Word of Warning — Weekly Warning

warnmcr: outlook uncertain...

This Friday the 13th, Microsoft is battling its demons, while our outlook on the celebrity megamonster brand remains bleak. Meanwhile, in performance world, the torrent of content seems unstoppable...

This weekend, SICK! Festival CPR, Beat Two comes to a close with Merel Smitt’s The Bureaucratic Escape Room at a Manchester city-centre location disclosed on booking today, Fri 13 Nov.

At Lowry, Lewys Holt and Eleanor Sikorski’s Double Booking is also tonight, Fri 13 Nov. For something more theatrical, £10 tickets are available for Actors Touring Company’s Darkling at HOME today, Fri 13 + tomorrow, Sat 14 Nov, using code DARKLING10. On Sun 15 Nov, Maddie Maycock’s Torso is at Rogue Artists’ Studios.

Further afield tonight, Fri 13 Nov, Seke Chimutengwende’s The Last Quartet is at Lancaster Arts; while Homotopia has its QueerCore Showcase at Liverpool Playhouse; and Moi Tran’s The Text is Restless continues at Leeds Art Gallery until Sun 15 Nov.

If you happen to be in London, UNREAL: A Festival of Magic and Performance continues at Battersea Arts Centre until Sat 14 Nov.

Next week (w/c 16 Nov), Word of Warning has its final outing of the year at Contact on Thu 19 Nov with Social Experiment, our free gathering for Live Art and contemporary performance, from 6–9pm. It features Chanje Kunda, Edy Hurst, Erick Santos, Katherine Lee, Nightingale & Sage, Peader Kirk, PHØBIA and Rachel Smith.

Elsewhere in Mancunia, Lost Dog’s Juliet & Romeo is at Oldham Sixth Form Gallery on Tue 17 Nov. HOME has Mark Thomas’s 40 in Stand-Up Years on Wed 18 Nov; Louise Orwin’s FAMEHUNGRY on Thu 19 + Fri 20 Nov; and live activations of Florence Peake’s Your Meaning Not Your Materiality at 1pm + 3pm on Sat 21 Nov.

Waterside’s PRISM brings Ed Grimoldby’s Lumen Array and sub_bar’s Subworks to Sale from 19–21 Nov; while Lula Braimbridge and Agnes Meier’s Soft Matter is at Rogue Artists’ Studios on Sun 22 Nov.

On Merseyside, Fag Packet’s DYKE Systems Ltd is at Unity on Thu 19 Nov; and Fatt Butcher’s Congregational is at Liverpool Philharmonic on Fri 20 Nov.

Yorkshire is all-go: in Sheffield, the Octagon Centre has PCK Dance’s The Panic Room on Mon 16 Nov and Imogen Reeve & Co.’s Mother Computer: Folk Dances From the Future on Wed 18 Nov; while DeNada Dance Theatre’s Edward II is at the University of Sheffield Drama Studio on Tue 17 Nov.

Leeds Playhouse has IN BED WITH MY BROTHER’s PHILOSOPHY OF THE WORLD on Tue 17 Nov, and Fag Packet’s DYKE Systems Ltd on 20–21 Nov. No Dress Code’s Scratch Night is at Yorkshire Dance, Leeds, on Fri 20 Nov.

Compass Festival continues across Leeds with Small Acts’ People, Place and Porosity: 15 Years of Small Acts on Tue 17 Nov; their Faceback from 19–21 Nov; Yorkshire Dance’s Wild Hope Reimagined from 20–22 Nov; and Matt Allen and Jack Sibley’s LSRPG on Sat 21 Nov. Ema Boswood’s You Don’t Have to Cover Your Eyes is at Meanwood Valley Urban Farm on Sat 21 + Sun 22 Nov.

Forced Entertainment’s Selected Works: Table Top Shakespeare is at Barnsley Civic from 17–19 Nov.

The following week (w/c 23 Nov), back in Greater Manchester, Johanna Leung and Nurul Wardani’s Noctilucent live activation is at MediaCity on Mon 23 Nov; and Botis Seva/Far From The Norm’s Sing Child Sing is at Lowry on Fri 27 Nov.

In Yorkshire, LUNG’s Woodhill is at Leeds Playhouse on 24–25 Nov. Fag Packet’s DYKE Systems Ltd is at Sheffield Theatres on Wed 25 Nov (sold out); and Compass Festival concludes with Action Hero’s From Ashes at Leeds City Museum on 28–29 Nov.

In Liverpool, Homotopia x Unity’s Scratch Night is at Unity Theatre on Wed 25 Nov.

Much further afield, Taylor Mac’s A 24-Decade History of Popular Music is at London’s Southbank Centre on Thu 26 Nov and CEREMONY takes over Peckham from 25–29 Nov, featuring Ron Athey, Tiziano Cruz, Julia Bardsley, Dagmara Bilon, gustaf broms, Rona Lee, Lynn Lu, Katharine Meynell, n (melissandre varin), Pianka Pärna, Mal Parry, Eoin McCaul, Paul Regan and Lois Weaver, alongside DISCHARGE, curated by Martin O’Brien.

Keep checking our News + Information page for more events, opportunities and information.

Notes for artists: proposals remain open on a rolling basis for future Social Experiments.

Best

Tamsin

Word of Warning
www.wordofwarning.org

No. 592 / FY 24

warnmcr: after the fireworks...

As the smoke clears from Bonfire Night here and from the political bonfire across the pond, there may be just a glimmer of light on the horizon. Meanwhile, in performance world, the explosive barrage continues...

This weekend, it's all go in Mancunia. On Fri 6 Nov, Action Hero’s A Song & Dance is at New Adelphi (sold out), while Arnold & Komarov Travelling Theatre’s LOVE**WORK is at Lowry on Fri 6 + Sat 7 Nov. £5 tickets available here.

