Category: Culture Radar

This week’s Culture Radar guest is Liz Barker, the Director and Founder of March for the Arts, Arts Activism and Supporting Creatives.

Loved: The River of Light was fantastic as always, I particularly enjoyed the ‘Bubblesque’ and ‘Firefly Field’. Over the festive period I loved getting to see Alice in Wonderland at Shakespeare North Playhouse, and the Everyman Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto Rapunzel. I also think the Lights Up on Liverpool Exhibition in Central Library is a must see for anyone interested in Liverpool’s arts heritage, it’s beautifully curated by Arts Groupie.

Looking forward to: I’m keen to visit The Holly Johnson Story before it closes in July at the Museum of Liverpool, take one of Arts Groupie’s Theatre Walking Tours, and see Shirley Valentine at the Everyman. And as a life long fan, I’d be remised if I didn’t mention, I’m very excited that The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen is coming to play Anfield in the summer.

Trivia: People might be unaware at March for the Arts we offer free advice and consultation to freelancers and arts organisation relating to working better in the arts. We also have a guidance document called Working Guidance for Arts Freelancers and Organisations that can be accessed for free via our website.

This week’s Culture Radar guest is writer, director and artist, as well as a Director of Make It Write Productions and The Studio Below, Ted Gray.

Loved: I saw The Feral Parakeet at the Smithdown Arts Hub where poetry, words and avant-garde jazz improvisation merged. It was inspiring. Time talking with my friend and fellow writer, Sue Comer, about what we write and why. I went wassailing down south in the freezing cold, a reminder of origins.  When possible, I go to any of the galleries to quieten my mind.  A pint in The Caledonia – beer, conversation and music.

Looking forward to: The WOW Pulp Idol Grand Final full of brilliant new writers but I’m in The Studio Below that weekend for the Weird and Wonderful Festival (I’ve a tiny part in Mick Francis’ Wheat is What We Eat and I’m also directing Lauren Blakeway’s The Fox). Opening our new premises on Wood St for rehearsal and performance. Liverpool International Jazz Festival. A long way off yet but the Liverpool Fringe gets better each year.

Trivia: I write to the sounds of discordant, arrhythmic jazz. My pet’s names reveal my like of absurdism – Mortimer, Vic and Bob. Art changes the world so never stop being a revolutionary. The other side of my brain loves a good spreadsheet. Street protest politics brought me to theatre.

This week’s Culture Radar guest is the Artistic Director, A Place for Us Theatre, Kate Allerston.

Loved: I have really enjoyed the NPO events programme at Norton Priory in Runcorn, where I have been fortunate to be one of the Artistic Directors, along with my husband Chris Bastock, in 24/25. This includes the events around the Gaia (Earth) installation, the outdoor and indoor theatre & concerts programme and the events currently around the Mars installation (until 9 March 2025).

Looking forward to:  I am really looking forward to being at Shakespeare North Playhouse for several of our productions this coming summer.

Trivia: I have been an actor & director for over 30 years, starting at the Liverpool Playhouse Youth Theatre as a young teen, then went on to study acting in London at LAMDA, lived/worked  in London for all of the 90s and early naughties and was one of the founder artistic directors of the now international and Shakespeare Schools Festival (now Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation) and returned to work in the arts across the LCR in 2005.

This week’s Culture Radar guest is the Director of The Hope Street Theatre, Merseyside Academy of Drama (MAD), Performers Theatre School, and Olivier award-winning theatre company, Papatango, Nick Rogers.

Loved: I thoroughly enjoyed An Evening with Talking Heads (which was made up entirely of a cast of current and ex-MAD students) and the What Happens Next competition by Tip Tray Theatre, both hosted at The Hope Street Theatre. Stocking Fillers at Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre was another highlight, directed by my brilliant colleague, Sam Donovan.

Looking forward to: I’m particularly excited for On The Banks of The Royal Blue Mersey (despite being a Red!), Someone You Love by SevenBlu3, Northern Comedy’s No Sex Please, We’re British – all at Hope Street – and The Merchant of Venice 1936 at the Playhouse, and The Peaceful Hour at Liverpool’s Royal Court.

Trivia: Next year marks the 25th anniversary of Performers Theatre School, which has introduced thousands of children to drama, dance, and singing. We began on Bold Street in 2001 and moved into our current studios on Hope Street in 2015, which are also home to MAD in the evenings and Rare Studio BTEC and Intensive students on weekdays. The opening of The Hope Street Theatre in 2017 helped transform the building into a vibrant creative hub. It’s been incredible to see the space evolve into a thriving centre for the arts, with so many talented people coming together to create and share their work. And now, with amazing food courtesy of the Arts Bar, there’s truly something for everyone here, from aged 2 to 99!

This week’s Culture Radar guest is the Executive Director, Collective Encounters, Tessa Buddle.

Loved: I’ve been on maternity leave for the best part of a year so I’ve been loving our region’s family friendly cultural offer. Favourites have been Sling and Swing It (a baby-wearing dance class) run by Travelled Companions at 24 Hope Street, the brilliant Africa Oyé, the seasonal rituals at Squash Liverpool, and Collective Encounters’ sound journey ‘Voices on the Streets’ – a great way to connect with the city while on a pram walk!

