Accrington Festival 2010

The Festival

The Accrington Festival 2010 opened on World Book Day (4^th March) and John Hegley was the headline act. Throughout March and April there will be lots of exciting projects running in Accrington Academy to encourage young people to read. The theme for the festival is food and all of the students are being asked to get involved! 

Famous People!

The cast from Coronation Street are supporting the festival and have recorded their messages of support.

Poet/Comedian John Hegley is the opening act and, over the coming months, he will be joined by rapper Ash Nugent, poet Levi Tafari, children’s writer John Malam and The  Laureate for Story Telling, Taffy Thomas.

Page to Stage

The first stage of the festival will culminate in a live event on Friday 23rd April when students will be showcasing their talent performing abridged versions of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘Macbeth’; poetry and rap they have produced throughout the festival and a series of short films and puppet shows of fairy tales in different languages from across Europe. The evening will also see the launch of The Academy’s ‘Talking Chair’. Textile artist Jane Revitt has been commissioned to design a talking chair which will take pride of place in the Academy’s ‘Street’ area and students will be able to record stories and messages which will be relayed to other students and the wider community. 

Tea Dance

The second stage of the festival will see the Academy’s students taking their talents (and the chair) out in to the community to share their work and encourage members of the community to get involved and enjoy reading. At the end of May the Tea Dance will be an opportunity for people to come in to the Academy to find out more about what has been happening and enjoy cakes, dancing and entertainment. If you would like to find out more information about The Accrington Festival 2010 contact Steve Taylor: steven.taylor@accrington-academy.org