Word of Warning — Weekly Warning

As we wake up to another crystalline morning, the performance world seems to be slowly thawing out from its panto permafrost..

Next week (w/c 13 Jan) Lowry gets the ball rolling with Tmesis Theatre's Sealskin on Thu 16 Jan and Botis Seva's Far From The Norm on Sat 18 Jan.

The following week (w/c 20 Jan) things really start in earnest:
Future Flares at Manchester School of Theatre (22-24 Jan) has Mechanimal's Vigil, Gabriela Flarys + Andrea Maciel's Deluge, Dan Dubowitz's A Night Grit Walk, Neil Mackenzie, Mole Wetherell + Phoebe Woodbridge's Journey's End Working Title (wip), Lewys Holt's 30 Minute Set, Katy Baird's Get Off, Brigitte Jurack's Vermisserin and Pinchbeck + Smith's A Seventh Man

Meanwhile, at HOME PUSH 2025 (24 Jan - 8 Feb) kicks off with Afreena Islam-Wright's Lucky Tonight on Fri 24 + Sat 25 Jan.

Over in Liverpool you can catch Mark Thomas's Gaffa Tapes at the Playhouse on Thu 23 Jan.

Meanwhile have a look at Word of Warning's current performance schedule and, for the artists among you, our call for proposals for Turn 2025 and Social Experiment are still open.

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: Facebook · Insta · X (Twitter) · YouTube

Word of Warning Performance Programme 2025

As the days grow dark, in this pre-emptive run-up to the 'season of goodwill', church and state seem to be unraveling wildly on either side of the pond, meanwhile closer to home, this weekend, our slow creep to doomsday is foretold in (the seriously long) Laurie Anderson's Ark: United States V at Aviva Studios until 24 Nov.
Possibly more elevatinlgy, Uplift is at Company Chameleon Studios tonight, Fri 15 Nov.

In Liverpool, Rowena Gander's Woman | Women is at The Unity in Liverpool on Fri 15 Nov; while in Leeds, Compass has Alisa Oleva's Sounds Like Home on Sat 16 + Sun 17 Nov.

For the remains of November: Wendy Houstoun's WATCH IT! returns to Salford, to the New Adelphi on Mon 18 Nov; while at Aviva Studios, IMpact's Žena: Women in Movement is on Tue 19 Nov. Sneaking into December, if you're feeling discursive, Melanie Wilson's Bunker Talk is at the Salutation on Tue 3 Dec; while Aviva Studios has The Untold Orchestra's Movement on Fri 6 Dec and Blue Now on Sun 8 Dec.

Beyond Mancunia, on Tue 19 Nov SK Shlomo's Breathe is at the LBT, Huddersfield; Van Huynh Company's Exquisite Noise is at Lancaster Arts; and PCK Dance's IMAGO is at Sheffield Drama Studio. On Thu 21 Nov Levantes Dance Theatre's The Band is at The Atkinson in Southport; and there's a Scratch Night at The Unity, Liverpool; while on Sat 23 Nov Tmesis Theatre's Sealskin is at Sheffield Drama Studio.
Just into December, there's Tenderfoot Theatre's OutHaus at the Arts Centre, Edgehill University on Mon 2 Dec.

Leeds is busy with The Paper Birds' Feel Me at Leeds Playhouse on Wed 20 + Thu 21 Nov; and No Dress Code Scratch at Yorkshire Dance, Leeds on Fri 22 Nov;
Meanwhile, Compass has SLAP Collective's Brightside (19-21 + 26-28 Nov), and Alt+R (21-23 + 28-30 Nov); Ellie Harrison/Polite Rebellion's Loose Ends (22-24 + 28-30 Nov), Melanie Whitehead-Smith's Here Marks The Spot (25-28 N0v) and Amy Lawrence's Sharing Platter on Sat 30 Nov.

That takes us pretty much to the end of the performance season and the onslaught of the dreaded xmas show - so time for this scrooge to take a break. Unless I spot something truly exciting, I'll be back in mid January in time for Future Flares (21-24 Jan) and PUSH 2025 (24 Jan - 8 Feb).

In the meantime, for dancemakers out there, we'll be launching the call for Turn 2025 in the last week of November.

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: Facebook · Insta · X (Twitter) · YouTube

Information for artists: habmcr.org
 

As two seeminlgy endless binary contests play out either side of the Atlantic in the coming days, we can only sit back powerless and wonder what explosive repercussions there may be...

This weekend, Edy Hurst's Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches... is at LOWRY on Fri 1 Nov; and 29 Move BRILLIANCY is at Rogue Studios on Sat 2 Nov.

