Step into an inspiring world of stories, games, and shared experiences with multidisciplinary artist Tina Hofman – performer, director, researcher, and co-founder of Notnow Collective and the Migrants in Theatre network. Born in former Yugoslavia, Tina’s work is rooted in movement and storytelling foregrounding questions of memory, chaos and fantasy, care, and migrancy.
Across three playful and immersive workshops, participants will explore themes of Home, Journeys, and Community. Guided by Tina’s signature approach – from participatory performance, dynamic storytelling, sensory experiences, and multilingual games – each session is an invitation to connect, create, and reflect together.
The workshops will culminate in the Tile Shifting Mural – a collective artwork built tile-by-tile, each representing personal identity, memories, and ideas related to the Yam from Here project. Through visual design and short audio descriptions, the mural becomes a shared space for dialogue, inclusivity, and discovery.
Expect laughter, learning, and a celebration of diverse voices. Whether through games, choral storytelling, or creative making, you’ll contribute “a little piece of me for the whole of us” – leaving with not just art, but a stronger sense of community.
Find out more: tinahofman.org | @hofmanica | notnowcollective.com
Delivered by the European’s Welfare Association
Funded by Heritage Lottery Fund
What?
A free workshop series exploring Home. Journeys and Community in the Black Country hosted by theatre-maker Tina Hofman.
From storytelling, performance-art and tile-making, each session is an invitation to connect, create and reflect together.
The free Festival of Lights returns for two days at Caldmore Community Garden on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th November 2022. The festival provides a free celebration of diverse cultural and artistic traditions and brings people together across cultures to enjoy arts and creativity for all ages.
Caldmore Community Garden will be illuminated to create a place where diverse traditions of Diwali, Bonfire Night, and All Soul’s Eve meet to light up the night and open the doors to all the community.
Saturday 5h November: – 6pm – Animal Magic by storyteller Peter Chand and Fox & Rocha
Sunday 6th November – 5.45 meet at the Garden for the Lantern Procession – 7pm fire performance by Helter Skelter Arts
Gates open half an hour earlier with hot drinks and cake at our community cafe.
Saturday 5th November will see a performance of ‘Animal Magic’ from Peter Chand and Fox & Rocha at 6:00pm. Join Storyteller Peter Chand and musical maestros Fox & Rocha for a family session of stories and songs from around the world. You will encounter fantastic tales of elephants with small noses, preening peacocks and misbehaving crows. A toe-tapping interactive and lively evening awaits you as this delightful trio returns to Caldmore Community Garden.
On Sunday 6th November the joyous and beautiful Lantern Procession will start off the evening at 5:45p.m. The procession, led by fiddle player Adrian Ward, will walk from the Community Garden to Caldmore Green. Pick up a lantern created by the school children from Caldmore Primary Academy, toddlers and families from Caldmore Tots group and the community of Caldmore. Alternatively, bring your own torches and join in the fun. We will light up the streets of Caldmore and invite everyone to accompany us on our way back to the Garden.
Return to the Garden for an incredible free, fire performance, at 7pm by Helter Skelter Arts that will light up the Garden with their flames and daring stunts! A great show for all the family. (Keep an eye out for the duo around the Garden as well, as they paint patterns and images in the air with their amazing LED props)!
The festival is delivered by Caldmore Village Festival Group and funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, Black Country Touring, whg and Children In Need.
A week of creativity, music, poetry and performing arts in Caldmore to light up all the community.
MONDAY 1st November
6PM LET THERE BE LIGHT – SWITCHING ON CALDMORE COMMUNITY GARDEN ILLUMINATIONS
Time to turn on the lights! Infamous Arts have been working tirelessly to light up the Garden and the Alleyway and open the celebrations of our Festival of Lights! Come and admire the secret wonder of Caldmore – let’s reclaim the night!
6:30PM – FIRE PERFORMANCE WITH HELTER SKELTER
An incredible fire performance by Helter Skelter Arts that will light up the Garden with its flames and daring stunts! A great show for all the family. (Keep an eye out for the duo around the Garden as well, as they paint patterns and images in the air with their amazing LED props!)
TUESDAY 2nd November
4-6PM PAGE, STAGE, DIGITAL AGE WORKSHOP – Make your own animated spoken word poem
Bring your gmail, your laptop and your yearning for spoken word development into the digital age. Live spaces at venue workshop and also zoom places for the live workshop webinar – to register e-mail caldmoregarden@gmail.com.
