At Mayflower, we are committed to our continuing support of Black History Month. We recognise how important it is to remember and celebrate key figures and events within the history of African heritage.
Our main aim will always be to share stories of black history in the best way we can, through the shows we produce and programme across both venues.
Some of these have included, The Color Purple, our first touring production of Sizwe Banzi is Dead and RUSH – A Joyous Jamaican Journey. This year we are hosting many shows that feature black stories, centred around Black History Month in October. Inspired by the life of Nina Simone and featuring many of her most iconic songs performed live, Black is the Color of my Voice follows a successful singer and civil rights activist as she seeks redemption after the untimely death of her father. She reflects on the journey that took her from a young piano prodigy destined for a life in the service of the church, to a renowned jazz vocalist at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement.
We are delighted to be co-producing Coming to England based on Floella Benjamin’s award-winning and iconic book. Coming to England tells Floella’s own story of emigrating to England as a child. Aged just 10, she and her siblings left Trinidad and sailed alone to join their parents. But Floella’s excitement for her new life in England is short-lived, with her family subjected to racism and intolerance in 1960s London.
We are also co-producing The Mountaintop with Leicester Curve which explores the place where hope and history converge in this captivating, emotional and heart-stopping retelling of Dr. Martin Luther King’s last night on this earth.
Our Version Media, who are one of our resident companies, is a social enterprise dedicated to increasing positive and authentic representation of Southampton’s black and diverse communities. They do so by giving people media and journalism skills to tell and share their own stories. Events such as Black in Focus showcase Black British Film genre nights for anyone to attend. They are billed as a refreshing change to the negative black narratives often shown in mainstream cinemas.
On Sunday 1 October 2023, The United Voices of African Associations (TUVAA) hosted the first Black Business Art and Music (BBAM) Festival in Southampton. The event saw black-led organisations from across the city come together to celebrate Southampton’s African, Caribbean, and Black British communities, through a series of stalls, workshops and performances. MAST were delighted to be one of the venues that supported the event, which included hosting some drop-in family art workshops on the day, and exhibiting work from five local artists across October 2024.
More events coming, please check back soon.