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The Hearth Centre is a centre for Health, Education and the Humanities with Art at the Heart. Hearth uses the arts to animate key issues in mental health, social care and the humanities, and promote well being - which we do through theatre productions and literary events and courses.

Friends of Enemies News

Polly Wright, Artistic Director of Hearth is very proud to report that her short story Friends of Enemies is published in the anthology Thursday Nights.

Friends of Enemies draws on the letters to Polly's grandmother from Gualtiero Lenzi , an Italian Prisoner of War, who was placed on their farm in North Wales in the 2nd World War.

 

Polly received Arts Council funding for development of the material into a play which the Hearth Centre toured shortly before lockdown.

We are planning further dramatic’ outings of the play in the future. 

Thursday Nights is a collection of stories by the renowned Tindal St Press in celebration of their 40th anniversary. the launch will take place on Tuesday  5th Dec 2023 at 7pm at Voce Books, 54-57 Allison Street, Birmingham, B5 5TH. To reserve a free play click here 


Putting it about

October 12th 2023 saw a revival performance of Putting It About as part of the Birmingham Reps Great Revival of our Women and Theatre plays

"Set in an imagined high security NHS hotel, Putting It About explores the impact of HIV on women. Written in the 1980s and set in the 1990s, a group of women find themselves quarantined by a faceless government. capturing the apocalyptic horror of the 1980s’ perceptions of the pandemic."

The performance was also an opportunity to enjoy a reunion with the first cast of Putting It About. 

Polly Wright, Janice Connolly and Jo Broadwood (pictured) and in the last picture with the director Cheryl Crown.

News

Putting it about

Putting it aboutOctober 12th 2023 saw a revival performance of Putting It About as part of the Birmingham Reps Great Revival of our Women and Theatre plays"Set in an imagined high security NHS hotel, Putting It About explores the impact of HIV on women. Written in the 1980s and set in the 1990s, a group of women find themselves quarantined by a faceless government. capturing the apocalyptic horror of the...

Friends of Enemies News

Friends of Enemies NewsPolly Wright, Artistic Director of Hearth is very proud to report that her short story Friends of Enemies is published in the anthology Thursday Nights. Friends of Enemies draws on the letters to Polly's grandmother from Gualtiero Lenzi , an Italian Prisoner of War, who was placed on their farm in North Wales in the 2nd World War. Polly received Arts Council funding for development of the...

Pride Event 1st June 2023

HEARTH Pride Event 1st June 2023The next hearth Centre event will be at the Heath bookshop. Hearth actor Todd Jennings joins Polly Wright to read their Pride Poetry Picks on June 1st to kick off the Heath’s Pride events.Click here for more info 

My City My Home Podcast Launched

My City My HomeThe project My City My Home was a creative writing competition run by SAMPAD in Birmingham, UK open to women either from or with a connection to Birmingham, Pakistan or Bangladesh. The project was part of a groundbreaking three year programme to establish Birmingham as a global centre for contemporary arts from Pakistan or Bangladesh. The programme was supported by the Arts Council, the British Council and...