Upcoming events
Alex McNeice Showtime - Songs From The Shows
Join Alex McNeice and a glorious selection of soloists from Showtime Choir for an afternoon of Songs From The Shows! A whirlwind through some of the greatest songs from stage and screen. Tickets are free but register below!
Music in May - Luke Hart
Luke Hart is taking over the UK folk scene. Following on from TikTok success with his song "Biding" earlier this year, Luke is embarking on his first UK and Ireland tour. Compared to the likes of bob Dylan, George Harrison and Jim Croce, you won't want to miss this opportunity to see him at the very start of his career.
Life Drawing Club
Join our Life Drawing Club — a welcoming, inspiring space dedicated to the timeless practice of drawing from life. Whether you are a professional artist, an art student, or simply passionate about figure drawing, this salon offers a relaxed and creative environment to develop your skills and connect with fellow artists.
Each session features a nude model with a variety of dynamic poses, from quick gesture sketches to longer, focused studies. Our aim is to create a supportive community where artists of all levels feel encouraged to experiment, grow, and share ideas.
Bring your own materials and enjoy an atmosphere of concentration, creativity, and artistic exchange. This is more than just a class — it’s a gathering of people who love drawing and value the beauty of observing the human form.
Come draw, connect, and be inspired.
Graphic Novel Reading Club
Dive into a magical world of words and pictures. Comics Kollectiv is a monthly book club focused on graphic novels. From heartbreaking memoirs to stoner comedies and superhero classics, each month we’ll explore unique stories and colourful characters told through this exciting medium (which is obviously the best medium).
This month the graphic novel of choice is Feeding Ghosts by Tessa Hulls - An astonishing, deeply moving graphic memoir about three generations of Chinese women, exploring love, grief, exile, and identity.
Expect lively discussions, fresh perspectives, and something to drink (cold or hot). Whether you’re a longtime graphic novel fan or just curious about the medium, this is a place to get inspired, challenge your imagination, and connect with others who love stories told in panels and ink.
Curated by local illustrators and comics writers, Navied Mahdavian (This Country: Searching for Home in (Very) Rural America) and Ben Gore (imagined matter; Hip Hop Cocktails), meetings will be a mixture of conversation and doodling (we’ll doodle, but you can join if you’d like).
Come for the books. Stay for the conversations. Leave seeing stories differently.
Poet's Corner
Our next Poets’ Corner poetry open mic is on Wednesday 13th May and the evening is all about poetry as stories. Our theme is ‘Let me tell you a story’. We invite you to share poems that tell a true or fictional story on any subject. It could be about you or an incident in your life, about Folkestone or a more exotic setting – or purely the product of your imagination.
As ever, performance slots are up to 5 minutes, you can sign up on the night and all are welcome.
kollectiv Film Club presents Drawn from Life
Thursday May 14 - 7:00pm
kollectiv Film Club presents
Drawn from Life
Animated documentaries inspired by the lives of the people around us
Featuring filmmakers Marcus Armitage and Jessica Ashman in conversation with local producer and Director of Animate Projects, Abigail Addison.
Made in the UK, these 14 short films celebrate the intimate and the epic - reflecting the lives of the people around us. Thought provoking and inspiring, using a variety of animation styles, the works shine a light on the creativity of filmmaking in the UK today.
1. Follow The Dogs - Directed by Isabel Garrett (6.5 minutes)
2. Jeremy, my Father - Directed by Miranda Peyton Jones (8 minutes)
3. Pripyat Horse - Directed by Sally Pearce (2 minutes)
4. DAWTA - Directed by Jessica Ashman (7 minutes)
5. That Yorkshire Sound - Directed by Marcus Leonard Armitage (2.5 minutes)
6. On Hannah Fields - Directed by Lewis Heriz (3 minutes)
7. Departing - Directed by Mary Martins (7 minutes)
8. Green Lung - Directed by Simon Hamlyn (3 minutes)
9. And Granny Would Dance - Directed by Maryam Mohajer (10 minutes)
10. Regarding Gardens - Directed by Carolina Melis (2 minutes)
11. I'm OK - Directed by Elizabeth Hobbs (6 minutes)
12. Cesspit of Freedom - Directed by Oran O'Sullivan (2 minutes)
13. A Taste For Music - Directed by Jordan Antonowicz-Behnan (5 minutes)
14. Visible Mending - Directed by Samantha Moore (8.5 minutes).
Climate of Hope Community Breakfast
Helen Lindon invites you to join us for our third collective Saturdaybreakfast to discuss creative practice in the context of climate crisis. Perhaps you are an artist making work on this theme, or a land-based worker, scientist or researcher with an interest in creative collaboration - Let’s gather and find sustenance together as a community.
