Curve has released a digital project created in collaboration with award-winning Leicester poet and Curve Breakthrough Artist, Jess Green.
Not Something That Other People Do, originally written by Jess for the launch of Leicester City Council’s Cultural Prospectus, celebrates the creativity and resilience of the city and its communities.
The release of the video comes as stricter lockdown measures remain in Leicester due to an increase in cases in the city.
The video is directed by freelance theatre director Emily Oulton, who previously worked at Curve as a Birkbeck Trainee Director and assisted on Made at Curve productions including The Entertainer, My Beautiful Laundrette and West Side Story.
Speaking about the commission, Curve Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director Nikolai Foster said: “At a time when our city faces some of the greatest challenges it has ever known, we are grateful to local artists like Jess Green, who offer us all a huge dose of optimism, reminding us of the tremendous contribution culture makes to our city.
"All of us at Curve are proud to have commissioned this project during our lockdown and we are incredibly grateful to Jess, Emily and all of our community participants, who have shared their innovative and eclectic lockdown experiences with us.”
The video features footage sent in by Leicestershire residents showing how people have remained connected to culture and creativity during this time, as well as clips from Curve Affiliate groups Nupur Arts Dance Academy and Sidekick Dance.
Jess Green also commented: “It's not just a reminder that all those vital, community-based projects we so miss are still going on behind closed doors and on Zoom calls, it is a love letter to live art, which we are currently in great danger of losing, even with a bail out.
"So while the country's attention is turned towards Leicester, while certain political figures and newspapers make unhelpful and incorrect comments about the reasons we are back in lockdown, let this not just be a rallying cry for the arts, but for the city we love and a reminder that when you love something, you have to fight for it.”
Throughout lockdown Curve has created and shared a range of content to keep audiences inspired, engaged and entertained as part of its The Show Must Go Online campaign.
From archive recordings to in-depth interviews with leading theatre-makers, bedtime stories for children and educational resources, all previous assets are available to view on the website.
Watch Not Something That Other People Do here.
Written by Jess Green
Directed by Emily Oulton
Edited by Luke Billings