SICK! Festival’s CPR, Beat Two continues with Merel Smitt’s The Bureaucratic Escape Room on Fri 6, Wed 11 + Fri 13 Nov; and Michael Betteridge’s Birthed from Rain and River on Thu 12 Nov.

On Sat 7 + 21 Nov, Florence Peake’s Your Meaning Not Your Materiality activates at HOME; and on Sun 8 Nov, Lula Braimbridge and Martha Barr’s Building, Tearing, Repairing is at Rogue Artists’ Studios.

In Leeds, Compass Festival gets properly underway with Moi Tran’s The Text is Restless at Leeds Art Gallery from Fri 6-Sun 15 Nov; Ema Boswood’s You Don’t Have to Cover Your Eyes at Meanwood Valley Urban Farm on Sat 7 + Sun 8 and Sat 21 + Sun 22 Nov; and Matt Allen and Jack Sibley’s LSRPG on Sat 7 + Sat 21 Nov.

On Merseyside, Homotopia opens on Sat 7 Nov with Thick & Tight’s Natural Behaviour at Unity Theatre.

Across Yorkshire, Hassan Mahamdallie’s Punk Days is at Theatre in the Mill, Bradford on Fri 6 + Sat 7 Nov; and Laura Kenyon/WomanEwer’s We Are Not Beautiful is at the University of Sheffield Drama Studio on Sat 7 Nov.

Much further afield, KUNSTY concludes at London’s Southbank Centre on Fri 6 Nov with Fag Packet’s DYKE Systems Ltd; while UNREAL opens at Battersea Arts Centre on Sat 7 Nov and runs until Sat 14 Nov.

Next week (w/c 9 Nov), at Lowry, Lewys Holt and Eleanor Sikorski’s Double Booking is on Thu 12 + Fri 13 Nov.

For something a lot more theatrical, there are a limited number of £10 tickets available for Actors Touring Company and Bush Theatre’s Darkling at HOME from Wed 11-Sat 14 Nov. Use code DARKLING10.

On Sun 15 Nov, Maddie Maycock’s Torso is at Rogue Artists’ Studios.

On Merseyside, Annabel Little’s Live Acts: Performance, Practice and Archives is at Bluecoat on Tue 10 Nov; Liverpool Scratch Network is at the Everyman on Thu 12 Nov; Homotopia’s QueerCore Showcase is at the Playhouse on Fri 13 Nov; and Young Homotopia’s OUT LOUD is there on Sat 14 Nov.

In Sheffield, Forced Entertainment’s Selected Works: Table Top Shakespeare is at the Playhouse from Tue 10-Thu 12 Nov (sold out); and in Lancaster, Seke Chimutengwende’s The Last Quartet is at Lancaster Arts on Fri 13 Nov.

The following week (w/c 16 Nov), Word of Warning is back in action with Social Experiment at Contact on Thu 19 Nov: a free, informal gathering for Live Art and contemporary performance, with participating artists to be announced.

Elsewhere in Greater Manchester, Lost Dog’s Juliet & Romeo is at Oldham Sixth Form Gallery on Tue 17 Nov. HOME has Mark Thomas’s 40 in Stand-Up Years on Wed 18 Nov; and Louise Orwin’s FAMEHUNGRY on Thu 19 + Fri 20 Nov.

Waterside’s PRISM brings Ed Grimoldby’s Lumen Array and sub_bar’s Subworks to Sale from Thu 19-Sat 21 Nov. On Sun 22 Nov, Lula Braimbridge and Agnes Meier’s Soft Matter is at Rogue Artists’ Studios.

In Yorkshire, PCK Dance’s The Panic Room is at Sheffield’s Octagon Centre on Mon 16 Nov. On Tue 17 Nov, IN BED WITH MY BROTHER’s PHILOSOPHY OF THE WORLD is at Leeds Playhouse; DeNada Dance Theatre’s Edward IIis at the University of Sheffield Drama Studio; and Forced Entertainment’s Selected Works: Table Top Shakespearebegins a three-night run at Barnsley Civic. Imogen Reeve & Co.’s Mother Computer: Folk Dances From the Future is at Sheffield’s Octagon Centre on Wed 18 Nov.

Compass Festival continues in Leeds with Small Acts’ People, Place and Porosity: 15 Years of Small Acts on Tue 17 Nov and Faceback from Thu 19-Sat 21 Nov, followed by Yorkshire Dance’s Wild Hope Reimagined from Fri 20-Sun 22 Nov. Also at Yorkshire Dance, No Dress Code offers an evening of dance works-in-progress on Fri 20 Nov; while Fag Packet’s DYKE Systems Ltd is at Leeds Playhouse on Fri 20 + Sat 21 Nov.

On Merseyside, Fag Packet’s DYKE Systems Ltd is at Unity Theatre on Thu 19 Nov; followed by Fatt Butcher’s Congregational at Liverpool Philharmonic on Fri 20 Nov.

Much further afield, CEREMONY Fest begins in London on Fri 20 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.

Notes for Artists: Social Experiment remains open for proposals for future editions, with the next deadline on 25 Jan, midday.

Best

Tamsin

@WarnMcr: Bsky | Fb | Insta | X | YT
Information for artists: habmcr.org

No. 591/ FY 23

WORD OF WARNING PERFORMANCE PROGRAMME 2026

Thu 19 Nov, 6pm-9pm. FREE | Contact
SOCIAL EXPERIMENT
A gathering for Live Art and performance.
Participating artists to be announced.

warnmcr: stick thin...

From LS Lowry’s matchstick men at the factory gates to the Budget balance sheet, working people are still being reduced to figures; on which note, Word of Warning is back at Lowry next Wednesday with Egan & Pinchbeck’s Matchstalks Remastered. But before that…

This weekend, Manchester Hypes’ The Treatment is at Contact on Fri 30 + Sat 31 Oct, as part of SICK! Festival CPR: Beat Two.

