Founded in 1972, Contact Manchester has played a vital role in engaging artistically with its local community. A theatre particularly committed to supporting the young leaders of tomorrow, the multi-disciplinary venue continues on with its mission of placing the voices of the younger generation to the fore – its mission to place young people at the heart of decision making and help decide the artistic programme. Having been associated with Contact from the age of 15, poet, performance artist and producer Keisha Thompson has recently been announced as the venue’s incoming Artistic Director and CEO. The artist now gearing up to help programme the venue’s 50th birthday from June. Keisha tells us more about how she feels and what her hopes are for the theatre moving forward!

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In a growingly technological world, whereby social media can often act as an initial point of the call, the concept of ‘the letter’ can seem distant. An email now the sign of our times, the writing and receiving of a physical letter connects us to a world of old, returning us back to a time whereby the letter dominated the realm of communication. Delving into the artistry of letter writing and the power of a letter in regards to uniting two or more souls who are at a distance, Kashyap Raja presents Letters at the Network Theatre.

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Maharlika is a Filipino expression that roughly translates as ‘free man’ or ‘warrior man’. An expression that concisely encapsulates the concept of independence, this term is fitting for this integral movement committed to showcasing works for and from Filipino artists. Live streamed from Grow Hackney on Monday 28th February and available to access online for a short time via YouTube, Maharlika UK Filipino Artist Platform is a necessary step in the right direction in regards to fostering intercultural exchanges locally, brilliantly addressing the need for greater diversity on our stages.

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Six years post arriving in the UK to seek a safer environment to live as a result of rising protests in his native Sudan, performer Mohand Hasb Alrosol Abdalrah generously offers his own experiences of not being able to return to his homeland, a story that I’m sure many who have migrated can relate to. Alongside fellow PSYCHEdelight theatre member Peter Pearson, Mohand & Peter fuses clowning, physical theatre and improvisation to craft 70mins of nostalgia, yet also looks towards the future.

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When Thomas Bernhard’s last drama Heldenplatz (Heroes Square) premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienna on October 7, 1988, it caused a public uproar. Before the play was published, carefully selected extracts of the text had been leaked to various papers and, taken out of context, led to massive protests against the play. Austria’s president Kurt Waldheim, a former officer of the SA, called the drama an “insult to the Austrian people”, and Thomas Bernhard was physically assaulted for allegedly besmirching Austria’s reputation. Bernhard’s play led to a heated debate about Austria’s role in the Nazi era.

Courtesy of Judith Buss.

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Launched in September of 2020, the T Level offers a practical alternative to the traditional A Level. A technical qualification equivalent to 3 A Levels, students benefit from a mixture of classroom based lessons and on the job experience, the courses included on the programme designed to meet the needs of our 21st century, post pandemic work force. Created in partnership with awarding organisation NCFE, 3 T Levels were made available from 2020 – Digital production, Design and Development/design, Surveying and Planning for Construction and Education and Childcare, with a further 7 launched in September of 2021 – Building Services Engineering for Construction/Digital business Services/Digital Support and Services/Health/Health Science/Onsite Construction/Science. The rest to be launched in 2022/2023, this including a course in craft and design. With some of the courses still currently being developed, NCFE’s Director of Qualifications and Assessment Zac Aldridge tells us more about designing the innovative courses!

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The notion of  ‘darkness’ differs culturally, the westernised view one of evil, fear and the unknown. A facet that we tend to brush aside and reserve for particular parts of the year, this seldom is focused on. Delving into her own ancestry and exploring the potent impact of generational trauma as well as the power of the spiritual realm, writer and performer Julene Robinson delivers a resonant hour of theatre, theatre as a form of healing.

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The pinnacle of the film industry calendar, the Academy Awards will return for their 94th edition on Sunday 27th March at the Dolby Theatre, LA. With a total of 24 categories being recognised, the evening offers a chance to celebrate the great work produced by creatives devoted to their craft. Having won his first Academy Award – a Student Academy Award as a recent graduate of The Danish Film School at the time with short film Feeding Desire in 2001, before winning his second for This Charming Man in 2003, member of AMPAS (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) filmmaker Martin Strange-Hansen returns with his latest production On My Mind – a tale of loss drawing from his own personal experience of this. Announced as an Academy Award 2022 finalist on Tuesday 8th February in the ‘Best Live Action Short Film’, Martin tells us more about how he feels post announcement, working with double Academy Award® Winning producer Kim Magnusson and performers Rasmus Hammerich, Camilla Bendix and Ole Boisen and what he’s taken away from his varied career within film!

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An idea born out of the need to reconnect during the lockdowns of the pandemic, powerhouses Sophia A Jackson – founder of Afridiziak Theatre News renowned for her championing of Black Theatre within the UK, and Nina Malone, founder of influential digital platform Dope Black Mums, set up to bring a community of women together to share their experiences of motherhood have joined forces to introduce the Afridiziak Theatre News x Dope Black Mums Meet-Up, an opportunity for mums to meet and watch a show in collaboration with Soho Theatre. Having hosted their first ever event on Tuesday 15th February, where the collective met up to watch award winning production Queens of Sheba by Nouveau Riche, the next meet up will have the collective introduced to award winning production Shedding a Skin by Amanda Wilkin on Saturday 19th March 2022. Ahead of the meet up, Sophia and Nina reflect on the first event and tell us what their hopes are for the event moving forward!

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An outrageously funny and philosophical piece of gig theatre which incorporates an eclectic mix of performance art, live music, stand-up comedy, and video installation with smoke machine galore and plenty of white discomfort to go around. South African born, Swiss based Ntando Cele comes on as her alter white ego Zimbabwean Bianca White in a dragged-up inversion of blackface. Refreshing and a must catch on until Saturday 12th March at the brand spanking newly revived theatre Brixton House, formerly Ovalhouse, they’ve opened the season strong with Black Off.

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