North Wall Jan - May 2018 Brochure by The North Wall Arts Centre

Family

Theatre

Music

Comedy

Art

Credit

Jan-M ay 201 8

Welcome to The North Wall’s Spring Season We are delighted to be joining The North Wall as its new CoDirectors. We have enjoyed a vibrant relationship with The North Wall over several years, touring work here, leading ArtsLab residencies, and visiting the gallery and theatre as audience members. It is our absolute pleasure to be overseeing the organisation’s next chapter. We are hugely excited by The North Wall’s steadfast support for bold work and emerging talent, and we look forward to enhancing its reputation as a centre of excellence. For us, the ethos at The North Wall is one of innovation, celebration and investigation – and we intend to nurture and build a space and spirit that supports and inspires the next generation of artists from Oxford and beyond. We have always admired the unique physical environment of The North Wall. A gallery, a theatre, a school. There is a strong and proven link between cultural engagement and educational attainment; and the significant relationship between St Edward’s School and the Arts Centre is a fantastic opportunity to constantly interrogate and celebrate this. The Inspiring People series is one such example of how education and the arts can work together side by side. This new joint venture brings together renowned speakers from a wide range of fields to The North Wall stage, with 50% of tickets offered free to Oxford school children. The new season features a variety of contemporary theatre, music, comedy and family shows, as well as exhibitions showcasing work by artists from Oxfordshire and across the UK. We’re excited to announce the return of Alchymy, our festival of new work, which takes place once again in April. We look forward to seeing you at The North Wall soon. Ria Parry and John Hoggarth Co-Directors of The North Wall Programme design: white space | www.white-space.net The North Wall photography: Colin Willoughby, Philip Vile

WEDNESDAY 17 JANUARY

WEDNESDAY 24 JANUARY

King Lear Retold

Papatango presents

by Debs Newbold Tell me my daughters...which of you shall we say doth love us most? Dark and challenging, epic and shocking, human and uplifting: in this explosive retelling of the legend of Lear, King of the Britons, Debs Newbold channels her love of Shakespeare’s language to whip up a great storm that will snatch you from your seat and send you hurtling into its bloody centre. Created for a sell-out show at The Hay Festival and performed to acclaim at Shakespeare’s Globe, this is a storytelling event you cannot miss.

Hanna by Sam Potter

Being a young mum is supposed to be hard - but for Hanna, the only thing she’s ever been brilliant at is raising her beloved daughter Ellie. Until a DNA test reveals staggering news. Ellie is not Hanna’s child. And now her ‘real’ parents want to meet…

Theatre

This funny, heartfelt and compelling world premiere from Off West End Award nominee Sam Potter asks what family means in a modern society, delicately weaving in questions of racial identity, economic privilege, and the lottery of birth.

Age guidance: 12+ Performance: 8pm7.30pm Performance: Tickets: £12 (concessions £10)

Age guidance:14+ Performance: 8pm Tickets: £14 (concessions £12)

// Booking: 01865 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com

Theatre

How can an ancient mix-up in an overstretched maternity ward be explained to a threeyear-old? Is Hanna supposed to let these strangers into her daughter’s life? Forced to question what being a parent really means, Hanna makes a drastic decision that will change all their lives.

Tickets: £14 (concessions £10)

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THURSDAY 1 FEBRUARY

SATURDAY 3 FEBRUARY

Frankie Vah

Show And Tell with United Agents present

by Luke Wright It’s 1987 and Frankie Vah gorges on love, radical politics, and indie stardom. But can he keep it all down? Following the multi-award-winning What I Learned From Johnny Bevan, Luke Wright’s second verse play deals with love, loss, and belief, against a backdrop of skuzzy indie venues and 80s politics. Expect frenetic guitars and a Morrissey-sized measure of heartache.

“Visceral, virile verse” ★★★★ The Stage

The only ever winner of both the Best Show and Best Newcomer prize at the prestigious Edinburgh Comedy Awards presents his latest stand-up show: an hour of ‘richly idiosyncratic comedy, frequently compared to Tony Hancock’ (Guardian). Following highly acclaimed, sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe and at London’s Soho Theatre, John dons his false teeth and monk wig for his debut UK tour.

“A supreme stand-up – you’re in the hands of a master” ★★★★ The Guardian “Funny and intellectually ambitious – Kearns could be your new King of Comedy” ★★★★★ Evening Standard

Theatre

“A gorgeously-worded powerhouse of a play…one of the only verse dramas that could claim to get a crowd cheering and stamping their feet throughout.” ★★★★★ Broadway Baby

John Kearns: Don’t Worry They’re Here

Comedy

Age guidance:14+ Performance: 8pm Tickets: £14 (concessions £12)

Age guidance:16+ Performance: 8pm Tickets: £12 (concessions £10)

// Booking: 01865 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com

// Booking: Booking: 01865 01865 319450 319450 or or www.thenorthwall.com www.thenorthwall.com //

8 9

THURSDAY 8 – FRIDAY 9 FEBRUARY Actors Touring Company & Orange Tree Theatre present

Winter Solstice Written by Roland Schimmelpfennig Translated by David Tushingham

Bettina and her husband Albert aren’t happy – Bettina’s mother is staying for the holidays. Which is awkward. Not least because Bettina’s mother met a man on the train. And now she’s invited him around for drinks…

Theatre

Family, betrayal and the inescapable presence of the past reverberate through the UK premiere of Roland Schimmelpfennig’s razor-sharp comedy about the rise of the new right across the globe. Schimmelpfennig is the most performed playwright in Germany, with productions of his work worldwide in over 40 countries. Previous productions in the UK include The Golden Dragon and Arabian Night, both presented by Actors Touring Company.