In Sheffield, Daniel Kitson’s Thrum is at the Playhouse on Fri 30 + Sat 31 Oct (sold out); while in Leeds, Ugly Bucket’s STUFFED is at Slung Low’s Warehouse in Holbeck on Sat 31 Oct.

Next week (w/c 2 Nov) is incredibly busy, but for us it’s all about Egan & Pinchbeck’s Matchstalks Remastered at Lowry on Wed 4 Nov.

Also at Lowry, Javaad Alipoor Company’s America’s Kingdoms (WIP) is there on Tue 3 Nov; and Arnold & Komarov Travelling Theatre’s LOVE**WORK follows on Fri 6 + Sat 7 Nov. A £5 ticket offer is available for both performances of LOVE**WORK (max 4 tickets per booking).

Elsewhere in Mancunia, Waterside in Sale has Breaking Ground on Mon 2 Nov and Polis Loizou’s I Was A Teenage Bisexual on Tue 3 Nov. Action Hero’s A Song & Dance reaches New Adelphi on Fri 6 Nov, following a visit to Lancaster Arts on Thu 5 Nov.

Merel Smitt’s The Bureaucratic Escape Room takes place on Fri 6, Wed 11 + Fri 13 Nov; while Lula Braimbridge and Martha Barr’s Building, Tearing, Repairing is at Rogue Artists’ Studios on Sun 8 Nov.

Further afield, on Merseyside, Homotopia gets underway at Unity from Sat 7 Nov, opening with Thick & Tight’s Natural Behaviour on Sat 7 Nov.

In Yorkshire, Hassan Mahamdallie’s Punk Days is at Theatre in the Mill, Bradford on Fri 6 + Sat 7 Nov.

In Leeds, Compass Festival runs from Wed 4-Mon 30 Nov, with Moi Tran’s The Text is Restless at Leeds Art Gallery from Fri 6-Sun 15 Nov and Ema Boswood’s You Don’t Have to Cover Your Eyes at Meanwood Valley Urban Farm on Sat 7 + Sun 8 Nov.

Much further afield, KUNSTY is at London’s Southbank Centre from Wed 4-Fri 6 Nov, featuring Samir Kennedy and Sean Murray’s IT’S GOT LEGS!!!!!!! (sold out); NOW NOT NOW from Cade & MacAskill with Yas Clarke & Tim Spooner; and Fag Packet’s DYKE Systems Ltd. Also in the capital, UNREAL: A Festival of Magic and Performance is at Battersea Arts Centre from Sat 7-Sat 14 Nov.

The following week (w/c 9 Nov), back in Greater Manchester, Michael Betteridge’s Birthed from Rain and River is at Derby Brewery Arms twice on Thu 12 Nov, including a separate dry performance; and Lewys Holt and Eleanor Sikorski’s Double Booking is at Lowry on Thu 12 + Fri 13 Nov. Maddie Maycock’s Torso is at Rogue Artists’ Studios on Sun 15 Nov.

On Merseyside, Liverpool Scratch Network is Downstairs at the Everyman on Thu 12 Nov; while QueerCore Showcaseis at the Playhouse on Fri 13 Nov.

In Sheffield, Forced Entertainment’s Selected Works: Table Top Shakespeare is at the Playhouse from Tue 10-Thu 12 Nov (sold out); while Seke Chimutengwende’s The Last Quartet is at Lancaster Arts on Fri 13 Nov.

Keep checking our News + Information page and @WarnMcr for the latest updates.

Notes for Artists: the next deadline for Social Experiment proposals is midday this coming Mon 2 Nov.

Best

Tamsin

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

Information for artists: habmcr.org

No. 590/ FY 22

WORD OF WARNING PERFORMANCE PROGRAMME 2026

Wed 4 Nov, 8pm. PWYC | Lowry
MATCHSTALKS REMASTERED
Egan & Pinchbeck

Thu 19 Nov, 6pm-9pm. FREE | Contact
SOCIAL EXPERIMENT
A gathering for Live Art and performance.
Participating artists to be announced.

(PWYC are Pay What You Can events)

warnmcr: fall back plan...

With NPO applications now open, the sector is being asked to spring forward to 2033 just as the clocks fall back, while keeping a fallback plan close to hand. Fortunately, the performance calendar only asks us to look three weeks ahead…

This weekend, Dance@Salford’s Watch US Dance is at New Adelphi on Fri 23 Oct.

At Lowry, Tom Cassani’s Iterations is also on Fri 23 Oct; Tim Etchells & Bert and Nasi’s L’Addition runs on Fri 23 + Sat 24 Oct; and Gaël Le Cornec’s Amazons is there on Sat 24 Oct.

On Sun 25 Oct, Mark Thomas’s 40 in Stand-Up Years comes to Waterside, Sale.

Across Yorkshire, Jasmin Vardimon’s Lullaby is at Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield on Fri 23 Oct; Victoria Firth & Company’s BATTY! is at Slung Low, Leeds, also on Fri 23 Oct; and Sam Danson’s OFF GRID is at Carriageworks, Leeds on Sat 24 Oct.

Much further afield, Experimentica continues its 25th anniversary at Chapter, Cardiff until Sat 24 Oct, featuring Giles Bailey, Rhys Slade-Jones, Samra Mayanja, Test Dept and Brith Gof, Dana Michel, Martin O’Brien, Jennifer Taylor, Mars Saude and Anne Bean.

Next week (w/c 26 Oct), Manchester Hypes’ The Treatment comes to Contact on Fri 30 + Sat 31 Oct, as part of SICK! Beat Two.

