Announcing ASTRA FEST

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Collage of images: the puppet Lilt, a sombre brown-skinned puppet; Naomi Foyle, a white woman with short hair; and Raven Kaliana, a white woman with long black hair teaching a student, a young brown woman, in a puppetry workshop.

ASTRA FEST

Announcing ASTRA FEST, a week of events to celebrate ASTRA by Naomi Foyle & Raven Kaliana: 
the Brighton Fringe ONCA Green Curtain Award-winning multimedia theatre show for adults. Booking links follow each event.

TUESDAY FEB 21: Screening of ASTRA followed by Q&A with Naomi Foyle and Raven Kaliana. Age 16+. BSLI + Captions; Audio Description available online. ONCA Gallery, Brighton, 6:40-9 pm.  £10/£8 concs.  Film (70 mins) starts sharp at 7. Refreshments provided. 

ASTRA is an adaptation of eco-SF novels The Gaia Chronicles by Naomi Foyle, designed and directed by Raven Kaliana. The story depicts a post-fossil fuel society struggling toward social justice and balance with the Earth. Themes include racism, disability rights, child abuse and climate crisis. The after-show discussion offers an opportunity for audience members affected by these issues to speak out and connect with others who share your concerns, including local groups working to problem-solve. Book for the screening/Q&A here. 

An image of a pensive, gender-ambiguous brown-skinned puppet, against the background of a green hedge and white sky.
 
FRIDAY FEB 24: The Ascent of Inanna: Online Creative Writing workshop with Naomi Foyle. 7-9pm. £16.50/£11.50 concs.  

The story of ASTRA is based on the ancient Sumerian myth of Inanna, the Goddess of Love and War. In this two-hour culturally sensitive and LGBTQI+ positive creative writing workshop, we will explore the myth of Inanna’s descent into the Underworld; respond with writing exercises (poetry or fiction, as you choose); and share the results (if you like). Dr Naomi Foyle teaches CW at the University of Chichester, and this workshop is suitable for 16+ writers of all levels. Max 8 students. Book for the CW workshop here.  

A collage of images: Naomi Foyle, a smiling white woman with short hair; the covers of The Gaia Chronicles: Astra, Rook Song, Blood of the Hoopoe and Stained Light; and a stone sculpted relief of a winged Mesopotamian goddess with claws for feet, considered to be Ishtar/Inanna.

Please note: this session is a taster for Revisiting The Odyssey, a 4 week online creative writing course by Naomi Foyle, Tuesdays Mar 7 – 28th. (£45/£65). More info/book for the CW course in March here.

 
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY FEB 25 + 26. Shadow Animation for Social Change Workshop with Raven Kaliana. ONCA Gallery, Brighton, 10am-4pm.  £100/£150. 

Learn to create exciting animations with paper, light, and colours – which can be video recorded and shared to striking effect. Puppetry has always represented the
voice of the people – the effect is magnified with independently produced film. Complete the workshop with the creation of a short film which can help communicate
local concerns to an international audience, share personal experiences, and to touch the hearts of others – which can help build community connections to help shift social injustice.Book for the Shadow Animation Workshop here. 

Collage of images: Raven Kaliana, a white woman with dark hair teaching a student, a young brown woman; a shadow puppet of a bird leaving a hand; and an illustration of two young men painting over a crack in the Earth.

ASTRA is supported by Arts Council England, the University of Chichester, Brighton Fringe, Chichester Fringe, European Mediterranean Resources Network, urbanflo, Brighton & Hove Pride Culture ConneX, ONCA Gallery

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