This will be a round table event, a curated conversation where each person will have the chance to briefly introduce their practice, followed by a conversation responding to a series of prompts and questions.
There is only one rule. One speaker at a time and we all listen…
Book a speaker ticket if you’d like to participate in the discussion, or a listener ticket if you would prefer to listen and contemplate. We can all chat and mingle after the event…
We ask that everyone attending brings a dish to share and/or a decoration for the table - we aim to run this event in a non hierarchical manner, emphasising that we are all responsible for the building of community around the table. Drinks, cake and savoury items will be available to purchase from Kollectiv, which will help to keep this venue open and able to host more events for and with our community.
FREE BUT PLEASE BOOK!
Jazz at kollectiv - Lockheart/Lodder play Lockheart/Lodder
We are delighted to be joined by two titans of British Jazz for our next Jazz at kollectiv session, taking place in the midst of Music and May.
Steve Lodder is a pianist, synth player, composer, producer, teacher and author. Renowned for his expressive style as a pianist, composer and arranger, Steve has long been an important figure of the British jazz scene. With a creative approach to genre and innovation, his work has taken him from solo albums to incredible collaborations such as ARQ (the Alison Rayner Quintet), and earned him a respected place on the modern jazz landscape. Steve has also collaborated with Paul McCartney, John Harle, Elvis Costello and Brazilian singer Mônica Vasconcelos as well as with our own Carol Grimes. His latest album is '2 Sorts of 3' features Dudley Phillips,Freddie Jensen, on various basses, and Nic France,Marius Rodrigues on drums
Mark Lockheart is one of the most distinctive and creative musicians on the current British music scene. As a saxophonist and composer, his work often defies categorisation and crosses the boundaries of the jazz, new music and folk worlds. 'Lockheart is a consummate saxophonist and a original and versatile composer', The Rough Guide to Jazz tells us. Mark toured extensively with Django Bates' Delightful Precipice, performing at many international festivals including Berlin, Molde and Willisau, and recording with jazz, folk and pop artists June Tabor, Billy Jenkins, Stereolab, Jah Wobble, Robert Wyatt, Prefab Sprout, Don Um Romao ,Thomas Dolby, and more recently Anja Garbarek and Radiohead. Mark's latest album, Shapeshifter, with Huw V Williams, Double Bass, and Jay Davis, was released in March this year.
New Writing Showcase
MONDAY 18 May
7PM
Join us in the ultimate celebration of the new writing talent.
Writers from our Monday group reunite to share their new work with you. Prepare yourself for a fun, moving, witty, and altogether entertaining evening with short pieces read to you by local talent.
And who knows? Maybe next time you’ll join them yourself!
Dyke Skinner presents Vagabond
Vagabond is a punk stand-up show like no other, from the mind of the bloke-core geezer-bird who brought you Saints and Skinners (2025).
Dyke Skinner talks imaginary friends, bad behaviour and his sordid love affair with cocaine and tramadol in his second ever stand-up special. Nestled between uppers and downers and beaten down by a country that doesn’t care if he lives or dies, Dyke found his feet through non-traditional means and lived to tell the tale.
This May, see the experimental, mind bending, gut busting comedy show Vagabond, and remember…the path to enlightenment is a backroad.
Please note, you must be 18 years or older to attend this show.
Standard tickets £10
Package tickets £45 (Limited edition)
There are 10 package tickets up for grabs.
Purchase of a package ticket includes:
1 ticket to Vagabond valid 22nd May 2026
1 yellow carrier wallet with Vagabond decal
1 print of ‘Vagazine’, the official Vagabond magazine with exclusive never before seen photos and writing
1 pin badge ‘The Vadge’
1 large sticker
The ‘Corporate Bullshit’ Vag tie
1 hand stitched and mounted ‘Tooth and Nail’ cross stitch by Dyke Skinner
1 ‘Tooth and Nail’ keepsake bag
A one time download link for Saints & Skinners the film
Michel Faber's Music Box
MUSIC IN MAY
World-renowned novelist and music amateur, Michel Faber shares 12 tracks from his varied record collection - some obscure, some unbelievable, some never to be heard again. Michel starts with an anecdote on the artist or production.
