In an image based world reinforced by the barrage of photos and videos made easily accessible on social media platforms, we find ourselves at the crossroads of a very toxic realm, the constant comparisons towards others seemingly doing well, motivations to one up and do better – this possibly manifesting itself in the form of overly obsessing about oone’s appearance and in the long run, being of detriment to one’s physical and mental health. An exploration of the impact of a never ending cycle of social media and tech, Modern Day Chronicles present cautionary tale Seen 00:25.

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Caught up between cultures is a tough phenomena to figure out, parents who have migrated from a part of the world to the other clutching on to their cultural roots, whilst their children inherit said customs whilst adopting new ones from their home of origin. For TV presenter Rinkoo Barpagathis has been the case, born to Indian/Kenyan parents of Punjabi descent in Birmingham in the early 70s, he’s felt a cultural pull towards his Indian roots, whilst paving a path for himself in the UK. Performed in British Sign Language, presenting his journey so far from childhood until now, Barpaga presents Made in I̶n̶d̶i̶a̶ Britain.

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Our childhood friendships are perhaps some, or if not our most significant ones. Our friends our main support system beyond the family setting brought together by shared experiences such as a sharing of culture and heritage. An exploration of friendship and the short hand shared by two young Muslim men brought up in a racially discriminate environement, Karim Khan presents Brown Boys Swim.

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Living in the present, the now, is a powerful thing and something you learn to do if you take on any meditative practices. The appreciation of nature and what lies around us, whether visible or not to the eye realms you really learn to appreciate. A spiritual performance focused on the awakening of a wild woman, Zinnia Oberski presents Dreams of the Small Gods, a break away from your traditional production and channelling the energy of Shamanic practice.

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Birthdays are a time of celebration, a time to celebrate an increased sense of wisdom and life experience. They’re a natural occasion to possibly look back at what has gone before – evaluating decisions made and contemplating scenarios experienced and whether they’ve positively, negatively, or both impacted the now. An exploration of age and the passing of time, writer and performer Haley McGee presents Age is a Feeling, produced by Soho Theatre.

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Recognised as a UNESCO ‘Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity‘, the traditional Korean art form Pansori is a genre of musical storytelling typically performed by a singer and drummer. The name broken down into its core, Pan or P’an – meaning ‘open space’ and sori meaning singing or sound and has existed for the past four centuries now. Exploring the tale of the ‘Dragon King’ in their Pansori performance, Theatre Moksung present Puppet Pansori Sugungga, which forms part of this year’s Korean Showcase.

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Taking on the role of a mother is a life changing one, one that shifts focus from yourself to the new born you’re now responsible for for the next 18 years or so. What motherhood looks like to those experiencing it will be personal to themselves, constructs of how the idealised mother should act and look like perhaps not identical to real life experiences. Inspired by a vote held in 2020 in Switzerland granting fathers paternity leave for 2 weeks, writer and performer Lea Blair-Witcher explores the absurdities and toxic images of motherhood that she finds herself enmeshed in in one woman show, Mama Love.

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What lies beyond planet Earth has been a point of fascination for millennia, missions to space  journeys that help to further our understanding of what is, yet also inspiring yet more questions. A vast realm that inspires imagination and brings with it a sense of magic, no wonder space and beyond has been the place to backdrop many a sci-fi story. A playful look at the missions of astronauts Mary and Chris, Mary Chris and Mars contemplates what it is to be human and our place within a larger ecosystem.

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We live in a day now where we not only can Google questions and receive answers to said questions in the split of a second, it’s been taken a step further now where we can ask that external, apolitical voice – in the form of Alexa or Siri questions and we’ll hear back the answer deemed the most suitable by the operating system. If you’d have heard that this would be the reality a decade ago, I’m sure it would have sounded absurd, however this accurately sums up where we’re currently at – A.I. and humanity intertwined, but what happens when power gradually sways towards A.I., and they dictate how we live. Exploring this in their piece Assisted, Oxia Arts ponder the sway in power and what this could look like.

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It can be underestimated and taken for granted the level of patience and empathy needed when taking on a care role, the role of rapport a powerful indicator as to whether the day will go well or not. Exploring the notion of care in his latest stand up piece, comedian Bilal Zafar looks back at his own personal experience of taking on the role of a care worker at the age of 21 in his show Care, offering an honest insight into what the role entails and the impact this has had on him years on.

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