Acting Now’s founder and artistic director nominated in Social Awards

Yesterday Marina Pallares flew to Barcelona to attend the ceremony that would reveal the name of the winner of the FPdGi Social Award. This organisation, the Princess of Girona Foundation, selects a few key young Spanish people every year who are making a remarkable contribution to the world through their work.

FPdGi recognises different categories such Arts and Literature, Business, Scientific research and Social, in which Marina was nominated for recognition of her professional career. During the last 16 years, she has used theatre to encourage others to take action and stay positive about life’s difficulties.

Although the award did not come her way this time, we feel just as proud and satisfied, as having been among the nominees is a great achievement for her and a motivation to keep working hard for many more years. It was also a great opportunity to meet people who are doing inspirational work in Spain and across the world, like winner Luz Rello, who uses artificial intelligence technology to fight dislexia.

I bet Marina wouldn´t mind to stay a bit longer in sunny Spain but she is already flying back as we have a busy week coming! Don´t lose track of our upcoming events:

  • Next Thursday we will be taking part in “Inspire: Women & Social Enterprise”, organised by Anglia Ruskin University. Come along to explore the journey of women who studied at ARU and are now running their own successful business!
  •  And you still have time to join “Beyond Borders and Boundaries“, a theatre workshop about the refugee injustice that we are delivering in partnership with Cambridge Ethnic Community Forum. It will take place on Saturday 14th of May at Friends’ Meeting House, 12 Jesus Lane in Cambridge, from 10am to 2pm.

We are just proud of this group!

Since last November, we have been developing a thrilling collaboration with Cambridge based Arts centre and charity, Rowan Humberstone.

The main aim is to help people with learning disabilities to discover their talents, learn new skills and gain confidence. Marina joins the group once a week and together they explore ways to express their feelings and develop their creativity. The group is incredibly enthusiastic and from the first day they have been proposing ideas and enjoying the process of creation.

Physical theatre is a powerful tool that helps people to express through their bodies what is sometimes difficult to say just with words.

Also, being able to laugh, shout or cry out freely gives you a sense of wellbeing that makes theatre a bit addictive.

The ultimate goal of our collaboration will be creating a theatrical performance — we will keep you updated with our progress so you don’t miss out!

Another living room has turned into a stage in Cambridge.

Last Sunday we spent a magic evening at Dea’s living room, performing arts and sharing ideas about dignity, freedom and the risks of rebelling against the establishment.

Acting Now’s most intimate performance is, with no doubt, You, Me and the Spanish Civil War, in which actress and director Marina  Pallares brings us her father’s personal experience during and after Franco’s dictatorship in Spain. He defended his freedom of speech and was taken to jail as a result. The idea comes up from an irresistible desire for not letting his father’ story be forgotten, lost behind the shadows of information coming from established sources and not from the individuals.

“My father risked his life during Franco’s dictatorship. But individuals’ stories won’t fill history books. It is my duty to bring you his voice to keep it alive”.

 

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The format of this show is very unique. It has been created to be performed in a very special place: your living room. Without compromising dramatic lighting or sound effects, the idea was to produce a piece of art as natural and intimate as possible. Involving just two people, it feels like it was made by a dozen. Marina Pallarés acts, dances and sings and Frederick Harris plays his own pieces on the guitar. Both artists perform with such a passion that they pass it on to the people in the audience from the very beginning. After the performance, they offer a casual Q & A about the topics on the story, and also about anything that people may want to bring to the conversation: Art, history or just life, really.

Anyone who is interested in hosting this theatre play at their house,  just needs to get in contact with Acting Now.   The only thing you will need to do is bringing your friends for the night.

                www.actingnow.co.uk             info@actingnow.co.uk