Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Leeds Beckett University’s Leeds School of Arts students ‘Activate’ Kirkgate Market with food poverty performance
Members of the public are invited to watch the performance of ‘Activate’, a student response to the current socio-economic situation of food waste and shortage, income inequality, strikes, and protests.
Students from Leeds School of Arts’ BA Theatre and Performance have written original texts and devised theatrical actions, including historic protest songs, to express their concerns about food poverty, student poverty, and the state of the world. The performance will be composed of actions and spoken words, taking place in a fictionalised workplace of a restaurant.
Dr Gillian Dyson-Moss, Senior Lecturer in Performance at Leeds Beckett University’s Leeds School of Arts, said: ‘’Working with LEEDS 2023 offers an invaluable opportunity for our students to gain professional experience. Not only are they able to develop and perform their theatre work, but they get to see how different organisations and people work together to make a live cultural event a success.
‘’The Kirkgate Market offers a unique space for our ‘Activate’ performance. It’s fantastic that this live work not only supports the student’s academic success but can reach a wider audience and perhaps prompt further important conversations around poverty. We are grateful to Leeds 2023 and Leeds City Council for affording us this opportunity.’’
Activate is one of the final events taking place as part of LEEDS 2023’s first season of activity, ‘Awakening’, which is designed to awaken the artist in the citizens of Leeds and the world to the artists in the city. The second season, ‘Playing’, kicks-off from May 1st and will encourage people to explore the city in new and different ways.
Leeds Beckett University is a Principal Education Partner of LEEDS 2023, playing an active role in showcasing the city’s creative industries and communities.
The new state-of-the-art School of Arts building houses a community of 3,000 diverse creators, pushing the boundaries of architecture, design, fashion, music, film, and performing arts. It is at the centre of the city’s thriving creative economy and a key part of what makes Leeds one of the UK’s great cities of culture.
Activate will take place on Thursday 27 April at 14:00-14:30 and 15:00-15:30 at Leeds Kirkgate Market, 34 George Street, Leeds, LS2 7HY.