Interest area: culture

Swing Sister Swing

A joyous blend of laughter, Lindy hop dance and storytelling that will lift the spirits of anyone who watches it.

Swing Sister Swing takes the audience on a journey behind the glitz and glamor of the classic all-female chorus line. The dancing and music is vintage, but this show is no nostalgic throwback.

The stories told are those of modern women navigating the challenges of modern life, whilst finding escapism in the infectious rhythm, expression and improvisation of African American Vernacular Jazz Dance and Music. This show unites audiences, it is a joyous blend of laughter, dance and storytelling that will lift the spirits of anyone who watches it.

There is an additional matinee show 2pm, 11 June.

YEP: Tap Tap

YEP are back on the Playhouse main stage with Tap Tap.

With the world gearing up to enter the metaverse, YEP looks at the world dominated by smart tech, blogs, instant messaging & video sharing, apps, social media, fake news, filters, snaps, raps and taps.

The constant navigating our online persona versus that of the real world and the cataclysmic effects of influencing a tipping of the globe, even by just one percent…

Funeral Flowers

Emma Dennis-Edward‘s multi award-winning play tells the story seventeen-year-old Angelique, who’s forced to navigate the care system after her mum’s imprisonment.

Part poetry, part play, Funeral Flowers is a “funny, fearless and heart-breaking” (Lyn Gardner) show about a young woman who dreams of being a florist.

Inspired by the remarkable story of Tottenham community leader and businesswoman Gina Moffatt, who created her own floristry business whilst incarcerated at HMP Holloway.

Winner of the Filipa Bragança for Best Solo Performance 2018. Winner of a Scotsman Fringe First Award 2018.

Horti-Culture Sharing Sessions with Ar...

Join in for some 15- minute taster workshops sampling the creative arts sessions that ArtsGroupie are running as part of the Horti-Culture programme at Incredible Edible Knowsley.

The programme is aimed at children and families. The weekly classes follow Inspector Hogarth and Constable Sprout as they investigate how things grow in your garden/greenspace. (Horti)

They are on the look out for all growing activities conducting their research and solving cases at Horti-Culture HQ at Court Hey Park, with their friends from Incredible Edible Knowsley and Artsgroupie. Through workshops families can come and help our heroes as they experiment with growing from seed to fully-grown plant.

They then run creative writing workshops and arts activities (culture) to help collate the findings in a journal or sketchbook. To see how the environment can also inspire and let your creativity grow too.

At Court Hey they run varied drama workshops and have just completed a course in image work with 7 -11 year olds .

ArtsGroupie has used shadow puppetry throughout our theatre work to date, to express everything from a storm at sea to a fairy tale in Medieval Europe. The project involved introducing children to this captivating and imaginative form of expression.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP8Tadwf1-k

 

Liver Bird Safari with ArtsGroupie

An alternative way to discover the history of Liverpool.

Liverpool is famous for the birds on the magnificent Liver Building, the first ever Skyscraper in the UK. But there are in fact over 100 Liver Birds in the City.

Join in for a lively, fun WALKING TOUR safari around the waterfront, starting at Open Eye Gallery, as they go Liver Bird-spotting and learn about the history of Liverpool along the way.

The tour promotes healthy living, mindfulness and getting to know your city, physically demonstrating Arts Groupie’s approach to creating theatre which has a low environmental impact, utilises local green space and promotes locality.

They piloted  the walk tours as a new business model over the last year, running heritage walking tours in Liverpool City Centre. They use this as a way of creating income generation to fund our community theatre outreach projects. Last year we used profit from their walking tours to stage an interactive outdoor play called The Liver Bird,

ArtsGroupie’s first production out of lockdown was the outdoor theatre interactive extravaganza, The Liver Bird, a collaboration with the marvellous The Bookworm Players. It was funded by Arts Council England and profits made from the walking tours.

It opened in Incredible Edible, Court Hey Park in the Summer of 2021 and was the first theatrical play to visit Walton Hall Park in over forty years. The piece was performed throughout the Liverpool City Region, including Norris Green Park, Springfield Park and Devonfield Gardens.

