Word of Warning — Weekly Warning

As the damp dregs of Summer drift away and the 'treacle* world decompresses post-Edinburgh, we find ourselves poised to convoke a new season. While I'm tempted to follow fashion and prorogue this Weekly Warning for another week or two, instead I thought I'd take the opportunity to let you know about the new Word of Warning Autumn/Winter 2019 Programme. (*theatreacle!)

Starting with an unusually early Emergency on Sat 21 Sep - our twentieth (yes 20!) sprawls across the cavernous NIAMOS in the daytime, then ups-sticks back to Z-arts for the evening. Current count of works is 34 - which is the biggest we've ever done in one day - so watch this space!

We will also be returning to The Lowry for two visits - the first for Lauren Hendry's Tetra-Decathlon, directed by Jenna Watt; the second for Tom Cassani's new feat of prestidigitation I Promise You That Tonight.

October sees something a bit special - the return to Manchester of the iconic Ron Athey with Acephalous Monster, once more taking over the decaying splendour of NIAMOS in a sited version of this radical ritual for transformation.

Elsewhere in the general locality, everything really kicks off in earnest w/c 16 Sep. So in the interim - for planning purposes - you could check out some of the further flung festivals: IBT The Summit in Bristol (11-13 Oct) + Fierce in Birmingham (15-20 Oct).

I'm off to juggle the logistics of 34 pieces and 2 buildings and to wonder why on earth I'm doing it!

Best


Tamsin
 

Word of Warning Autumn/Winter 2019 is brought to you by hÅb — with NIAMOS, STUN, Z-arts + The Lowry. Supported using public funding by Arts Council England.

Festival fatigue definitely took its toll last week -  I was so bogged down in Edinburgh spreadsheets that I totally forgot to add that this weekend (Fri 26 - Sun 28 Jul) you can catch a sneak preview of some of the work headed that way,  via Theatre in the Mill, Bradford's Edinburgh Weekender which includes Katherina Radeva (Two Destination Language), Javaad Alipoor, Demi Nandhra, Duncan Speakman, Ben Mills and others.

Meanwhile, closer to home, Refract Festival is continuing at Waterside Arts, Sale (til Sat 27 Jul) including Catching Comets with Beach Body Ready tonight, Mon 22 Jul; Meraki Collective on Wed 24 Jul; Nathaniel Hall (with Fulfilment) on Thu 25 Jul and Motionhouse on Sat 27 Jul.

Below a repeat of my Edinburgh Fringe (2-26 Aug) info:

2019 is a British Council Showcase year - which is a good place to start - though much of it may have already been to parts mancunian (in which case I'm not highlighting it here).  While most things on my radar are, as ever, at Summerhall, there's more than a smattering at Zoo Southside+ Pleasance, plus a lot of interesting-looking dance at DanceBase, which is where I'd be heading if I had more time.

For my own whistlestop daytrip purposes, on the shortlist is: Cade + McAskill, Emma Frankland, Ontroerend Goed, Scottee + Friends, Catherine Hoffman, Lucy McCormick, Seke Chimutengwende + Alexandrina Hemsley, Louise Orwin, Harry Clayton-Wright, Daniel Hellman, Javaad Alipoor, Dressed, Bryony Kimmings, Mr + Mrs Clark, Ridiculusmus, Concha Vidal.

If you want to dig a bit deeper, once again I've uploaded WoW's long list (sorted by artist name) at the Weekly Warning blog. As ever, it's just my pick for my own purposes, largely from paper and I don't really focus on internationals as they're beyond our programming paygrade. For a tipster more reliable and with broader tastes, you can now find Lyn Gardner's picks via Stagedoor. Final tips - check dates carefully as you don't want to fall prey to random days off - and my main tip is to log-in to EdFringe, and use the favourites facility (you can then export them as a spreadsheet and sort it as you please - it's what keeps me sane!)

After this unplanned addendum, I really am hoping to put this on a break... see you end August!

Best

 

As the festival frenzy threatens to fizzle in Mancunia, the hibernian horror is about to heat up!