“The most exciting new play I have seen for many years” ★★★★★ Sunday Express “A potent play for today…suberb” ★★★★ Guardian “A witty, incisive and ultimately chilling drama” ★★★★ Evening Standard

Age guidance: 14+ Performances: 8pm Tickets: £16 (concessions £13)

// Booking: 01865 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com

THURSDAY 15 FEBRUARY

SATURDAY 17 FEBRUARY

WEDENSDAY 21 FEBRUARY

Alan Bearman Music presents

Chambers Touring presents

So Comedy presents

Rachel Newton Singer and harpist Rachel Newton specialises in interpreting traditional folk songs in both English and Scottish Gaelic as well as writing and performing her own instrumental pieces. In 2017, she was awarded Musician of the Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. A skilled collaborator, Rachel is a founder member of the successful UK folk bands The Shee and The Furrow Collective. She also plays fiddle and viola and works across a range of performance platforms including theatre and storytelling.

Sarah Millican: Control Enthusiast

Griff Rhys-Jones: Where Was I?

SOLD OUT!

“ Newton delivers a thing of great beauty” ★★★★★ fROOTS “ Newton has made the leap to a fine solo performer and her new album is perhaps her best yet” ★★★★ Telegraph

Sarah Millican is not a control freak, she’s a control enthusiast. She even controls her own insults, see?

Music Performance: 8pm Tickets: £14 (concessions £12)

Age guidance: 16+ Age guidance: 16+ Performance: Performance: 8pm 7.30pm Performance: 7.30pm Tickets: £16 (concessions £13, members £10) Tickets: £18 (concessions £15) Tickets: £27.50

// Booking: 01865 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com

Comedy

Join the star of Not the Nine O’Clock News, Smith & Jones and Three Men Do you arrange the nights out? Are you In A Boat as he airs stories, anecdotes, in charge of passports on holiday? Then reminiscences and outright lies – from so are you! forty years of travelling - down rivers and up mountains, into Africa, out of Whether you’re sorting the tickets for this show or turning up when you’re told India, and across the arid wastes of the BBC canteen. It’s a career, if you mean to, welcome. You’ll learn about Rescue Men, farting in hospital pants, what can bouncing chaotically downhill without a map. happen at a bra fitting, the benefits of casserole, plus tips on how to talk to “Great comedy” shop assistants and the correct way to eat a biscuit. ★★★★ The Telegraph

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FRIDAY 23 FEBRUARY Lakin McCarthy in association with Theatre Royal Stratford East present

Mark Thomas: Showtime from the Frontline

With Faisal Abualheja and Alaa Shehada Directed by Joe Douglas Dodging cultural and literal bullets, Israeli incursions and religion, Mark Thomas and his team set out to run a comedy club for two nights in the Palestinian city of Jenin. Only to find it’s not so simple to celebrate freedom of speech in a place with so little freedom. Jenin refugee camp, home to Jenin Freedom Theatre and to people with a wealth of stories to tell. Mark tells this story alongside two of its actors and aspiring comics Faisal Abualheja and Alaa Shehada. A story about being yourself in a place that wants to put you in a box.

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With help from:

Age guidance: 16+ Performance: 8pm Tickets: £16 (concessions £12)

// Booking: 01865 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com

Theatre

Bursary places available for low income families subject to availability | Design and © Creation Theatre Company (the trading name of Oxford Shakespeare Ensemble) I Reg Charity No: 1119379 Photos © Richard Budd

A R D

Theatre Ad Infinitum 10th Anniversary Double Bill

The Lecoq-trained international ensemble are celebrating 10 years of creating multi-awardwinning physical theatre by taking their first two hit shows back on tour.

FRIDAY 2 MARCH

SATURDAY 3 MARCH

Odyssey

Translunar Paradise

One actor. One hour. One man’s epic quest to reunite with his family and seek his bloody revenge.

After his wife passes away, William escapes to a paradise of fantasy and past memories, a place far from the reality of his grief. Returning from beyond the grave, Rose revisits her widowed companion to perform one last act of love: to help him let go.

Winner of The Stage ‘Best Solo Performer Award’ 2009, and nominated for a Total Theatre award for Innovation 2010, Theatre Ad Infinitum reinvent Homer’s timeless Greek myth. Passionate, highly physical, and poignant storytelling brings this breathtaking adventure to life.

Using a live accordion accompaniment, this exquisite piece of mask, mime and movement work was a critically acclaimed sell out at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2011 and 2017.

“A show that will steal your heart ” ★★★★★ The Scotsman

Age guidance: 12+ Performance: 8pm Tickets: £14 (concessions £12)

// Booking: 01865 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com

Theatre

“This tour de force of physical theatre is unmissable” ★★★★ The Stage

WEDNESDAY 7 MARCH

TUESDAY 13 MARCH

bgroup & China Plate present

The B*easts

Point of Echoes Commissioned by the Rural Touring Dance Initiative, Warwick Arts Centre and Dance East

Written and performed by Monica Dolan Directed by John Hoggarth

The year is 1978, isolated from the mainland, Eric Valentine and Bernard Humphries have been stationed at Echo Point lighthouse, somewhere off the coast of England. The unlikely strangers have just begun to lay down foundations for this odd working relationship when the uncanny occurs. Renowned international choreographer Ben Wright and musician and writer Stuart Warwick collaborate to bring you bgroup’s most intimate and theatrical production to date. Point of Echoes is a haunting tale of love, death and monsters, blending the tones of a Wes Anderson movie with the eerie dread of The Twilight Zone.

