MONDAY 12 APRIL 2021 THISWEEKCULTURE.COM
ADAM WELSH: NO FUTURE
Coming up this week via Camden People's Theatre is the streaming of 'No Future' by Adam Walsh, a recipient of the venue's Outside The Box commission, which has supported artists to develop larger scale projects to explore what 'live performance' can mean during pandemic conditions and the closure of theatres.

It's a really intriguing sounding project, and I really wanted to know more. I spoke to Adam, to find out about the play and its development, as well as his plans for the future.

CLICK HERE to read this Caro Meets interview.

'No Future' will be streamed as part of Camden People's Theatre's Outside The Box programme from 13 - 17 Apr. For more information and to book, see the venue website here.
With most COVID restrictions still in place, this week we are tipping the best in digital culture from across the UK - including online shows from performers and companies we first discovered at the Edinburgh Festival.


THREE THEATRICAL THINGS>>

The Motherhood Project | Battersea Arts Centre | from 19 Apr (pictured)
An online collection, curated by Katherine Kotz, of fifteen short films featuring dramatic monologues and real life reflections from a range of artists and thinkers, including Anya Reiss, Hannah Khalil, Lemn Sissay and Morgan Lloyd Malcolm. The pieces "explore  the guilt,  joy, absurdity, pressure and taboo surrounding motherhood, offering a fascinating cross-section of perspective", and are the result of Kotz's invitation to creators and technicians to join forces on new work during lockdown, with the aim of supporting women and children vulnerable during the pandemic. More info here.

Talking Tales | Jacksons Lane | 15 Apr
"Older people in communities across the country have been isolated for over a year now and, due to many of them being digitally excluded, they've lacked any form of creative engagement. We wanted to address this imbalance with our 'Talking Tales' project. Four of our most vulnerable beneficiaries were paired with a professional artist who, through phone calls, have created an original piece of art using their rich memories and imagination". The resulting works are by Amy Acre, Crystal Bollix, Amy Beth Evans and Esohe Uwadiae, and look rather promising. See this page here for more.

Lesbian Space Crime | Omnibus Theatre | 19 Apr
Coming to you via the Omnibus Theatre, this comedy from Airlock Theatre was shortlisted for New Diorama's UNTAPPED Award in 2020. "In August 2019, NASA astronaut Anne McClain was accused of accessing her estranged wife's bank account while aboard the International Space Station. Now everyone knows that she is a massive lesbian. This is the dawn of space crime and a new era for queer representation. Is she truly a criminal... or a hero? Thankfully, she's not from one of 73 Earth-countries where she would be a criminal for being gay at all". More here.


THREE MUSICAL THINGS>>

A Killer Party | stream.theatre | 19 Apr-16 May
This sounds fun, a comical new musical, written and developed during the pandemic in response to the closure of theatres, which was filmed by the performers in their own homes, and which will be available to watch in nine bite-sized episodes. "When Varthur McArthur (yes, that's his real name), failed West End actor and current artistic director of Blackpool's smallest regional theatre, calls a read-through for his latest murder mystery play, the cast of local actors arrive at the party with anything but theatre on their minds. But when Varthur ends up face down in his soup (a gluten-free cheese bisque, thanks for asking), it's up to Traffic-Police-Officer-turned-Detective Justine Case to piece together what happened. If only the ensemble of suspects would stop singing..." Book here.

Cells | Metta Theatre | from 19 Apr (pictured)
"A university science lab. A kebab shop at 2am. An online gaming forum. Two strangers' lives become unexpectedly intertwined. Alan Bennett meets The Streets in this tender and uplifting new musical film, giving voice to the lives of two everyday blokes in search of connection..." A musical film, like the previous entry, entirely written and developed in lockdown, and also to be delivered in instalments, in this case released on a daily basis until the full production becomes available on 26 Apr. It will be hosted by three regional venues - Royal & Derngate Northampton, Queen's Theatre Hornchurch and the Stephen Joseph Theatre - and stars Oliver Award winner Clive Rowe and up-and-comer Lem Knights. Read more about it here.

Distance Remaining | Helen Milne Productions | 14 April-9 May
Okay, this one isn't strictly a musical, but it is - in fact - musical, in the sense that it has an original electronic score by Louise McCraw. It's a "blend of film and theatre", a collection of three stories focusing on three characters, performed by Karen Dubar, Reuben Joseph and Dolina MacLennan, who in pandemic times find themselves on quests to reconnect with the people in their lives. "Three lost souls make a break for freedom, embarking on journeys of discovery. But it's April 2020 and no journey is as simple as A to B - even to the front door". For more information and to book see this page here.


