Last week saw us take a significant step towards fully reopening as we hosted a live production inside our Auditorium here at Platform, the first since February 2020. The brilliant Tavaziva Dance presented their production BOY’S KHAYA onstage in the venue in front of an invited audience of 75 Glasgow Kelvin College and Lochend Community High School students. The show was excellent - it was great to be able to present work in front of an audience again and we look forward to more of the same soon.
Platform is an arts centre managed by Glasgow East Arts Company, a completely independent charitable organisation. The arts centre sits at the heart of the award-winning Bridge complex which is home to a Glasgow Life swimming pool and library. We are working closely with our partners from Glasgow Life to support workshops, classes, events, gigs and performances to safely return to the building. To ensure that the risk of virus transmission is kept as low as possible we are deep cleaning each space in between each group and activity that takes place across the venue. We are also having to operate within The Bridge’s current opening hours which are significantly reduced from pre-pandemic levels.
We’re making progress, it’s slow but each week we move closer to fully reopening – something we hope to achieve early next year. As well as hosting BOY’S KHAYA, the last few weeks has also seen Clack & Yak, our group of resident knitters return to Platform and next week we look forward to welcoming Art Factory back to the venue. At present the capacity for these groups is limited and places offered to those already engaging online. The end of the month sees us take another significant step towards fully reopening as we host Making Tracks – a live music performance open to public audiences. You can find more about this performance and how to book tickets here. BOY’S KHAYA and Making Tracks are part of a series of pilot performances we are staging at Platform this autumn and winter. We shall also be hosting two ‘Climate Ceilidhs’ as part of Dear Green Place, our creative programme of workshops and performances delivered in the lead up to and during COP26 the International Climate Conference heading to Glasgow in November – for more information about Dear Green Place head here.
Whilst trying to support activity to return to the building, we continue to support live events to be delivered across Easterhouse and northeast Glasgow. On Monday we shall be visiting the Glenburn Centre with Karl Jay Lewin and his Extremely Pedestrian Chorales and taking three performances to five schools as part of Dear Green Place. We also look forward to welcoming the cast and crew of Fuora Dance Project to the venue in November when they plan to film Songs from the Other Side planned for release by the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival later this year.
As Christmas approaches we are planning some more gigs with Jon Ritchie, That Swing Sensation and Sprog Rock too. Keep an eye on our website and social media channels for more information and if you are a school, group or organisation based in northeast Glasgow and would be interested in us coming to visit, let us know with an email to info@platform-online.co.uk
We recently supported every pupil from six local primary schools, some 2000 children, to receive their very own art-pack full of quality materials and a beautiful activity book designed by Alice Dansey-Wright and are coming to the end of another week of our Holiday Food Programme offer during which over 500 breakfasts and lunches and 300 creative activity will be distributed to local families.
All of the above is only possible thanks to the tremendous hard work from the staff team here at Platform and the continued support of our funders. Although the circumstances in which we are operating in continue to prove challenging, I am really enjoying the role of Arts Manager and look forward to welcoming more and more people back to Platform over the weeks and months ahead.
Matt
[Image: Coulson & Tennant]