Across Yorkshire, LUNG’s Woodhill is at Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield on Tue 27 Oct; Daniel Kitson’s Thrum is at Sheffield Theatres on Fri 30 + Sat 31 Oct (sold out); and Ugly Bucket’s STUFFED is at Slung Low, Leeds on Sat 31 Oct.

The following week (w/c 2 Nov), WoW is back in action as it’s all about Egan & Pinchbeck’s Matchstalks Remasteredat Lowry on Wed 4 Nov.

Also at Lowry, Javaad Alipoor Company’s America’s Kingdoms (WIP) is there on Tue 3 Nov; while Arnold & Komarov Travelling Theatre’s LOVE**WORK runs on Fri 6 + Sat 7 Nov.

Elsewhere in Greater Manchester, Creative Industries Trafford’s Breaking Ground is at Waterside on Mon 2 Nov, followed by Polis Loizou’s I Was A Teenage Bisexual on Tue 3 Nov.

Action Hero’s A Song & Dance is at Lancaster Arts on Thu 5 Nov, then New Adelphi on Fri 6 Nov; while Lula Braimbridge and Martha Barr’s Building, Tearing, Repairing is at Rogue Artists’ Studios on Sun 8 Nov.

On Merseyside, Homotopia gets underway at Unity on Sat 7 Nov with Thick & Tight’s Natural Behaviour.

In Leeds, Compass Festival runs from 4-30 Nov, with Moi Tran’s The Text is Restless opening on Fri 6 Nov and continuing until Sun 15 Nov; and Ema Boswood’s You Don’t Have to Cover Your Eyes on Sat 7 + Sun 8 Nov.

Much further afield, KUNSTY takes over London’s Southbank Centre from Wed 4-Fri 6 Nov, featuring Samir Kennedy and Sean Murray’s IT’S GOT LEGS!!!!!!! (sold out), Cade & MacAskill with Yas Clarke & Tim Spooner’s NOW NOT NOW and Fag Packet’s DYKE Systems Ltd.

Keep checking our News + Information page and @WarnMcr for the latest updates.

Notes for Artists: the next deadline for Social Experiment proposals is midday on Mon 2 Nov.

Best
Tamsin

@WarnMcr: Bsky | Fb | Insta | X | YT
Information for artists: habmcr.org
No. 589/ FY 21

WORD OF WARNING PERFORMANCE PROGRAMME 2026

Wed 4 Nov, 8pm. PWYC | Lowry
MATCHSTALKS REMASTERED
Egan & Pinchbeck

Thu 19 Nov, 6pm-9pm. FREE | Contact
SOCIAL EXPERIMENT
A gathering for Live Art and performance.
Participating artists to be announced.

(PWYC are Pay What You Can events)

warnmcr: beyond reform...

With seemingly everything on the list for reform except apple picking, the performance world offers a rather better crop...

This weekend, LUNG’s Woodhill continues at Lowry until Sat 17 Oct; and, for something a bit more theatrical, Red Ladder Theatre Company and Silent Uproar’s Close Enough to Touch is at Waterside, Sale on Fri 16 + Sat 17 Oct. On Sun 18 Oct, MuseumMisha’s Stay in Those Colours: Release – Live Performance takes over the Social at Aviva Studios.

Over in Lancaster, Tim Etchells, Bert & Nasi’s L’Addition is at Lancaster Arts on Fri 16 Oct.

On Merseyside, Caitlin Barnett Dance Co.’s Comrades in the Dark is at Unity on Fri 16 + Sat 17 Oct; Sam Danson’s Off Grid heads to Shakespeare North Playhouse, Prescot on Sat 17 Oct; and Liverpool Scratch Network’s Scratch Night is Downstairs at the Everyman the same evening.

Much further afield, Fierce Festival continues across Birmingham until Sun 18 Oct, featuring Chou Tung-Yen, Ligia Lewis, Wojciech Grudziński, Faye Driscoll, n (melissandre varin), Justine A. Chambers, Shannon Cochrane, Hana Umeda, Ewa Dziarnowska, Dana Michel, SERAFINE1369, Josh Anio Grigg, Dickie Beau, Helen Noir and Steven Cohen.

Next week (w/c 19 Oct), Greater Manchester is busy again. Hannah Maxwell’s TURN YOUR F**ING PHONES OFF*is at Waterside, Sale from Tue 20-Thu 22 Oct; Dance@Salford’s Watch US Dance comes to New Adelphi on Fri 23 Oct; and Mark Thomas’s 40 in Stand-Up Years is back at Waterside on Sun 25 Oct.

At Lowry, Tom Cassani’s Iterations is on Fri 23 Oct; Bert & Nasi’s L’Addition follows on Fri 23 + Sat 24 Oct; and Gaël Le Cornec’s Amazons is there on Sat 24 Oct.

Lightpool Festival illuminates Blackpool from Wed 21-Sat 31 Oct.
On Merseyside, LUNG’s Woodhill reaches Unity on Wed 21 + Thu 22 Oct; while Lancaster gets Daniel Kitson’s Thrum at the Dukes on Thu 22 Oct (sold out).

Across Yorkshire, Gaël Le Cornec’s Amazons is at Sheffield Playhouse on Thu 22 Oct (sold out). Leeds has Matthew Tweedle’s D Is for Dyslexia at Carriageworks the same evening, followed by Sam Danson’s Off Grid on Sat 24 Oct. Jasmin Vardimon’s Lullaby comes to Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield on Fri 23 Oct; and Victoria Firth & Company’s BATTY! is at Slung Low’s Warehouse in Holbeck that evening.

Much further afield, Experimentica marks its 25th anniversary at Chapter, Cardiff from Thu 22-Sat 24 Oct, featuring tactileBOSCH, Giles Bailey, Rhys Slade-Jones, Samra Mayanja and Marged Siôn, Test Dept and Brith Gof, Dana Michel, Martin O’Brien, Jennifer Taylor, Mars Saude and Anne Bean.

