The City of Culture title is usually seen as an opportunity for a city, to invest in its area, to put the spotlight on its history and celebrate its community on a national stage. However, City of Culture also represents an opportunity for local creative people. Actor and musician Sarah Workman speaks about her experience of Coventry 2021.
Hailing from Worcestershire, Sarah studied Actor Musicianship at Rose Bruford College, South London and as City of Culture was coming up, seized the opportunities it presented with both hands.
Before Coventry even got the City of Culture title in 2017, Sarah - who plays drums, bass and guitar - and her ska band Ruder Than U', lent a hand in the bidding process.
Sarah said: My Ska band were actually involved in the bid! We performed at some of the bid events in 2017 and 2018 and were part of one of the promotional photo shoots. So I was involved with City of Culture before Coventry even won! My Ska band are Coventry-based and Coventry is, of course, the birthplace of 2-Tone, so there were a lot of opportunities for us.
As Coventry's year got underway, Sarah was looking for work, and found a home in one of the City of Culture's centre pieces, the Assembly Festival Gardens.
Sarah commented: I decided to apply to work at the Assembly Festival Garden because of my previous Box Office experience at the Artrix in Bromsgrove. But this particular venue appealed to me because it was brand new to Coventry and in association with the City of Culture. It was such an exciting addition to the city and I was very proud to be involved.
I enjoyed this job so much. I've always leaned towards things like Box Office work in between acting jobs because it means that I'm still in an arts environment even when I'm not doing artsy stuff myself. The Assembly Festival Garden was such a great addition to Coventry and featured some excellent acts over the summer, as well as showcasing some of the best Midlands street food! I loved being able to see so many shows in such a short space of time and meeting loads of like-minded people. It was a really enjoyable few months.
After the Gardens wrapped up for the winter, Sarah once again found a chance to express her creativity, as she trod the boards at the Belgrade Theatre, securing a role in Cardboard Citizen's production, the Ruff Tuff Cream Puff Estate Agency.
Sarah said: Being involved in The Ruff Tuff Cream Puff Estate Agency was purely chance. I did some Zoom R&D for Cardboard Citizens nearly a year ago, then auditioned for the full production last summer and the team decided to cast me as Cheffie.
We started rehearsals at the end of August and it was a very long, intense process, but it was also a lot of fun. I got to work with one of my favourite Musical Directors again and also made some wonderful friends. It was a very special show for many reasons, and I was very proud to have been involved. For a lot of us, it was our first job back after all of the lockdowns and theatre closures, so it was a joy to be back in a rehearsal room and then back on stage.
Arts Council England invested 5million from the National Lottery into City of Culture Trust to support the organisation to lead, commission and coordinate a range of excellent arts and cultural activity as part of Coventry UK City of Culture. Through this programme of events and commissions, it has offered opportunities to creatives from across the West Midlands, like Sarah.
So, what would Sarah say to anyone who wants to get involved in City of Culture?
Do it! There are so many opportunities, especially for people local to Coventry. I've been involved in many different ways and it's all been so exciting and enriching.
Coventry 2021 is still underway! Find out more about the upcoming events. Find out more about Sarah and her work and Ruder Than U are available on iTunes, Spotify and Google Play.