In Leeds, November sees Compass Festival (1-30 Nov) - early on there's Ling Tan's Leeds' Low Carbon Chinatown (2-15 Nov) and Quarantine's Building of Spines (2-9 Nov).

Next week (w/c 4 Nov) Things are a bit quiet in Mancunia - but for something discursive, there's a Bunker Talk: Lume x Reckless Sleepers at The Salutation on Tue 5 Nov; or more theatrically Red Ladder's Sanctuary is at The Edge on Fri 7 + Sat 9 Nov.

Further afield, James Wilton Dance's The Four Seasons and Creepy Boys are at the Drama Studio, Sheffield on Mon 4 Nov and Tue 5 Nov respectively. Forced Entertainment's Signal To Noise is at Lancaster Arts on Wed 6 Nov. Seke Chimutengwende's Long Solo 3 is at Wainsgate Dances, Hebden Bridge on Fri 8 Nov and Hofesh Schecter's From England With Love is at the Riley Theatre, Leeds on Sat 9 Nov.

The following week (w/c 11 Nov) Laurie Anderson's Ark: United States V lands at Aviva Studios (11-24 Nov); Sam Lowe's The Imposter is at Oldham Library on Tue 12 Nov; Scratch Nights x Dance at LOWRY on Wed 13 Nov, Uplift at Company Chameleon Studios on Fri 15 Nov; and James Rowland's Piece of Work at The Edge (Fri 15 + Sat 16 Nov).

In Huddersfield the LBT has National Dance Company Wales' Frontiers on Tue 12 Nov. Emily Woof's Blizzard is at Lancaster Arts on Wed 13 Nov; and Rowena Gander's Woman | Women is at The Unity in Liverpool on Fri 15 Nov. Compass in Leeds has Alisa Oleva's Sounds Like Home on Sat 16 + Sun 17 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.


Best

Tamsin

@WarnMcr: Facebook · Insta · X (Twitter) · YouTube

Information for artists: habmcr.org
 

As the Halloween budget looms, we can only wait to see what will go bump in the night...

This weekend, Daniel Kitson's Pith at the Royal Exchange and Khalid Abdalla's Nowhere at HOME continue until 26 Oct; Catherine Shaw's Indestructible is at LOWRY on Fri 25 Oct; and Watch Us Dance is at the New Adelphi Theatre on Sat 26 Oct.

Next week (w/c 28 Oct) Edy Hurst's Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches... is at LOWRY on Thu 31 Oct + Fri 1 Nov; and 29 Move BRILLIANCY is at Rogue Studios on Sat 2 Nov. For something a bit different: described as theatrical catwalk extravaganza, Miselo Kunda's Crowning Culture is at Aviva Studios on Mon 28 Oct.

In Hebden Bridge, Tim Etchells & Meg Stuart's Shown & Told is at Wainsgate Chapel on Tue 29 Oct.

November sees Compass Festival in Leeds (1-30 Nov) - early on there's Ling Tan's Leeds' Low Carbon Chinatown (2-15 Nov) and Quarantine's Building of Spines (2-9 Nov). The second half of the month brings Alisa Oleva,  SLAP Collective's Brightside and Alt+R, Ellie Harrison/Polite Rebellion, Melanie Whitehead-Smith and Amy Lawrence.

The following week (w/c 4 Nov) Things are a bit quiet in Mancunia - but for something discursive, there's a Bunker Talk: Lume x Reckless Sleepers at The Salutation on Tue 5 Nov; or more theatrically Red Ladder's Sanctuary is at The Edge on Fri 7 + Sat 9 Nov.

Further afield, James Wilton Dance's The Four Seasons and Creepy Boys are at the Drama Studio, Sheffield on Mon 4 Nov and Tue 5 Nov respectively. Forced Entertainment's Signal To Noise is at Lancaster Arts on Wed 6 Nov. Seke Chimutengwende's Long Solo 3 is at Wainsgate Dances, Hebden Bridge on Fri 8 Nov and Hofesh Schecter's From England With Love is at the Riley Theatre, Leeds on Sat 9 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.


Best

Tamsin

@WarnMcr: Facebook · Insta · X (Twitter) · YouTube

Information for artists: habmcr.org
  

As upper case shouting now appears to be de rigueur for Manchester venues (HOME, CONTACT and now LOWRY), some of us are choosing to remain a little more title case demure...

