Lancaster Arts' new season stays Radical
Lancaster Arts stays radical and relevant this Spring - continuing their theme ‘Radical Histories, Radical Futures into 2020.
The arts organisation, based on the Lancaster University campus, have a packed new programme, starting this month, of performance, music and visual art which includes the opportunity to connect more deeply through post-show discussions, talks and workshops.
Forty years ago, People Show Cabaret toured the world and its four protagonists were dubbed ‘the Beatles of performance art’ People Show is the longest-running experimental theatre company in Britain.
Over the past 50 years they have created devised performances in theatres, in fields in telephone boxes, on streets, even in water.
People Show 137: God Knows How Many brings founders, Emil Wolk, George Khan, Mark Long and Bill Palmer together for a show which will take you precisely nowhere, via the troubadours of the Parisian boulevards of yesteryear and the dark global corporate domination of today.
Circus and Family performances this February include award-winning company Nikki & JD with their much-acclaimed production Knot. Physically exhilarating, laugh-out-loud funny and touchingly poignant, the talented performers use awe-inspiring acrobatic skills to tell a story of love, commitment and self.
Knot was created in collaboration with award-winning choreographer Ben Duke of Lost Dog Dance, who performed at Lancaster Arts in 2018 with Juliet and Romeo.
For younger audiences, Slot Machine Theatre offer participation like no other as they borrow the audience’s toys in Your Toys. Featuring original live music, stunning puppetry and lots of surprises.
There’s much to look forward to in the concert series too. Renowned early music vocal ensemble Stile Antico and oud player Rihab Azar explore themes of exile and migration as first-hand accounts are set to John Dowland’s famous instrumental pavans. Interspersed with these are virtuosic performances by London-based, Syrian Rihab Azar on the oud.
Meanwhile, Manchester Collective curate an immersive performance of Olivier Messiasen’s Catalogue of the Birds set against brand new music by Erland Cooper. Commissioned by ‘Opera North Projects’ for Leeds Light Night, this is a love song to our bird population set against the dangers of climate change and loss of habitat.
Alongside the performances are opportunities for audiences to connect more deeply. This Spring Lancaster Arts are bringing people together to realise artistic ideas in very practical forms. Projects include: planting an orchard with Peter Liversidge and cooking up a feast with Katie Etheridge and Simon Persighetti. To discover more about these projects and/or get involved please email producers@lancasterarts.org
Lancaster Arts Director Jocelyn Cunningham said: “This season plays with the idea of radical, addressing it through theatre, circus, dance, visual art, concerts and literature. We are looking forward to so many not-to-be-missed treats!”
For more details on these events and their entire season, visit www.lancasterarts.org or call 01524 594151.
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