Guys- a lovely opportunity here for someone:

Flight 5O65 is now boarding: we are inviting entries from writers, theatre companies, dancers, comedians, musicians, poets, video, sound, and performance artists for a spectacular one night arts festival, with simultaneous events in every one of the British Airways London Eye’s 32 pods. Flight 5O65 will raise awareness of Fairtrade and celebrate the transformation of cultural attitudes towards Africa in 2005 with an extraordinary showcase of new talent - in a media spotlight high above the Thames.

“Africa, not the heart of darkness but the land of light.” - Aminatta Forna, writer

Flight 5O65 is scheduled for June 21st - two weeks before G8 Gleneagles. The key item on the agenda is Africa. Cafédirect, pioneers of UK Fairtrade and creators of the 5O65 Lift, build personal relationships with African coffee growers, helping resolve economic issues at micro level through first class Fairtrade products, guaranteed prices and a serious commitment to ongoing support and development programmes. We’re looking for shows inspired by the broad theme of darkness to light and by the unusual venue itself. The aim of the festival is to excite and enlighten audiences, bust through stereotypes and create a real awareness of Africa at a very personal level.

If you are interested in creating an event for Flight 5O65 please send us a one page proposal, together with supporting material - a script, a sample of your writing, reviews, personal or company biographies, video or audio recordings, photographs or slides of your work - to the address below.

Proposals should embrace the challenges of the space itself - an up-close and personal audience of no more than 20 people, a changing panoramic view of London, butterflies in the stomach and a performance time of 27 minutes – no longer, no shorter. Please detail in your submission how you would address these issues.

This is a mind-blowing venue and we’re looking for work that blows minds in as many different ways as possible; work that is adventurous, stimulating, personal, modern, uplifting and entertaining; work set anywhere from the Congo to Casablanca to Chesterfield, from satire to song, from truth to fantasy, from personal to political.

A small number of shows will also be taken on to the Edinburgh Festival. If you are interested in your show also coming to Edinburgh you should contact us before the end of March. Final deadline for submissions is 8 April.


Please write to:

5O65 Lift Content Submissions
Host Universal
56a Poland Street
London
W1F 7NN
Or email to steve.keyworth@hostuniversal.com

If you would like your material returned please include an envelope with return postage. Stephen Keyworth is the Artistic Director of Flight 5065 and Virginia Buckley is the Content Producer.

For three years the 5O65 Lift has created platforms for new talent at Edinburgh & Brighton Festivals and at the Soho Theatre in London. Previous new writers include Jack Thorne, currently under commission to the Bush Theatre, Joy Wilkinson winner of Verity Bargate Award 03, Darren Murphy & George Gotts both runners up in the Verity Bargate Award 03, and Stephen Keyworth now under commission to BBC. Comics Mark Little, Dara O Briain, John Hegley, Adam Hills, Flight Of The Conchords, Will Hodgson and Reginald D Hunter have all performed in the 5O65 Lift.

“The very confines of this space fuel the imagination…the standard of writing is so very high, I can’t recommend it enough.”
Mark Fisher, Scotland on Sunday

5O65 is Cafédirect’s premium instant Fairtrade coffee. Through 5O65, Cafédirect builds long-term business relationships with small producers. By always paying them guaranteed prices above market rates their partnership with growers offers them the security to invest in their farms and, very simply, gives them a sustainable economic Lift.

“The relationship between Cafédirect and the producer partners does not stop at trade alone. It is about developing together. It is about strengthening weak producer organisations, making them more independent and able to make their way in the market. We only have Gumutindo now because of the Cafédirect philosophy of developing together” - Willington Wamameye, Secretary, Gumutindo Coffee Co-operative

To find out more, visit:
www.5065.co.uk
www.cafédirect.co.uk
www.makepovertyhistory.org
www.g8.gov.uk
www.africa05.co.uk