This weekend, TAP + Ugly Bucket's Punk is Dead is at Arden School of Theatre on Fri 18 Oct. On Sat 19 Oct ACCA Dance's Occupational Hazard is at The Edge and Simone Mousset's The Passion of Andrea 2 is at LOWRY. Continuing are Daniel Kitson's Pith at the Royal Exchange (until 26 Oct) and  Sonia Hughes's I Am From Reykjavik exhibition at Longsight Community Art Space (unti 25 Oct).

Further afield, in theatre mode 1927's Please Right Back is at Leeds Playhouse until 19 Oct); Big Telly's Granny Jackson's Dead is in Liverpool on Fri 18 + Sat 19 Oct; and Fierce Festival in Birmingham continues until 20 Oct.

Next week (w/c 21 Oct) Khalid Abdalla's Nowhere is at HOME (22-26 Oct); Catherine Shaw's Indestructible is at LOWRY on Fri 25 Oct; and Watch Us Dance is at the New Adelphi Theatre on Sat 26 Oct.

In Liverpool, there's a Scratch Night at the Unity on Wed 23 Oct.

The following week (w/c 28 Oct) Edy Hurst's Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches... is at LOWRY on Thu 31 Oct + Fri 1 Nov; and 29 Move BRILLIANCY is at Rogue Studios on Sat 2 Nov.

In Hebden Bridge, Tim Etchells & Meg Stuart's Shown & Told is at Wainsgate Chapel on Tue 29 Oct; while November sees Compass Festival in Leeds (1-30 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.


Best

Tamsin

@WarnMcr: Facebook · Insta · X (Twitter) · YouTube

As temperatures dip as sharply as the new government's popularity, there's definitely a seasonal shift in the air...

This weekend, Sonia Hughes's I Am From Reykjavik exhibition launches at Longsight Community Art Space tonight Fri 11 Oct; Jennifer Jackson's WRESTLELADSWRESTLE is ongoing at HOME (until 12 Oct); and The Lowry has Insomniac's Fable on Sun 13 Oct

Next week (w/c 14 Oct) Natasha Stanic Mann's The Return is at The Edge, Chorlton on Thu 17 Oct. The Lowryhas  Stopgap's Lived Fiction also on Thu 17 Oct; while Daniel Kitson's Pith is at the Royal Exchange (17-26 Oct). On Sat 19 Oct, ACCA Dance's Occupational Hazard is at The Edge and Simone Mousset's The Passion of Andrea 2 is at The Lowry.

Further afield, in theatre mode 1927's Please Right Back is at Leeds Playhouse (15-19 Oct); or you have to look further still for more Live Art content with Fierce Festival (15-20 Oct) in Birmingham.

The following week (w/c 21 Oct) Khalid Abdalla's Nowhere is at HOME (22-26 Oct); Catherine Shaw's Indestructible is at The Lowry on Fri 25 Oct; and Watch Us Dance is at the New Adelphi Theatre on Sat 26 Oct.

In Liverpool, there's a Scratch Night at the Unity on Wed 23 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.


Best

Tamsin

@WarnMcr: Facebook · Insta · X (Twitter) · YouTube

This week I'm a little flat after last Saturday's marathon of performance - have a look at what we were up to here. After 28 pieces in one day, I'm now looking forward to a quieter weekend. If you, however, are in need of more stimulation:

This weekend, for some corporate performance art Blue Man Group's Bluevolution is at The Lowry (until 6 Oct) - also playing host to Mark Thomas's Gaffa Tapes on Sun 6 Oct. Jennifer Jackson's WRESTLELADSWRESTLE is at HOME (until 12 Oct).

Beyond Mancunia, today, Fri 4 Oct, Motionhouse's Starchitects is at Blackpool Grand and Jasmin Vardimon's NOW is at The LBT, Huddersfield.

Next week (w/c 7 Oct) The Lowry has Theatre Re's Moments on Tue 8 + Wed 9 Oct and Insomniac's Fable on Sun 13 Oct. Sonia Hughes's I Am From Reykjavik exhibition launches at Longsight Community Art Space on Fri 11 Oct. Those worried about BoJo the clown's fortunes can line his ample pockets at Boris Johnson Unleashed on Sat 12 Oct at the Bridgewater Hall.

Further afield, https://dukeslancaster.org/whats-on/theatre/mariposa is at The Duke's, Lancaster on Tue 8 Oct; and Louise Orwin's Fame Hungry is at the Media Factory in Preston on Wed 9 Oct.

The following week (w/c 14 Oct) things are a bit quiet in Mancunia - but Natasha Stanic Mann's The Return is at The Edge, Chorlton on Thu 17 Oct. The Lowryhas  Stopgap's Lived Fiction also on Thu 17 Oct; and Simone Mousset's The Passion of Andrea 2 on Sat 19 Oct.

