Sexuality is a component of ourselves that makes us who we are, it’s a personal preference that only we should have the right to own. However when there are laws and societal expectations placed stopping you from living your truth, this can often leave many feeling isolated with nowhere to turn to. Addressing this topic further in her debut play The High Table, Temi Wilkey talks to us ahead of the show about the importance of exploring LGBTQ+ issues and culture, how both the Bush Theatre and Birmingham Repertory Theatre helped realise her story and her journey  towards co-founding ‘Pecs, The Drag King Collective’.

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Courtesy of JMA Photography.

Belief systems whether explicit or implicit are a part of our daily lives, religion and spirituality for many sources of security. We all connect with readings, quotes, scriptures, imagery, artefacts and ritual differently – it is inevitably up to us to determine how best to navigate our own lives. The crux of his work Idol, writer and performer Jamal Gerald asks a very important question – as a ‘Black, queer and Catholic in a Caribbean household, which higher order do you bow down to: Queen Bey or white Jesus?’ The answer? The former! Described as the ‘patron saint of empowerment’, Jamal has more of a connection with the superstar. Ahead of the show, Jamal talks to us about debuting the show last year at Transform Festival ’19, what audiences can expect from the show and offers advice to aspiring writers and performers!

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In light of our current political climate, we’re left questioning what the future holds – a nation built on the efforts of many cultures, revealing deep rooted tensions heightened by our current political head of state. Migration is the root of all of our stories, whether directly or indirectly; the universality of migration a complex facet of our lives. Exploring this further in her current show NOTCH, writer and performer Danaja Wass draws from her own personal story of leaving Croatia to start a new life in Ireland for a better future. Ahead of the run, Danaja talks to us about exploring the show’s themes, how she approached creating the show and what audiences can expect.

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First staged in 2017, this Rupert Goold directed production of Mike Bartlett’s Albion returns to the Almeida two-and-a-half years after its first outing, retaining most of its original cast, and a heightened significance in light of recent national developments.

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A somewhat sharp, almost timely reinterpretation of the Ibsen classic, subtly and nuance lack an authenticity and believability that let this show down. Stef Smith’s dialogue shows real potential and has its moments, but never follows on this, thus preventing you from fully diving in.

Courtesy of Marc Brenner.

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With a mission to place more work by East Asian artists on our stages, Chinese Arts Now Festival returns with a line up of digital, dance, theatre, music, comedy and so much more. Debuting last year, CAN 2020 offers a ‘bigger, bolder, and braver celebration of work’ – Nigel Ng’s stand up comedy show Culture Shocked a brilliant addition to this year’s event.

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A cutting shrine to an England that never existed, Death of England, examines tormented, terrified masculinity in the wake of a father’s death. Clint Dyer and Roy Williams (Co-Writers) do an excellent job in using this timely confession to muddy the waters of an increasingly polarised world.

Courtesy of Helen Murray.

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A star on the rise, Award Winning Comedian Mo Omar has proved himself within the comedy circuit, having taken part in various competitions and events, most notably having performed on Harry Hill’s Clubnite on C4, and the Pleasance Comedy Reserve at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019. Making an appearance at this year’s Vault Festival, Mo tells us more about how Canadian-Somalian rapper/poet/singer-songwriter K’naan (known here for his World Cup anthem in 2012 Wavin’ Flag) has inspired him and more!

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Within the arts, as well as on a larger scale, we’re beginning to witness conversations on representation and race take centre stage – addressing the fact that for far too long, many stories reflective of our day to day lives have been marginalised and even prevented from making it onto our main stages. An advocate of East Asian stories taking centre stage, playwright Daniel York Loh presents Invisible Harmony, a part spoken word/part dance piece/part film dismantling the many myths we’ve built up here in the West about the East  brining untold stories to the fore.

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Santi & Naz

Under the rumble of the Waterloo train tracks we meet Santi & Naz, two young girls living in India during pre-partition. These best friends are none the wiser to their political situation and with Santi being Sikh and Naz being Muslim, the threat of separation is approaching.  When Naz is introduced to her soon to be much older husband, Santi is concerned for her safety and tries to warn her of the dangers of not just this man but of the violence that is happening all around them. In their childhood fashion they create a plan to escape the marriage which ends in disaster.

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