Celebrating Bearwood Road with music, theatre and poetry

What’s In Store brought two days of fabulous live poetry, music and theatre performances to independent shops and cafes along the Bearwood Road, Smethwick. Performances took place across the 17th and 18th June 2022, and included both existing work and new site-specific commissions inspired by local stories. There was something for everyone to enjoy, with a fantastic team of actors, musicians and poets celebrating the independent businesses and the many cultures at the heart of the local community.

In the Shops

During June, a team of local artists were in residence in shops along the high street. They developed new performances based on stories gathered from business owners and customers and inspired by the diverse communities who work and shop on Bearwood Road.

The Never Ending Journey – Ar-Raqib

The Never Ending Journey performance by writer and performer Rupinder Kaur was inspired by the clothing store Ar-Raqib Modest Fashion. It explored Spirituality, Sufism, Nature, Womanhood and questioned our existence on Earth fused with movement and music.

The Shop of Poems – Bearwood Indoor Market

Bohdan Piasecki is a poet from Poland now based in Bearwood who works nationally and internationally from underground Tokyo clubs to tramways in Paris, and now to an indoor market in Bearwood. Audiences were able to visit his Shop of Poems and browse the writing based on Bearwood stories, hear new work, take home a poem or two, and even create something of their own.

The Reassuring Crackle – RPM Analogue Audio

Auden Allen is a sound artist and producer. He contributes his eccentric style to many genres including Grime, Hip Hop and soulful hybrids. His performance was inspired by the wonderful RPM and all the things that make music special to us: its ingredients, stories and the ever changing way in which we listen to it.

What’s In Store Walking Tour (With Live Music)

Where can you find the finest tastes of Jamaica, fresh baked Romanian pretzels, amazing Italian delicacies, Indian bread and butter pudding, foods from Mexico, Portugal, Poland, Nigeria, Columbia, Venezuela……?

To find out, performer Vimal Korpal and musician Katie Stevens led audiences on a walking tour of some of Bearwood’s brilliant independent shops and food outlets for an introduction to foods, tastes and smells from across the globe and the stories of the passionate individuals who want to introduce Bearwood to their tastes of home. The tour ended at Brasil Portu for…

A Mesa Da Mãe by Sam Frankie Fox & Ricardo Santos Rocha at Brasil Portu, accompanied by guest musician Katie Stevens

At the amazing Brasil Portu shop & café, warm hosts and skilful musicians Sam Frankie Fox & Ricardo Santos Rocha, accompanied by Katie Stevens, performed A Mesa Da Mãe (Mother’s Table) inspired by the flavours of Portugal, Brasil and Cape Verde.

For Families

Where Are You? at Bear Bookshop

Presented by the Birmingham 2022 Festival, generously supported by the British Council.

Where Are You? tells the story of two penpals, Rochi in Bearwood and Abena in Dzorwulu. After Rochi experiences some sad news Abena decides they should meet in the middle, leading both girls to embark on a perilous journey across land, mountains and sea.

Developed in partnership with Accra Theatre Workshop in Ghana, the show took place simultaneously in Bearwood and in Ghana, and was connected through a live stream. A beautifully illustrated children’s book was created to accompany the show and was available to all attendees for free.

Is that a Yeti, Hetty? in Bearwood Indoor Market

When your windows need a clean, you cover them in soap and squeegee them. But these window cleaners know the soap suds have more to say. Every window tells a story and this window has an exciting snowy adventure written all over it.

Crow’s Nest Theatre’s Is That A Yeti Hetty? is a live-illustrated storytelling show for families, about a child on a quest to convince her nay-sayers that yetis really do exist, performed by Jack Trow and Emma Waterford. Will Hetty’s Himalayan efforts prove that this abominable stranger is just like the rest of us – and might this just be a window on a more tolerant society?

In the Cafés

Dreadlockalien, freestyle poetry

Former Birmingham Poet Laureate, Mr Grant aka Dreadlockalien has worked in the realm of spoken word, performance poetry and live literature for over 20 years. He specialises in impromptu and interactive poetry, gathering inspiration from the people he meets and the moment he’s in. He spent time in four wonderful Bearwood cafés and created poems together with members of the public.

Jake Oldershaw, performances of ‘Coffee & Tea’

Coffee & Tea is a warm-hearted performance inspired by tales from Black Country cafés that take us on a journey into the complex history of tea and coffee and the cultures that gave birth to it. It finds the extraordinary in the everyday and delves deep into little things we take for granted about our beloved beverages.

On the Street

Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band

The Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band is a living embodiment of the landscape of Rajasthan, and a spectacular celebration of its vibrant and colourful music, dance and culture. It is a heady, exciting and hypnotic reflection of this enchanting region. The band’s performances fused together North Indian classical melodies, popular Bollywood songs, Rajasthani folk styles, Bhangra beats and English numbers.

Curious Cargo’s Lollipop Patrol

With excessive enthusiasm and a slippery grip on reality, the Lollipop Patrol is here to help and hinder in equal measure. These two are full of self-importance and will take any opportunity to escort an unsuspecting passer-by or bring things to a standstill in order to form a safe walkway. They were funny, chaotic, and went down a treat!

What’s In Store Evaluation Report

Read or download the report: What’s In Store Evaluation Report (PDF)

Produced by Black Country Touring and presented as a part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival.

What’s In Store – Bearwood