It’s a fun evening where you will be hypnotised by the music!
Life Drawing Club
Join our Life Drawing Club — a welcoming, inspiring space dedicated to the timeless practice of drawing from life. Whether you are a professional artist, an art student, or simply passionate about figure drawing, this salon offers a relaxed and creative environment to develop your skills and connect with fellow artists.
Each session features a nude model with a variety of dynamic poses, from quick gesture sketches to longer, focused studies. Our aim is to create a supportive community where artists of all levels feel encouraged to experiment, grow, and share ideas.
Bring your own materials and enjoy an atmosphere of concentration, creativity, and artistic exchange. This is more than just a class — it’s a gathering of people who love drawing and value the beauty of observing the human form.
Come draw, connect, and be inspired.
Tom Bright comes to Folkestone (with Lila Shy)
Tom Bright - who Guy Garvey describes as the 'excellent Tom Bright' - is a relentlessly touring songwriter whose songs land with emotional weight and unvarnished honesty. 2025 saw him make his third television appearance on BBC One’s Sunday Morning Live, serenade thousands at his fifth Glastonbury Festival, and have sell out shows across the UK and beyond. He has collaborated with The The, earned continued support from tastemakers Guy Garvey and John Kennedy and spent two years on Spotify’s Most Beautiful Songs in the World playlist with 'If I Met Your Shadow’.
In May last year, Tom released ‘Young Old Bloke’, a collection of early songs produced by Mick Jones (The Clash) and Dirty White. He has three previous albums — all produced by Ed Harcourt.
Away from the stage, his story is just as remarkable: once the UK’s youngest pub landlord, with a childhood marked by multiple life-saving surgeries.
Born in Rome but artistically reborn in London, Lilla Shy is captivating hearts with her ethereal vocals and beautifully honest songwriting.
Following the release of her self-produced debut album ‘Layers’ in September 2024, Lilla has toured the UK and Europe. Highlights-to-date include supporting Matteo Bocelli at The London Palladium, performing at BBC Introducing Live, selling out her debut headline show at The Troubadour, and appearing on the line-up at Glastonbury Festival 2025.
Weekend magazine described 'Layers' as 'a mesmerising fusion of electro-pop and indie-rock, bound together by her rich, dynamic vocal range and natural flair for introspective, heartfelt lyricism'.
The Noel Redding Project - Hendrix Acoustic
The Noel Redding Project proudly present 5 Top local Artists playing Acoustic Hendrix with a twist at kollectiv:
Katie Bradley & Kieren Mensah
Phil Scrivener & Paul Campbell
Angel Dee & Sebliminal
Derek Chai
Robert Hammant & Friends
Local Musicians – All playing 'Acoustic Hendrix' n their own style!
The Noel Redding Project are fundraising for a Statue of ‘Noel Redding’ which is being created by his niece Lace Redding.
subVERSE 2026
Dates: 1 May 2026
Time: 7pm
Tickets:: £10 donation. All profit to go to DIFID & USAID.
During the first years of the Iraq War [2003 - 2011], playwright Adrian Page and director Matthew Hahn created 'ripped from the headlines' theatre, driven by contempt for the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ leaders whose drive to war was on the basis of dubious and misleading intelligence.
With a heavy heart - but little surprise - we find ourselves in a not dissimilar moment today. Once again, the language of urgency, fear and moral certainty dominates political discourse. Against this backdrop, Hahn returns to the work that first gave voice to these concerns remounting a selection of the most relevant pieces of subVERSE.
Press from 2006:
'In its critique of the modern political and social landscape, subVERSE renders oft-used critical superlatives like "brilliant" and "remarkable" hollow.'
*****British Theatre Guide
‘Hip, engaging, hard hitting and thought provoking, the key to subVERSE is that each show explores the human consequences of current world events…These writers are asking their audiences to think about the world they live in and they are not afraid to take risks.’