Looking forward to: I can’t wait to get out and see some theatre. For starters, the new season at Unity is looking really good and I’m eagerly awaiting the DaDaFest programme.

Trivia: Did you know Collective Encounters is 21 this year? We’ve got some exciting plans to mark the occasion including the launch of a new digital archive documenting two decades of theatre for social change in the Liverpool City Region.

This week’s Culture Radar guest is the Founder of Live Wire Dance Studio and teacher, choreographer and director at Mersey Swing CIC, Helen Maguire.

Loved: I’m really enjoying Sole Rebel’s monthly Tap Jams at the Caledonia. It’s a brilliant mix of dance and live jazz music and it brings together dancers from several different scenes in Liverpool. The return of Leap Festival last year was definitely a highlight. It was amazing to see so many people from different dance styles and backgrounds coming together and sharing one stage. Luma Creations Latin Festival at Future Yard in the summer was fantastic. Music and dancing in the sun is always a treat.

Looking forward to: I can’t wait to see Chuck Ragan (Hot Water Music) at District in April. Snailmania at Future Yard is always a lot of fun (live music in a wrestling ring!) and I’m looking forward to getting involved in Leap Festival again this year. I’m really excited to see Ma Bessie at Lindy in the Sky this month (shameless self plug). I’ve wanted to bring her show honouring Bessie Smith back to Liverpool for years so that’s going to be brilliant.

Trivia: Along with dancing, I also train and coach Muay Thai at the MMA academy and my dance studio Live Wire is named after an AC/DC song!

This week’s Culture Radar guest is Pravinder Singh, Head of Programmes & Planning for Milap.

Loved: Shez Raja at Future Yard. A fantastic gig and great to present him on his home turf! Secondly, River of Light. Another wonderful event by Culture Liverpool and for Milap to work with Murugiah for his installation of ‘Rangoli Mirrored Cosmos’ and for all to celebrate Diwali.

Looking forward to: On 16 March, Milap present the internationally renowned, multi-Grammy award winning artist, Rakesh Chaurasia, at the wonderful Tung Auditorium. To me, he is the world’s best flautist, so don’t miss this concert!

I’m also looking forward to Liverpool International Jazz Festival in February and the Darius Brubeck Quartet opening the festival. Milap and LIJF also come together again to present Rekesh Chauhan and Kousic Sen on 22 February.

Trivia: I had graduated from University of Liverpool with a Law degree, when Milap plucked at my heart strings. Nearly 20 years later, I’m still going strong to make Indian Arts accessible to all, in Milap’s 40th Anniversary year! My sisters also happen to be the amazing local and internationally renowned artists, The Singh Twins!!

 

This week’s Culture Radar guest is Project Coordinator at Writing on the Wall, Lyn Papadopoulos.

Loved: I loved Proximity – selected works by Stephen McCoy at the Open Eye Gallery.  Gorgeous photos, a lot of which reminded me of growing up in Liverpool.

Looking forward to: The Legend of Rooney’s Ring. Written by Helen Serafinowicz and Directed by Stephen Fletcher at The Royal Court in July 2025. This is definitely going to be one to watch.

Trivia: I’ve been storylining and scriptwriting on soaps for over 20 years. Before that I worked on the 1999 Channel 4 film ‘Dockers’ that Writing on the Wall was born out of. Next year I’m excited for our 25th anniversary annual literature festival WoWFest, which will celebrate writing in all its forms.

This week’s Culture Radar guest is Mary Pearson, one of the members of the dance collective at 24 Hope Street studio.

Loved: Over at 24 Hope Street, there’s a great night happening called ‘A Life (drawing class) Less Ordinary’ which is a creative art class using contemporary dance as primary inspiration. Participants observe timed dances from contemporary dancers, and are invited to use their medium of choice to create an artistic piece. It’s an exciting new collaboration between tattooer and poet Plazzybag from Fool’s Gold Tattoo, Garston and Taciturn dance.

I’ve super enjoyed seeing new solo shows emerging from great women: Rowena Gander’s ‘Woman | Women’, Dora Colquhoun’s ‘The Lodger’, and Aline Costa’s ‘In Bloom’. I especially love being involved in the process, and seeing new work develop from early stages to a strong finish.

Looking forward to: I adore ‘Strike A Pose’ cabaret / party nights, hosted by the fabulous Mooncup Theatre, which raise awareness and funds for striking workers. Great to see who’s making new work in Scratch nights at the Unity. I always want to see what EAT ME and Frightwig Theatre are up to. Also, looking forward to Teatro Pomodoro’s Christmas show, Star of Wonder.

Trivia: One new area of my work that I’m passionate about is what I’m calling ‘Somatic Dramaturgy’. This brings together my experience as an outside eye and maker with Somatic Experiencing®, to create a framework of trauma-informed support for artists creating work from difficult lived experience. I love working with people who have decided that care is a priority!