In these parts you can still catch Claire Cunningham's Thank You Very Much at the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in Cheetham Hill (til Sat 20 Jul) and Animals of Manchester at the Whitworth/Whitworth Park on Sat 20 + Sun 21 Jul.

Refract Festival is in full swing at Waterside Arts, Sale (til Sat 27 Jul) including Kapow's Adrifton Sat 20 Jul; Claire Gaydon's See-Through in double bill with Ransack Theatre's Catching Comets on Sun 21 Jul and next week (w/c 22 Jul) Catching Comets with Beach Body Ready on Mon 22 Jul; Meraki Collective on Wed 24 Jul; Nathaniel Hall (with Fulfilment) on Thu 25 Jul and Motionhouse on Sat 27 Jul.

As promised, looking north and ahead, here are my ramblings on Edinburgh Fringe (2-26 Aug) - so if you've no plans in that direction, you can skip to the end! 

2019 is a British Council Showcase year - which is a good place to start - though much of it may have already been to parts Mancunian (in which case I'm not highlighting it here). While most things on my radar are, as ever, at Summerhall, there's more than a smattering at Zoo Southside + Pleasance, plus a lot of interesting-looking dance at DanceBase, which is where I'd be heading if I had more time.

For my own whistlestop daytrip purposes, on the shortlist is: Cade + McAskill, Emma Frankland, Ontroerend Goed, Scottee + Friends, Catherine Hoffman, Lucy McCormick, Seke Chimutengwende + Alexandrina Hemsley, Louise Orwin, Harry Clayton-Wright, Daniel Hellman, Javaad Alipoor, Dressed, Bryony Kimmings, Mr + Mrs Clark, Ridiculusmus, Concha Vidal.

If you want to dig a bit deeper, once again I've uploaded WoW's long list below (as both pdf and Excel, sorted by artist name). As ever, it's just my pick for my own purposes, largely from paper, and I don't really focus on internationals as they're beyond our programming paygrade. For a tipster more reliable and with broader tastes, you can now find Lyn Gardner's picks via Stagedoor. Usual tips - check dates carefully as you don't want to fall prey to random days off - and my main tip is to log-in to EdFringe, and use the favourites facility (you can then export them as a spreadsheet and sort it as you please - it's what keeps me sane!)

Unless something major crops up, this Weekly Warning is going to go on break now until late August, when I'll be back with what's coming up in the Autumn. 

On a final sad note, we were truly shocked to hear of the death of Dave Murray (QuietmanDave). His was one of the very few strong supportive critical voices out there - as well as just being a lovely man - he'll be very much missed.

Best

 

Tamsin

Ps. the call for artists is open for Emergency (21 Sep).

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So Yoko Ono has officially rung in the start of MIF (til 21 Jul) but there are still other things in the air: 

This weekend Lowri Evans, Renato Bolelli Rebouças & Rodolfo Amorim's Precarious Carnaval takes place along The Bridgewater Canal (5-7 Jul) and Gesturing Refugees is at the Bluecoat on Sat 6 Jul (part of Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival).

Next week (w/c 8 Jul) MIF includes Rimini Protokoll's Utopolis Manchester (10-13 Jul) in the City Centre; Philip Glass + Phelim McDermott's The Tao of Glass (11-20 Jul) and the Laurie Anderson's To The Moon (12-20 Jul) both at the Royal Exchange Theatre; plus Trajal Harrell'sMaggie The Cat at Dancehouse (11-14 Jul); and Studio Créole at Academy 1 (12-14 Jul).

Beyond MIF, in Mancunia, Liz Richardson's Swim is at (HOME 9-13 Jul); while Yara Boustany's Double Bill is at The Lowry on Sat 13 Jul; and Europia Art Collective's kukuryku is at a secret location on Sun 14 Jul.
Elsewhere, Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival sees Yara Boustany at the Unity Theatre on Thu 11 Jul and Dana Dajani's Heroine With A Thousand Dresses at the Bluecoat on Sat 13 Jul. Over in Leeds, Live Art Bistro's Newk returns on Wed 17 Jul.