Writer's Net
'This is a cracking piece of political theatre, which is both hard hitting and thought provoking. The acting from all members of the cast is superb... This is political satire as it should be'
***** Edinburgh Fringe bible Three Weeks
Statements warning of imminent nuclear threats, coupled with inflammatory characterisations of entire nations, echo earlier justifications for war. And although UK leadership is much more wary this time around [‘I will be with you, whatever,’ said British Prime Minister (and War Criminal) Tony Blair], the drumbeats of war are never far off. The parallels between then and now extend beyond policy into ideology. Bush once described the “War on Terror” as a “crusade,” invoking a troubling fusion of politics and religious framing. Today, similarly charged narratives persist, with some voices casting geopolitical conflict in explicitly theological terms [“Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation. Give them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy” says Pete Hegseth( and wanna-be War Criminal), US Secretary of Defence] portraying it as part of a divine plan, or framing political leaders as chosen instruments of prophecy.
Profits from ticket sales will be split between the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office [formerly DFID, the Department for International Development] and United States Agency for International Development [USAID] to help offset their recent swingeing cuts [in the UK] and the closure [in the US] due to shifting political priorities under Keir Starmer and Donald Trump:
The UK reduced its aid spending from 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) to 0.5% in 2021, a cut of roughly £4–5 billion annually, with only partial restoration since. These sharp drops in education (−58%) and nutrition (−73%) contributed to humanitarian impacts such as estimates that up to 1.5 million more people in sub-Saharan Africa facing hunger, while also forcing project cancellations and reducing long-term development work, weakening the country’s global influence and reputation as a leading donor.
The Trump administration shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2025.
Against this backdrop, subVERSE aims to provide a supplementary funding stream to support international development efforts in the US & UK and help stabilize resources for critical global programmes. By directly supporting these agencies, subVERSE hopes to amplify the absurdity and short sightedness of both progammes' cuts and the vital role they both play to safeguard global progress against political and economic uncertainty.
How to Make your Garden Grow
How to Make your Garden Grow - more naturally!
Wilding your garden, allotment, back yard or window box!
Mel has managed countryside and coastal areas for 40 years. Hear Ideas to make your private spaces more inviting for wild plants and animals.
In our land, under constant human disturbance and development, do you bit to help wildlife by offering a nature refuge and creating more connectivity between nature friendly areas.
Great Britain has approximately 2.37 million acres of residential gardens that’s about 960,000 hectares. That’s a great resource to help nature!
Bring your photos and share your own successes!
Kolab Art
We’re sharing paints and pints at this bubbly social art night <3
Paint anything or anyone you want but just know your friends will get a hold of your canvas too!
We will create overlapping artworks in this beginner’s session – no experience needed. Come join the KOLABORATION!
All our events have vegan options available at the bar.
Jazz for Babies...and their Mums and Dads
Jazz for Babies ... and their mums and dads IS BACK!
With Katie Bradley (vocals and harmonica) and Mick Bishop (piano).
We are delighted that the wonderful Katie Bradley and the superb Mick Bishop are coming to kollectiv to sing songs we all know for babies and their mums and dads. Crying and screaming are allowed and mums and dads can listen to some great musicians do their stuff without worrying about the noises off from their wee ones. There will even be opportunities for everyone to take part and sing along. Do join us - it will be great fun - for everyone!
Life Drawing Club
Join our Life Drawing Club — a welcoming, inspiring space dedicated to the timeless practice of drawing from life. Whether you are a professional artist, an art student, or simply passionate about figure drawing, this salon offers a relaxed and creative environment to develop your skills and connect with fellow artists.
Each session features a nude model with a variety of dynamic poses, from quick gesture sketches to longer, focused studies. Our aim is to create a supportive community where artists of all levels feel encouraged to experiment, grow, and share ideas.
Bring your own materials and enjoy an atmosphere of concentration, creativity, and artistic exchange. This is more than just a class — it’s a gathering of people who love drawing and value the beauty of observing the human form.
Come draw, connect, and be inspired.
Sunday Morning Music - Matthew Wilsher (clarinet) and Morgan Hayes (piano)
Matthew Wilsher (clarinet) and Morgan Hayes (piano)
For our second Sunday Morning Music concert, we are delighted to welcome clarinettist Matthew Wilshire and pianist Morgan Hayes, an old friend of Folkestone, who will be performing a lovely programme of duos and solos.
