With all the build-up and enthusiasm for dance performances during IDFB I feel well and truly ready for BE Festival 2014. Having not personally attended BE Festival before I was a little unsure of what to expect, and so took the opportunity to visit the 2014 launch at Birmingham Rep on the 16^th April. I was quickly immersed into a world of acting, exciting workshops and performers.

BE Festival has been hosted in Birmingham since 2010 after responding to an Arts Council-hosted conference entitled, ‘The Challenge of Change: How can we make a better future for theatre, here in the West Midlands?’ in 2009.

5 years on, the realised dream of BE Festival still continues. Having invited performers from 11 different countries to take part in this years’ amazing selection of 22 performances, the festival has already attracted a large following.

This year The Rep will open their doors to BE Festival, with the main stage itself set to feature a pop-up restaurant. There they will be serving delicious interval dinners to artists and audiences so that they can have an opportunity to eat together each evening. The menus include vegetarian options and advance bookings for this are now available through box-office.

You’ll now be able to see all of the wonderful events planned which include visual arts and talks, workshops, performances and even musical post-show events, finishing with an Awards Party on the 12th of July.

Even better, if you’d like a chance to be involved with BE Festival, meeting the performers and organisers behind the action then you might be interested in their volunteering opportunities. Open until the 12^th of May, volunteering opportunities with BE Festival also include 6 positions for aspiring stage managers/technicians to form part of the Production Team.

If you would like to volunteer please send an email detailing your interest, any relevant skills, experience and CV to emmahalsteadbe@gmail.com. Volunteers will be needed in May and then throughout June and July.

For the full 2014 programme please see HERE.

The Birmingham Good For Nothing team have announced the first date for their first gig, ‘Changin’ The Kitchen’.

(we wrote about Good For Nothing back in October if you need a reminder about what GFN Birmingham is)

Below is an excerpt from their invite…

We’ll be getting together for 24hours of thinking, making and most importantly doing. And we are honoured to be working with the lovely people at ChangeKitchen.

No matter whether you are an illustrator, developer, designer, animator, copywriter, artist, marketeer, musketeer, astronaut, strategist, thinker, tinkerer, sailor, soldier or spy, you will have a skill that can contribute to achieving amazing things for ChangeKitchen. The event will cost you nothing but your time, and as long as you bring your thinking cap, a bucket of enthusiasm we guarantee you will leave with a spring in your step.

…which you can read in full here.

Even if you can’t make their first gig on 28th February, they are sure to be doing more in the future if you’d like to help out. So keep up to date with GFN Birmingham by following them on twitter @GFNBirmingham.

After successfully taking The Flyover Show to South Africa earlier this year Soweto Kinch brings it back to it’s Hockley roots.

Also tomorrow Six Summer Saturdays continues with NoFit State Circus, If Only I Could… and The Caravan Show.

Today see the deadlines for the Eye Candy visual art commissions & inkygoodness‘ beer mat illustration. The deadline for Open West Midlands is tomorrow.

The Flyover Show is taking place this Saturday, 18th of August, and are looking for a few extra pairs of hands to help out. Each year the space under the Hockley flyover is transformed into an arena for this day of hip hop, reggae and jazz. For more information please email Clare Edwards

Light House Media Centre in Wolverhampton are searching for Ambassadors. In return for a range of benefits Ambassadors promote the venue to their friends, colleagues and online networks.

Every year Oxjam Brum takeover a bunch of city centre venues to put on a one-day festival of live music with local bands and artists, with all proceeds going to Oxfam. They are always on the lookout for all kinds of creatives, including photographers, designers, artists… and even cake decorators, who would like to help them put on a bigger and better show. If this sounds like you please contact them here.

One of the highlights of the local festival season due to it’s chilled out vibe and wonderful location, Moseley Folk Festival returns on the 31st August and 1st and 2nd September. They are currently recruiting a team of friendly, motivated stewards to help the weekend run smoothly. In return for two 4 hour shifts volunteers can enjoy the rest of the 3 day festival. Find out more here.

Artsfest is the annual weekend of all things artistic in Birmingham, when the city attempts to show off the breadth and depth of it’s creative and cultural sector. It advertises itself as the UK’s biggest free arts festival, and relies on a team of volunteers. Taking place during the second weekend in September, which this year is the 7th to the 9th, applications for volunteers have closed but if you’d like to add yourself to the reserve list details can be found here.

TEDxBrum brings the renowned series of talks and ideas by inspirational speakers to Birmingham. After a successful inaugural event this year they are currently recruiting a team for 2013. Among roles in production, marketing and communication perhaps of interest is ‘Non-Speaker Content Curation’ which will help expand the performances and exhibitions which will take place on the day.

Finally, another music festival, Supersonic, is looking for volunteers. Taking place in Digbeth in October, Supersonic is curated by Birmingham-based promoters Capsule. For more information contact volunteer@capsule.org.uk