Hello my gorgeous friends,
It’s been a while since my last post and I’ve truly missed connecting with you here. I hope you’re all doing well and, for those who had a summer break, that you’ve settled back into work and routine with ease.
My own summer was a joyful, surreal blur. In April I took my son away to Spain to celebrate his twelfth birthday, how on earth am I almost the mother of a teenager? Someone send help, because I’m not coping with how quickly the years are flying past me! In August I went back to Paris and Disneyland, but this time with my two childhood best friends and all our kids. Watching our children laugh together in the shadow of the Tower of terror felt like a full-circle moment of friendship and family. Remembering all our youth club trips to the fair and the plans we’d make for the future. Feels like just yesterday all of these experiences were a dream or a childhood fantasy.
Motherhood continues to stretch me in unexpected ways. No one talks enough about the quiet grief that comes every time your child asks to wander further than the garden gate. Everyone tells me I need to stop wrapping him in cotton wool, but he looks so good in it! Hahaha. No I am learning to let go, one step at a time. I even managed a night out on Friday (just until 11 p.m.) and only texted him and my uncle three times to make sure he was alive and well. Progress, right?
Stepping Away to Step Forward
While the summer brought lightness, this year has also been about big shifts. I recently stepped back from my role with the Liverpool City Region Race Equality Hub when my contract ended. Working in local government taught me a lot about the challenge of influencing long-standing structures. I fought, sometimes tirelessly, to carve out space for us, and especially for Black creatives, hosting roundtables and from this work, a consortium of artists and change-makers was created. I’m excited to watch that group continue to grow and create opportunities for our communities.
These experiences reminded me how deeply my heart belongs in the fight for equality, but still something wasn’t quite fulfilling enough. Until, in March I co hosted a premier of eight artists works, including myself, featuring work created during the pandemic in response to the murder of George Floyd. Being back in that space reignited the creative fire that first set me on this path when I was in primary school.
It was nothing short of devastating having to leave my gorgeous team behind but it’s not forever. I made connections in the Hub that will last me my lifetime and you cannot put a price tag on that. I have never felt or given love in the way I did with that team of amazingly strong powerful Black women!
And as I’ve been growing professionally, I’ve also grown personally.
Two years ago, before starting in the hub, I always abandoned tasks or let plans drift away. Since then I’ve made a quiet promise to myself: if I say I’ll do something, I’ll see it through. That commitment has changed everything, I’m seeing results in my work and in my own sense of self. It’s also why I’m here writing this blog again. When I started this, I vowed to post monthly, and when I let that slip I felt like I’d let myself. So I’m back, because I am backing myself.
Introducing Black Stage Pass
So…. What do I plan to do now I hear you say? Well from that spark came Black Stage Pass, founded in May by myself and Cherise Weaver to create employment, visibility and genuine equity for Black talent across the creative industries.
Our first flagship event ‘More Than Words-Black History Month Special’ will be 2nd October 2025 7pm-9pm, Downstairs at Everyman Theatre on Hope Street. It will be an important event of Panel discussion and live performances from local and national Black Artists. More Than Words is an open mic night I co-founded with my amazingly talented friend Leah. It’s hard to believe it’s already one year old. This special will celebrate a year of community and healing and officially launch Black Stage Pass and our industry-changing app.
The app is designed to shift the power dynamic. Black artists can create free profiles, access live casting calls, and tap into professional-development tools. Agents, production companies and casting directors pay to access the talent database and event map, recognising the value Black creatives bring. We’re starting in Liverpool but conversations are already underway with partners in Africa and LA.
Looking Ahead
These past months have been a whirlwind of late nights, bold ideas and careful planning, but I feel ready for what’s next. If you’re curious, visit blackstagepass.org to explore our services, book tickets, or start a partnership conversation.
Thank you for being part of this journey. Here’s to the next chapter, one that’s more than words, and just getting started.
love and excitement,
Brodie
Brodie Arthur 
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