warnmcr: gearing up for our next blast: Ollie Smith + Richard DeDomenici

Word of Warning...

After a brief respite we're already getting ready to go with our next rocktastic offering - not one but two full length shows next Friday 2 Nov at Z-arts with Ollie Smith's 27 and Richard DeDomenici's Popaganda.  Ollie is best known in these parts for Method Lab, Instant Win and his work with Michael Pinchbeck; whilst the satirically mischievous Richard DeDomenici was last spotted running through Exchange Square, dressed in a Gregg's white overall carrying a roll of gold sequin punchinella, seconds ahead of the Olympic Torch!  This is definitely a doublebill not be missed - pathos, storytelling, satire and activisim rolled into one evening - we might throw in a few fireworks for good measure!

Looking at the week ahead, if you're keen to see more than our double bill ;) - it's a truly frenetic week: the latest Mother's Ruin is tonight at Contact; who also present the site-specific Yellow Earth's Dim Sum Nights (Weds 31 + Thurs 1 Nov), Tuheen Huda's MSF2012: What Am I Worth? (Thurs 1 - Sat 3 Nov) and Leonie Higgins's I May Not Be Where I Intended To Go (Sat 3 Nov). 
Also Thursday to Saturday  is New Art Club's Quiet Act of Destruction at the Royal Exchange Studio and  Company Chameleon's Gameshow is at Z-arts on Sat 3 Nov.

Further afield a reminder of West Yorkshire Playhouse's Furnace today and tomorrow.
Live at LICA hosts the first of the northern outings for Forced Entertainment's The Coming Storm on Mon 29 + Tues 30 Oct, and Company Chameleon on Thurs 1 Nov. 
Over in Liverpool Homotopia kicks off on 30 Oct (til 30 Nov), including Darren Pritchard's 1 (Weds 31 - Fri 2 Nov).  The Gary Clarke Company's triple bill is also on Sat 3 Nov at the Capstone Theatre in Liverpool Hope University.

I'm a bit gutted to be missing some of that lot - while I do a mad dash to Ipswich for Spill Festival though of course I will be back (with Mr DeDomenici in tow) for Friday's Word of Warning epic with Ollie+Richard.

Hope to see you all there!

Best

Tamsin

warnmcr: the calm AFTER the Weekender storm...

Word of Warning...

Still reeling a little from last week's goings on - when I said marathon of performance I really did mean it. Huge thanks to EVERYONE - artists, audiences, venues, techs, volunteers who came with us on our Weekender journey - there was some truly extraordinary work and some downright bonkers goings-on. 

With a moment or two to draw breath, it's time to think about seeing some work. Slightly out of the normal vein, but I have it on good authority that it's well worth a visit:  Mark Thomas's Bravo Figaro is on at The Dancehouse on 24+25 Oct (as well as various venues around the North).  It's also time for the next Mother's Ruin at Contact on Fri 26 Oct

Tonight is a good time to visit Liverpool for the Long Night of the Biennial.  And in Lancaster, Live at LICA has Ockham's Razor Not Until We Are Lost on Sat 20 (continuing til 24th.).  Axis Arts Centre in Crewe has 12˚North Dance Company's Triple Bill on Thurs 25 Oct.

At Bradford's Theatre in the Mill Northern Creative's Museum of Terrifying Example
is on tomorrow, Sat 20 Oct.  And in Leeds, Ellie Harrison and Jaye Kearney's The Reservation - an intimate one on one - is back at The Wren's Hotel  on 24, 25, 31 Oct + 1, 7, 8 Nov. At the weekend, West Yorkshire Playhouse plays host to Furnace on Fri 26 + Sat 27 featuring sharings from RashDash and Invisible Flock amongst others.

The following week is gearing up to be immense - for the truly 'dedicated' (for which read unhinged and prepared to drive overnight diagonally across the country...like me) Spill Festival takes place in Ipswich while, MUCH closer to home, the next Word of Warning event carries on our rock musings at Z-arts of Fri 2 Nov, featuring the very marvellous Ollie Smith and Richard DeDomenici.

Hope to see you all on the 2nd

Best

Tamsin

 

warnmcr: all stations GO for Action Hero vs GO Project and Emergency this 'weekender'!

Word of Warning...

A rather breathless and late WoW coming to you from the depths of BLANKSPACE... I've ducked out from the get-in for tonight's Action Hero vs GO Project  at Gorilla, to check on preparations for tomorrow's Emergency.  Whoever thought 40 shows across 4 venues was sensible needs a serious word in their ear! 

The Manchester Weekender is now underway - don't forget to check it out online - as mentioned last week, what caught my eye was David Shrigley HOW ARE YOU FEELING and Sketch-O-Matic at Cornerhouse, Jane and Louise Wilson at the Whitworth and Gina Czarnecki's The Wasted Works plus Lip Service's Hysterical Historical tour also on Saturday and The Flaneurs Guide to the Northern Quarter.
and good luck to our neighbours Lip Service's Inspector Norse public dress rehearsal at Z-arts...

