In this episode of The MACcast, we talk to record-breaking Beatboxer SK Shlomo about his Homeskool Beatbox Adventures: a live-streamed show to help kids and raise money for NHS Charities Together. Plus an interview with Johnny Autin, Artistic Director of MAC’s resident youth dance company Man Made Youth, about their aims to inspire and empower young men aged 14-21 through high-quality dance training, choreography workshops, performance opportunities, digital arts and films.

New episodes of The MACcast are published every two weeks. The MACcast is presented by Blake Woodham.

Homeskool Beatboxing Adventure

MAC is pleased to have partnered with record-breaking beatboxer SK Shlomo for a huge project to help kids and raise money for NHS Charities Together.

Homeskool Beatbox Adventures is a weekly live-streamed interactive show, available to watch on MAC's Facebook page for free. The show aims to empower kids and their families to find their true voices and create their own music.

Each week, families will be set creative challenges to raise money by sharing performance videos of their new skills using the hashtag #beatboxadventures. Special guests for the series include Bastille, KT Tunstall, Bill Bailey, Basement Jaxx, Jason Mraz and BBC Radio 1's Dr Rahda.

Man Made Youth Company

MAC’s resident youth dance company creates online creative residencies for young men aged 14+. with learning and participation programmes including online dance and movement sessions and interactive creative residencies.

This free opportunity is open to young men/male-identifying young people from Birmingham and the West Midlands who are interested in joining the company on Saturdays and during the holidays.

Man Made Youth Company is an all-male youth performance initiative led by MAC Associate Artist Johnny Autin and managed by Creative Academies Network. It aims to inspire and empower young men aged 14-21 through high-quality dance training, choreography workshops, performance opportunities, digital arts and films.

Man Made provides opportunities to hundreds of young people and emerging artists across the Midlands to be involved in multi-disciplinary performing arts activities.

Sign up here: https://bit.ly/manmade2020

For more information, please e-mail Annalise: hello@manmadeyouth.com

Follow Man Made Youth Company on social media @manmadeyouth

For more information about all events at MAC and to stay informed of the latest news of MAC’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak, do check MAC’s website on www.macbirmingham.co.uk and the blog.

You can follow the Midlands Arts Centre on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

The MACcast is produced by 11C | Brum Radio for MAC Birmingham.

Brum Radio is Birmingham’s independent radio station broadcasting 24/7 with a fresh mix of Music, Arts and Conversation. Listen online via brumradio.com, The Brum Radio App or Smart Speaker.

In this episode of The MACcast, we look at how Birmingham’s Flatpack film festival isn’t letting quarantine stop it, and talk to Emily Summers, the young person’s co-ordinator for Flatpack. We also look at a great initiative to get you exploring music you may not have come across before: the ‘Album clubs’. We chat to convenor and presenter, James Sandy. Plus we talk about creative things for young people to get involved with via MAC.

New episodes of The MACcast are published every two weeks. The MACcast is presented by Blake Woodham.

Flatpack Festival: Colour Box

Flatpack, for kids. Colour Box encourages viewing and doing. Hands-on workshops led by artists and filmmakers, with access to the latest tech, immersive installation pieces, optical gadgets and crafts aplenty. The immersive screenings showcase the best new family shorts and features from around the world. The long term goal? To inspire the filmmakers and film enthusiasts of tomorrow - today.

For more information on Colour Box and the Flatpack Film Festival, visit flatpackfestival.org.uk

The Album Club: Remixed

The Album Club: Remixed is a new format for the regular music discussions that previously took place at MAC, pre-lockdown. The sessions now happen virtually with recorded contributions from a growing band of volunteers, and episodes are broadcast on local radio station, Switch.

To register your interest and join The Album Club, please email presenter James Sandy and listen to the album before joining the discussion. Contact details and previous episodes can be found here: https://theoldvoluntaryalbumtest.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-album-club-remixed-3.html

For more information about all events at MAC and to stay informed of the latest news of MAC’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak, do check MAC’s website on www.macbirmingham.co.uk

You can follow the Midlands Arts Centre on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

The MACcast is produced by 11C | Brum Radio for MAC Birmingham.

Brum Radio is Birmingham’s independent radio station broadcasting 24/7 with a fresh mix of Music, Arts and Conversation. Listen online via brumradio.com, The Brum Radio App or Smart Speaker.

In this episode of The MACcast, we talk to Nicole Justice, Music Leader at MAC Makes Music, about the importance of music for young people and how to stay creative during lockdown. Sam Frankie Fox tells us all about the live stream performances of BAM – Babies’

Academy of Music and we take a look at some of the many ways you can enjoy MAC’s work from your own home, including taking a 3D virtual exhibition tour, listening to music and watching classic and new movies for free.

New episodes of The MACcast are published every two weeks. The MACcast is presented by Blake Woodham.

About MAC Makes Music

MAC's award-winning programme, MAC Makes Music, provides innovative music making opportunities for children and young people with limited access to music provision. Through the programme, the MAC Makes Music team deliver a variety of musical sessions and projects.

