Word of Warning — Weekly Warning

...erotic. As the Madonna of Performance Art goes all Balkan on us, the world of politics also descends on Hulme:

This weekend, Marina Abramovic's Balkan Erotic Epic continues at Aviva Studios (until 19 Oct). Victoria Firth's Batty! is at Sale Waterside on Thu 9 Oct; on Thu 9 + Fri 10 Oct Miranda Prag's An Attempt To lose Time is at New Adelphi; and Rhianna Ilube + Coney's 1884 is at HOME, while on Fri 10 Oct Lowry has Mufutau Yusuf's Impasse and The World Transformed Festival also comes to Hulme 10-12 Oct.

On Sat 11 Oct, in Chester, Sam Danson's Daddy's First Gay Date is at the Storyhouse; while in Leeds, Miranda Prag's An Attempt To Lose Time is at Slung Low; and in Sheffield, Dani Abulhawa's Saltwater Crossing is at GLOAM Gallery. 

Next week (w/c 13 Oct) added to the Abramovic mix, Twawsi - The World As We See It is at New Adelphi on Thu 16 Oct and Quarantine's Telescope is at Manchester Museum daytimes 16-19 Oct. 

Further afield, there's a Scratch at Shakespeare North, Prescot on Tue 14 Oct; Sue Palmer + Sheila Ghelani's Atmospheric Forces is at Lancaster Arts on Fri 17 Oct; Impermanence's Venus 2.0 is at the Riley Theatre, Leeds on Sat 18 Oct and Victoria Firth's Batty! is at Storyhouse, Chester on Sun 19 Oct. 
Much further afield, Take Me Somewhere Festival is in Glasgow 15-26 Oct. 
 
The following week (w/c 20 Oct) is battle of the national festivals as this is the week where Take Me Somewhere (Glasgow), Transform (Leeds) and Spill (Ipswich) all collide! 

Meanwhile, in Mancunia, New Adelphi has Raina Greifer's Manic on Wed 22 Oct and Dance With Us on Fri 24 Oct. Vicky Clarke's Latent Spaces is at SEESAW (24-26 Oct); and Hofesh Schechter's Theatre of Dreams is at Lowry on Fri 24 oct. 

Keeping within reach of Manchester, focus is firmly on Leeds for Transform Festival (21-25 Oct) with work by Amrita Hepi, Tiran Willemse, Dan Daw, Eve Stainton, Ira Brand and Mexa among others.

Elsewhere, in Morecambe, Lancaster Arts has zuppa's Here Now This on Fri 24 + Sat 25 Oct. In Bradford, Javaad Alipoor's Elmet is at Loading Bay (22 Oct-2 Nov).

Keep checking our News + Information page for more pointers to opportunities and show videos online, and @WarnMcr on Twitter (X if you must) for short-notice performances.  The call for the 27 November edition of Social Experiment remains open until Wed 12 Nov 12 noon.

Best

Tamsin

@WarnMcr: Bsky | Fb | Insta | X | YT

Following the 10 hour marathon that was Emergency 25 last weekend, the coming week is almost a sprint: a game of two halves, Reckless Sleepers featuring in the first and Marina Abramovic's 4 hour epic kicking off the second. But first...

This weekend, Lowry has Chisato Minamimura's Mark of a Woman and Hannes Langolf's How About Now, both on Sat 4 Oct. Impermanence's Venus 2.0 is at HOME on Fri 3 + Sat 4 Oct.

In Lancaster, Victoria Firth's Batty! is at The Duke's on Sat 4 Oct.
At Leeds Playhouse Ay Kash/If Only is also on Sat 4 Oct 

Next week (w/c 6 Oct) Lowry has Reckless Sleepers' Binary Opposition on Tue 7 + Wed 8 Oct and Mufutau Yusuf's Impasse on Fri 10 Oct.  Marina Abramovic's Balkan Erotic Epic starts its run (9-19 Oct). Victoria Firth's Batty! is at Sale Waterside on Thu 9 Oct;  and on Thu 9 + Fri 10 Oct Miranda Prag's An Attempt To lose Time is at New Adelphi; and Rhianna Ilube + Coney's 1884 is at HOME. The World Transformed Festival also comes to Hulme 10-12 Oct. 

