Theatrical superstars Sharon D. Clarke, Noma Dumezweni, Clive Rowe, Kwame Kwei-Armah, Johnnie Fiore, Brenda Edwards, Zaris-Angel Hator, Aisha Jawando, Norm Lewis, Brittney Johnson, Brandi Chavonne Massey, and Joe Aaron Reid today join the lineup for Turn Up, a live stream supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.
The live stream will air this July in aid of The Bail Project, The Okra Project, The Black Curriculum and UK Black Pride.
The fundraising event will stream on Friday 10th, Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th July at 7.30pm prompt. The performance streamed on Sunday 12th July will be captioned.
Tickets cost £10 for one show, or you can watch all 3 nights for £25, all profit (after streaming costs and applicable taxes) will be split between four charities.
Under the creative direction of Nicole Raquel Dennis and Ryan Carter, TURN UP! The event will also include readings, poetry and speeches from prominent figures in the Black community. Led by musical direction of Sean Green and two associates – Ben Burrell and Ian Oakley.
TURN UP! creative director Nicole Raquel Dennis said:“TURN UP! is something that we’ve needed in London for a long time. Black voices need to be heard and celebrated now and forever. Hopefully this will be the start of many more celebrations to come.”
Fellow TURN UP! creative director Ryan Carter added: “We’ve seen a much-needed sense of change sweeping across our industry in recent weeks, and with that comes a wave of excitement that real change is coming. We’re taking ownership of how our voices are used, and most importantly, who they are used for. This is an event with Black people leading the creative direction and production of the show. The age of Black performers only being invited for their vocal riff or niche casting is over, and I for one couldn’t be more excited about it!”
Club 11 London said: “We are working to guidelines to create a safe way for performers, musicians and crew to attend Cadogan Hall and perform their chosen songs on stage with an empty auditorium. Cadogan Hall and Club 11 London are fully aware of our commitments to keep all cast and crew safe and socially distanced, and are proud to come together to support the Black Lives Matter movement and these four vitally important charities.”
The Bail Project is a national nonprofit organisation that pays bail for people in need, reuniting families and restoring the presumption of innocence.
The Okra Project is a collective that seeks to address the global crisis faced by Black Trans people by bringing home cooked, healthy, and culturally specific meals and resources to Black Trans People wherever they can reach them.
The Black Curriculum is a social enterprise founded in 2019 by young people to address the lack of Black British history in the UK Curriculum. They believe that by delivering arts focused Black history programmes, providing teacher training and campaigning through mobilising young people, they can facilitate social change.
UK Black Pride is Europe’s largest celebration for African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American and Caribbean-Heritage LGBTQ people.
A full scheduled list of talent will be available at www.club11.london/turn
TURN UP! is produced by Club 11 London in association with Ryan Carter, Nicole Raquel Dennis and William J Connolly, and supported by APEX Acoustics, West End Video, and Getty Images.
