staging
Join Liverpool based theatre maker and artist Dora Colquhoun for a participatory event discussing the cost of living crisis. The conversation will be organised in the long table format, created by performance artist Lois Weaver, which aims to make sure everyone who joins is able to be heard and can participate when they want to. What will happen? […]
Wondering whether to apply for a Project Grant or a Developing Your Creative Practice grant? Join us for a talk and Q&A with Arts Council England's Relationship Manager for the Southeast, Caroline Wallace, on Wednesday 22 March from 6pm. The session will look at both Project Grants and Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP) to help […]
This Friday, we’re excited to be hosting the sold out launch of Talia Randall’s debut poetry pamphlet ‘Proverbs for a Woman Drinking Alone’. We will be joined by Talia and her poetic pals for a night of laughter, wordplay and bubbly. ‘Proverbs for a Woman Drinking Alone’ is a pamphlet of poetry which tackles class, […]
Imagined by the 1.5 Degrees project team, Sweat the Small Stuff is a creative response to a warming world installed at railway stations between Liverpool and Manchester from Saturday 25 March until Sunday 14 May. The exhibition invites us to consider how climate change might affect our communities, exploring how small changes can help […]
We’re excited to host two workshops as part of our Future Network programme with artist Kelly Briggs on Sunday 26 March! The first is a natural paint workshop from 10am-12pm, where you’ll discover the secrets of making paints and their creative potential. You’ll learn how to make paints using natural pigments and gain valuable […]
Come along to Lucky Dip on Wednesday 29 March from 7pm! Taking place 4 times a year, each with different guest hosts, this programme exists to connect local creatives with each other, celebrate the joy in art, platform cross-disciplinary artists and bring people together here at Chalkwell Hall. Formerly known as Future Park, Lucky Dip […]
Work In Progress will be a collaborative public exhibition in our space at Chalkwell Hall! The two-week exhibition will explore the importance of the creative process. A celebration of unfinished ideas, experimental journeys and surprise outcomes! All exhibited artwork, designs and sharings have been created by current secondary school students across Southend. Open from Monday […]
We're opening our doors for a screening of new movie EARTH II accompanied by food, music, and a post-film Q&A with one of the directors. Earth II is a found footage action/comedy/documentary film about climate change, Mars colonization, & human extinction pieced together from hundreds of Hollywood films. This event was originally scheduled for November 2022.
Watch this space! For the month of June, Metal Southend will be inviting you to be part of the sixth edition of Essex Writers House, a much-loved strand of Essex Book Festival. Hosted at Chalkwell Hall in Southend on Sea, this programme will be a great chance to engage with interesting stories and to meet […]
In partnership with Peterborough Pride, we are hosting an open banner and flag-making workshop! Book here. The workshop is designed to provide a safer space for young LGBTQIA+ people to express themselves creatively while also learning new making skills. The workshop will be delivered by experienced facilitator Ramona Zadissa (they/them), who is knowledgeable about the […]
Book a free desk here! Book a free writing desk in our Attic Studio and take some time to focus on your work, whether it be a short story, coursework or your memoirs. You are guaranteed a changing view across the Estuary and the grounds of Chalkwell Park, along with some space to think. The desks are accessible […]
Book a free place here! RLF Reading Round is a unique network of reading groups, each run by a published author. The group leaders, or ‘Lectors’, may be playwrights, poets, writers of fiction or non-fiction: all are able to offer a unique ‘insider’s’ perspective’ on the texts under discussion. For almost 2 years, Metal have […]
Book a family ticket here for Storytime Picnic! Every Wednesday in June - 12:00pm - 12:45pm For children aged 6 months - 4 years and their grown ups. Bring your own picnic lunch and join us at Metal’s Chalkwell Hall for some storytime fun, every Wednesday lunchtime in June. It’s free to come along and everyone […]
Simon Says/Dadda is a collaborative three-screen film exploring father/daughter relationships together with Black and Asian women and non-binary individuals from four host cities across the UK (Liverpool, Birmingham, Newcastle and London). The ambitious largescale film project was developed during a Metal residency and highlights the deep impact that structural inequalities have within wider society. The […]
One Side Only: From then to now, Southend's alternative press Book a free ticket here! If you’re interested in making your own publication, collaborating with other local creatives or digging into Southend’s history of DIY culture, this is the night for you! We’ll start in the 70s. Artist/writer Graham Burnett will share an insight to […]
It's back! The sun has returned and so has Mooncup Theatre's fourth edition of The Morning Rave! Wake your body up, revitalise, let go and dance yourself into the weekend alongside a bunch of other wonderful souls. Followed by some yummy vegan brunch to replenish you! 10am - Arrive (options for hydration caffeine/juice/water) 10:10am - […]
Join Yvonne Hercules for a creative lyric writing and poetry workshop on Monday 12 June from Chauffeurs Cottage! Book here. The workshop will be based on creating lyrical work that references identity, background and the nuances surrounding the experiences of marginalised communities. There is no requirement to have any previous experience with lyric writing or […]
FREE (Suggested donation for pilgrimage stages) Join Lora along the way here! Stage 1 – Southend to Belfairs / Hadleigh Artist, writer, wild-crafter Lora Aziz will be taking part in a 7-day 70-mile Radical Pilgrimage along The Saffron Trail as part of our series of In My Steps: Radical Walks in Essex. You can join […]
Join Yvonne Hercules for a musical journey through Black Femininity and its nuances referencing alternative folk, alternative soul, jazz and rock genres, as she showcases songs from her EP entitled ‘Olive’. Book here. ‘Olive’ is partly inspired by the life & work of feminist activist Olive Morris and will be released 9 June 2023 on […]
Book a workshop ticket here! Limited spaces A walking workshop exploring place-based writing through techniques such as concrete poetry, psychogeography and mark-making. Led by Bella and Elaine from London based publishing project Fieldnotes, this session will focus on process and conversations, capturing our settings through a blend of writing and drawing. All levels of experience […]