In Leeds, Victoria Melody's Trouble, Struggle, Bubble and Squeak is at The Old Wollen on Tue 7 Oct, 
In Blackpool Gary Clarke Co's Detention is at the Grand Theatre on We 8 + Thu 9 Oct.
In Liverpool, Unity has a Scratch Night on Thu 9 Oct. 
In Chester, Sam Danson's Daddy's First Gay Date is at the Storyhouse on Sat 11 Oct. 

The following week (w/c 13 Oct) added to the Abramovic mix, Twawsi - The World As We See It is at New Adelphi on Thu 16 Oct.

Further afield, there's a Scratch at Shakespeare North, Prescot on Tue 14 Oct; Sue Palmer + Sheila Ghelani's Atmospheric Forces is at Lancaster Arts on Fri 17 Oct; Impermanence's Venus 2.0 is at the Riley Theatre, Leeds on Sat 18 Oct and Victoria Firth's Batty! is at Storyhouse, Chester on Sun 19 Oct. 
Much further afield, Take Me Somewhere Festival is in Glasgow 15-26 Oct. 

Keep checking our News + Information page for more pointers to opportunities and show videos online, and @WarnMcr on Twitter (X if you must) for short-notice performances.  The call for the 27 November edition of Social Experiment remains open until Wed 12 Nov 12 noon.

Best

Tamsin

@WarnMcr: Bsky | Fb | Insta | X | YT

… here’s the bonkers: from flesh to fictions, drag to divinations, and yes — even a bathtub — Emergency marks its silver jubilee of testing what a stage can hold.

This weekend, Emergency 25 is at Contact on Sat 27 Sep, with 22 works over a 10 hour period - lots of new faces and some old friends, including the 20 year return of Action Hero's A Western. From body based practice to cold-reading, drag king to taxidermy: from 12-4pm we have ClusterFlux Collective, Dongting Huang, Faye Yan, GOWD, Leon Clowes, Lisa Ford, Luca Federici, Luke McDonnell, Madeleina Kay, Mises Freda Wallace, The Paula Davy and Kris Canavan; then from 4pm we have Action Hero, Burt Turdgirth & special guests, Kellie Colbert & Deborah Newton, n:u (melissandre varin), Tom Cassani, Elana Binysh, Mole Wetherell & UoS Performance, Nathan Birkinshaw, Rachael Gooch and Rosie Hart & Poppy Waxman, 

Elsewhere in Mancunia, Lowry has Tom Yum Sim's A Suffocating Choking Feeling tonight, Fri 26 Sep. Stuntman is at both Sale Waterside on Fri 26 Sep and at Lowry on Sat 27 Sep. 

Further afield in Liverpool, Unity has New works in progress on Fri 26 Sep.
In Shipley Upswing's Bloom is in the Market Square on Fri 26 + Sat 27 Sep.
In Blackpool, Martha Pailing's Chat Sh*t, Get Hit is at the Grand on Sat 27 Sep.
In Leeds, JV2's Triple Bill is at the Riley Theatre also on Sat 27 Sep.
In Huddersfield, Victoria Firth's Batty! is at the Lawrence Batley Theatre on Sun 28 Sep. 

Next week (w/c 29 Sep) Lowry has Liam Francis's Alchemy on Tue 30 Sep, plus Chisato Minamimura's Mark of a Woman and Hannes Langolf's How About Now, both on Sat 4 Oct. Lip Service's Funny Stuff is at Oldham Library on Wed 1 Oct. Impermanence's Venus 2.0 is at HOME on Fri 3 + Sat 4 Oct.

