Event type: Theatre

The Ballad of the Underwater Daughter

Somewhere out there, in the murky no-man’s-land between reality and “are you pulling my leg?” there’s a mechanical island inhabited entirely by dads. Bodged together out of mangled metal and broken dreams, dad island is a flawed coping mechanism that barely manages to hold itself together.

Then one stormy night, a tiny barnacle encrusted bottle floats into the harbour with a crumpled note inside which reads, “remember me?”

The Ballad of the Underwater Daughter is a strange sort of odyssey. A woozy universe of messy minds and monstrously

fishy metaphors. Overloaded with puppets, props and machines, it is unquestionably the latest production from Leeds’ own theOBJECTproject (the company that may or may not have traumatised you with PIXIEMATOSIS).

The show is suitable for adults and people aged 14+. It contains very strong language and exploding dads.

The show will feature an additional 30 mins post show exhibition where they encourage the audience to come onstage and interact with the puppets and automata.

Credits:

Written, designed and constructed by Mr Marc Parrett.
Additional material created by Tash Hudson and Frances Merriman.
Tour produced by Ione Vaughan.

It Didn’t Start In ’81

Raw and hard-hitting, verbatim drama that started as a Wirral school project to explore attitudes to race and prejudice in the local community.

Following an intensive process of interviews and workshops, ‘It didn’t start in ‘81’, uses the words of members of Liverpool 8 community as they share their memories of the uprising in 1981. Supported by video footage and music, it challenges the audience to consider, what is it that makes someone who is normally passive and law-abiding turn to violence?

Performed by young people from West Kirby Grammar School, as they present voices that may have gone unheard.

Videotherapy – Work in progress

This perfomance is a work in progress

Izzy Roberts had many ideas of where and who she would be when she turned 30: Cocktails in New York, married to a man she actually likes with a house and maybe an Italian greyhound called dolce. 

But instead she’s unemployed, single and living in her mums spare room. 

Ditching the rose for the self help books Izzy goes on a journey which is both heartbreaking and hilarious to figure out who she is now in this next chapter of her life….. and her mum is also coming along for the ride. 

THE BAND

Sandy & Bruno met in the Seventies.

She was fame hungry, he was doomed to follow her. As one hit wonders, this is a story of their big come-back. With Sandy’s determination and Bruno’s blissful devotion to her, they are here; not by popular demand, but by sheer defiance.

With striking aesthetics and a rousing soundtrack, THE BAND is a quirky, humorous display of desperate ambition and blind affection told through awe-inspiring dance, theatre and circus.

Recommended Age 8+

There is a booking fee £1 per ticket online/phone.

Reviews

“Hard to bracket, and easy to love.” – The Circus Diaries

“Theatrical close-up magic.” – British Theatre Guide

“Stunning movement and aerial acrobatics.” – Everything Theatre

“A multi-faceted, multi-sensory, multi-disciplinary melange of magic.” – Greenwich Visitor

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“Absolutely wonderful!!! Incredible skill!” – Audience member

Uprooted

Ibrahim and his family flee a war-torn Syria, and escape to Lebanon and then to Egypt, before they eventually settle in Turkey. Uprooted is a story of the devastating effects of war, solidarity within a family, and themes of loss and longing.

This play, which was showcased at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024, explores hope, adaptation, and resilience in the face of extreme hardship, and the will to live and go on fueled by familial love.

“I felt a little relieved when I got out of the house. I put one of the cookies in my mouth. All of sudden, a loud noise occurred. I remember everything suddenly lighting up and feeling great pain. And a ringing… I don’t remember much else about that moment. All I remember is the taste of the cookie. Our house was hit by a rocket launcher. That was the last moment I saw my father, us looking at each other from afar. There was an invisible border between us.”

Lights Up On Liverpool: Walking Tours

To mark ArtsGroupie’s exciting new exhibition #LightsUpOnLiverpool, Theatre History at – The Hornby Library Liverpool Central Library Nov 2024 till Feb 2025, they have 4 x FREE Theatre History Walking Tours available.

Join 18th Century thespians Bartholomew Garrik and Francoise Kemble as they take you on a journey celebrating Liverpool’s theatrical heritage, visiting the former sites of playing houses and contemporary theatres, finishing at the magnificent Liverpool Theatre History exhibition in The Hornby Library, Liverpool Central Library and Archives.

