Speaking Truth To Power in Rotherham
By Vicky Prior
For the past month, Wayne Sables Project has focused on a major project in Rotherham, the Truth To Power Cafe. The inaugural event to celebrate Rotherham becoming the world’s first Children’s Capital of Culture, TTPC brings together young people across the town in a unique event to help make their voices heard.
Children’s Capital of Culture
Rotherham being selected as the first Children’s Capital of Culture is a huge coup for the town. It will bring in significant funding that will be used to fund a range of existing cultural organisations in Rotherham and create new opportunities, all with the health and wellbeing of children in mind. The initiative is part of the Government’s Levelling Up strategy, which targets places in the UK with high levels of social and economic issues.
Truth To Power Cafe Global
TTPC has been on a global tour since 2020. A strong digital element has always been present given the restrictions placed by the pandemic. The cafe works in two stages, first, participants are recorded performing their monologues, or ‘speaking Truth to Power’, in front of a green screen. These videos are then edited and form the backdrop of a multimedia theatre piece, which is live streamed into people’s homes. In Rotherham, a live audience will also be present.
Jeremy Goldstein and his background
The creator of Truth to Power, Jeremy Goldstein, was named one of TimeOut’s 100 Most Influential People in UK culture. Some would say he was born to it, his father, Mick Goldstein had been a member of Harold Pinter’s Hackney Gang. The only surviving member, Henry Woolf, collaborated with Jeremy on Truth to Power. The project seeks to ask young people who has power over them, stemming from Jeremy exploring his often fraught relationship with his father.
Wayne’s dual role and new techniques
Wayne and his team, including Cinematographer Oliver Ibbotson, are completing all the digital elements for TTPC. This includes extensive filming in front of a green screen and then meticulously editing the footage kinetic typography and animated visuals. The team will then use their audio/visual expertise to livestream the event across social media.
Space Arts has kindly funded TTPC and Rotherham Council to employ Wayne Sables Project to extend the event’s digital capacity. Wayne says ‘It’s an absolute pleasure to work on a project that has potential to reach young people across the borough and enable them to share their stories, giving them a platform to create really strong poignant pieces of work.’
To hire Wayne and the team to live stream a corporate event or create a promotional film, contact Vicky Prior, our Commercial Director, at commercial@waynesablesproject.co.uk
For enquiries relating to incorporating digital elements into live productions, email Wayne Sables at artistic@waynesablesproject.co.uk