In Liverpool Houmi Miura's In The Beginning Woman Was The Sun is at Unity on Thu 2 Oct.
In Lancaster, Victoria Firth's Batty! is at The Duke's on Sat 4 Oct.
At Leeds Playhouse Ay Kash/If Only is also on Sat 4 Oct 

The following week (w/c 6 Oct) Lowry has Reckless Sleepers' Binary Opposition  on Wed 8 Oct and Mufutau Yusuf's Impasse on Fri 10 Oct.  Marina Abramovic's Balkan Erotic Epic starts its run (9-19 Oct). Victoria Firth's Batty! is at Sale Waterside on Thu 9 Oct;  and on Thu 9 + Fri 10 Oct Miranda Prag's An Attempt To lose Time is at New Adelphi; and Rhianna Ilube + Coney's 1884 is at HOME. The World Transformed Festival also comes to Hulme 10-12 Oct. 

In Leeds, Victoria Melody's Trouble, Struggle, Bubble and Squeak is at The Old Wollen on Tue 7 Oct, 
In Blackpool Gary Clarke Co's Detention is at the Grand Theatre on We 8 + Thu 9 Oct.
In Liverpool, Unity has a Scratch Night on Thu 9 Oct. 
In Chester, Sam Danson's Daddy's First Gay Date is at the Storyhouse on Sat 11 Oct. 

Keep checking our News + Information page for more pointers to opportunities and show videos online, and @WarnMcr on Twitter (X if you must) for short-notice performances.  The call for the 27 November edition of Social Experiment remains open until Wed 12 Nov 12 noon.

Best

Tamsin

@WarnMcr: Bsky | Fb | Insta | X | YT

...Cuthbert, Dibble and Grub. It doesn't get much grubbier than the in camera toy soldier Trumpton episode with even the current crop of flag-wavers kept out of sight... Elsewhere, in more public performance:

This weekend, Lowry has Art for A Rainy Day's How A Spiral Works on Sun 21 Sep (discount code CIRCUS8 for £8 ticket).

In Bradford, Mind the Gap's The Invite is on at The Beacon, Lister Park, until Sat 20 Sep. 

Next week (w/c 22 Sep) things pick up pace. Lowry has Ella Tighe's Disco Queen on Wed 24 Sep and Tom Yum Sim's A Suffocating Choking Feeling on Fri 26 Sep. Stuntman is at both Sale Waterside on Thu 25 + Fri 26 Sep and at Lowry on Sat 27 Sep. There's also a Bunker Talk with Alex Kelly at the Salutation pub on Tue 23 Sep. 

Of course, for us, it's all about Emergency 25 at Contact on Sat 27 Sep - Emergency's 25th birthday, with 23 works over a 10 hour period - lots of new faces and some old friends, including the 20 year return of Action Hero's A Western.

Further afield in Liverpool, Unity has Lip Service's Funny Stuff on Wed 24 Sep and New works in progress on Fri 26 Sep.
In Preston, Shouting Out Loud Preston (no link) is at the Media Factory on Thu 25 Sep (6.30 pm).
In Shipley Upswing's Bloom is in the Market Square on Fri 26 + Sat 27 Sep.
In Blackpool, Martha Pailing's Chat Sh*t, Get Hit is at the Grand on Sat 27 Sep.
In Leeds, JV2's Triple Bill is at the Riley Theatre also on Sat 27 Sep.
In Huddersfield, Victoria Firth's Batty! is at the Lawrence Batley Theatre on Sun 28 Sep. 

The following week (w/c 29 Sep) Lowry has Liam Francis's Alchemy on Tue 30 Sep, plus Chisato Minamimura's Mark of a Woman and Hannes Langolf's How About Now, both on Sat 4 Oct. Lip Service's Funny Stuff is at Oldham Library on Wed 1 Oct. Impermanence's Venus 2.0 is at HOME on Fri 3 + Sat 4 Oct.

In Liverpool Houmi Miura's In The Beginning Woman Was The Sun is at Unity on Thu 2 Oct.
In Lancaster, Victoria Firth's Batty! is at The Duke's on Sat 4 Oct.
At Leeds Playhouse Ay Kash/If Only is also on Sat 4 Oct. 

Looking ahead, in a busy November we are completing our Autumn with the return of Malandra Jacks' Census at HOME (20-22 Nov). The call for the 27 November edition of Social Experiment remains open until Wed 12 Nov 12noon.