The following week (w/c 26 Oct), Alpaqa’s JEEZUS! is at Lowry from Tue 27-Fri 30 Oct; while Manchester Hypes’ The Treatment brings grime theatre to Contact on Fri 30 + Sat 31 Oct.

In Yorkshire, LUNG’s Woodhill reaches Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield on Tue 27 Oct. Daniel Kitson’s Thrumis at Sheffield Playhouse on Fri 30 + Sat 31 Oct (sold out); and Ugly Bucket’s STUFFED is at Slung Low’s Warehouse in Holbeck on Sat 31 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.

Notes for Artists — Social Experiment remains open for proposals for the 19 November edition, deadline 2 Nov, midday.

Best
Tamsin

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

Information for artists: habmcr.org

No. 588/ FY 20

WORD OF WARNING PERFORMANCE PROGRAMME 2026

Wed 4 Nov, 8pm. PWYC | Lowry
MATCHSTALKS REMASTERED
Egan & Pinchbeck

Thu 19 Nov, 6pm-9pm. FREE | Contact
SOCIAL EXPERIMENT
A gathering for Live Art and performance.
Participating artists to be announced.

(PWYC are Pay What You Can events)

Image: https://gallery.mailchimp.com/0d0b9e09079cc9204f77cb396/images/f3f03fd9-baa8-4d39-bd1e-24ec79881177.jpg

warnmcr: evidence for the defence...

With culture wars alive and well in shadow policy-making — and one heinous outpouring* favouring cells over culture — this criminally busy fortnight offers evidence for the defence…

This weekend, in Greater Manchester, Auris Festival spreads across venues around the city from Fri 9-Sun 11 Oct, with a sound-art programme including Nik Colk Void, Robin the Fog, Lee Patterson, Francisco López, Lola de la Mata, Ryoko Akama and WEȽ∝KER.

At Aviva Studios, Ahmed Masoud’s Application 39 runs on Fri 9 + Sat 10 Oct.

Meanwhile, Lowry hosts Natalie Reckert’s Songs for an Unwritten Sky on Fri 9 + Sat 10 Oct. Use code CIRCUS08 for £8 tickets.

In Yorkshire, Open Works reaches its final day in Sheffield, with Alex Kelly/Voyager 3’s The Thin Places (WIP) at the Montgomery Studio on Fri 9 Oct. In Leeds, Grandly Strange’s Stuff of Life comes to Slung Low’s Warehouse in Holbeck on Sat 10 Oct.

Liverpool Playhouse welcomes Jasmin Vardimon’s Lullaby on Fri 9 Oct; while, the same night, Lancaster Arts presents Ontroerend Goed’s Thanks for Being Here.

Next week (w/c 12 Oct) In Mancunia LUNG’s Woodhill is at Lowry from Tue 13-Sat 17 Octl while at Waterside, Sale, Theatre North/Martin Lewton’s The Luxurious Time: A Queer Love Story is on Thu 15 Oct; and, for something a bit more theatrical, Red Ladder Theatre Company and Silent Uproar’s Close Enough to Touch follows on Fri 16 + Sat 17 Oct.

Elsewhere in the North West, Victoria Firth & Company’s BATTY! heads to The Muni, Colne on Tue 13 Oct. In Lancaster, Forced Entertainment’s Cold Sweat is at Lancaster Arts on Wed 14 Oct, followed by Tim Etchells/Bert & Nasi’s L’Addition on Fri 16 Oct.

In Southport, Blackout comes to The Atkinson on Wed 14 Oct. On Merseyside, Unity, Liverpool hosts Caitlin Barnett Dance Co.’s Comrades in the Dark on Fri 16 + Sat 17 Oct; Off Grid heads to Shakespeare North Playhouse, Prescot on Sat 17 Oct; and Liverpool Scratch Network’s Scratch Nighttakes place Downstairs at the Everyman, also on Sat 17 Oct.

Across Yorkshire, Matthew Tweedle’s D Is for Dyslexia visits Barnsley Civic on Wed 14 Oct. The following evening brings Off-Grid to Sheffield Playhouse and Imogen Reeve & Co.’s Mother Computer: Folk Dances from the Future to stage@leeds.

Much further afield, Fierce Festival takes over Birmingham from Wed 14-Sun 18 Oct, featuring Chou Tung-Yen, Ligia Lewis, Wojciech Grudziński, Faye Driscoll, n (melissandre varin), Justine A. Chambers, Shannon Cochrane, Hana Umeda, Ewa Dziarnowska, Dana Michel, SERAFINE1369, Josh Anio Grigg, Dickie Beau, Helen Noir and Steven Cohen.

The following week (w/c 19 Oct), Greater Manchester starts with TURN YOUR F**ING PHONES OFF* at Waterside, Sale from Tue 20-Thu 22 Oct, while Watch US Dance comes to New Adelphi, Salford on Fri 23 Oct.

Lowry has a particularly busy weekend: Tom Cassani’s Iterations lands on Fri 23 Oct; Bert & Nasi’s L’Addition runs on Fri 23 + Sat 24 Oct; and Amazons completes the trio on Sat 24 Oct.

Back at Waterside, Mark Thomas celebrates 40 in Stand-Up Years on Sun 25 Oct.

In Lancashire, Lightpool Festival begins across Blackpool on Wed 21 Oct and continues until the end of the month; while Daniel Kitson’s Thrum reaches The Dukes, Lancaster on Thu 22 Oct.

On Merseyside, LUNG’s Woodhill is at Unity, Liverpool on Wed 21 + Thu 22 Oct.