Dance

Theatre

“ Giddy, pensive, vulnerable, uncomfortable, sensual... mysterious yet playfully alive to the moment” The Times

Setting the modern obsession with putting your own child first against our responsibility as a society towards our children as a whole, this dark tale, written by and starring BAFTA-winning actress Monica Dolan (W1A, Appropriate Adult, The Witness For The Prosecution), explores how far one mum will go to give her child what she wants. A searing ‘What If?’ exploration of the pornification of our culture and the sexualisation of our children.

“ A fantastically assured piece of writing and acting from Monica Dolan.” ★★★★★ The Times “ Provocative, intelligent and bold.” ★★★★ The Stage Age guidance: 14+ Performance: 8pm Tickets: £14 (concessions £12)

Age guidance: 14+ Performance: 8pm Tickets: £14 (concessions £12)

// Booking: 01865 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com

SATURDAY 17 MARCH

TUESDAY 20 MARCH

So Comedy presents

Murphy & Co presents

Following a sell-out Edinburgh Festival season and autumn tour, the star of BBC’s Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week and The John Bishop Show, Channel 4’s 8 Out of 10 Cats, and BBC Radio 4’s The Now Show adds additional spring dates for this unmissable new stand-up show discussing whether or not she should breed.

by Dan Murphy

Ellie Taylor: This Guy

Carry on Jaywick

“Radiates charisma... blessed with great flair” The Guardian “She doesn’t miss a beat” The List

Comedy

Theatre Jaywick is a seaside gem on the Essex coast, currently ranked the most deprived town in the UK. This heart-warming and hilarious play travels through its village halls and dance classes, family rows and moments of inspiration, revealing a slice of English life which has largely been forgotten. A new verbatim play made up entirely of the words of real people, Carry on Jaywick is a story of hope amongst the hopeless, of laughter in the darkest times and a celebration of what it means to fight for where you come from. This tour is presented by house. Age guidance:14+ Performance: 7.30pm Tickets: £14 (concessions £12)

g: 01865 // Booking: // 319450 Booking: or01865 www.thenorthwall.com 01865 319450 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com or www.thenorthwall.com

Age guidance: 14+ Performance: 8pm Tickets: £14 (concessions £12)

// Booking: 01865 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com

WEDNESDAY 21 MARCH

O’Hooley & Tidow Shadows With a personal invite from Billy Bragg to play Glastonbury, sessions on 6 Music and Radio 2, and five star reviews in The Guardian, the songwriting, voice and piano partnership of Belinda O’Hooley and Heidi Tidow is regarded as “One of British folk music’s mightiest combinations”(MOJO). O’Hooley and Tidow’s originality and skill invites comparison with the most celebrated harmony duos, from early Simon and Garfunkel to the iconic Kate and Anna McGarrigle. Their set explores, considers and connects subjects and stories in a distinctive, inventive and memorable way: from an emotionally charged song about an elephant orphanage in Nairobi, to a joyous celebration of the Leeds cycling champion Beryl Burton.

Music

Theatre

“Exceptional songwriters” ★★★★★ The Guardian “Dense, complex, beautifully performed.” ★★★★ Songlines

Alchymy 2018 is about showcasing exceptional new work by the theatremakers of tomorrow. It’s about the bold and the brilliant, the new and the controversial, embracing the North Wall’s tradition of nurturing emerging talent. The festival programme includes up to eight productions of new work, surrounded by public conversations, interviews, workshops and networking events with leading theatre professionals. Key events include: • An intimate audience with one of Britain’s leading theatrical lights to launch Alchymy 2018 • The world premiere of a fully-staged play rehearsed in residence at the North Wall • Catalyst 2018: a showcase of six short plays by some of the most talented young writers in the country, directed by three emerging directors • Writing and directing masterclasses with renowned theatre professionals Performance: 8pm Tickets: £14 (concessions £12)

A full schedule and ticketing information is available from www.thenorthwall.com/alchymy2018

// Booking: 01865 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com

// // Booking: Booking: 01865 01865 319450 319450 or or www.thenorthwall.com www.thenorthwall.com

FRIDAY 13 APRIL OCM presents

Sorana Santos: Refuge of the Roads Re-imagining Joni Mitchell’s Hejira To mark the 40th anniversary of Joni Mitchell’s seminal album Hejira, Sorana Santos recreated the 4200-mile round-trip from Portland, Maine, to LA, on which Hejira was written.

Music

Alongside presenting her eclectic and soulful reinterpretation of Hejira, Sorana also performs original songs from her own ‘Hejira’ written on this journey, played with some of the cream of the young British jazz scene.

“A panoramic epic of an album... Sorana Santos, lady of myriad magical voices” Max Reinhardt, BBC3

THURSDAY 19 – FRIDAY 20 APRIL The Soldiers’ Arts Academy presents

Soldier On by Jonathan Lewis What happens when a company of exsoldiers becomes a company of actors? A theatrical band of brothers. It’s not a cure-all, but the bonding, the humour, and the theatre of war helps to put them back together again – as a company of veterans and actors rehearse a play about a company of veterans and actors. Although worlds apart, they begin to realise there are more similarities between military life and the theatre than they bargained for, building a powerful new world of their own. A heart-warming story about surviving the forces and PTSD and what happens when you leave the military “family”.

“The full Military monty” Neil Davies

Performance: 7.30pm Tickets: £14 (concessions £10)

Age guidance:14+ Performance: 8pm Tickets: £14 (concessions £12)

// Booking: 01865 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com

Theatre

“I couldn’t sing the songs authentically”, says Sorana, “and realised the only way into the album was to do the trip, solo, like she did.”