Staggeringly there is life after this weekend, so moving onto next week  at the Lowry Happystorm Theatre's Borderline Vultures is ongoing, Jasmin Vardimon's Freedom is on Tue 16 Oct and my Salford outing for the week will be Victoria Melody's Northern Soul in the Studio on Thurs 18 Oct.

Further afield, Axis Arts Centre in Crewe has New Art Club's Quiet Acts of Destruction, also on Thurs 18.  A good time to visit Liverpool might be on Friday 18 for the Long Night of the Biennial.  And in Lancaster, Live at LICA has Ockham's Razor Not Until We Are Lost on Sat 20 (continuing til 24th.)

My adrenalin is now reaching peak levels which tells me to get myself back to check on progress at Gorilla. Really hoping lots of you will be joining us tonight or for Emergency.

best

Tamsin

warnmcr: the tension is rising for Action Hero vs. Go Project and Emergency...

Word of Warning...

Welcome to a rather adrenalised WoW... anxiously awaiting our new print to arrive and really getting to grips with the unfeasibility of next weekend's undertaking!  The idea of returning to an old haunt (greenroom) that is totally new (Gorilla) on Fri 12 Oct for Action Hero vs GO Project is a bit mind-blowing.  Not to mention the sheer scale of Emergency the very next day (Sat 13).  And then there's that feeling of being a party host, who's not sure if they're billynomates... and that's where you can help... please do join us at one or, preferably, both!

Amidst all that I'm attempting to head to Light Night Leeds tonight including the preview of Pigeon Theatre's The Smell of Envy at the University of Leeds.  The folks at Light Night have circulated a link to a map and app which I'm sure will help, but if anyone that side of the Pennines wants to tweet @warnmcr with some tips, they'll be much appreciated.  

As mentioned last week there's also Marc Brew Company's Triple Bill at Stage@Leeds on Sat 6 October and the Lowry's InOnTheAct festival continues in Salford Quays with Happystorm Theatre's Borderline Vultures from 6-28 Oct.  For the more theatrically inclined, Contact has Fields of Grey running until 13 October.

Tues 9 Oct sees the very lovely GETINTHEBACKOFTHEVAN's Big Hits at Axis Arts Centre and, for the more dance-inclined, The Lowry Studio also has 12˚ Degrees North.

Thursday 11th seems to be a bonkers day, particularly in Liverpool with  MDI Northern Dances at the Unity,  Rowena Easton' "!" (Hollywood Blues) at the Bluecoat and Oreet Ashery's Party for Freedom at Metal, Liverpool.  Skeleton Project Newk is also at Stage@Leeds,  not to mention the launch of the Manchester Weekender at Mancheser Art Gallery.

Of course on Fri 12th there's absolutely nothing else going on anywhere, at all except Action Hero vs GO Project's Frontman at Gorilla :)  (apart from those of you going to the public dress rehearsal of Lip Service's Inspector Norse at Z-arts...!)

And on Sat 13th Emergency is the only place to be... though over the course of the Weekender you might want to check out David Shrigley HOW ARE YOU FEELING (and his Show and Tell on Saturday luncthime) and Sketch-O-Matic at Cornerhouse, Jane and Louise Wilson at the Whitworth and Gina Czarnecki's The Wasted Works plus the Pop-Up Cinema at MOSI. For a bit of light relief (if Emergency isn't that already) you might also consider Lip Service's Hysterical Historical tour also on Saturday.  If you've any energy left by Sunday our tip would be the The Flaneurs Guide to the Northern Quarter.

Back to panicking about print and editing equipment lists now...

best

Tamsin

 

warnmcr: Emergency and Word of Warning programmes now online..

Word of Warning...

Our hot-off-the-press news of the week is that the bijou new Word of Warning programme is now online - as is the new-look, Emergency site with loads of info on the 40, yes 40, pieces involved.

Don't forget that today, Fri 28th is the final day of  Lost & Found Festival and, also out and about is the Alexandra Arts - One Day wonder[ment] in Alexandra Park on Sun 29 Sept.  The Lowry's InOnTheAct festival continues in Salford Quays with Happystorm Theatre's Borderline Vultures from 6-28 Oct.

Axis Arts Centre in Crewe kicks off its Autumn season with Fuel presents Ring on Thurs 4 October then focus shifts rapidly to Leeds with Light Night Leeds on Fri 5 October, including a preview of Pigeon Theatre's The Smell of Envy at the University of Leeds and dance with the Marc Brew Company's Triple Bill at Stage@Leeds on Sat 6 October. A couple of tips from the Biennial courtesy of Lena Simic:
Unfinished Conversation film about Stuart Hall by John Akomfrah at the Bluecoat and, on the live side, there are good reports about Anfield Tour.