To get involved with the new MAC Makes Music Asks You campaign for children and young people, and to let MAC know how you're making music during lockdown, visit https://macbirmingham.co.uk/news/2020/04/15/mac-makes-music-asks-you-activity-for-children-young-people

BAM: Babies’ Academy of Music live

The next live-streamed performance by BAM is now live, but in case you missed it, you can tune in to the musical concert for little ones (featuring singing, instruments, and lots of fun) here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwzkPD1mqXxK4P04NcdEiaQ

Subscribe to their YouTube Channel to be kept in the loop with upcoming performances. For babies 0-18 months and their families. #BAMHomeFromHome

For more information about the above and all other events at MAC, visit www.macbirmingham.co.uk

You can follow the Midlands Arts Centre on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

The MACcast is produced by 11C | Brum Radio for MAC Birmingham.

Brum Radio is Birmingham’s independent radio station broadcasting 24/7 with a fresh mix of Music, Arts and Conversation. Listen online via brumradio.com, The Brum Radio App or Smart Speaker.

Welcome to this bonus edition of The MACcast, the podcast for the Midlands Art Centre.

In the face of the Covid-19 outbreak, MAC is closed until further notice. For the most up to date information do check MAC’s website at macbirmingham.co.uk – on the homepage you will see a link to MAC’s latest information on the outbreak, which will be updated whenever necessary.

BUT, even if the building is temporarily closed, Art doesn’t sleep. So be reassured that we will continue to produce new episodes of The MACcast to give you interviews, previews and news of all that’s MAC. If you are self-isolating at home and are missing MAC, don’t worry, we’ll be here to keep the art coming!

In the meantime we would love to know what art is helping you out at the moment. What are you watching, reading or listening to? You can tweet MAC on @mac_birmingham.

If you’re looking for music and have access to Spotify, we would really recommend listening to the playlist for The Influence Project, which is a photographic exhibition celebrating the impact that leading Black musicians have had on sound and culture. The playlist contains soulful and funky tunes, all hand selected by Lorayne Crawford, curator of the exhibition. There’s a link to the playlist on MAC’s website, or search “The Influence Project” on Spotify.

So just to remind you, keep checking the website for updates, and MACcast will continue with new episodes to give you your regular dose of all that’s MAC.

Goodbye for now, stay safe and stay positive.

New episodes of The MACcast are published every two weeks. The MACcast is presented by Blake Woodham.

The MACcast is produced by 11C | Brum Radio for MAC Birmingham.

Brum Radio is Birmingham’s independent radio station broadcasting 24/7 with a fresh mix of Music, Arts and Conversation. Listen online via brumradio.com, The Brum Radio App or Smart Speaker.

In this episode of The MACcast, we talk to comedian Mark Thomas, who tells us about his show 50 Things About Us. David Baldwin, Cinema Controller at MAC, talks about his role, the range of films in the cinema programme and the directed by Womxn / Women season. For our team interview we hear from Lucy Rix, Community Engagement Producer at MAC. Plus a head’s up on the programme highlights, from cinema and theatre to exhibitions and arts markets.

New episodes of The MACcast are published every two weeks. The MACcast is presented by Blake Woodham.

Directed by Womxn / Women is a season of film recognising the voices of the womxn/ women sitting behind the camera. From International Women’s Day (8th March), we will be showing at least one film per week directed by a womxn/ woman until the end of the year.

To support these stories, MAC have teamed up with Girls on Tops to sell their shirts in our shop, with proceeds from sales supporting female-led film projects.

Mark Thomas - In his new show 50 Things About Us Mark Thomas combines his trademark mix of storytelling, standup, mischief and really, really well researched material to examine how we have come to inhabit this divided wasteland that some of us call the United Kingdom.

Mark picks through the myths, facts, and figures of our national identities to ask who do we think we are?

It is a show about money, history, songs, gongs, wigs, unicorns, guns, bungs, sods of soil and rich f*ckers. And how we have so much feeling for such a hollow land. (In the vein of the Manifesto meets a sweary history channel)

For more information about the above and all other events at MAC, visit macbirmingham.co.uk

You can follow the Midlands Arts Centre on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

The MACcast is produced by 11C | Brum Radio for MAC Birmingham.

Brum Radio is Birmingham’s independent radio station broadcasting 24/7 with a fresh mix of Music, Arts and Conversation. Listen online via brumradio.com, The Brum Radio App or Smart Speaker.

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In this episode of The MACcast, we talk to Lady Sanity about The Influence Project exhibition at MAC and to Laurie Mucha, founder of the Feminista Film Festival working with MAC to open their Directed by Womxn season. Performing Arts Programmer & Producer Jo Carr tells us about her work, plus a head’s up on the programme highlights; from cinema and theatre to workshops and arts markets

New episodes of The MACcast are published every two weeks. The MACcast is presented by Blake Woodham, with additional interviews by Danny de Reybekill.

The Influence Project celebrates the impact that leading Black musicians have had on contemporary sound and culture, and their enduring creative, social and political influence on new generations of artists. The exhibition is a collaboration between photographer Alexis Chabala and curator Lorayne Crawford. The collection features portraits of over 100 artists, plus a selection of photographs shown publicly for the first time ever.

Feminista Film Festival: Celebrate International Women’s Day with this selection of short films telling the most inspiring stories about women and girls from around the world. The programme includes eight festival favourites, both documentary and fiction - films from Wales to Pakistan, from swimmers to activists. Inspiration guaranteed.

For more information about the above and all other events at MAC, visit macbirmingham.co.uk

You can follow the Midlands Arts Centre on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

The podcast is produced by 11C | Brum Radio for MAC Birmingham.

Brum Radio is Birmingham’s independent radio station broadcasting 24/7 with a fresh mix of Music, Arts and Conversation. Listen online via brumradio.com, The Brum Radio App or Smart Speaker.