SATURDAY 21 APRIL Show And Tell present

Simon Munnery: Renegade Plumber

MONDAY 23 – TUESDAY 24 APRIL Eclipse Theatre Company and Royal Exchange Theatre present

Black Men Walking Directed by Dawn Walton Written by Testament Thomas, Matthew and Richard walk. They walk the first Saturday of every month. Walking and talking. But this walk… Maybe they should have cancelled, but they needed the walk today. Out in the Peaks, they find themselves forced to walk backwards through two thousand years before they can move forwards. Black Men Walking is the first national tour born from Revolution Mix – a three year movement that will spearhead the largest ever national delivery of Black British stories.

Comedy

Theatre

A new hour of stand-up and miscellany from British Comedy Award nominee, Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee and Chortle Award winner, Simon Munnery. Featuring tales of plumbing woes, his attempts at under tent heating, jokes, songs, poems and the ridicule of capitalism.

“A genuine innovator in the land of the samey, and an annual must-see for any comedy connoisseur” The Guardian “Munnery is as bold and brilliant as ever” ★★★★★ The Scotsman Age guidance: 16+ Performance: 8pm Tickets: £12 (concessions £10)

g: 01865 // Booking: // 319450 Booking: or01865 www.thenorthwall.com 01865 319450 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com or www.thenorthwall.com

Age guidance: 14+ Performance: 8pm Tickets: £16 (concessions £13)

// Booking: 01865 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com

SATURDAY 5 – MONDAY 7 MAY

FRIDAY 11 MAY

National Theatre Connections

OCM presents

In Place: A song-cycle for voice and ensemble In Place explores a sense of place in the British Isles; how it informs our cultural identity; shapes our language and dialects; provides both solace and stimulation, and contains histories both universal and personal. It speaks to all corners of the British Isles; Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and England. It also crosses art-form boundaries. Composer Colin Riley is collaborating with writers for whom place is a recurring theme – Robert Macfarlane, Paul Farley, Selina Nwulu, Nick Papadimitriou, Jackie Morris, Daljit Nagra, Richard Skelton and Autumn Richardson. This specially created writing, woven together with other elements - place names, folksongs, other found texts - forms the core of a set of new songs for vocalist Melanie Pappenheim and ensemble: Ruth Goller (bass guitar), Kate Halsall (piano/keyboards), Nic Pendlebury (viola) and Stephen Hiscock (percussion).

Music

The National Theatre Connections festival is a celebration of young people, theatre-making and the importance of access to the arts. Each year, the National Theatre commissions ten new plays for young people to perform, bringing together some of the most exciting writers with the theatre-makers of tomorrow. With local festivals taking place in venues across the country, Connections is an unforgettable feast of theatre made by and for young people. This year, eight companies from Oxfordshire and beyond will be taking part. The North Wall are delighted to be hosting this exciting festival once more. Performances: Sat 4pm & 8pm, Sun & Mon 11am, 3pm & 7pm Tickets: £4 (concessions £3) per show. All subsequent shows £2

// Booking: 01865 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com

Performance: 7.30pm Tickets: £14 (concessions £10)

// Booking: 01865 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com

SATURDAY 12 MAY

WEDNESDAY 16 – SATURDAY 19 MAY

Show And Tell in association with PBJ Management present

Iron Shoes and The North Wall present

Outlandishly funny multimedia comedy and new voodoo from the distinguished mind of the 2015 Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee, three-time 2016 Chortle Award winner and BBC Radio Four star Joseph Morpurgo, featuring surreal setpieces, vivid comic writing, subliminal pulse signals – and monsters.

Created by John Hoggarth, Dom Coyote and Ria Parry

Joseph Morpurgo: Hammerhead

Following sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and London’s Soho Theatre, Hammerhead embarks on a nationwide tour.

“Uproariously funny – you could watch it twice and not stop laughing.” ★★★★ The Guardian “A monster hit – it crackles with energy.” ★★★★ The Telegraph

Fragment

Double Fringe First winner Iron Shoes returns to The North Wall with a piece of gig-theatre about love, loss and heartache. With original songs of redemption and recovery by acclaimed composer, theatre-maker and Kneehigh Associate Dom Coyote, Fragment takes the audience on a musical voyage through the life of Lester Fall, as he attempts to put back together the pieces of a broken heart. Praise for previous shows by Iron Shoes:

“ Raw and remarkable” ★★★★ The Times

Comedy

g: 01865 // Booking: // 319450 Booking: or01865 www.thenorthwall.com 01865 319450 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com or www.thenorthwall.com

Age guidance: 14+ Performances: 8pm Tickets: £14 (concessions £12)

// Booking: 01865 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com

Theatre

“ Nothing short of breath taking” ★★★★ WhatsOnStage

Age guidance: 16+ Performance: 8pm Tickets: £14 (concessions £12)

TUESDAY 22 MAY

THURSDAY 24 MAY

Tortoise in a Nutshell and Teater Katapult In association with Macrobert Arts Centre present

Alan Bearman Music presents

Fisk

Lankum

Amidst a vast, cascading ocean, a tiny boat is tossed through rolling waves and thundering storms. Steadily rowing forward into nothingness is a man, driven by despair. He looks out as the darkness looms and prepares himself to leap... But before he can jump out, something else jumps in.

Theatre

Weaving together a rich tapestry of puppetry, movement and intricate design, alongside an evocative original soundtrack, Fisk will draw audiences into an immersive marine world, on a journey that finds joy in even the deepest and darkest of depths.

The release of their album Cold Old Fire and a subsequent appearance on the BBC’s Later... with Jools Holland cemented their reputation as a band that successfully crosses genres. They launched their hugely anticipated new album Between the Earth and Sky on 27th October 2017 on prestigious Rough Trade Records.

