Not to be missed – The Shahnameh

How better to celebrate National Storytelling Week than following a sell-out show of
The Shahnameh with the announcement of a new six-date UK tour?

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Jan Blake storyteller Kouame Sereba guitar, dodo bow, djembe, flutes Raymond Sereba guitar, dodo bow, djembe, flutes, kalimba Harmage Singh Kalirai artistic advisor Matt Edwards designer Naomi Wilds producer Originally commissioned by Festival at the Edge Storytelling Festival and developed for national touring by Adverse Camber in association with The Akua Storytelling Project, MAC Birmingham and The Albany.

Be swept away by the passion and majesty of this epic tale of love, courage, faith and strength that has been told in Mali for many hundreds of years. Experience the heart of a land where beautiful, undulating desert dunes and giant baobab trees meet magnificent sandstone villages carved into cliff faces. Discover a royal family, torn apart by jealousy, plots and exile, unsettled by a prophecy which hinges on the most reviled woman in the kingdom. Can a child, born of a humiliated mother and shape-shifting grandmother bring the kingdoms of West Africa together?

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The Birth of Sundiata Keita, visionary leader of the great Malian empire, is told across West Africa as a history of kingship and battle. Three outstanding artists share a rarely told perspective on the story of the extraordinary circumstances of this legendary leader’s birth. Guitars, Nordic flutes, djembe drums and kalimbas along with the extraordinary dodo mouth bow, cradle the story in an evocative soundscape. Enjoy a performance that is by turns delicate, dramatic, moving and truly uplifting.

“an utterly compelling and passionate piece, with a voice and rhythm all of its own” Festival at the Edge Storytelling Festival “Jan Blake has… firmly established a reputation as one of the world’s greatest storytellers” André Naffis-Sahely, writer and critic

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The Old Woman, The Buffalo and The Lion of Manding is produced by Adverse Camber productions, one of the UK’s most celebrated storytelling companies, in association with The Akua Storytelling Project. This tale reaches across the centuries, from its origins in 13th century Africa to the recent conflicts of our own time when its telling was forbidden. Enjoy a powerful and uplifting performance filled with majesty, passion and music. Suitable for ages 14+ “Storytelling and music to make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck! A real must see!” Audience member

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Thursday 10 March 2016 7.30pm Arena Theatre Wolverhampton Tickets £10 / £8 T: 01902 321321 www.arena.wlv.ac.uk Friday 11 March 2016 7.30pm North Wall Arts Centre Oxford Tickets £14 / £12 T: 01865 319450 www.thenorthwall.com Saturday 12 March 2016 7.30pm presented by STUN (Sustained Theatre Up North) at Z-arts Manchester Tickets £10 / £8 T: 0161 232 6089 www.z-arts.org Friday 18 March 2016 7.30pm Canada Water Culture Space London Tickets £12 / £10 T: 020 8692 4446 www.canadawaterculturespace.org.uk Saturday 19 March 2016 7.30pm Margate Theatre Royal Margate Tickets £12 / £10 T: 01843 292795 www.theatreroyalmargate.com Tuesday 22 March 2016 7.30pm Village Storytelling Festival at Centre for Contemporary Arts Glasgow Tickets £10 / £8* T: 0141 882 3025 www.villagestorytelling.org.uk *Book for both Adverse Camber’s The Old Woman, the Buffalo and the Lion of Manding on Tues 22 March and The Shahnameh on Wed 23 March for £15!

Workshops

Thursday 17 March 2016 3-4pm The British Museum London West African Singing Workshop with Jan Blake, Raymond Sereba and Kouame Sereba. Free but booking essential T: 020 7323 8181 www.britishmuseum.org Saturday 19 March 2016 11am – 12 noon Theatre Royal Margate London West African Singing Workshop with Jan Blake, Raymond Sereba and Kouame Sereba. Free but booking essential T: 01843 292795 www.theatreroyalmargate.com Photos by Chris Webb.