Matthew Wilsher is a highly versatile clarinettist who has performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Contemporary Orchestra and the Philharmonia, and has appeared in leading venues such as Wigmore Hall, the Royal Festival Hall and the Royal Albert Hall.
A graduate and double fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, Matthew is committed to reimagining how performance can connect, challenge and inspire. In particular, Matthew is passionate about shaping opera in innovative and accessible ways. He is principal clarinet of Dorset Opera Festival, Devon Opera and Waterperry Opera, and works regularly with English Touring Opera, Birmingham Opera and Tête à Tête. As a founding member of the charity Hold the Drama, he performs non-verbal musical shows across the UK, and collaborates widely on education and outreach projects with English National Opera, The Mozartists and the London Sinfonietta.
Morgan Hayes
Morgan Hayes is Professor of Composition at the Royal Academy and is a much-loved figure in classical music. His compositions have been described as 'sexy'. 'brilliant' and as having an 'unusually wide expressive range'. The Telegraph critic's review of his 2005 BBC Proms commission 'Strip' said that he wanted 'to hear the piece again, there and then'.
Morgan is also a superb and deeply sensitive pianist, and is in that guise Morgan is with us this morning.
Sarah Quist
An evening of heart felt songs, stories and poems from a life lived. Join Sarah Quist, Paul Eldridge, Danny Moss Jnr and Mykola Mishurenko as we blend our vast musical knowledge not limited by the boarders of genres or continents to create a special evening of covers and original songs and pieces . Tickets are £12 in advance and £15 on the door.
Alex Boughton's Chat Show
Welcome to Alex Boughton’s second Chat Show. In this new series, Alex regularly features a variety of fantastic local guests in a light-hearted evening of chat and comedy. Alex is a Folkestone-based comedian with a love of conversation and hosting others to bring out the best in them. Every month we are introduced to a new selection of Folkestone’s finest personalities. This month the focus is on food and drink.
In conversation for an hour or so, you’re cordially invited to come along, grab a drink and sit back while Alex gets to know our guests and shines a light on their latest projects.
This month’s guests representing Folkestone's burgeoning food and drink sector are:
Matthew Brice - the proprietor of Folkestone's new Irish bar, Farl
Juliette Campbell Golding - the co-owner of the new Sicilian restaurant. Let's Amore
David Holden - the mastermind behind Folkestone's much loved speakeasy, The Potting Shed
Got a question for our guests? Come along and ask them in person!
Friday, April 24 at 7:00pm - kollectiv
Book Launch- The Resurrected
This powerful work of fiction reimagines the harrowing true story of two young men who survived the Anfal genocide in Iraqi Kurdistan. Based on the author's extensive documentary research and testimonies collected during his time with Human Rights Watch (1992–1994), the novel follows their separate escapes from Saddam Hussein's killing fields and their eventual journeys to America. It is a profound story of luck, pluck, perseverance, and the complex, split-soul lives of first-generation immigrants.
According to Lyse Doucet, the BBC's Chief International Correspondent, Joost Hiltermann "colourfully reimagines a forgotten story that once shaped our times in an ambitious quilt of compelling tales, cleverly brought together with a novelist's skill, a scholar's depth, and the empathy of a journalist."
Joost Hiltermann is a Dutch researcher and writer. He was the Programme Director for the Middle East & North Africa at the International Crisis Group and previously worked at Human Rights Watch. He holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. His writing has appeared in The New York Review of Books, The London Review of Books, and Foreign Affairs. He is the author of two non-fiction books, A Poisonous Affair: America, Iraq, and the Gassing of Halabja(Cambridge, 2007) and Behind the Intifada: Labor and Women's Movements in the Occupied Territories (Princeton, 1991). The Resurrected is his debut novel.
Shakespeare Rattle & Roll
Featuring:
Jack Klaff
Time: 5pm – 6.30pm.
Date: 19 April 2026
Tickets can be purchased at the door or through PayPal:
www.paypal.com
Account to Pay:
shakespearebacktoshakespeare@gmail.com
Director:
Matthew Hahn
Freaky Folkestone fundraiser
Who's ready for a Drag SWITCHEROO?
FREAKY FOLKESTONE is a community centred drag show raising money for Napier Friends.
Starring...