Then, for fear of labouring the point - the following week sees the Manchester Weekender including our season launch with Action Hero vs GO Project's full-on reboot of Frontman at GORILLA on Fri 12 Oct followed by a truly gigantic Emergency on Sat 13th.

best

Tamsin

 

warnmcr: autumn picking up pace

 

 

Word of Warning... 

 

So the tell-tale signs of a Manchester Autumn are upon us... the streets have miraculously re-filled with students, the weather's freezing and I'm going to start banging on about Emergency!

 

And. more appositely, there's more and more work out there to see:  Tonight, Fri 21, sees Ladies Night, the first Mother's Ruin of the season, at Contact.  Next week sees the second Lost & Found Festival take to streets, shopping centres and trams (Weds 26-Fri 28 Sept).  Sited work is always a tricky one to plan to catch, but taking a tram from Piccadilly Gardens out to Salford Quays and the Lowry Outlet Mall one afternoon looks like it might be a plan - or joining the Albino Mosquito finale at Great Northern Amphitheatre on the evening of Fri 28th. (For individual events you'll need to click here and go through the listings one by one).

 

Up in Lancaster, LEAP's Leaping Out at the Dukes, this Saturday 22nd, sees the culmination of a week-long collaborative experiment by a dozen young artists.  Live at LICA's sited programme continues with Invisible Flock's Sand Pilot (Sat 22 + Mon 24 Sept).

 

Of interest, over in Leeds is Victoria Melody's Northern Soul on Weds 26th (also coming to the Lowry Studio, on 18 Oct). In Liverpool, Liverpool Biennial enters its second week, and, for those looking for something of a more physical theatre bent TmesisTheatre's Wolf Red is on at the Unity, Weds 26-Sat 29 Sept.  There's also Mary Pearson's ongoing improvisational Failure Lab at TILT Dance Studios every Thursday til December.

 

...and finally, we are just putting the finishing touches to the Word of Warning programme and website for Autumn. But as a major heads-up - we have a manic weekend coming up on Fri 12 and Sat 13 October as part of the Manchester Weekender.  On Friday night we return to a familiar old railway arch now known as GORILLA - for Action Hero vs GO Project's full-on reboot of Frontman. And on Saturday we take over three venues for a ridiculously enormous Emergency.

 

best

 

Tamsin

 

Standing reminders:

www.facebook.com/warnmcr     @warnmcr

 

warnmcr: MAPS and Guilds and more...

Word of Warning...

The end of summer flurry of activity continues - thanks largely to Preston Guild Week which is reaching its climax.  Alongside the general activity in Preston this weekend of interest is AND's The Humble Market (which I think is sold out), Jeremy Deller's Sacrilege and the climactic Lakes Alive On The Nightshift. 

Whilst there is some great stuff on in Preston and much of it is free, like the above, a quick heads-up that if you are wanting to book for any of their ticketed events, Preston Guildhall online box office charges both 50p per ticket booking fee and £1.50 per transaction card charge for debit cards so you might want to find an alternative.

Happily the main point of interest for WoW is tomorrow's MAPS festival and it's free! A full day of live art and contemporary performance across a range of venues, with some familiar faces.

A reminder that  Live at LICA starts a series of sited projects with Invisible Flock's Sand Pilot (Sat 8, Mon 10, Sat 22 + Mon 24 Sept) and Louise Ann Wilson's Ghostbird  on Sat 15 + Sun 16 Sept.  In Lancaster itself, the Leaping Out event takes place at The Duke's on Sat 22 Sept, and sees the outcome of a week-long, 12 artist collaborative experiment.

Closer to home, Tam Hinton's And All These Sleepless Nights continues at the Lass O'Gowrie tonight 7 Sept and over in Salford, The Lowry's In On The Act Festival continures with You Once Said Yes (6-16 Sept).  Recent Works Ahead artist Lowri Evans embarks on a couple of sited projects  - here in Manchester on Sat 15 Sept with We Are Ten, an audio walk around Manchester, though if you fancy a daytrip further afield, she's in Llandudno with Give and Take this Sunday (9th).  Also intriguing is Tales of Whatever #12
 at the Castle Hotel on Oldham Street next Weds 12 Sept.

Not to forget, Liverpool Biennial kicks off next weekend, so I'll be keeping my eye out for anything of live interest there.

...and finally, if you are feeling generous, please go along to the Kidneys for Life Fundraiser at BLANKSPACE all afternoon tomorrow, Saturday (8 Sept).

best

Tamsin

 

warnmcr: coming out of summer snooze!

Word of Warning...
Summer seems to have vanished and Autumn seems to have snuck up on us rather suddenly - both weather and an enormous flurry of stuff to see.  I'm still wading my way through everyone's season info but I thought I'd send you this special, slightly premature WoW before deciding when to start back up in earnest.