“ The most convincing band to come out of Ireland for years!” ★★★★★ Guardian Age guidance: 14+ Performance: 8pm Tickets: £14 (concessions £12)

// Booking: 01865 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com

Performance: 8pm Tickets: £16 (concessions £13)

// Booking: 01865 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com

Music

Lankum (Lynched) are a four-piece traditional folk group from Dublin, Ireland, who combine distinctive four-part vocal harmonies with arrangements of uilleann pipes, concertina, Russian accordion, fiddle and guitar. Their repertoire spans humorous Dublin music-hall ditties and street-songs, classic ballads from the Traveller tradition, traditional Irish and American dance tunes, and their own original material.

SATURDAY 27 JANUARY

Long Nose Puppets presents

Penguin

Family

Ben is delighted when he rips open his present, inside is a penguin. “Hello Penguin!” says Ben. Penguin says nothing. Ben tickles Penguin; he pulls his funniest face; he puts on a happy hat, sings a silly song and does a dizzy dance. Penguin says nothing…so Ben fires Penguin into OUTER SPACE. Exciting, surreal and full of surprises, Penguin is based on the award-winning book by Polly Dunbar, with songs by Tom Gray of Gomez. For ages 2-8 Performances: 11am & 2pm Tickets: £8 (concessions £6)

TUESDAY 13 FEBRUARY Pickled Image presents

Yana and the Yeti Imagine being far, far from home and all alone, arriving in a remote snow-bound village, surrounded by dense forest and strange noises. This is how Yana’s story begins. She can’t understand a word anyone says and the other children tease her with tales of mythical mountain monsters. Then things start to get really hairy… Featuring exquisite music, Arctic landscapes and a cast of extraordinary puppets, Yana and the Yeti is a dark, funny and poignant tale of a small child’s determination to be understood and her discovery that friends can come in the most unexpected shapes and sizes. For ages 5+ Performances: 11am & 2pm Tickets: £10 (concessions £8)

// Booking: 01865 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com

SATURDAY 10 MARCH Peur-Etre Theatre presents

Tidy Up! When it starts out ship-shape, there’s only one way for it to go… this dance-theatre show gets all messed up! As we wriggle our way through the muddle of life we often discover things anew. So why can’t tidiness be exciting for children or chaos joyful for adults? Who said there’s a ‘right way’ anyway? Inspired by children’s logic when creating order, patterns and systems, this show is a STAY A witty, uplifting journey discovering whether A 45-m ND D movem inute physical ANCE! chaos and order can ever live side-byent to e worksh xplo op All the side...with plenty of surprises, Tidy Up! is fun of m re the show’s using e theme s s an an unforgettable party! the soo thing c d chaos, vers s. us a lm o 1 fo 2.15pm For ages 3+ & 3.15p rder! m £ 2 .5 Performances: 11am & 2pm 0 per ch ild Tickets: £8 (concessions £6)

// Booking: 01865 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com

SATURDAY 24 MARCH

SATURDAY 26 MAY

Third Party Productions presents

ThisEgg presents

The Sagas of Noggin the Nog

Me and My Bee Climate change is massive. Bees aren’t. Our fuzzy little friends need our help, so multi award-winning theatre company ThisEgg is launching a political party disguised as a party party disguised as a show. A new comedy for children and adults alike. Plant the seed for change, join the Bee Party. Before it’s too late…

“ A riotous, cleverly constructed and hilarious family show” ★★★★ The Stage For ages 5+ Performances: 11am & 2pm Tickets: £8 (concessions £6)

SATURDAY 14 APRIL Half Moon presents

John Hegley: All Hail the Snail (and other creatures) Join poet John Hegley as he takes us on a humorous journey through his living library of poems, songs, stories and animal drawings. Enjoy the rhyme and rhythm of this mandolinplaying muse and his hilarious struggle with words, as they threaten to twist and turn out of his grasp. The bespectacled author of 13 books is widely known as one of the country’s most innovative comic artists and this children’s show will delight adults and young people with its chaotic comedy and bewitching poems. Half Moon is delighted to present this new show created to celebrate the 35th birthday of Apples and Snakes, England’s leading organisation for performance poetry and spoken word. For ages 7+ Performances: 2pm & 5pm Tickets: £10 (concessions £8)

// Booking: 01865 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com

Join our Explorers’ Club! Sign up for your passport, and enjoy special offers, a free workshop, club parties, a fun newsletter and more. It’s free to join – email Sherrell Perkin on perkins@thenorthwall.com to find out more.

// Booking: 01865 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com

Family

In the Lands of the North where the black rocks stand guard against the cold sea, in the dark night that is very long, the Men of the Northlands sit around their great log fires and they tell a tale... of Noggin the Nog! Featuring silly Vikings, puppets and live music, this playful retelling of the classic stories created by Oliver Postgate & Peter Firmin is a fun piece of theatre for adults and children alike. For ages 5+ Performances: 11am & 2pm Tickets: £8 (concessions £6)

TUESDAY 23 JANUARY

Henry Marsh: What Are Your Thoughts Made Of?

St Edward’s School is proud to be the principal sponsor of The North Wall’s innovative, nationallyrecognised public programme.

thenorthwall.com stedwardsoxford.org

Talk

The North Wall is central to the School’s broad vision for education and an important link with the wider Oxford community. It is also a vital factor in the outstanding drama, art and dance programmes at St Edward’s.

The Inspiring People series is a joint venture between The North Wall and its principal sponsor, St Edward’s School. This new series of talks gives a platform to renowned speakers from a wide range of fields – from art history and neurosurgery to theatre and environmental science. The North Wall has a mission to educate and inspire and our hope is that this series will do just that: half of all tickets are offered free to local schools. Each event will be followed by a Q & A session, giving you the opportunity to have your questions answered by the experts themselves.

