Holding Space is a consortium comprising Black Country Touring, mac: birmingham, Birmingham Repertory Theatre Company, Stan’s Cafe and Warwick Arts Centre. Supported by Arts Council England, its objective is to help theatre thrive in the West Midlands. As a step towards this the consortium is offering a series of commissions, large, small and digital alongside producer bursaries and a marketing initiative. All offers are open to theatre makers living and working in the region. The deadline for applications is very soon (30th September), but the application process is simple. Full details and the application form can be found at www.holdingspace.co.uk.

@AE Harris is being taken over at the end of September by a group of forty artists with work including painting, film, sculpture, installation, sound and performance

As the Transient Art publicity expains…

Artworks will be placed, lent, hung on existing fittings, be portable, free standing etc. The opening event will fall towards the end of September when the nights will be getting darker once again and the audience will enter into an intriguing world of visual art, performance and music within the dimly lit structure as they explore and investigate.

There is an opening event on Friday 21st September from 5pm. The show then runs from 22nd – 30th September (weekdays 1pm – 5pm and weekends 11am – 5pm).

More information can be found at transient-art.co.uk

We are delighted to be hosting Big Brum and their long time collaborator, the highly revered playwright, Edward Bond as they stage The Broken Bowl, a new play for young people aged 9 – 13.

Previous experience with Bond’s bold and rigorous suggests to us that it will be well worth visiting even if you are significantly older than 13 – a rare chance to catch up with one of the more significant figures in our theatre’s history. Performances are on Thursday and Friday at 7:30. Tickets are cheap and can be bought here.

On Wednesday BE Festival action moved on site. The evening featured a beautiful polished piece from Belgium’s La Compagnie du Geste qui Sauve, a dynamic witty work in progress from The Plasticine Men, Minako Seki Company & Company Cokaseki performed a loud piece that venue duties prevented me from seeing. The evening wrapped up with the ‘super group’ BE Mix performing around the venue before spilling out onto the street.

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BE 2012 viral trailer – PROMO BE 2012 from BE Festival on Vimeo.

After a glamorous launch last night at mac: birmingham the 2012 BE Festival opens ‘proper’ today and runs until 8th. Do come down and join in the fun. See vital new performances from across Europe and, if you fancy, eat a delicious meal with the actors and other audience members.

Last week we were gifted a washing machine complete with installation. This is proving useful as The Just Price Of Flowers enters its second week. We would be in danger of being a well equipped venue, if it weren’t for the fact that our cooker has died.

Theatre 31 Productions are making a right mess of the venue at the moment, but all in the interests of art. Their production of The Pitchfork Disney opens on Wednesday.

After a great and occasionally sunny day on Sunday with contemporary music, table tennis and the 12 minute opera we are now onto physics or at least a show drawing inspiration from Newton’s Third Law ‘for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction’. Leftfield Productions do the honours this Thursday – Saturday.

BBC Radio 3 are here to record The Voyage part of Ping It, Ring It, Roll It, Write It here tomorrow. It will be broadcast at a later date. Roll up for the real thing and lots of other adventures.

In an attempt to end the never ending story of the floor in ‘Africa’, the current weak and failing mdf, most of which was inherited, is bring replaced by block board.