Keep checking our News + Information page for more pointers to opportunities and show videos online, and @WarnMcr on Twitter (X if you must) for short-notice performances.  

Best

Tamsin

@WarnMcr: Bsky | Fb | Insta | X | YT

Autumn is officially upon us, and with it the pavements overflow, the traffic stalls, and culture braces for its annual student influx — a great unpacking to rival an Ambassador's hasty relocation. 

This weekend, Darkfield's Arcade at Lowry, Flight at Aviva Studios and Séance at HOME -  continue until 21 Sep.

In Hebden Bridge, at 11 am on Sunday 14 Sep there's The Alternative Sunday Sermon with Tim Etchells at Wainsgate  Chapel followed by Maya Carroll & Soul Roberts's Sunday Session. 

Next week (w/c 15 Sep) Lowry has a Double Bill: New Work in Dance on Wed 17 Sep (discount code ANET FOR £5 ticket) and Art for A Rainy Day's How A Spiral Works on Sun 21 Sep (discount code CIRCUS8 for £8 ticket).

In Bradford, Mind the Gap's The Invite is on at The Beacon, Lister Park, 17-20 Sep; while in Liverpool, Unity has a Scratch Night on Thu 18 Sep. 

The following week (w/c 22 Sep) things pick up pace. Lowry has Ella Tighe's Disco Queen on Wed 24 Sep and Tom Yum Sim's A Suffocating Choking Feeling on Fri 26 Sep. Stuntman is at both Sale Waterside on Thu 25 + Fri 26 Sep and at Lowry on Sat 27 Sep.
Of course, for us, it's all about Emergency 25 at Contact on Sat 27 Sep. 

Further afield in Liverpool, Unity has Lip Service's Funny Stuff on Wed 24 Sep and New works in progress on Fri 26 Sep.
In Preston, Shouting Out Loud Preston (no link) is at the Media Factory on Thu 25 Sep.
In Shipley Upswing's Bloom is in the Market Square on Fri 26 + Sat 27 Sep.
In Blackpool, Martha Pailing's Chat Sh*t, Get Hit is at the Grand on Sat 27 Sep.
In Leeds, JV2's Triple Bill is at the Riley Theatre also on Sat 27 Sep.
In Huddersfield, Victoria Firth's Batty! is at the Lawrence Batley Theatre on Sun 28 Sep. 

Looking ahead, we are delighted to welcome the return of Hetain Patel with Mathroo Basha, on Wed 12 November at Lowry (on sale today).
The call for the November edition of Social Experiment remains open until Wed 12 Nov 12noon.

Keep checking our News + Information page for more pointers to opportunities and show videos online, and @WarnMcr on Twitter (X if you must) for short-notice performances.  

Best

Tamsin

@WarnMcr: Bsky | Fb | Insta | X | YT

Nothing says the future of the arts is secure like the latest defection to Farago Inc - we can all sleep secure! Meanwhile...

This weekend, tonight, Fri 5 Sep, Nuua Circus's Meanwhile is at Lowry and there's a discount code: 'CIRCUS8' for £8 tickets (also applies to Art for A Rainy Day's How A Spiral Works on Sun 21 Sep).

Also on Fri 5 Sep, Eggs Collective's Dark Nights is at Bradford's Loading Bay. 

Next week (w/c 8 Sep) sees a triple outing for Darkfield with Arcade at Lowry, Flight at Aviva Studios and Séance at HOME - all running 10-21 Sep. Also at HOME, Houmi Miura's In The Beginning Woman Was The Sun is on Thu 11 Sep. 

In Hebden Bridge, at 11 am on Sunday 14 Sep there's The Alternative Sunday Sermon with Tim Etchells at Wainsgate  Chapel followed by Maya Carroll & Soul Roberts's Sunday Session. 

The following week (w/c 15 Sep) Lowry has a Double Bill: New Work in Dance on Wed 17 Sep (discount code ANET FOR £5 ticket) and Art for A Rainy Day's How A Spiral Works on Sun 21 Sep (discount code CIRCUS8 for £8 ticket).

