for Mothers is needed now more than ever before. We are really looking forward to exploring stories of mothers’ resilience from the past, documenting recent stories from mothers of the pandemic and sharing these with the wider public.”
Louise Sutherland, Senior Engagement Manager for the North of England at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “We are delighted to support enJOY arts in researching and recording the stories highlighting the resilience and innovation shown by mothers in times of crises through this project. Mothers play an incredibly important role in our heritage and this grant, made possible by the National Lottery players, will make sure that these voices and memories of the community can be heard for generations to come.”
As today marks International Women’s Day we thought it would be a great opportunity to share with you the wonderful digital archive that was created as part of our Her Hidden Histories project. The digital archive tells the story of our project through photos, videos and the voices of the young women who took part… follow the link and start exploring Her Hidden Histories
We’re busy gearing up for ‘Turning Tides: First in the Fight’ – an innovative promenade performance devised by young women and inspired by true stories of women’s fight for the vote, over 100 years ago…
This performance is the latest phase in the ‘Her Hidden Histories’ project, which we have been running in partnership with small heritage venues across Manchester since the beginning of last year. Earlier phases saw young women from Wythenshawe devise and perform ‘In the Driving Seat’ at the Museum of Transport (June 2017), telling stories of the first women to work in the transport industry and young women from Gorton devise and perform ‘Top of the Bill’ at the Greater Manchester Police Museum (July 2017), looking at pioneering women in policing. Now both groups – from Newall Green High School and Cedar Mount Academy – are coming together to pool their knowledge, skills and ideas and turn their focus to the battle for women’s suffrage.
In this phase of the project, the groups have visited and taken inspiration from the collections at the People’s History Museum, the Pankhurst Centre and the Working Class Movement Library. They have taken part in music workshops, being supported to write their own rousing and anthemic songs by singer-songwriter and long time enJOY arts collaborator Claire Mooney. They have also taken part in dance sessions where Ruth Jones and Trixi Bold have helped them to choreograph some wonderful movement sequences.
The performances of ‘Turning Tides: First in the Fight’ will take place on Thursday 31st May at 7pm and Friday 1st June at 3pm and 7pm at Victoria Baths. Tickets are free but, as this is a promenade performance exploring the whole of this incredible historic building, audience numbers are limited so booking is essential.
Our Her Hidden Histories groups had a fantastic time visiting the People’s History Museum on Monday afternoon. Young women from Cedar Mount Academy and Newall Green High School came together for the first time in this phase of the project to gather inspiration for their upcoming performances at Victoria Baths in May. The performances will explore the role of everyday working women in the struggle for the vote and the groups came away buzzing with ideas!
Now we’re gearing up for more visits and creative workshops in the Easter Holidays: we’ll be heading to the Pankhurst Centre and the Working Class Movement Library as well as trying our hand at some music and dance. We can’t wait!
As today marks 100 years since the first UK women were granted the right to vote, it’s about time for an update on our Her Hidden Histories project!
Last summer saw two groups of young women, from Wythenshawe and Gorton, create some fantastic performances at both the Museum of Transport and the Greater Manchester Police Museum. ‘In the Driving Seat’ told stories of the first women to work on trams and buses, largely owing to the absence of men during the First World War. ‘Top of the Bill’ explored experiences of the first women in policing during a similar period, many of whom had also been on the other side of the law as suffragettes. Both performances enjoyed a rousing inter-generational musical finale, thanks to our fantastic Herizons group!
This year, we are bringing both groups of young women together to create another ambitious performance at the stunning Victoria Baths. ‘Turning Tides: First in the Fight’ will weave together the stories uncovered in the previous two performances and celebrate the role of everyday women in the struggle for suffrage. Exact times are yet to be confirmed but there will be 3 chances to catch this exciting new piece, with an evening performance on Thursday 31st May and both a matinee and evening performance on Friday 1st June.
enJOY arts 