6:30PM – OPEN MIC POETRY
7PM – POETRY MINI SLAM – 4 poets leading to 2 head to head final 3 minutes each
7.30PM – WORKSHOP POETS SHOWCASE
8.15PM POETRY PERFORMANCE – DREADLOCKALIEN
We are calling all poets and word mischief-makers to take part in Poetry workshop, Open Mic and Slam at Caldmore Community Garden! The event will be led by DreadlockAlien – the slam and performance poet and former Birmingham poet laureate as well as a host of BBC Radio 4 Slam Poetry – and will finish with DreadlockAlien performing his own verse on the Garden stage.
WEDNESDAY 3rd November 7PM – LIVE MUSIC – RSVP BHANGRA BAND
Veterans of Glastonbury, WOMAD and Boomtown – and now performing at our Festival of Lights – RSVP Bhangra’s unique blending of Punjabi Indian music with dance beats and mainstream pop has created a new and irresistible sound that audiences everywhere love and keep on coming back for!
THURSDAY 4th November
10am – 1pm LANTERN WORKSHOP WITH SAM HALE – for all ages
Come and help us make lanterns for our Lantern Procession on Sunday! We will be working with artist Sam Hale to create willow structures covered with decorated plastic – everyone is welcome.
7PM – LIVE MUSIC – NOT QUITE DEAD YET
Not quite Dead Yet have been described as “a tin of Punk Rock Sardines spilling onto the stage” – it’s a bunch of punks, old and young, playing a mix of their own songs and old favourites on ukuleles. What a treat to see them return to Caldmore Community Garden after a few years’ break!
FRIDAY 5th November
5PM – LANTERN WORKSHOP WITH ARTIST SAM MACE
Join us for a creative lantern making workshop delivered at the Garden in partnership with New Art Gallery Walsall. Drop in, no booking necessary.
6:30PM – A STRING OF LIGHTS WITH PETER CHAND AND FOX & ROCHA
As the nights stretch out and a chill fills the air, join us for a very special evening mixing storytelling, music, and song.
At the time of Diwali, what better way to celebrate light and brightness with an amazing and lively event for the whole family. We will be mixing incredible storytelling with beautiful singing in various languages, and the magical sounds of harp, diatonic accordion, and a host of interesting percussion instruments. Join us as we celebrate the light and warmth that is all around us, even at the darkest times.
SATURDAY 6th November 6:30PM – MY SHADOW AND ME – SHADOW THEATRE WITH DREW COLBY
My Shadow and Me is like a cartoon created live out of nothing but darkness and light. One person (and his shadow) meet and go on an imaginative journey where creatures emerge, engage and transform beautifully. Little encounters between characters are explored and tiny stories unfold. Many are funny, some are sweet. The ever fascinating and adorable hand-shadow bunny makes an appearance as part of a simple magic trick, and the show ends with a colourful and impressive finale in which multiple shadow characters appear all at the same time – made with just two hands!
SUNDAY 7th November
4PM PUPPET OPERATING WORKSHOP FOR CHILDREN by The Fetch Theatre Company
Join us for 4pm to learn with The Fetch Theatre how to operate scrunch puppets made by pupils at Caldmore Primary Academy to join in with the evening performance.
LANTERN PROCESSION (5:45pm meet at the Garden)
Meet us at 5:45pm at the Garden to join in with the Lantern Procession to Caldmore Green and back to show the beautiful lanterns made by children from Caldmore Primary Academy, Garden holiday play scheme, and people from all the community. We will light up the streets of Caldmore and invite everyone to accompany us on our way back to the Garden.
6:45PM PUPPET SHOW WITH THE FETCH THEATRE COMPANY
The Festival of Lights culminates with a bespoke puppet performance by The Fetch Theatre.
This brand new performance that doesn’t yet have a name will be inspired by their previous show, Insect Safari, performed here at Caldmore Community Garden back in August. Expect creatures that might that creep, crawl, fly, flutter and buzz, all inspired by a wealth of fascinating insect facts and international stories that voice myths and folklore of insects from the farthest reaches of the globe.
Doors open half an hour before performance time – café will be open with drinks and refreshments.
Caldmore Community Garden 