Henry Marsh is one of the UK’s most eminent neurosurgeons and an author whose books give a candid account of his profession providing intimate insight into life and death decisions. His book Do No Harm, was translated into more than 30 languages, and his most recent book Admissions (2017) a Sunday Times bestseller, was received just as enthusiastically. His work has been the subject of two major BBC documentaries: 2003’s Your Life in their Hands and The English Surgeon (2009) about his work in Ukraine over the last 24 years. Although retired from full-time work in the NHS he continues to work in diverse countries such as Nepal, Albania and Pakistan. Performance: 7.30pm Tickets: £10 (students £5)

Registered Charity No: 309681

// Booking: 01865 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com

MONDAY 12 MARCH

MONDAY 16 APRIL

WEDNESDAY 9 MAY

Andrew Graham-Dixon: In The Picture

Marty Jopson: The Science of Everyday Life

Bettany Hughes: What It Takes to Build a City

Jonathon Porritt: Rediscovering the Heart and Soul of the Green Movement

Andrew Graham-Dixon is one of the leading art critics and presenters of arts television in the English-speaking world. He has presented numerous landmark series on art for the BBC, including the acclaimed A History of British Art, Renaissance and Art of Eternity, as well as numerous individual documentaries on art and artists. More recently he has teamed up with chef Giorgio Locatelli to combine his love of art and food in the popular series Italy Unpacked. For more than twenty years he published a weekly column on art, first in the Independent and, more recently, in the Sunday Telegraph. He has written a number of acclaimed books, on subjects ranging from medieval painting and sculpture to the art of the present. Performance: 7.30pm Tickets: £10 (students £5)

Dr. Marty Jopson is an accomplished science communicator who will happily talk about any field of science. Although he has a PhD in plant cell biology and a Natural Sciences degree from Cambridge University, he is comfortable explaining the whole gamut of scientific subjects. As a prop designer, inventor, author and BBC One Show resident scientist, this event will take the audience on a tour of household science. What makes cakes rise? Why do soap bubbles burst? How do you fix a dripping teapot – and many other conundrums in The Science of Everyday Life. When not on television, Marty performs his distinct brand of much acclaimed, hairraising and flammable science on stage at science festivals around the country. Performance: 7.30pm Tickets: £10 (students £5)

Dr. Bettany Hughes is an award‐winning historian, author and broadcaster. Her specialty is ancient and medieval history and culture. Her first book Helen of Troy: Goddess, Princess, Whore has been translated into ten languages. Her second, The Hemlock Cup, Socrates, Athens and the Search for the Good Life was a New York Times bestseller. Described by the Telegraph as “lively and learned”, her latest television series, Eight Days that Made Rome, looks at what defined the Roman Empire. As an honorary, founding patron of Classics For All, Bettany campaigns to get classical languages and the study of classical civilisations back into state schools. Performance: 7.30pm Tickets: £10 (students £5)

Jonathon Porritt is an eminent writer, broadcaster and commentator on environmentalism. In 1996, he cofounded Forum for the Future, the UK’s leading sustainable development charity. He was formerly Director of Friends of the Earth, co-chair of the Green Party and, as Chairman of the UK Sustainable Development Commission until 2009, he spent nine years providing high-level advice to government ministers. His most recent books are Capitalism as if the World Matters (2007) and The World We Made (2013) – which seeks to inspire people about the prospects of a sustainable world in 2050. Jonathon received a CBE in January 2000 for services to environmental protection. Performance: 7.30pm Tickets: £10 (students £5)

Talk

TUESDAY 20 FEBRUARY

// Booking: 01865 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com

WEDNESDAY 10 – FRIDAY 26 JANUARY

TUESDAY 30 JANUARY – SATURDAY 17 FEBRUARY

Jessica Copping: Cataclysms

Ruth Murray: Kerfuffle

The main themes of Ruth Murray’s practice are the tension of change, the agitation of youth and the feelings of alienation and paranoia associated with misunderstood experiments/ rituals. Ruth’s iconography is developed from everyday stories, places and faces, but also makes use of elements from older visual languages and across the boundaries between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture. Ruth hopes the viewer will question their perception of reality before her paintings. By infusing the familiar with eeriness, sometimes using domestic spaces or nostalgic triggers associated with an idealized, utopian childhood state, she offers glimpses of strange acts and private moments that expose personal stories and secret worlds. For this exhibition Ruth is presenting works created between 2010 and 2017.

Framed within the context of the proposed current epoch of geological time, the Anthropocene, Cataclysms studies humanity’s longterm impact on the strata record through our powerful influence on the environments, climate and ecology of the planet. By exploring the effects of a series of epoch-spanning cataclysmic events, both real and imagined, the artist seeks to examine humanity’s destructive alterations to the biosphere as well as the possibilities for positive change, in order to question how long our species will live in respect to deep time.

// Gallery: Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm 01865 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com

Art

Jessica Copping is a Glasgow based artist who creates installations of paintings constructed from layers of oil, egg tempera and graphite which are partially eroded through sanding and engraving. Her process is a combination of spontaneous mark-making and considered detail where bursts of detail, colour and abstract forms emerge from the distant past and reach into faraway future capturing the complexities of time, nature and culture in the Anthropocene age.

