MONDAY 27 FEBRUARY 2023 THISWEEKCULTURE.COM
GAYNOR O’FLYNN: TIME
As you know, we are very enthusiastic about Vault Festival, so we are always interested in talking to people involved in the work being staged at it. When I heard about Gaynor O'Flynn's intriguing show 'TIME', I knew it was something I'd like to find out more about.

The play - which incorporates digital and performance artwork - explores the inescapable passing of the years, telling the story of a middle-aged woman who feels unheard, and highlighting the way society assumes that women have an expiry date - that their worth, their capacity for meaningful contributions, decreases once they reach a certain age.

I spoke to Gaynor to find out more.

CLICK HERE to read this Caro Meets interview.

'TIME' is on at Vault Festival from 7-12 Mar. See the festival website here for more information and to book tickets.
Shows to see in the week ahead - including performances from people and companies we first discovered at the Edinburgh Festival.


VAULT FESTIVAL>>

Pauline | Vault Festival | 28 Feb-5 Mar
Every week over the last month we've been celebrating the magnificent Vault Festival and - while I don't have many words available to cover this sad news - I have to mention here that the festival is under threat, with no home for next year's edition. Head this way to find out more and see how you can help. And now back to the 2023 festival and this week's first recommendation: the excellent 'Pauline', a poignant yet funny show that caught our attention at the 2022 edfringe. Click here.

Batman (AKA Naomi's Death Show) | Vault Festival | 4-5 Mar
"A girl walks down a blossom-lined street, a knife clutched in her pocket. She's on her way to confront the man she believes killed her mother". Another very promising production, this time an interactive storytelling piece in which the audience chooses the direction of the show - will they choose vengeance or mercy? An exploration of the creator's own experiences of bereavement, this piece satirises the true crime genre and is produced by TW fave Chronic Insanity. Click here.

Five Years With The White Man | Vault Festival | 28 Feb-5 Mar (pictured)
This show tells the true story of Augustus Merriman-Labor, the writer of 1909 book 'Britons Through Negro Spectacles', a part travel book, part satirical work mocking those written about Africa by ill-informed British contemporaries. The show promises to "blend an Edwardian stand-up set with a contemporary exploration of racial and sexual identity" and, frankly, it sounds fab. More here.


SHOWS WITH ANIMALS IN THE NAME>>

Cat | Hope Theatre | 5-6 Mar
It really is a great week for people who are fans of shows with animals in the name, because this section of shows with animals in the name doesn't even cover all of them. This first one over at Hope Theatre is a "one-woman twisted comedy" that deals with some rather dark themes, focusing on the loneliness of rural life and how care-giving relationships can come under strain. Read more about it here.

The Wolves | The Space | 4-11 Mar (pictured)
A staging of Sarah Delappe's 2016 play 'The Wolves', a coming of age drama which focuses on the experiences of high school girls via their pre-game footie warm-ups, and which won a number of awards as well as being a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize For Drama. "Through an unfiltered lens, we experience the teams' brimming humour, vigour, and insight, completely unobstructed by the male gaze". Click here.

Truth's A Dog Must To Kennel | Battersea Arts Centre | 28 Feb-18 Mar
We've been following Tim Crouch stuff for years because he's a bit of a legend edfringe-wise, so of course our collective ears pricked up when we heard that this show was headed to Battersea Arts Centre. "The Fool leaves King Lear before the blinding. Before the ice-creams in the interval". Using this as a start point, Crouch draws on ideas of virtual reality to "send the character back to the wreckage of the world they left". More here.


SHORT STOPS>>

Fox | Greenwich Theatre | 1-2 Mar
See, told you there were more shows with animal names. This one is another one of those shows that we heard about via the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, back in 2019, and it's great to see it on in London. It's by Katie Guicciardi and is inspired by real life events, an honest and funny exploration of motherhood in the face of an increasingly isolating society. For more information and to book tickets click here.

Starving Dingoes | The Place | 4 Mar (pictured)
This is the last animal one so I can stop going on about it now. This - as you might expect because it's on at The Place - is a dance piece. By Léa Tirabasso, it's a really fascinating production - exploring "our potential reactions to the dysfunctional element of the group; to repair it or sacrifice it in order to save the whole" - created in collaboration with cancer scientists in relation to the phenomenon of apoptosis, programmed cellular death. Info here.

Britanick | Soho Theatre | 27 Feb-4 Mar
Yes, it is a shortish run, but actually it's a reasonably long run in comedy terms really. For yes, this is the work of a comedy duo, work which resulted in some very glowing words from our reviewer when he saw it at the most recent edfringe. This actually isn't its first post-Fringe run at Soho, so you might have already seen it, but if not you are in for a very lovely treat, so don't miss it this time. Click here.


LONGER RUNS>>

The Journey To Venice | Finborough Theatre | 28 Feb-25 Mar
And now for some longer theatrical runs that we think you will enjoy. First up is a UK premiere for the late Bjørg Vik's 'The Journey To Venice', first staged - to great acclaim - back in the nineties in Norway. "Edith and Oscar Tellmann have been together since before they can remember. When their family life took a devastating turn, the couple found solace in travel and adventure. As they journey into old age, the couple invent new ways to travel together..." Info here.

Under The Black Rock | Arcola Theatre | 2-25 Mar (pictured)
This one is set in Northern Ireland during the The Troubles, so I expect this to be a tough but compelling watch. It follows the story of Niamh Ryan - played by Evanna Lynch - tracing her "journey from naïve new recruit to battle hardened operative, drawn into the conflict as part of a divided family", and exploring how extremism affects families and young people. Head to the venue website here for more information and to book tickets.

After The Act | New Diorama Theatre | 28 Feb-1 Apr
"Abseiling lesbians! Queers in classrooms! Perverts panicking parents! And an act of oppression that inspired a generational riot. Twenty years after its repeal, the children of Section 28 are taking to the stage". A world premiere, commissioned by New Diorama from NTD Associates Breach, who explore the topic by "singing and dancing over the grave of this national anniversary". Details here.


MORE FAB SHOWS>>

I Hate It Here | Pleasance Theatre | 28 Feb-11 Mar
On to the final section which is definitely dominated by the theatrical. This play centres on elderly care worker Plang and Tara, a nurse "with a penchant for Anne Robinson", plus teenage fast-food operative Spud. It's an interactive piece about zero hours contracts and instability, so you will join them for their shifts, be asked to participate in game shows, and maybe change the outcome of the show. More here.

How To Break Out Of A Detention Centre | Riverside Studios | 28 Feb-8 Mar (pictured)
Another premiere for you now, and one with some very important and difficult themes to tackle, given that it looks at the hardships women face within the British immigration detention system. It's performed in five languages and is inspired by the real stories of migrants living in the UK from Romania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, Cameroon and Sudan. Lots more info here.

Prison Game | Half Moon Theatre | 2 Mar
Last one for today is something aimed at those aged thirteen and over, a one person physical theatre performance that tells the story of how prison can define a man, and which asks the question: "When prison is your world, how do you function within society?" Another one that's been developed using real life experiences, it takes you on a journey through a boy's life from childhood to adulthood. Read more about it here.
At TW:CULTURE we champion the best in fringe theatre, comedy and culture.

Year round, we pick the best shows happening in London and online each week, providing handy Three To See recommendations and interviewing the people behind those productions.

Plus each summer we also cover the biggest cultural event in the world: The Edinburgh Festival.


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