THREE COMEDY THINGS>>

Working From Home | Just The Tonic Comedy Club | 17 Apr (pictured)
Hurrah, it's comedy time. As ever, I am feeling in the need of a good laugh, and - as always - I am projecting those feelings on to you, the reader. Just go with me, though, as we do have some very good comedy nights for you to check out. We're starting with Just The Tonic's 'Working From Home', and this instalment has a typically fab line up full of TW favourites: Larry Dean, Sindhu Vee, Dan Nightingale, Rich Wilson, Darrell Martin and Marcel Lucont, plus regulars like Mick Ferry and Tom Binns. And more, I have lost track, now, of who I've mentioned and who I haven't, go to this page here to get a clear idea of what to expect, and to book in.

The Virt Locker | NextUp Comedy | 15 Apr
As you may be aware, because you've already 'been' to one, or because you've read about it in this esteemed publication, 'The Virt Locker' is NextUp Comedy's weekly live comedy night. So, while I'm mentioning it this week because the line up jumped out at me quite a lot, there's also many great acts to look forward to in the coming weeks. But on 15 Apr, ie this Thursday, there's Michelle de Swarte, comedy double act Shelf, Lost Voice Guy, Christopher McArthur Boyd and MC Josh Jones. You can buy tickets to see these individual shows, or join NextUp for access to the weekly shows as well as the platform's large catalogue of on-demand comedy videos. See this page here for the former and this page here for the latter.

Comedy For The Curious | 17+18 Apr
I know I mention 'Comedy For The Curious' a lot, and I know I mention that I mention 'Comedy For The Curious' a lot a lot. But there are a number of really good reasons to mention it again. Firstly, because it's on twice this week; secondly, it's a great format that incorporates interesting scientific themes; thirdly because the first show, on 17 Apr, features Nathan Caton and Cally Beaton and focuses on personality; fourthly because the second show on 18 Apr, with Michael Odewale and Paul 'Silky' White, is about imposter syndrome, something I am always interested in; and fifthly, host Robyn Perkins is ace. Click this link for 17 Apr, when it's on as part of the online Cambridge Science Festival, and this link for 18 Apr.


THREE MORE INTERESTING EVENTS>>


The Elephant In The Room | Beyond Face | 17-24 Apr (pictured)
"How many times have we been here before? We go around in circles. We think we have gotten so far and then we look back and realise that we are back to where we started. We are back round again. So when you see me, what do you see?" This 45 minute film of dance and spoken word is set in contemporary times and explores the impact of colonial history as part of the Mayflower 400 programme, focusing on those who are still feeling the effects of imperialism: "these characters are met with denial, reluctance, avoidance, ignorance and ultimately silence, as they figure out how to be seen and heard in a system that was never built for them". See this page here for info and to book tickets.

The Disappearing Of Vincent Gambini | Camden People's Theatre | 14-18 Apr
I'm feeling rather intrigued by this piece about the process of magic and the search for human contact from Augusto Corrieri and Hugo Glendinning: "What happens when the line between reality and fiction vanishes into thin air? In Spring 2020 Vincent Gambini began touring his show about a magician in crisis over the state of the world. 'What is the point of magic...?' asked the exasperated Gambini, dropping his props and collapsing on the stage floor, '...when everything is falling apart? This is the last show I do. I quit!' Gambini couldn't have predicted that his tour would actually be cancelled, due to the COVID-19 pandemic". It has a premiere and post-show Q&A on 14 Apr, but you can continue to view on-demand until 18 Apr, see this page here.

Bellingcat - The Citizen Intelligence Agency | Conway Hall | 19 Apr
Another very interesting subject matter being talked about via Conway Hall this week: "Bellingcat, the home-grown investigative unit, is redefining the way we think about news, politics and the digital future. Here, their founder - a high-school dropout on a kitchen laptop - tells the story of how they created a whole new category of information-gathering, galvanising citizen journalists across the globe to expose war crimes and pick apart disinformation, using just their computers. From the downing of Malaysia Flight 17 over the Ukraine to the sourcing of weapons in the Syrian Civil War and the identification of the Salisbury poisoners, in his book 'We Are Bellingcat', Eliot Higgins digs deep into some of Bellingcat's most successful investigations". See the venue website right here.
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