// Gallery: Mon-Fri: 10am-4pm, Sat: 12pm-4pm // www.thenorthwall.com

WEDNESDAY 21 FEBRUARY – SATURDAY 3 MARCH

Nick Permain: Little Moscow Nicholas Permain, born in Newcastleupon-Tyne, is an artist who primarily works with painting. His work reflects on his own heritage of the North East of England, with individualistic narratives alongside both established and interpretative views of history. This solo show sees a new body of work that contemplates the habitation of ‘living museums.’ He specifically considers the animals that inhabit these sites and the conflict between the sincere care they receive and their identity as museum object. In this work, Permain considers his own personal relationship to the past, investigating through his paintings the disconnect between contemporary heritage sites and the authentic lived history of a place.

TUESDAY 6 – SATURDAY 24 MARCH

TUESDAY 27 MARCH – THURSDAY 12 APRIL

St Edward’s School: Mixed Years Exhibition

Oxford Photographic Society

The Mixed Years Exhibition showcases work from all year groups: from delicately observed etchings produced by lower school pupils, to more varied and complex investigations from GCSE and Sixth Form pupils. Pupils are encouraged to develop their own artistic language from as early as the Fourth Form and the work presented will demonstrate the depth and breadth of subjects and projects explored. The Mixed Years show will then give way to the IB Leaver’s exhibition. This exhibition will be open from 15th-24th March and is a celebration of the fantastic work produced during the International Baccalaureate course.

Oxford Photographic Society return to The North Wall for their Annual Exhibition for a third time. Members will be displaying a diverse and varied selection of photographs representing their work over the last year or so. Members’ photography interests include street, documentary, wildlife, events, macro, portrait, land and seascapes genres. With a membership of around a hundred, there should be something for everyone to enjoy. Many OPS members hold distinctions with the PAGB and RPS.

Art

// Gallery: Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm 01865 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com

// Gallery: Mon-Fri: 10am-4pm, Sat: 12pm-4pm // www.thenorthwall.com

MONDAY 16 APRIL – WEDNESDAY 2 MAY

SATURDAY 5 – SATURDAY 26 MAY

Harriet and Rob Fraser: The Long View The Long View is an invitation to slow down and pause with seven remarkably ordinary lone trees in Cumbria: six are in the Lake District National Park, with the seventh, most easterly tree in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Oxford Scribes: Collaborations

Rob Fraser’s photographs and Harriet Fraser’s poetry, together with installations and journal entries, offer a rare insight into these trees in all weathers, all seasons, night and day, and give a flavour of what it is to walk to them, repeatedly, and tread the complete 118km between them in one long, seven-day walk. The Long View comes to Oxford after last year’s summer launch in Grizedale Forest, Cumbria, and a winter show at Newcastle’s Great North Museum: Hancock.

// Gallery: Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm 01865 319450 or www.thenorthwall.com

Art

In this collaborative project, calligraphers from Oxford Scribes interpret extracts from original poems written by pupils from St Edward’s School for the school’s Gittings poetry competition. Also included in this exhibition will be poetry by the school’s Head of English and his translations from the German of Müller’s verses set by Schubert in his much-loved song cycle Die Schöne Müllerin. The exhibition will also include a selection of other new work by members of Oxford Scribes. True to the society’s ethos, “All About Lettering”, the calligraphic work on display will be in a variety of mediums. Oxford Scribes members use their talents in many ways, for example book-making, glass engraving, letter and paper-cutting, and many of these will be represented in exhibition pieces. This exciting collaboration gives the pupils a unique opportunity to share their achievements with the general public. In addition, Oxford Scribes showcase their talents, demonstrating that the skill of beautiful writing by hand is flourishing in the internet age.

// Gallery: Mon-Fri: 10am-4pm, Sat: 12pm-4pm // www.thenorthwall.com

Support The North Wall

ArtsLab: Inspire, Nurture & Grow

Become a member today

ArtsLab nurtures talented emerging artists and young people from

Our membership scheme is brilliant way to support the arts, as well as entitling you to a fantastic selection of benefits

and development opportunities.

For £40 per year, members receive: • 15% off tickets for selected shows (max. 2 per performance) • 10% off at the bar • Invitations to ArtsLab events & gallery openings • Personalised membership card & exclusive members’ newsletter each season JOIN NOW Call the box office on 01865 319450 or join online at www.thenorthwall.com

across the UK through our programme of free vocational residencies

Becoming a member is just one way of playing a vital role in supporting the future of our ArtsLab and outreach work. If you are interested in working with us to invest in a healthy artistic future for everyone, we’d love to hear from you. To discuss your ideas, contact Sherrell Perkin on perkins@thenorthwall.com or 01865 319457 The North Wall Trust is a registered charity no. 1146851

ArtsLab

at The North Wall

February Half-Term eleon Led by Company Cham y 16 February Wednesday 14 – Frida for a fun, physical Join Company Chameleon nsive, which will and creative three day inte the chance to train with provide participants with to create an original and s professional dancer nchester-based piece of choreography. Ma a physical and e Company Chameleon hav oduce people to a intr to s aim t creative style tha different side of dance. perform the piece at Participants will go on to ay 3 March where Pegasus Theatre on Saturd of 10 will launch e anc the company’s perform tival. You will need Fes ford Ox n’ nci this year’s Da e experience in som to live locally and have had t. dance to take par including ticket to 10 Cost: £55 per person, rch Ma 3 on at the Pegasus dancers only) for (Please note: free ticket