The following week (w/c 15 Jul) MIF has Claire Cunningham's Thank You Very Much at the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in Cheetham Hill (17-20 Jul) while Animals of Manchester is at the Whitworth/Whitworth Park on Sat 20 + Sun 21 Jul.

Refract Festival is also at Waterside Arts, Sale (18-27 Jul) including Kapow's Adrift on Sat 20 Jul; and Claire Gaydon's See-Through forms a double bill with Ransack Theatre's Catching Cometson Sun 21 Jul.

As a side note, if you've got an idea bubbling for a piece of live art/contemporary performance the call for artists is now open for our twentieth(!) Emergency, which takes place on 21 Sep.

Best

 

So, on the brink of July, with an actual fleeting facsimile of summer, we have moved from festival flurry to full-on frenzy!

This weekend Incoming Festival continues at HOME (until Sun 30 Jun) - with The Pappy Show's Girls catching my eye, tonight Fri 28 Jun; while also tonight, at The Lowry, Mohamed Toukabri's The Upside Down Man also merits investigation.

Next week (w/c 1 Jul) Before the MIF monster becomes all-consuming, spare a thought for Lowri Evans, Renato Bolelli Rebouças & Rodolfo Amorim's Precarious Carnaval along The Bridgewater Canal (5-7 Jul) and Gesturing Refugees at the Bluecoat on Sat 6 Jul (part of Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival).

MIF (4-21 Jul) officially kicks off with Yoko Ono Bells for Peace in Cathedral Gardens on Thu 4 Jul; plus Invisible Cities at Mayfield (2-14 Jul); and CYC & Chim Pom A Drunk Pandemic (5-21 Jul).

The following week (w/c 8 Jul) sees Rimini Protokoll's Utopolis Manchester (10-13 Jul); Philip Glass + Phelim McDermott's The Tao of Glass (11-20 Jul) and the Laurie Anderson's To The Moon (12-20 Jul) both at the Royal Exchange Theatre; plus Trajal Harrell's Maggie The Catat Dancehouse (11-14 Jul).

Paddling against the tide of MIF, Liz Richardson's Swim is at HOME 9-13 Jul; while elsewhere, Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival sees Yara Boustany's ēvolvō + One Day and One Night Beirut at the Unity Theatre on Thu 11 Jul and Dana Dajani's Heroine With A Thousand Dresses at the Bluecoat on Sat 13 Jul. 

Pace yourselves well, as after that you've still got a week of MIF to go (with, notably Claire Cunningham + Animals of Manchester) plus Refract Festival at Waterside Arts also entering the festival fray...

Best

 

 

Tamsin

facebook/WarnMcr | @WarnMcr | Word of Warning Google calendar
Information for artists: www.habmcr.org
Been to one of our events recently? Please help us by taking a few minutes to fill out our online survey, a joint project with Live Art UK & The Audience Agency learning about national audiences for live art.

Spread the word that #CultureMatters

So I'm back, a bit sooner than intended as I've just spotted a couple of festivals that have snuck in... in fact over the next couple of weeks small festivals abound!

This weekend Contact Young Company + Young Identity's New Masters#New Futures is at Manchester Art Gallery (until Sun 16 Jun); the mysterious HorsLits happens in Levenshulme tonight Fri 14 Jun; and Ockham's Razor's This Time is at The Lowry (until Sat 15 Jun). Horizons Festival is at HOME: and Welcome to the UK on Sat 15; and Cohere on Sun 16 look intriguing.
In Liverpool Physical Fest 2019 has Rowena Gander's Ten Inch Heels tonight Fri 14 Jun and Gandini Juggling Project's Smashed on Sat 15 Jun, both at the Unity Theatre.