In Yorkshire, Amazons is at Sheffield Playhouse and Matthew Tweedle’s D Is for Dyslexia is at Carriageworks, Leeds, both on Thu 22 Oct. Jasmin Vardimon’s Lullaby moves to Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield on Fri 23 Oct; Victoria Firth & Company’s BATTY! reaches Slung Low’s Warehouse in Holbeck on the same night; and Off Grid follows at Carriageworks, Leeds on Sat 24 Oct.

Much further afield, Experimentica marks its 25th anniversary at Chapter, Cardiff from Thu 22-Sat 24 Oct. The programme includes tactileBOSCH; Giles Bailey; Rhys Slade-Jones; Samra Mayanja and Marged Siôn; Test Dept and Brith Gof; Dana Michel; Martin O’Brien; Jennifer Taylor; Mars Saude; and Anne Bean.

*If you really must: the heinous outpouring in question.

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.

Notes for Artists — Social Experiment remains open for proposals for the 19 November edition, deadline 2 Nov, midday.

Best

Tamsin

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

Information for artists: habmcr.org

No. 587/ FY 19

WORD OF WARNING PERFORMANCE PROGRAMME 2026

Wed 4 Nov, 8pm. PWYC | Lowry
MATCHSTALKS REMASTERED
Egan & Pinchbeck

Thu 19 Nov, 6pm-9pm. FREE | Contact
SOCIAL EXPERIMENT
A gathering for Live Art and performance.
Participating artists to be announced.

(PWYC are Pay What You Can events)

warnmcr: faithful to the cause…

While celebrities worry about being murdered before breakfast, the rest of us face an equally brutal choice: what to see in an impossibly crowded fortnight…

This weekend, in Manchester, BREATHE: Dance & Poetry Slam 2026 is at Aviva Studios on Sat 3 Oct.

Further afield, Sheffield’s Open Works Festival continues with Oluwasegun Lafup Ogundipe’s KalakutHER: Queen of Fela’s Republic (WIP) at the Montgomery Theatre on Fri 2 Oct and Forced Entertainment’s Cold Sweat at the Playhouse on Fri 2 + Sat 3 Oct.

In Liverpool, Ugly Bucket’s STUFFED is at Unity on Fri 2 + Sat 3 Oct. In Yorkshire, Ballet Nights is at Leeds Playhouse on Fri 2 Oct; Company Chameleon’s Obscura is at Riley Theatre, Leeds on Sat 3 Oct; and LUNG’s Woodhill is at Barnsley Civic, also on Sat 3 Oct.

Next week (w/c 5 Oct) things get extraordinarily busy: Lowry has a range of things: Ontroerend Goed’s Thanks for Being Here on Tue 6 + Wed 7 Oct. Special offer £5 ticket here.
Plus CIRKO’s Yes Person – Based on Kimberley on Thu 8 Oct and Natalie Reckert’s Songs for an Unwritten Sky on Fri 9 + Sat 10 Oct. Use code CIRCUS08 for £8 tickets to both. (nb both incur booking fee).

At Aviva Studios, Ahmed Masoud’s Application 39 is on Fri 9 + Sat 10 Oct.

Also in Manchester, Auris Festival takes place from Fri 9-Sun 11 Oct, with performances from Nik Colk Void, Francisco López, Lee Patterson, Lola de la Mata, Ryoko Akama, Robin The Fog and WEȽ∝KER.

In Sheffield, Open Works continues with a Scratch Afternoon featuring Lora Krasteva and Nam Huh at the Montgomery Studio, followed by Scratch Night 2 with Jessica Millward, Callum Berridge, Victoria Marrett and Jas Nisic at the Playhouse, both on Mon 5 Oct; LUNG’s Woodhill at the Playhouse on Tue 6 + Wed 7 Oct; and Alex Kelly/Voyager 3’s The Thin Places (WIP) at the Montgomery Studio on Fri 9 Oct.

Elsewhere in Yorkshire, Matthew Tweedle’s D Is For Dyslexia is at Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield on Wed 7 Oct; Victoria Firth & Company’s BATTY! is at Settle Victoria Hall on Thu 8 Oct; and Grandly Strange’s stuff Of Life is at Slung Low’s Warehouse in Holbeck on Sat 10 Oct.

In Liverpool, Jasmin Vardimon’s Lullaby is at the Playhouse on Fri 9 Oct; while in Lancaster, Ontroerend Goed’s Thanks for Being Here is at Lancaster Arts, also on Fri 9 Oct.

The following week (w/c 12 Oct) shows no sign of calming down. In Mancunia, LUNG’s Woodhill is at Lowry from Tue 13-Sat 17 Oct. At Waterside, Sale, Theatre North/Martin Lewton’s The Luxurious Time: A Queer Love Story is on Thu 15 Oct; while Stay in Those Colours: Release – Live Performance is at Aviva Studios on Sun 18 Oct.

In Yorkshire, Victoria Firth & Company’s BATTY! is at The Muni, Colne on Tue 13 Oct; Matthew Tweedle’s D Is For Dyslexia is at Barnsley Civic on Wed 14 Oct; Off-Grid is at Sheffield Playhouse on Thu 15 Oct; and Imogen Reeve & Co.’s Mother Computer, Folk Dances from the Future is at stage@leeds, also on Thu 15 Oct.

In Lancashire, Forced Entertainment’s Cold Sweat is at Lancaster Arts on Wed 14 Oct, followed by Tim Etchells and Bert & Nasi’s L’Addition on Fri 16 Oct.

On Merseyside, Blackout is at The Atkinson, Southport on Wed 14 Oct; Caitlin Barnett Dance Co.’s Comrades in the Dark is at Unity, Liverpool on Fri 16 + Sat 17 Oct; and on Sat 17 Oct, Off Grid is at Shakespeare North Playhouse and Liverpool Scratch Network’s Scratch Night is Downstairs at the Everyman.