Hugh Mann
Anya Hole
Angela Bangsbury
Betty Late N' Never
Cheryl Shots
Dante Al Dente
Donnie Dyko
Jennica Swallow
Jessica S
Graphic Novel Reading Club
Dive into a magical world of words and pictures. Comics Kollectiv is a monthly book club focused on graphic novels. From heartbreaking memoirs to stoner comedies and superhero classics, each month we’ll explore unique stories and colourful characters told through this exciting medium (which is obviously the best medium).
Expect lively discussions, fresh perspectives, and something to drink (cold or hot). Whether you’re a longtime graphic novel fan or just curious about the medium, this is a place to get inspired, challenge your imagination, and connect with others who love stories told in panels and ink.
Curated by local illustrators and comics writers, Navied Mahdavian (This Country: Searching for Home in (Very) Rural America) and Ben Gore (imagined matter; Hip Hop Cocktails), meetings will be a mixture of conversation and doodling (we’ll doodle, but you can join if you’d like).
Come for the books. Stay for the conversations. Leave seeing stories differently.
Ages 13 and up.
Books can be bought at our local comics shop, Lighthouse Comics for a 20% discount. Shop local, please.
Calendar:
April: Monica by Daniel Clowes
May: Feeding Ghosts by Tessa Hulls
June: Saga, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
July: Palestine by Joe Sacco
August: Making Comics by Lynda Barry
September: Acting Class by Nick Drnaso
October: Bad Gateway by Simon Hanselmann
November: Red Son by Mark Millar and Dave Johnson
December: Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? / Talking to my Father’s Ghost by Roz Chast and Alex Krokus
January: Black Hole by Charles Burns
February: Diary of a Teenage Girl by Phoebe Gloeckner
March: Watchmen by Alan Moore
Life Drawing CLub
Join our Life Drawing Club — a welcoming, inspiring space dedicated to the timeless practice of drawing from life. Whether you are a professional artist, an art student, or simply passionate about figure drawing, this salon offers a relaxed and creative environment to develop your skills and connect with fellow artists.
Each session features a nude model with a variety of dynamic poses, from quick gesture sketches to longer, focused studies. Our aim is to create a supportive community where artists of all levels feel encouraged to experiment, grow, and share ideas.
Bring your own materials and enjoy an atmosphere of concentration, creativity, and artistic exchange. This is more than just a class — it’s a gathering of people who love drawing and value the beauty of observing the human form.
Come draw, connect, and be inspired.
The Club meets fortnightly for 2 hours, starting on Tuesday 31st of March, 7:00-9:00 at kollectiv. The fee for each fortnightly session is £12.
Desert Island Art
featuring Katie and Joseph Beton (with Iskra and Moon)
Desert Island Discs is one of the most successful formats in broadcasting history - where the guests reveal more about themselves through their selection of eight tracks than they would have ever thought possible!
Well, this being Folkestone we want to pursue the same end but through a different means. Our guests are asked to choose eight works of visual art - as well as the obligatory favourite book and a luxury. The art works will be shown and discussed by the guests and the chair - and the audience too if they so wish. It will all be light-hearted and fun but surprising illuminating as well!
As is only fit and proper, the first Desert Island Arts Guests are Katie and Joseph Beton (accompanied by Iskra and Moon).
Chaired by Andrew Ward
Life drawing Club
Join our Life Drawing Club — a welcoming, inspiring space dedicated to the timeless practice of drawing from life. Whether you are a professional artist, an art student, or simply passionate about figure drawing, this salon offers a relaxed and creative environment to develop your skills and connect with fellow artists.
Each session features a nude model with a variety of dynamic poses, from quick gesture sketches to longer, focused studies. Our aim is to create a supportive community where artists of all levels feel encouraged to experiment, grow, and share ideas.
Bring your own materials and enjoy an atmosphere of concentration, creativity, and artistic exchange. This is more than just a class — it’s a gathering of people who love drawing and value the beauty of observing the human form.
Come draw, connect, and be inspired.
The Club meets fortnightly for 2 hours, starting on Tuesday 31st of March, 7:00-9:00 at kollectiv. The fee for each fortnightly session is £17.50.
Artificial Intelligence in Plain English Returns
Everyone is talking about AI, but few truly understand it. We ran an event on AI led by Ivan Pedrazas last month and it was a great success but not everyone could get there who wanted to, so we are running it again.