The Bird even flew indoors to land on stage at Liverpool Central Library as part of the Liverpool Year of Writing, Writers Bootcamp and Marketplace that saw 922 creatives and the public come together for a celebration of workshops and literary activities.

The piece was filmed by the amazing team at VideOdyssey  and screened over the Holiday period. It is suitable for all the family and all ages. The play will return this summer.

Their walking tours offer an alternative way to learn the history of Liverpool, The Liver Bird Safari, touring the many, many Liver Birds in the City Centre,the Kitty Wilkinson and William Roscoe Walking tours, which transport people back to Victorian Liverpool through the eyes of the iconic historical characters.

Gary Barlow: A Different Stage

Acclaimed singer, songwriter, composer and producer, Gary Barlow will be live at the Playhouse with A Different Stage, his theatrical one-man stage show telling his story, in his words.

Created by Gary and his long-time friend and collaborator Tim Firth, A Different Stage sees Gary narrate the journey of his life alongside the music from his incredible discography.

In a project unlike anything he’s ever done before, Gary will take the audience behind the curtain, with nothing off limits in this special performance.

POP26: A Climate Carnival

POP26: A Climate Carnival at Future Yard on Thursday 3rd March, a day of debate, live performances, celebration and dialogue on how the DIY music sector is responding to the climate emergency.

Shift will be represented in the day, hosting one of the panel discussions, talking about the network and recruiting more organisations to joining them.

This is a great opportunity for us as a network to represent ourselves, to meet in person and speak to other businesses. As part of their panel they would love to showcase some examples of the sustainable work you’re doing around energy, food and transport. If you have any case studies, and you’d be happy for them to share please fill in this short form.

POP26 is part of The Good Business Festival’s ‘Going Zero Carbon with Wirral’, a 2-day event starting on Wednesday 2nd March at Start-Yard, Convenience Gallery and Bloom Building, and concluding at Make Hamilton Square and Future Yard the following day. Future Yard will be launching their Sustainability Roadmap, a plan to limit their environment impact and ultimately become the UK’s first carbon-neutral grassroots music venue.

Tickets for POP26 are free and available now – register here. Separate tickets are available for the daytime (2pm – 7pm) and evening (7pm – 11pm) activity.

The Meaning of Zong

Weaving together the many lives affected by these events across the globe, Giles Terera’s boldly inventive debut play The Meaning of Zong is a timely response to the social upheaval the world has witnessed in recent years.

Performed by an ensemble cast and punctuated with stirring music, it celebrates the power of individual action to drive huge societal change.

Two hundred years ago, Olaudah Equiano changed the world. Reading reports of a massacre aboard the slave ship Zong, where 132 enslaved Africans were thrown overboard, he joins forces with anti-slavery campaigner Granville Sharp to publicly condemn these abhorrent actions, setting in motion events which would go on to galvanise the abolition movement in the UK.

But Olaudah’s impassioned fight for justice goes beyond the courtroom. Having bought his own freedom, he now faces a personal battle to rediscover his past and accept his true self.

Proud Daddy

It takes a second to become a father, it takes a lifetime to become a Dad.

Lifelong friends share their experiences and struggles in becoming and being fathers. After a surprise camping trip of a lifetime there are high emotions delivered with tongue and cheek, that will leave you windswept. Dealing with sensitive subject matters such as IVF, adoption, love and loss.

This unique story of a group of Black Fathers on a journey of self-discovery, celebrates culture, fatherhood and friendship.

The event is held in the Playhouse Studio.

Stargazing

Join the team for a special night of space exploration. Aimed at adults and older children, the event will be packed with guest lectures, special planetarium shows, practical demonstrations and even telescope stations to view the night sky!

See their new Planetarium in action, with new extra shows and take part in a quiz with Amelia Piper via zoom.

Suitable for all levels of interest, these events are aimed at adults and children aged 8 and above, although there will be some activities for younger siblings as well. You can join at any time in the evening as long as you have your ticket.

Speakers

Dr Jackie Bell
Jackie Bell  a Physicist from Imperial College, London, will tell us about the James Webb Space telescope and the results that we expect from it over the next 10 years. She’s also a motivational speaker, inspiring girls in science.