In Bradford, Mind the Gap's The Invite is on at The Beacon, Lister Park, 17-20 Sep; while in Liverpool, Unity has a Scratch Night on Thu 18 Sep. 

Still a few weeks off, the 25th Emergency is on Sat 27 Sep at Contact; and the call for the November edition of Social Experiment remains open until Wed 12 Nov 12noon.

Keep checking our News + Information page for more pointers to opportunities and show videos online, and @WarnMcr on Twitter (X if you must) for short-notice performances.

Best

Tamsin

@WarnMcr: Bsky | Fb | Insta | X | YT

After a weirdly truncated August, with the falling of the leaves and the betrothal of a pop icon, Autumn looms large...

This weekend, So La Flair, Night People and Beg, Steal & Borrow's Pleasure Rebellion is at HOME on Fri 29 and Sat 30 Aug. 

Next week (w/c 1 Sep) Lois Weaver's Long Table takes place at Aviva Studios on Tue 2 Sep.
On Fri 5 Sep, Nuua Circus's Meanwhile is at Lowry and there's a discount code: 'CIRCUS8' for £8 tickets (also applies to Art for A Rainy Day's How A Spiral Works on Sun 21 Sep).

Also on Fri 5 Sep, Eggs Collective's Dark Nights is at Bradford's Loading Bay. 

The following week (w/c 8 Sep) sees a triple outing for Darkfield with Arcade at Lowry, Flight at Aviva Studios and Séance at HOME - all running 10-21 Sep. Also at HOME, Houmi Miura's In The Beginning Woman Was The Sun is on Thu 11 Sep. 

In Hebden Bridge, at 11 am on Sunday 14 Sep there's The Alternative Sunday Sermon with Tim Etchells at Wainsgate  Chapel followed by Maya Carroll & Soul Roberts's Sunday Session. 

For a bit of advanced notice, we at Word of Warning are gearing up for our 25th Emergency (Sat 27 Sep at Contact) - including special guests Action Hero with the return of A Western, to mark their 20th anniversary. 

While you have missed the boat applying for Emergency, the call for the November edition of Social Experiment remains open until  Wed 12 Nov 12noon.

Keep checking our News + Information page for more pointers to opportunities and show videos online, and @WarnMcr on Twitter (X if you must) for short-notice performances.

Best

Tamsin

@WarnMcr: Bsky | Fb | Insta | X | YT

As August dawns and the summer lull is now upon us, I make no apologies for this week being a shameless plug for tomorrow's Haphazard -  Sat 2 Aug from 1-4pm at Z-arts.

From Frankendiva to Nigel Cabbage, a giant mushroom to a flying witch and a haphazard attempt to find balance, it's another free afternoon of all ages mayhem featuring Aimee Williamson, Madame Zucchini, Orla Collier, Puppetfingers, Shannon Mulvey, the institute for crazy dancing and TurnAround Dance Theatre. Full programme details here.  

Thereafter, for the remainder of August, it looks pretty quiet. Sneaking into the end of the month is So La Flair, Night People and Beg, Steal & Borrow's Pleasure Rebellion at HOME on Fri 29 and Sat 30 Aug. 

This mail is going to take a break until, probably, the first week of September. My indolence in not attempting the usual spreadsheet of Edinburgh picks is vindicated, as the Fringe has turned off that facility, so I couldn't do it anyway - but a list of url's for shows that Edinburgh producers have recommended is on the blog version of this mail.

This is your final call for proposals for Emergency on 27 Sep (deadline 8 Aug); but the November edition of Social Experiment remains open until  Wed 12 Nov 12noon).

Keep checking our News + Information page for more pointers to opportunities and show videos online, and @WarnMcr on Twitter (X if you must) for short-notice performances.

Best

Tamsin

@WarnMcr: Bsky | Fb | Insta | X | YT

Information for artists: habmcr.org

WORD OF WARNING PERFORMANCE PROGRAMME 

Sat 2 Aug, 1pm-4pm. FREE | Z-arts

Haphazard 2025

An afternoon for the curious of all ages.
Aimee Williamson | Madame Zucchini | Orla Collier | Puppetfingers | Shannon Mulvey | the institute for crazy dancing | TurnAround Dance Theatre
 

As the Left equivocates inauspiciously over its name, we can only hope their offer will entice 16 + 17 year old's from the grip of the Far(age) Right. 