As you may have noticed in Manchester, Abandon Normal Devices (AND) kicked off last night.  Way too much to summarise - but check out Lanfranco Acetti's A Dream Came Through at BLANKSPACE, today (Thurs 30 til 6pm) and Trixie Carr's Right to Rule at Gorilla on Sat 1 Sept.  I'm also intrigued by the Empire Drive In cinema and Meme Junkyard with Wafaa Bilal's inflatable Technoviking.

PAPER Gallery also has its opening on Sat 1st, Tam Hinton's And All These Sleepless Nights is at the Lass O'Gowrie on 6+7 Sept and over in Salford, The Lowry's In On The Act Festival kicks off with You Once Said Yes (6-16 Sept).

Preston Guild Week also kicks off tomorrow (Fri 31 Aug) - things you might want to check out are the Light Night (Fri 31) and Preston Tringe Festival (31 Aug-9 Sept), plus Sonia Hughes's My Dad Made Cars (2-5 Sept) and the MAPS festival on Sat 8 Sept. 

Further north, Live at LICA starts a series of sited projects with Invisible Flock's Sand Pilot on Sat 8, Mon 10, Sat 22 + Mon 24 Sept and Louise Ann Wilson's Ghostbird  on Sat 15 + Sun 16 Sept.

As I said, an enormous flurry of activity, so enjoy!  I'll go back to wading through Emergency proposals (Sat 13 October) and finishing off the WoW Autumn programme.  I'm guessing the WoW will be in a couple of weeks (14 Sept) unless something takes me by surprise in the meantime!

best

Tamsin

 

warnmcr: last call for festival fortnight!

Word of Warning... back to white!

Now the giddiness of Hazard has died down, we're back to normal, but think WoW will be taking a break for a few weeks as the seasons have well and truly wound down!

The Truth About Youth Festival is into its final few days, so don't forget to go and share some knowledge in the Quarantine, Between Us We Know Everything booth.24:7 Theatre is ongoing, but the big story of the weekend is the Urban Moves Festival in Castlefield, two days of free sited dance (Sat 28 + Sun 29 July).

Beyond that, it looks like everyone's going to either be glued to the Olympics - or hiding from it by heading for Edinburgh.

We, meanhwile are getting to grips with Autumn - the first thing we can reveal is that Emergency, our annual marathon of performance, will be back for its thirteenth Manchester outing and will be blossoming into 3 venues as part of the Manchester Weekender on Sat 13 October!  For anyone interested in presenting work, the call will open early next week at emergencymcr.org (deadline 28 August).

Have a nice summer and we'll be back - either in September (with some hints about our own Autumn season) - or on an ad hoc basis if something exciting pops up!

Best

Tamsin

warnmcr: Hazard dawns... and Manchester becomes Festival City #FestCityMcr #hazardmcr

Word of Warning... Manchester Festival City!
 
So we're exactly 24 hours away from Hazard and understandably giddy.  We have a gazebo, badges, t-shirts, sandwich boards and banners... and above all rain ponchos at the ready!  All we need now is a vintage double-decker bus, some artists and a city full of people and we'll be off.  Please do come and join us in St Ann's Square between 12 and 5pm tomorrow Saturday 21 July or keep your eyes peeled for yellow and black idiosyncracies all round town!

We're print-free this year, so all the details are online at hazardmcr.org.

We're really looking forward to welcoming our Nottingham visitors, Hatch, when the vintage bus rumbles slowly into town - and yes, we'll be holding our breath til it does!  Meanwhile,  if you feel like getting active, there's gaming aplenty from Larkin' About, and please, help us keep the #hazardmcr hashtag lively!

Despite frantic preparations, it hasn't escaped my notice that Manchester is absolutely bursting with festivals this fortnight  - there's a dramatic collision of four festivals this weekend alone - all developed firmly in the city, showing the full variety of what Manchester has to offer and featuring an eclectic mix of local, national and international work in every form imaginable!

Just as Hazard springs into life, Manchester Jazz Festival reaches its climax... and 24:7 Theatre Festival  (20-27 July) steps in to take its place.  We are very happy to be working alongside the Truth About Youth Festival (16-29 July) at the Royal Exchange Theatre, featuring Quarantine, Company Chameleon and lots of work by lots of young people. There's also the ongoing 'new kid on the the block', the Greater Manchester Fringe Festival and the fortnight then comes to a choreographic close with Urban Moves Festival (27-29 July) just before we all metaphorically take cover for the Olympics! 

And finally not a festival but exciting nonetheless, Blank Media Collective is also stepping outside its traditional home with the Projector Series, which launches at the Salutation on Thurs 26 July.

Anyway, back to weather proofing anything that's not tied down - hope to see you at Hazard tomorrow.


Best

Tamsin