Much further afield, Fierce Festival takes over Birmingham from Wed 14-Sun 18 Oct, featuring Chou Tung-Yen, Ligia Lewis, Wojciech Grudziński, Faye Driscoll, n (melissandre varin), Justine A. Chambers, Shannon Cochrane, Hana Umeda, Ewa Dziarnowska, Dana Michel, SERAFINE1369, Josh Anio Grigg, Dickie Beau, Helen Noir and Steven Cohen.

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.

Notes for Artists — Social Experiment remains open for proposals for the 19 November edition, deadline 2 Nov, midday.

Best

Tamsin

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

Information for artists: habmcr.org

No. 586/ FY 18

WORD OF WARNING PERFORMANCE PROGRAMME 2026

Wed 4 Nov, 8pm. PWYC | Lowry
MATCHSTALKS REMASTERED
Egan & Pinchbeck

Thu 19 Nov, 6pm-9pm. FREE | Contact
SOCIAL EXPERIMENT
A gathering for Live Art and performance.
Participating artists to be announced.

(PWYC are Pay What You Can events)

warnmcr: Emergency gambit...

After months of anticipation, ACE has finally issued the rules of the NPO game. Fortunately, we already have Emergency tactics...

This weekend, for us it’s all about Emergency 26 at Contact on Sat 26 Sep (Noon-10pm): 26 pieces for the 26th Emergency on 26/9/26. Installations, durationals and looping performance from midday, short shows from 5pm.

From digital ghosts to an immortal Elvis, falling bodies to miniature worlds, a train full of memories and the smallest of farewells.

Featuring Alex Billingham, Bait, Ben Hodge, chris brown, Chris Jenkins, Emergency Chorus, Emily Bold, Emma Geraghty, Id Est Performance Company, Isabella Victorie A., Joss Affleck, Kellie Colbert & Deborah Newton, Lee Fletcher, Lisa Ford, Lowri Evans, Mimosa Art House & Rosie Fielding, Pablo Pakula, Parastu Mohafezatkar, PHØBIA, Rachel Gomme, Reckless Sleepers & UoS Performance, Rowena Gander, Ruby Antonowicz-Behnan & Yui Yamamoto, Sap Dance & Desire Lines Dance Theatre, Sweætshops® and Terri Jade Donovan.

Elsewhere in Greater Manchester, Wright&Grainger’s SELENE is at Lowry on Fri 25 + Sat 26 Sep; Barrowland Ballet’s Chunky Jewellery is also there on Sat 26 Sep.

Further afield, AND FESTIVAL takes over Barnsley from Fri 25-Sun 27 Sep; while JV2’s Triple Bill is at Riley Theatre, Leeds on Sat 26 Sep.

Next week (w/c 28 Sep), back in Greater Manchester, Eli Yim’s The Easy Way Out comes to New Adelphi on Wed 30 Sep; Marie Hamilton’s Madonna on the Rocks is at Lowry on Wed 30 Sep + Thu 1 Oct; and BREATHE: Dance & Poetry Slam 2026 is at Aviva Studios on Sat 3 Oct.

In Liverpool, WilL Dickie + David Hoyle perform as part of Performing Recovery, a live book launch at the Everyman on Wed 30 Sep; Ugly Bucket’s STUFFED is at Unity on Fri 2 + Sat 3 Oct.

In Leeds, Bryony Kimmings’s Bog Witch is at Leeds Playhouse on Wed 30 Sep + Thu 1 Oct; Company Chameleon’s Obscura is at Riley Theatre on Sat 3 Oct. In Barnsley, LUNG’s Woodhill is at Barnsley Civic, also on Sat 3 Oct.

Meanwhile in Sheffield, Open Works Festival runs from 28 Sep-10 Oct, with its opening week including Lucy Haighton, Ke Li, Victoria Firth & Company, Oluwasegun Lafup Ogundipe and Forced Entertainment.

The following week (w/c 5 Oct), in Greater Manchester, Ontroerend Goed’s Thanks for Being Here is at Lowry on Tue 6 + Wed 7 Oct; CIRKO’s Yes Person - Based on Kimberley is there on Thu 8 Oct; and Natalie Reckert’s Songs for an Unwritten Sky follows on Fri 9 + Sat 10 Oct. Use code CIRCUS08 for £8 tickets to Yes Person - Based on Kimberley and Songs for an Unwritten Sky.

Meanwhile, Ahmed Masoud’s Application 39 is at Aviva Studios on Fri 9 + Sat 10 Oct.

Also in Manchester, Auris Festival runs from Fri 9-Sun 11 Oct across SEESAW, the International Anthony Burgess Foundation, SISTER and SODA, with performances from Nik Colk Void, Francisco López, Lee Patterson, Lola de la Mata, Ryoko Akama, Robin The Fog and WEȽ∝KER.

Further afield, LUNG’s Woodhill is at Sheffield Theatres on Tue 6 + Wed 7 Oct; Matthew Tweedle’s D Is For Dyslexiais at Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield on Wed 7 Oct; and Victoria Firth & Company’s BATTY! is at Settle Victoria Hall on Thu 8 Oct.

In Liverpool, Jasmin Vardimon’s Lullaby is at the Playhouse on Fri 9 Oct. In Lancaster, Ontroerend Goed’s Thanks for Being Here is at Lancaster Arts, also on Fri 9 Oct; while in Leeds, Grandly Strange’s stuff Of Life is at Slung Low’s Warehouse in Holbeck on Sat 10 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.

Notes for Artists - Social Experiment remains open for proposals for the 19 November edition, deadline 2 Nov, midday.