In artsworld, with the summer lull looming:

This weekend,  as part of Refract Festival 25 (until 27 Jul), Sale Waterside has Levantes Dance Theatre's Hug today Fri 25 Jul and Linden Dance's Caged on Sun 27 Jul. At Contact, MMU's Performance Research Group has PRG Presents - A Sharing of New Work this afternoon, Fri 25 Jul.  Liverpool Biennial has Aroma Cantonese Opera Troupe's Participatory Performance at Pine Court on Fri 25 Jul and Alice Rekab + collaborators' Mythlantics at Bluecoat on Sat 26 Jul. 

Next week (w/c 21 July) for us, it's all about Haphazard on Sat 2 Aug from 1-4pm at Z-arts. From Frankendiva to Nigel Cabbage, it's another free afternoon of all ages mayhem featuring Aimee Williamson, Madame Zucchini, Orla Collier, Puppetfingers, Shannon Mulvey, the institute for crazy dancing and TurnAround Dance Theatre.

Thereafter, as August dawns, things go quiet and all eyes turn to Edinburgh. I'm in two minds about the trip myself, so haven't done my usual trawl through the listings - but have uploaded a list of url's for shows that Edinburgh producers have recommended to the blog version of this mail.

Keep checking our News + Information page for more pointers to opportunities and show videos online, and @WarnMcr on Twitter (X if you must) for short-notice performances - plus calls are open for Emergency on 27 Sep (deadline 8 Aug); and the November edition of Social Experiment (deadline Wed 12 Nov 12noon).

Best

Tamsin

@WarnMcr: Bsky | Fb | Insta | X | YT

Information for artists: habmcr.org

WORD OF WARNING PERFORMANCE PROGRAMME 

Sat 2 Aug, 1pm-4pm. FREE | Z-arts

Haphazard 2025

An afternoon for the curious of all ages.
Aimee Williamson | Madame Zucchini | Orla Collier | Puppetfingers | Shannon Mulvey | the institute for crazy dancing | TurnAround Dance Theatre
 

This weekend, tonight, Fri 18 Jul, as MIF retreats towards the horizon, you can catch Germaine Kruip's A Possibility at RNCM (untl 20 Jul). Elsewhere Sam Danson's Daddy's First Gay Date is at Sale Waterside, tonight Fri 18 Jul. 

In Leeds, Compass has Ling Tan's Leeds' Low Carbon Chinatown at Chapel FM Arts Centre on Sat 19 Jul.

Next week (w/c 21 July) Marcus J Free's Marcus Is Alive is at Manchester Jewish Museum on Thu 24 Jul.
As part of Refract Festival 25 (22-27 Jul), Sale Waterside has Levantes Dance Theatre's Hug on Thu 24 + Fri 25 Jul and Linden Dance's Caged on Sun 27 Jul. At Contact, MMU's Performance Research Group has PRG Presents - A Sharing of New Work on Fri 25 Jul.  Liverpool Biennial has Aroma Cantonese Opera Troupe's Participatory Performance at Pine Court on Fri 25 Jul and Alice Rekab + collaborators' Mythlantics at Bluecoat on Sat 26 Jul. 

The following week (w/c 28 Jul) we launch into our last hurrah for the season when we return to Z-arts for another Haphazard on Sat 2 Aug.

As August dawns, things go quiet and all eyes turn to Edinburgh. I'm in two minds about the trip myself, so haven't done my usual trawl through the listings - but have uploaded a list of url's for shows that Edinburgh producers have recommended below.

Keep checking our News + Information page for more pointers to opportunities and show videos online, and @WarnMcr on Twitter (X if you must) for short-notice performances - plus calls are open for Emergency on 27 Sep (deadline 8 Aug); and the November edition of Social Experiment (deadline Wed 12 Nov 12noon).

Best

Tamsin

@WarnMcr: Bsky  |  Fb  |  Insta |  X  | YT