January
After our hugely successful Christmas period, The Riverfront team used the month of January as a maintenance period to freshen up the building in preparation for everything to come in 2023. The stage machinery in the theatre was given a complete overhaul and the basement was spruced up in preparation for the exciting new installations coming up in this year’s diary.
While the main stage was quiet, the term-time workshops and activities returned. Every week we welcome people of all ages to join us in a variety of activities, from craft clubs to well-being choirs, children’s drama classes to martial arts sessions, there’s always something going on.
February
We welcomed some amazing performers to the stage in February including G Expressions with their original drama called ‘School of Urban Arts’; The Greedy Pig company with their performance ‘Peacock’, a drama based on the taboo surrounding men wearing make-up; and Krystal Lowe, Nadia Nur, Karema Ahmed and Stephanie Stevens with ‘Our Voice Sharing 2023’. As part of our continued commitment to arts development we are actively programming certain performances to support the growth of the arts within the city of Newport.
Many artists showcased their work in our building during the month of February. The Newport, Nature and People exhibition came to our gallery for the month. An engaging exhibition of photography, art, poetry and filmmaking celebrating the ‘Nature of Newport’. The project involved communities and volunteers from across Newport and has had a massive impact on habitat restoration and pollinator conservation.
We welcomed local artist Naz Syed and her pom pom exhibition ‘Azadi’, meaning freedom. Naz is a proud Welsh, Iranian, socially engaged visual artist. Her exhibition celebrated community and Persian culture and heritage through beautiful pom-poms of unity, gratitude and hope from across the globe.
On the 9th of February the exhibition ‘We are Here, Because You were There’ came to The Riverfront with a panel discussion, workshops and film projection onto the building. The work uses portraiture and quotes to document the experiences of Afghan interpreters employed by the British Army who recently resettled to the UK.
Artist, Steph Roberts continued her ‘Save Our Seas’ project, inviting people of all ages to complete the fish mosaic using a fish sculpture recovered from Newport Centre. Steph’s work is to raise awareness of the dangers of water pollution and the impact it has on animals.
On the 14th of February, we gifted everyone with ultimate Valentine’s gift… the announcement of Beauty and the Beast. Written and directed by Richard Gauntlett, who brought last year’s Robin Hood to life. We also announced the return of Newport favourite, Richard Elis. Beauty and the Beast is coming to The Riverfront stage later this year, from 29 November to 6 January for a fabulous festive treat.
Thanks to our creative development team, as always, we had a jam-packed timetable of activities for February half term. We had Clwb Creadigol with The Urdd, Oh! Susannah Sewing, Tots Valentines Disco, Cinema Club, Heidi Makes, Fireman Sam show and we finished the week off with a busy Crafty Saturday session. Most of these workshops reached full capacity which was amazing. With so many great opportunities to be taken advantage of at The Riverfront, we want as many people as possible to know about them and get involved.
Thanks to GAVO and Newport City Council we are now able to offer our Crafty Saturday sessions as a Warm Hub in Newport. We offer a safe, warm space and free refreshments to the local community during the sessions.
March
The 1st of March is a key date in the Welsh calendar and celebrations at The Riverfront didn’t disappoint. We were joined on St David’s Day by our well-being choir who sang for everyone in the foyer. From the Welsh national anthem to singing their own work, the group were a delight and filled the building with joy.
On the 3rd of March we saw the launch of Pride in the Port 2023. Pride in the Ports organisers and supports came to The Riverfront to announce that the festival will be returning on 2nd of September for a two-day event throughout Newport city centre - including the city's first Pride Parade.
In the same week, we were excited to launch our new youth project, ‘Future Creatives’. Welcoming all young adults aged between 17 - 24 to meet on a weekly basis where participants get the chance to explore new ideas in exciting ways, creating artwork that responds to the world right now. These sessions run every Tuesday at 6.30pm until 18 of April.
Another key date in the diary is our annual International Women’s Day event, where we invite anyone and everyone to join us in the celebration of women everywhere. Like every other year, this year’s event was a huge success. We welcomed local artists who hosted creative workshops, dance groups and choirs who performed for the crowd and key figures within the community including the Mayor and Mayoress of Newport, Cllr Jayne Mudd, Gwent Police, The Women of Newport and many more. From powerful presentations by Danielle Webb, Kay Williams and Fatmanur Aksoy to performances by the Roma Life community, the event was truly inspirational.
This event was drawn to a close with the Azadi event by Naz Syed. This event was a celebration of Persian culture. It was a powerful, emotional evening with music, spoken word and craftivism to come together in unity for Iran. This event united so many people who stood together in solidarity with the women, men and children of the Iran revolution.
Our International Women’s Day event also saw the launch of the Windrush Cymru exhibition ‘Our Voices, Our Stories, Our History’. This exhibition features the stories of over 40 of the Windrush Generation Cymru, told in their own words. The exhibition is an opportunity for visitors to learn about their journeys to Wales, and the challenges they faced in building a new life in a country far from their homelands – finding work and the attitudes of people towards them.
The main stage remained busy with performances from podcast presenter and TV comedian, Mike Bubbins, Wildlife presenter Gordon Buchanan and pre-professional performers from Ballet Cymru with their performance, ‘Made in Wales’.
The past three months have been eventful, and we’ve seen so many faces in the building, old and new. If you’d like to be involved in any activities held at The Riverfront, contact us to find out more.
