Word of Warning — Weekly Warning

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