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.

From the updating of a status, to the purchasing of products to the sending of an email, these actions are all made possible by numerous algorithms programmed to make our online experiences as seamless as possible. Algorithms silently navigate the day, manipulating the feeds we see on social media platforms to lining up prospective matches on dating apps. Daily life now tends to include the online world, a phenomenon we’ve witnessed grow at speed within the past decade and shows no signs of stopping. Exploring our online era further, playwright Sadie Clark presents ‘Algorithms’ showing at the Pleasance Courtyard at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Ahead of the month long run, Sadie talks more about the show.

We can all agree that parenting can be tough at times, but imagine raising a son who looks so different that everyone thinks you’ve kidnapped him. BAFTA nominated writer Gabriel Bisset-Smith has based Whitewash on his own experiences as the white passing son of a mixed race woman, and the complexities of race in the gritty London of the 1990s, through to the property obsessed 2010s.

Soho Theatre has been at the forefront of discovering the UK’s top theatre and comedy talent for years; with various alumni having gone on to establish successful careers within the arts. Having completed a successful run at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Soho Theatre favourite Archie Maddocks returns with his latest stand up show, Matchstick. Performed as part of this year’s Soho Rising Festival, a festival celebrating new writing, Archie tells us more about the show…

Hi Archie, you’ll be showcasing your latest stand up show Matchstick as part of Soho Theatre’s Soho Rising Festival on Friday 14 December. How are you feeling ahead of the show?

Pretty good. The show is good so I’m feeling confident that it will go well – just need to remember the damn thing!

The Verity Bargate award winning play – The One, received critical acclaim when it debuted in 2013. Five years later, and Vicky Jones’ debut play about love, lust and destruction returns to Soho Theatre from early July. Taking on the role of Jo, one half of the show’s duo, actress Tuppence Middleton tells us more about how she’s approached the role, what to expect and working alongside fellow actor John Hopkins.

In celebration of our 5th birthday this July, we’ll be collaborating with 5 theatres to give away a pair of tickets to 5 of London’s top theatre shows. You could win a pair of tickets to: The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives at the Arcola, Pity at the Royal Court, The One at Soho Theatre, Che Malambo at Sadler’s Wells or Circolombia at the Underbelly.

As a teen, figuring out who you are is apart of the daily routine. If you’re not questioning yourself about who you are, then you’ll probably find yourself at the receiving end of others questionable opinions about you. Identity is multi-faceted, Natasha Marshall’s Half Breed responds to this complexity.

Courtesy of The Other Richard.

Half Breed Production Photos at Assembly Box
Edinburgh Festival 2017
Photo Credit: The Other Richard

Debuting at last year’s Edinburgh Festival, Natasha Marshall’s Half Breed has sparked conversation about what it means to be of mixed heritage in Britain today and how this is viewed within society. A part autobiographical work, Marshall’s vital one woman show has received critical acclaim, picking up multiple award nominations in the process. Marshall credits the show’s success to the influential Talawa Theatre Company and Soho Writer’s Lab for allowing the show to reach its full potential. Both companies are renowned for their support and championing of new writing, contributing to our contemporary canon of new voices. Read on to find out more about Marshall’s response towards the show’s success, what she’d like for audiences to take away from the show and what it was like performing the show to audiences in India!

Many of us find ourselves working to pay off the looming student debt accumulated from our studies. The concept of the ‘dream job’, seemingly impossible. A job you’ve spent years training for, hard to grasp due to the ever growing competitive job market. Cue Jeremy Tiang’s Fulfillment, a meditation on the rite of passage of life after studies.

Courtesy of Yellow Earth Theatre.

Being in love is a great thing. Relationships require compromise, often left to let slide habits you’d otherwise find irritating or despise. Relationships offer a great basis for comedy; the everyday a series of either overt or subtle comedic highlights. Award winning comedian Archie Maddocks explores this in his latest stand up piece, IlluminArchie at the Soho Theatre.

Courtesy of Soho Theatre.