If you’ve wondered whether ChatGPT is just a fancy search engine or if an "AI Agent" is actually going to replace you at your desk, this talk is for you. Ivan is stripping away the jargon to give you the honest truth about AI: the good, the bad, and the ugly. This is a non-technical deep dive into the benefits and the risks of the most transformative tech of our time.
What you’ll learn:
What AI actually is (and isn’t).
The difference between a chatbot and an AI Agent.
How to stay relevant in an automated world.
Plus: We’re launching a series of practical workshops soon to help you master these tools firsthand!
If you came to the first session you would be most welcome to come again - because the sessions are interactive this one is bound to have a different feel than the first one.
Ivan Pedrazas has a background in development and architecture and has been designing and building distributed systems for more than 20 years. In the last year, he’s been building developer tools that consume and provide AI capabilities, such as AI agents, MCP Servers, and LLM models. He is a Principal Engineer at Docker Inc. and Co-Founder of Menta, and also co-organises the Kubernetes London meetup, which has 4800+ members. Ivan lives in Hawkinge and has a studio in The Stables in Folkestone where he designs and makes customised jeans. He is an enthusiastic member of kollectiv's 'The Art of Writing' group, describing himself as a slow writer ... and even slo
A History of Blues Through Song (rescheduled!)
A History of the Blues Through Song is a powerful, immersive concert experience that traces the evolution of the blues from its earliest roots to its modern-day expressions. Through soulful vocals, expressive harmonica, and evocative storytelling, the performance guides audiences on a journey from the songs born of resilience, through the raw Delta blues, the electrifying Chicago sound, and the genre’s profound influence on soul, rock, and contemporary music.
Each song becomes a chapter in the evolution of a living history—illuminating the cultural landscapes, personal struggles, and creative breakthroughs that shaped the blues across generations. Audiences are invited not only to listen, but to feel the emotional heartbeat of the music: the longing, the hope, the grit, and the joy that have made the blues a universal language.
Blending performance with narrative insight, A History of the Blues Through Song celebrates the artists and styles that forged this transformative art form. It’s both an homage and a reminder that the blues is not just a genre—it’s a story of humanity, carried forward through every note.
WITH UK BLUES ARTIST KATIE BRADLEY (VOCALS AND HARMONICA)
FRANCESCO ERNESTO (PIANO AND VOCALS) KIEREN MENSAH ( VOCALS SLIDE AND ELECTRIC GUITARS)
kollectiv Film Club - I Diverge (Seven short films by Stewart Lane)
Seven short films by Stewart Lane explore diversity, divergence and neurodiversity, raising questions of agency and the social systems that shape collective life. His trilogy 3 ‘i’s (Diversity in the mix) blend documentary with subtly surreal imagery, the interrelation of sound and image carrying meaning in unexpected ways. Together, the works probe the complexities of how we experience and understand one another, navigating complexity, perception and difference with both curiosity and openness.
Screening Programme
A Mouthful Of Aqueducts (7.34)
I Diverge (22.02)
We Are All Here (6.02)
Q&A
Interval
I Make Lines (12.57)
Night Vertigo (5.45)
The Naked i (14.48)
Radio Ghosts Redux (3.26)
Q&A
Stewart Lane is a composer, performer and short film maker whose work moves fluidly across genres, often with surrealist undertones. Founder of the award-winning alternative cabaret act BAL, he has composed music for film, theatre and concert hall and collaborated widely with other artists.
In 2022–23, Stewart created a series of short films featuring neurodiverse performers. His film Night Vertigo won nine international awards, including Best Sound Design and Best Black & White Film, and was screened at thirteen festivals worldwide. A Mouthful of Aqueducts won nine international awards, Radio Ghosts six, and Lines four, while his documentary I Diverge received three awards. His earlier film For the Birds won Best Music Video at the Paris Film Awards.
In 2024, he completed his third collaboration with artist Eric Fong on Glass Plate Negatives and Apparitions, and worked with poet Tamar Yoseloff on Hard to Swallow and the performance of A Field Companion to Sound: John Cage. In 2025 he released his fourteenth album Curves Of Longing for piano, violin and electronica. His composition Evening Vectors is currently featured on BBC Radio’s The Sleeping Forecast.