Sat 9 Nov – 11am & 2pm from unity theatre to The Hornby Library (2 hours duration).
Info here

Sat 30th Nov – 11am & 2pm starting outside Central Library and finishing at The Hornby Library (2 hours duration)

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Limited Spaces available – BOOK now artgroupie@outlook.com
Kindly supported by Arts Council England

Count Arthur Strong is Charles Dickens...

Arthur delivers the Charles Dickens story and follows this with his own adaptation of the most classic of festive tales, A Christmas Carol.

Due to public pressure, Count Arthur Strong extends his fond farewell to you, for a ‘once in a lifetime’ limited run. As he takes on, one of the literary greats, the famous Charles Dickens, and then goes on to present his one-man interpretation of A Christmas Carol. ‘If you miss it, you weren’t there!’

Cluedo 2

Following the huge success of the smash hit original play, Cluedo is back with a brand new hilarious whodunit – CLUEDO 2 at the Floral Pavilion, New Brighton this November.

The Next Chapter! Set in the swinging 1960s, we meet a host new suspects, a new house, and lot of new bodies, in this all new tale of murder, mystery and secret passageways.

The brilliant cast includes award winning actress and star of Coronation Street and Strictly Come Dancing champion, Ellie Leach, playing Miss Scarlett.

If you’re a fan of the much loved board game – you’re gonna enjoy this! If you enjoyed the hysterical first play – you’re gonna love this one! And if you missed the first play it doesn’t matter – this is a brand new story – so come and have some fun – you’ll love it too!

Rock n roll legend Rick Black has not had a hit for years and he’s broke. But as he settles into his brand new, expensive home, Graveny Manor, Rick is desperate to revive his fading career and reclaim his fame and fortune…. and is prepared to do anything to get it back.

Excited to reveal his long-awaited comeback album, Rick has assembled his supermodel wife, The Honourable Emerald Peacock; his manager, Colonel Eugene Mustard, long-time roadie “Professor” Alex Plum, Annabel Scarlett his trusted interior designer and housekeeper Mrs White, who came with house and who knows all its secrets.

But there is still someone missing… Rick’s former song-writing partner “The Reverend” Hal Green, disappeared mysteriously at the same time that Rick’s career went downhill and without him, has Rick still got it?

And where did that butler come from?

As the bodies pile up, our infamous colourful characters uncover each other’s mysteries and secrets, as they dart from room to room trying to escape the killer and survive the night.

With an all-new story, written by BAFTA Award winners Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, (Birds of A Feather, Dreamboats and Petticoats) and directed by Mark Bell – director of the original hit UK production of Cluedo and the global phenomenon, The Play That Goes Wrong, Cluedo 2 – The Next Chapter, is a rollocking spoof of a comedy that will keep you guessing right up to the final twist and invites budding detectives of all ages, from 8 to 80 and beyond, to watch for the clues and unravel the secrets, as we all try to work out whodunnit…. with what… and where!!

Cluedo 2 is at the Floral Pavilion from Tuesday 12 November – Saturday 16 November, performances starting at 2:30pm and  7.30pm.

Tickets can be purchased at Cluedo 2 – Floral Pavilion

The Hammer and Helena

The true story of the most evil book ever written and its horrifying legacy.

Innsbruck, 1485.

Helena Scheuberin finds herself the unwitting muse of a religious zealot – the self-proclaimed Hammer of Witches. Her witch trial would raise the ire of the Hammer, its outcome dooming women for centuries after. Now, Helena confronts her accuser one final time with her soul on the line.

Written and directed by David Griffiths, creator of ArtsGroupie CIC’s chilling adaption of The Signalman and starring Samantha Alton (‘Kitty Queen of the Washhouse’) as Helena.

At The Unity, Liverpool – Saturday 16th November.

Tickets & further information Here

The Merchant of Venice 1936

Ambition, power and political unrest explode onto the stage in The Merchant of Venice 1936, direct from selling out the RSC and London’s West End.

Starring Tracy-Ann Oberman (EastEnders, Doctor Who) as Shylock, Shakespeare’s classic is transported to 1930s Britain in this “striking and impactful” (Guardian) new production that “makes theatre history” (The Telegraph). It is adapted by Brigid Larmour and Tracy-Ann Oberman.

Tensions in London’s East End are rising and Shylock, a resilient single mother and hard-working businesswoman, is desperate to protect her daughter’s future. When the charismatic merchant Antonio comes to her for a loan, a high-stakes deal is struck. Will Shylock take her revenge, and who will pay the ultimate price?

Don’t miss this unforgettable, electrifying new production of The Merchant of Venice, a “fascinating and timely” (Daily Mail) reminder of a key moment in British history.