14 December at 5pm

Zoom 

Make Yourself at HOME is a place to meet other artists of colour in an informal setting. Whatever art form you’re working in, whether you’re starting out or an old hand, this space is for you!

Naomi and Ashleigh will discuss how they’ve kept working as artists during lockdown.

As well as hearing about their careers, both Naomi and Ashleigh will talk about how they have stayed creative during lockdown, how to maintain your practice during lockdown, and their roles leading local arts projects . The talk will be followed by a Q&A.

About Naomi Sumner-Chan

Naomi is a Manchester based playwright and dramaturg fuelled by salt and vinegar crisps and cups of tea. She leads new writing company Brush Stroke Order working with artists to develop text based work for live performance.

Her work has been performed at theatres across the North of England and in London including York Theatre Royal, CAST, Oldham Coliseum, Arcola Theatre and Theatre 503. Her play SAME SAME DIFFERENT was commissioned by Eclipse Theatre and toured to venues across the North of England in 2019.

Recent projects include Wait I’m From Wuhan, a digital commission for Chinese Arts Now and HOME Mcr and working as dramaturg on New Earth Theatre’s Signal Fires event Beyond Chinatown. She is currently developing a T.V. drama spec script with BBC Writersroom.

About Ashleigh Nugent

Ashleigh Nugent’s early life was dogged by racism, police harassment and, eventually, petty crime and a stint in a Jamaican detention centre. When he started performing as a rap artist, aged 21, his life changed. He started reading and studying, eventually earning a 1st Class BA in English literature.

He also started using rap and poetry to help others via community arts. He ran a successful arts-in-education company for 7 years and has been director of RiseUp CiC, working mainly in prisons, since 2015. His writing credits include academic articles, published poetry, and magazine articles. His first novel, ‘LOCKS’, is an exploration of racial identity based on his experiences in Jamaica. ‘LOCKS’ won the 2013 Commonword Memoir Competition. Published in September 2020, ‘LOCKS’ is currently receiving rave reviews on Amazon and Facebook. His one-man-show, based on ‘LOCKS’, won a bursary from Live Theatre, Newcastle and support from Everyman Theatre, Liverpool, SLATE / Eclipse Theatre, Writing on the Wall, and Blackfest. The show has received rave audience reviews following showings in theatres and prisons throughout the UK.

Make Yourself at HOME – with Naomi Sumner-Chan and Ashleigh Nugent