Next week (w/c 17 Jun) Horizons continues with Sir Pe Talwa on Mon 17 and Declaration on Tue 17,  then there's Nassim Soleimanpou's Nassim (18-20 Jun), all at HOME. Hannah Buckley + Crystal Zillwood's double bill is at The Lowry on Wed 19 Jun); Fracture Patterns at NIAMOS looks interesting on Thu 20 Jun; and Powder Keg's This Is Where It Happened is at Didsbury Arts Festival on Sat 22+ Sun 23 Jun. Further afield, First Person is at the Arts Centre at Edgehill University (20+21 Jun).
Co:LAB Festival is at the Royal Exchange Theatre 21-23 Jun. 3 days of emerging work, including Ali Wilson with Amy Lawrence on Fri 21 Jun + YESYESNONO on Sat 22 Jun. NB to see the full programme listings open the Event Information tab on their Festival page.

The following week (w/c 24 Jun) sees Incoming Festival at HOME (24-30 Jun). I know nothing beyond the copy, from which I'm kind of surmising that it's largely in territory more theatrical but with 14 shows over 7 nights, there's plenty to pick from. MALAPROP Theatre and The Pappy Show piqued my interest.
Elsewhere, at The Lowry, Mohamed Toukabri's The Upside Down Man looks intriguing.

That festival flurry is just warm-up for the big ones to come as the following week sees the start of MIF (4-21 Jul) - which in turn is training for the usual Caledonian behemoth thereafter! 

Best

 

On this last day of May, this week I can't pretend to be an actual News service - no resignations unfolding before my eyes - nor have I come across an awful lot of performance news to break, so I'll keep it brief...

This weekend Hush Hushis at The Lowry tonight, Fri 31 May and/or you can do a workshop with Igor + Moreno inside the Arboria Luminarium on Salford Quays. 
Next week (w/c  3 Jun) HOME has This Egg's Dressed(4-8 Jun) and the LBT, Huddersfield has Paul O'Donnell's We've Got Each Other on Fri 7 Jun.
The following week (w/c 10 Jun) broadening the artform outlook a touch sees Contact Young Company + Young Identity at Manchester Art Gallery (12-16 Jun) and Ockham's Razor at The Lowry (13-15 June).
In Liverpool, Physical Fest 2019 (10-15 Jun) gets underway including Rowena Gander, Izumi Ashizawa, Meraki Collective and Gandini Juggling Project.
The week after that (w/c 17 Jun) there's Nassim Soleimanpour at HOME (18-20 Jun), Hannah Buckley + Crystal Zillwood at The Lowry (Wed 19 Jun); First Person at the Arts Centre at Edgehill University (20+21 Jun); and Powder Keg at Didsbury Arts Festival on 22+23 Jun.

Since there does seem to be a bit of a lull, unless something unmissable crops up, I might give your inboxes a rest for a couple of weeks - but will be back later in June with a look at Incoming Festival and MIF.

Best

As I write, the PM has just resigned and the title of this mail could well be even more prophetic than intended! In matters more intentionally performative, make the most of what's on now, as it looks like we might be heading for a bit of a fallow patch.

This weekend in Manchester you can still catch Hofesh Schechter's Grand Finale (til 25 May) and Brian Lobel's BINGE (til 26 May) both at HOME. 

In Preston Derelict Mayhem is tonight Fri 24 + tomorrow Sat 25 May at the Media Factory (it's showing as sold out but, as it's free, there's potential for no-shows resulting in tickets on the door). 

Tonight, Fri 24 May, also sees Avital Raz's My Jerusalem at Sheffield's Festival of Debate and Proto-type Theater's The Audit at Barnsley Civic; while tomorrow, Sat 25 May, sees Jamal Gerald's Idol at Bradford Theatre in the Mill.  

Next week (w/c 27 May) we seem to be hitting half-term/summer lull so make the most of Word of Warning at The Lowry for Amy Bell's The Forecast on Wed 29 May.  The Lowry also has Paula Varjack's The Cult of K*nzo on Thu 30 May + Hush Hush on Fri 31 May. 

The following week (w/c 3 Jun) initial trawling so far has only turned up Dressed at HOME and Paul O'Donnell in Huddersfield.

Enjoy the last bank holiday for a while and hope to see you at the Lowry for Amy Bell's The Forecast.

Best

WORD OF WARNING