Event type: Performance

Scratch by MDI Artist Collective

A hybrid collaboration of dance and the digital world; including motion picture, projection, manipulation of sound through movement, explorative storytelling and much more.

What is a Scratch NIght?

A scratch night is a sharing platform designed to give artists the opportunity to share their work which is in the very early stages of development with a live audience.

For Artists, this is a unique opportunity to receive immediate feedback and make appropriate changes or developments to their work for the future.

For audience members,  attending a scratch performance provides the opportunity to contribute to the development of a new piece whilst supporting new artists & their emerging work.

Arabic Opera Performance: As If No Mis...

Larissa Sansour and Søren Lind present a live performance of their new Arabic-language opera, As If No Misfortune Had Occurred in the Night.

Performed for an audience for the first time by Palestinian soprano Nour Darwish, you are invited to immerse yourself in an unforgettable operatic experience at the brand new state-of-the-art Tung Auditorium at the University of Liverpool’s Yoko Ono Lennon Centre.

Nour Darwish will sing live on stage against the backdrop of Larissa and Søren’s film which has been specially recomposed for this unique event.

The performance will be followed by a Q&A with the artists, hosted by Dr Nicola Triscott, Chief Executive/Director at FACT Liverpool. This special event is presented by FACT Liverpool and supported by Liverpool Arab Arts Festival.

An evening with Maytree Poets

A special poetry reading with Seán Street and Pauline Rowe at Open Eye Gallery.

Seán  Street started his working life as an actor with Birmingham Repertory Theatre before moving into radio. He is a widely published poet, radio practitioner, teacher, and a writer of many prose works that explore the philosophical nature of sound.

He is also Emeritus Professor at Bournemouth University where he gained his PhD in 2003. He has published four poetry pamphlets and nine poetry collections. His most recent collections, Camera Obscura (Rockingham Press, May 2016) and his anthology Radio Waves (Enitharmon, 2004) examines his
preoccupation with time, space and communication.

Pauline Rowe has two recent pamphlets with Maytree Press: The Ghost Hospital (2019) was shortlisted for a Saboteur Award and The Weight of Snow (2021) won the 2021 Saboteur Award for best poetry pamphlet. Pauline has a PhD from Liverpool University.

She was the first poet-in-residence with Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust (2013 – 2020), and first writer-in-residence at Open Eye Gallery (2016 –19). She also founded and worked as project lead for the charity North End Writers (2006 – 2020).

Maytree Press was founded in November 2018 by artist and writer David Coldwell with his wife, Amanda. It is based in Huddersfield, publishes poetry and works with a range of artists to ensure their pamphlets are beautifully produced and presented.

All The Joy That You Can Wish

All the Joy That You Can Wish will be a glorious ceremony of ‘local heroes’ including the builders who helped construct the venue, and Prescot Cables FC players, who will gather outside the theatre for a ceremony to celebrate the opening, as well as the heritage and community of Prescot.

Co-created with outdoor performance adventure specialists Slung Low, the ceremony will culminate at the new Prospero Place outside Shakespeare North Playhouse, with the audience invited to join in a theatrical opening ceremony to ‘summon the muses’

Photo Credit: Austin Smith Lord

Peña with Flamenco Dancer Andrés Pe...

Andrés Peña – flamenco dancer, musician and choreographer – brings strength, beauty, energy and elegance to his highly personal show, showcasing the very best of flamenco tradition.

Andrés, an accomplished and respected flamenco artist from Jerez, is performing in Liverpool for one night only in the intimate venue of the Capstone Theatre, well-known for its support of world music events of the highest quality.

Andrés is an artist and dancer ‘who never disappoints’ (deFlamenco.com), with his mastery of improvisation, instinctive rhythm and connection with his musicians, transmitting wave upon wave of emotion as he lifts the audience to the heights of this incredible art form. Often serious, intense and focused, his exceptional interpretation of flamenco songs develops into virtuosic rhythm and exuberant celebration of the music that he loves.

Andrés is accompanied by highly acclaimed musicians, Miguel Rosendo, cantaor (flamenco singer) from Cadiz and Miguel Perez, guitarist from Seville.  All three have grown up with flamenco, their deep love of this music developing into highly successful careers as performers and teachers.  As a team they have enjoyed presenting shows together for many years, in between international festivals, tours and engagements as guest artists.

Presented by www.espirituflamenco.com and supported by Instituto Cervantes

Courtyard Poetry

Bluecoat will be hosting live poetry, spoken word and music in the Bluecoat’s garden.

The event will feature a variety of Liverpool-based poets and performances from their Colonial Legacies young events coordinators.

This will form part of the Bluecoat’s contribution to the Liverpool Against Racism festival.

Vincent Hantam and The Black British B...

Liverpool’s Capstone Theatre will be hosting a very special evening celebrating the work of Vincent Hantam and the Black British Ballet project this April.

Vincent will perform a moving spiritual dance Steal Away and Pray, choreographed by Jim Hastie of Margaret Morris Movement. He will then speak about his life and career in dance that has spanned 50 years in a conversation with Dr Sandie Bourne from the Black British Ballet project. Attendees will also have the chance to ask Vincent their own questions.

During the evening, the audience will also get to see an exclusive excerpt from the upcoming project documentary which aims to document and celebrate the achievements of Black British Ballet professionals from the past century.

Spoken Word 14

Spoken Word events encompass a huge variety of writing and performance styles, from the intimately personal and heart-breaking to the uproariously funny and celebratory.

Poetry in all its forms will be the main feature, along with memoirs, stories, monologues and any number of almost-indefinable types of prose.

Head along, grab yourself a free slice of pizza and enjoy some of the best poetry and spoken word artists from around the North West.

They recommend this event for adults 18+. Doors 7pm. The Mansion House is wheelchair accessible, for access enquiries please contact us at tickets@thereader.org.uk.

Freestylers: Everybody With Me, Always

An inclusive dance performance by the Freestylers is coming to Liverpool’s Bluecoat for two dates this Spring.

The Freestylers are a fantastic group of artists with and without disability and will be performing their Unlimited x CONTINUOUS commission, Everybody With Me, Always at Bluecoat, Liverpool on Saturday 30 April and Sunday 1 May, 2022, 2pm-4:30pm.

In this relaxed show using film, dance and activities, Freestylers (alongside local performers) share films and activities for everybody. They believe that everyone in their group is powerful, so they are passionate about finding ways to break down conventional power structures and share ownership of their work.

They want to celebrate individuals but challenge individualism in the arts. Freestylers provide a space where people can be seen if they choose to be, and become a part of a wider cultural conversation about race, class, identity, and gender which is shaping the future.

Everybody With Me, Always is an informal, friendly and intimate performance that involves MC’ing, group performance, and audience participation. The audience will often be invited up to join the Freestylers on the dance floor, and they will be guided in the different orientations in which they can watch or participate.

The Freestylers use performance and film in their workshops to look for new and inclusive ways to communicate. Working in gallery spaces in the context of performance art, Freestylers want their spaces to feel relaxed and intimate. They want their audiences to be able to come and go, shout and make noise, and to join them when they want to.

They are prioritising a disabled and neurodiverse audience for these shows, so any local groups or individuals this may describe can also be put on the guest list. Access support available for them too, please contact info@continuousdance.com

Commissioned by CONTINUOUS and Unlimited. Supported using funding from the John Ellerman Foundation.

Joint Morris Organisation National Day...

The Joint Morris Organisation invites you to enjoy a day of performance around Liverpool City Centre in celebration of the National Day of Dance.

Sides will perform at intervals throughout the day at the World Museum entrance.

The event is free and held 2 April, 10am-5pm.