Further afield, in theatre mode 1927's Please Right Back is at Leeds Playhouse (15-19 Oct); or you have to look further still for more Live Art content with Fierce Festival (15-20 Oct) in Birmingham.

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: Facebook · Insta · X (Twitter) · YouTube

As the weirdness of the wider world competes with the weirdness of what I do for a living, it's hard to wrestle my thoughts away from the logistical behemoth that is tomorrow's 24th Emergency at Contact. It's the biggest we've done in years, and, among the 28 pieces we welcome plenty of new friends, current friends and even some from the good old greenroom days! It truly is a micro-marathon, running non-stop from noon til 10pm, come and go as you please and all PWYD - check out the afternoon and evening programme.

Also this weekend, you can still catch Tania Camara's As I Am Naturally at The Lowry tonight Fri 27 Sep; and Ivan Michael Blackstock's Traplord at Aviva Studios (until Sun 29 Sep). There's also Portraits of Recovery's Queer Gallery Takeover at Manchester Art Gallery on Sun 29 Sep.

Further afield, Tmesis Theatre's Sealskin is at The Dukes, Lancaster on Sat 28 Sep.

Next week (w/c 30 Sep) The Lowry has Blue Man Group (2-6 Oct); Nuua Company's Blueberry Burdock on Thu 3 Oct; and Mark Thomas's Gaffa Tapes on Sun 6 Oct. Jennifer Jackson's WRESTLELADSWRESTLE is at HOME (3-12 Oct). There's also a Bunker Talk with Chronic Insanity at the Salutation on Tue 1 Oct.

Beyond Mancunia, on Thu 3 Oct, Natalie Bellingham's Look After Your Knees is at the Dukes, Lancaster and The Duke is at Storyhouse, Chester.  On Fri 4 Oct, Motionhouse's Starchitects is at Blackpool Grand and Jasmin Vardimon's NOW is at The LBT, Huddersfield.

The following week (w/c 7 Oct) The Lowry has Theatre Re's Moments on Tue 8 + Wed 9 Oct and Insomniac's Fable on Sun 13 Oct. Sonia Hughes's I Am From Reykjavik exhibition launches at Longsight Community Art Space on Fri 11 Oct. In most 'live art' event of the week, The Bridgewater Hall appears to be outdoing us all with 'a manly peptalk' from Boris Johnson Unleashed on Sat 12 Oct.

In parts Lancastrian, DeNada' Dance Theatre's Mariposa is at The Duke's in Lancaster on Tue 8 Oct.

Hope to see lots of you at Emergency - I'll be the dark blur with a camera clamped to my face!

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: Facebook · Insta · X (Twitter) · YouTube

As the weather seems intent on deceiving us, this midsummer is illusory and all the hallmarks of autumn are present - from the incursion of descending students to the uptick in performance...

This weekend, tonight, Fri 19 Sep, SK Shlomo's Breathe is at HOME, while in Hebden Bridge, Kirstie Simson's Subterranea is at Wainsgate Chapel.

Next week (w/c 23 Sep) Tania Camara's As I Am Naturally is at The Lowry on Thu 26 and Fri 27 Sep; and Ivan Michael Blackstock's Traplord at Aviva Studios (26-29 Sep).

Of course, our main focus is Emergency 24 at Contact on Sat 28 Sep. The 24th iteration with 28 artists throughout the building from 12noon til 10pm - afternoon and evening programme details now online.

Elsewhere, Shechter II's From England With Love is at Blackpool Grand on Tue 24 + Wed 25 Sep; Liverpool has Blackfest (23-32 Sep) and a Scratch Night at the Unity on Wed 25 Sep; while the Duke's, Lancaster has The Dreamtime Fell Runner on Thu 26 Sep.

The following week (w/c 30 Sep) The Lowry has Blue Man Group (2-6 Oct) and Nuua Company's Blueberry Burdock on Thu 3 Oct and Mark Thomas's Gaffa Tapes on Sun 6 Oct. Jennifer Jackson's WRESTLELADSWRESTLE is at HOME (3-12 Oct).

Beyond Mancunia, on Thu 3 Oct, Natalie Bellingham's Look After Your Knees is at the Dukes, Lancaster and The Duke is at Storyhouse, Chester.  On Fri 4 Oct, Motionhouse's Starchitects is at Blackpool Grand and Jasmin Vardimon's NOW is at The LBT, Huddersfield.

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: Facebook · Insta · X (Twitter) · YouTube