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

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

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
 

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