It’s hard not be drawn to Elmi Ali’s development piece, Water Seeds Not Stones, which is currently being shown as part of the 2017 Flying Solo Festival at Contact Theatre. It promises a combination of traditional storytelling and performance art, told through the character of Mamamawodi from the Edge.
It’s that time of year again. The clocks have gone backwards. The nights are drawing in and most people are wearing red poppies as Armistice Day approaches. So it is apt that Manchester Opera House is currently showing the Wipers Times, which tells the true story of a satirical newspaper created in the trenches of the First World War.
What I love about Manchester is it’s melting pot. Like any great city it has something for everyone and this certainly extends to its theatres. It has been a while since I ventured to Manchester Palace Theatre in the heart of the city, but I found myself attending the opening night of it’s latest event this week, the ever popular musical Sunset Boulevard.
Mancunians know a thing or two about protests. We’re famous for it. The city still remembers the Peterloo Massacre in 1819, where the city’s inhabitants had gathered to campaign for reform. The resulting tragedy, in which 15 people died, was enough to prompt change in the folks that sit in the Houses of Parliament.
Martin Scorcese once said “Your job is to get your audience to care about your obsessions” and for me nothing could be more true of Javaad Alipoor’s much acclaimed fringe festival feature The Believers Are But Brothers. A play about political extremism, digital technology and male violence, it formed part of HOME’s Orbit Festival, a collection of innovative new work that seek to explore today’s world.