Emelie Mahdavian in Conversation + Bitterbrush Film Screening
Join us for a conversation with award-winning filmmaker, Emelie Mahdavian followed by the screening of ‘Bitterbrush’.
Emelie Mahdavian is an Emmy, Peabody, and Sundance Award-winning filmmaker whose films have screened at major venues including Telluride Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Centre Pompidou, and Berlin Film Festival, garnering awards recognition, international press, and receiving international theatrical distribution.
In the remote and rugged mountains of the American West, two young women contemplate the future as they work alone herding cattle. Bitterbrush was a New York Times Critics' Pick and Variety's Tomris Laffly selected it among her "Top 10 films of 2022."
"With 'Bitterbrush,' Mahdavian announces herself as a filmmaker with a keen eye for capturing the contradictions and complexities of outsider women's lives."
Kristen Lopez, IndieWire
"It poses piercing existential questions about purpose and independence, particularly for women choosing work that has long been deemed the exclusive province of men."
Sheri Linden, Hollywood Reporter
Emelie Mahdavian will be joined by Giles Croft, a theatre director and former artistic director of the Nottingham Playhouse. Giles has directed more than 60 productions including Tony's Last Tape, DNA and The Kite Runner. He has also written and performed a one-man show, Channeling Jabez, about the Channel swimmer Jabez Wolfe.
Jazz for Babies
Jazz for Babies ... and their mums and dads
With Katie Bradley (vocals and harmonica) and Mick Bishop (piano).
kollectiv - 1:00pm - Friday March the 20th
We are delighted that the wonderful Katie Bradley and the superb Mick Bishop are coming to kollectiv to sing songs we all know for babies and their mums and dads. Crying and screaming are allowed and mums and dads can listen to some great musicians do their stuff without worrying about the noises off from their wee ones. There will even be opportunities for everyone to take part and sing along. Do join us - it will be great fun - for everyone!
Nãnci Correia In Concert
Singer and visionary artist Nãnci Correia (formerly of the Congo Natty Family) joins forces with acclaimed pianist and composer Johnny Tomlinson for an unforgettable live performance.
Blending R&B, jazz, soul, blues, fado, and flamenco, the duo will present an emotionally charged performance, featuring a selection of Nãnci’s released and unreleased original works, drawing on influences from around the world, a powerful yet intimate experience—one that resonates deeply and lingers long after the final note.
Reimagining The Grand
Join director of Grand Arts CIC, Giles Croft, and Executive Director, Megan Piper as they discuss ambitions for the future of The Grand as a home for arts, culture, community and hospitality to promote creativity, connection and wellbeing. Their conversation will be chaired by Andrew Ward.
Giles Croft was the Artistic Director of Nottingham Playhouse from 1999 to 2017. He has directed more than 60 productions and his work has played in London’s West End and on Broadway. During the lockdown of 2020, he directed an audio version of The Understudy by David Nicholls starring Stephen Fry and Russell Tovey; in 2022 his production of The Kite Runner played at The Hayes Theatre, New York; and in 2024 The Kite Runner toured in the UK & US. He is also a playwright and his work has been produced widely in the UK and Europe.
Megan Piper co-founded The Line, East London’s public art trail, with the late regeneration expert, Clive Dutton OBE, and served as its Director from 2015-2025. Prior to starting The Line, Megan was a gallerist and ran The Piper Gallery in Fitzrovia (2012-13) and a gallery space on Jermyn Street in St James’s (2016-17). She is a founding member of the Association of Women in the Arts and a former Governor of Elmhurst Ballet School in Birmingham.
Folkestone Performing Arts Company - Writing for performers workshop
Folkestone Performing Arts Company is delighted to announce our continued partnership with kollectiv through our free Writing for Performance sessions.
As with all of FPAC’s community theatre programmes, everyone is welcome, regardless of writing experience.
Across 10 sessions, participants will respond to writing stimuli, create scratch pieces, share feedback, refine, rehearse and perform new work.
Beginning February 2026, sessions will take place every other Sunday from 3–5pm. These sessions are designed to support the development of playwriting skills while building confidence, fostering connection and supporting personal wellbeing.
Each session is led by an industry practitioner and offers a supportive, collaborative environment in which participants can develop their craft and share work.