Best

Tamsin

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

Information for artists: habmcr.org
No. 585/ FY 17

WORD OF WARNING PERFORMANCE PROGRAMME 2026

warnmcr: life's certainties...

Death, taxes and the September student influx... At 26, Emergency has surely earned its place on the list of inevitabilities. But before that...

This weekend, Greater Manchester remains pretty quiet.

In Leeds, Eli Yim’s The Easy Way Out is at Carriageworks on Fri 18 Sep; while Michelle Scally Clarke’s Division is at Slung Low’s Warehouse in Holbeck on Fri 18 + Sat 19 Sep.

Next week (w/c 21 Sep), for us it’s all about Emergency 26 at Contact on Sat 26 Sep (Noon-10pm): 26 pieces for the 26th Emergency on 26/9/26. From digital ghosts to an immortal Elvis, falling bodies to miniature worlds, a train full of memories and the smallest of farewells.

Featuring Alex Billingham, Bait, Ben Hodge, chris brown, Chris Jenkins, Emergency Chorus, Emily Bold, Emma Geraghty, Id Est Performance Company, Isabella Victorie A., Joss Affleck, Kellie Colbert & Deborah Newton, Lee Fletcher, Lisa Ford, Lowri Evans, Mimosa Art House & Rosie Fielding, ON, Pablo Pakula, PHØBIA, Rachel Gomme, Reckless Sleepers & UoS Performance, Rowena Gander, Ruby Antonowicz-Behnan & Yui Yamamoto, Sap Dance & Desire Lines Dance Theatre, Sweætshops® and Terri Jade Donovan.

Elsewhere in Greater Manchester, Natalie Reckert’s Bunker Talk #168 is at Manchester Poetry Library on Tue 22 Sep; Wright&Grainger’s SELENE is at Lowry on Fri 25 + Sat 26 Sep; and Barrowland Ballet’s Chunky Jewellery is also there on Sat 26 Sep.

Further afield, Fallen Angels Dance Theatre’s Holding Light is at Storyhouse, Chester on Thu 24 Sep; AND FESTIVAL takes over Barnsley from Fri 25-Sun 27 Sep; and JV2’s Triple Bill is at Riley Theatre, Leeds on Sat 26 Sep.

The following week (w/c 28 Sep), back in Greater Manchester, Eli Yim’s The Easy Way Out comes to New Adelphi on Wed 30 Sep; Marie Hamilton’s Madonna on the Rocks is at Lowry on Wed 30 Sep + Thu 1 Oct; and BREATHE: Dance & Poetry Slam 2026 is at Aviva Studios on Sat 3 Oct.

In Liverpool, WilL Dickie + David Hoyle perform as part of Performing Recovery, a live book launch at the Everyman on Wed 30 Sep; Ugly Bucket’s STUFFED is at Unity on Fri 2 + Sat 3 Oct.

In Leeds, Bryony Kimmings’s Bog Witch is at Leeds Playhouse on Wed 30 Sep + Thu 1 Oct; Company Chameleon’s Obscura is at Riley Theatre on Sat 3 Oct. In Barnsley, LUNG’s Woodhill is at Barnsley Civic, also on Sat 3 Oct.

Meanwhile in Sheffield, Open Works Festival runs from 28 Sep-10 Oct, with its opening week including Lucy Haighton, Ke Li, Victoria Firth & Company, Oluwasegun Lafup Ogundipe and Forced Entertainment.

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

Notes for Artists - Social Experiment remains open for proposals for the 19 November edition, deadline 2 Nov, midday.

Best

Tamsin

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

Information for artists: habmcr.org
No. 584/ FY 16

WORD OF WARNING PERFORMANCE PROGRAMME 2026

warnmcr: hell in a handbag...

As Trump bribes the electorate and AI experts predict certain doom, Alexa+ demonstrates the future is already here: it can patronise me to death but can’t turn my lights off... Meanwhile IRL...

This weekend, in Greater Manchester, One Fell Swoop’s By A Thread is at Lowry on Fri 11 Sep.

In Liverpool, Physical Fest continues at Unity with Tmesis Theatre + Lizzie Nunnery’s Demonology on Fri 11; Zoe McWhinney’s UPON A STALE SUN + Piergiorgio Milano’s PESSADILLA on Sat 12 Sep.

Meanwhile in Lancaster, Bryony Kimmings’s Bog Witch is at The Dukes on Fri 11 + Sat 12 Sep.

Next week (w/c 14 Sep), Mancunia remains fairly quiet.

In Barnsley, Eli Yim’s The Easy Way Out is at Barnsley Civic on Thu 17 Sep, then at Carriageworks, Leeds on Fri 18 Sep; while Michelle Scally Clarke’s Division is at Slung Low’s Warehouse in Holbeck on Fri 18 + Sat 19 Sep.

The following week (w/c 21 Sep), for us it’s all about Emergency 26 at Contact on Sat 26 Sep (Noon-10pm), our 26th micro-marathon of the bizarre, the bold and the beautiful, with some 26 works spanning live art, contemporary performance, installations and interventions.

Elsewhere in Greater Manchester, Wright&Grainger’s SELENE is at Lowry on Fri 25 + Sat 26 Sep; Barrowland Ballet’s Chunky Jewellery is also there on Sat 26 Sep.

Further afield, Fallen Angels Dance Theatre’s Holding Light is at Storyhouse, Chester on Thu 24 Sep; AND FESTIVAL takes over Barnsley from Fri 25-Sun 27 Sep; and JV2's Triple Bill is at Riley Theatre Leeds on Sat 26 Sep.

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.

Notes for Artists - Social Experiment remains open for proposals for the 19 November edition, deadline 2 Nov, midday.

Best

Tamsin

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

Information for artists: habmcr.org
No. 583/ FY 15

WORD OF WARNING PERFORMANCE PROGRAMME 2026