For 18 - 25 year olds:

esidency Summer Rcia ted places for

For performers (asso technicians) designers, musicians, day 11 August Monday 23 July – Satur -maker? Our turday 7 Ap Are you an aspiring theatre Monday 26 March – Sa ject has carved pro b sLa Art annual Summer rights and yw pla d nte tale g kin see one of the foremost We are out a reputation for itself as across the UK g opportunities for rnin lea l directors aged 18 – 25 from ational experientia an voc h wit eks we 2 for vely theatre artists in the to work intensi emerging performers and ors. You will receive act nal sio fes pro of past participants ble ive, ensem UK. Intensive and immers t will culminate with impact, and ng ngi mentorship and the projec cha testify to its often lifeged extracts of from strength s goe rk a public performance of sta wo net ing row the ever-g to launch our second g pin hel ipts scr new se the to strength. Alchymy Festival. t remains free of w, Participation in the projec lication and intervie app by be will ent itm ion and meals cru dat Re charge, with accommo mit up to two short n in February/ ope will and writers will need to sub ns atio provided. Applic ks available on pac n atio plic Ap ts. be held in April. rac ext will script March 2018 and auditions the website. ber 2017 Closing date: 31st Decem rge with to get involved: ow H Participation is free of cha ed. vid pro als accommodation and me For all projects, contact Sherrell Perkin thenorthwall.com 01865 319457 / perkins@ om/artslab ll.c or visit www.thenorthwa to find out more.

ArtsLab Community

ed this season: lv vo in t e g n a c u yo ere’s how For 18 - 25 year olds: ArtsLab is a ground- H s: old year breaking initiative For 11 - 18 Easter Residency: supporting talented Dance Catalyst & Directors ss s la st rc Maste For Emerging Writers emerging arti ril

the pursuing a career in a creative arts. We run d number of projects an ut residentials througho on the year in collaborati with top theatre professionals.

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Card & Online Payments: £2 per transaction (£1 if buying a single ticket)

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Open: Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm and from 5pm on performance days. Saturdays 12pm – 4pm. Closed Sundays and Bank Holidays.

Booking fees: Cash Payments: no booking fee

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Box office: 01865 319450

Online booking: www.thenorthwall.com Email: contact@thenorthwall.com

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The North Wall Arts Centre South Parade, Summertown, Oxford OX2 7JN

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Parking: Two public car parks are five minutes’ walk from the North Wall (see map). There is limited on-street parking in South Parade.

25% OFF For North Wall theatre-goers

Park and Ride: from Pear Tree or Water Eaton until 11pm, Mon-Sat. By train: Oxford and Oxford Parkway stations are both two miles away from The North Wall. By bus: Buses run frequently to Summertown from Oxford City Centre. The bus stop is South Parade. For more info on travel and parking visit www.summertown.info

Present your tickets to receive 25% off your food bill on the day of your performance.

Access: The North Wall has full disabled access and facilities. We also have infra-red and audio-loop systems for people with hearing difficulties.

Booking Information Groups One ticket is free with every ten purchased. Concessions Where indicated, these apply to schoolchildren, full-time students, UB40s, over 60s and registered disabled. A wheelchair user’s companion receives a free ticket.

School Groups £7.50 tickets on selected shows. Accompanying staff members go free. Portabello Bar and Grill South Parade Exclusive to North Wall ticket holders ….why not take advantage of a great offer from our friends and partners at Portabello Bar and Grill on South Parade. Receive 25% off the food bill when you present your tickets for the evening’s performance. Give them a call 01865 559653 to book your pre- or post- theatre meal. www.portabellorestaurant.co.uk

Keep up to date with news and offers Don’t miss out – join our mailing list by registering on the homepage of our website or email contact@thenorthwall.com. www.thenorthwall.com The North Wall is part of St Edward’s, Oxford: charity number 309681

To book, call 01865 559653 or visit portabellorestaurant.co.uk 7 South Parade, Summertown, Oxford, OX2 7JL

At a glance event guide DATE

EVENT

CATEGORY PAGE

Jan 17 Jan 23 Jan 24 Jan 27 Feb 1 Feb 3 Feb 8-9 Feb 13 Feb 15 Feb 17 Feb 20 Feb 21 Feb 23 Mar 2 - 3 Mar 7 Mar 10 Mar 12 Mar 13 Mar 17 Mar 20 Mar 21 Mar 24 Apr 6-8 Apr 13 Apr 14 Apr 16 Apr 19-20 Apr 21 Apr 23-24 May 5-7 May 9 May 11 May 12 May 16-19 May 22 May 24 May 26

King Lear Retold Inspiring People: Henry Marsh Hanna Penguin Luke Wright: Frankie Vah John Kearns Winter Solstice Yana and the Yeti Rachel Newton Sarah Millican Inspiring People: Andrew Graham-Dixon Griff Rhys-Jones Mark Thomas: Showtime from the Front Line Odyssey/Translunar Paradise Point of Echoes Tidy Up! Inspiring People: Marty Jopson The B*easts Ellie Taylor Carry on Jaywick O’Hooley and Tidow Noggin the Nog Alchymy Festival OCM: Sorana Santos John Hegley: All Hail the Snail Inspiring People: Bettany Hughes Soldier On Simon Munnery Black Men Walking National Theatre Connections Inspiring People: Jonathon Porritt OCM: In Place Joseph Morpurgo Fragment Fisk Lankum Me and My Bee

Theatre 4 Talk 37 Theatre 5 Family 32 Theatre 6 Comedy 7 Theatre 8 Family 32 Music 10 Comedy 11 Talk 38 Comedy 11 Theatre 13 Theatre 14 Dance 16 Family 33 Talk 38 Theatre 17 Comedy 18 Theatre 19 Music 20 Family 34 Theatre 21 Music 22 Family 34 Talk 39 Theatre 23 Comedy 24 Theatre 25 Community 26 Talk 39 Music 27 Comedy 28 Theatre 29 Theatre 30 Music 31 Family 35

Gallery Jan 10 - 26 Jan 30 – Feb 17 Feb 21 – Mar 3 Mar 6 – 24 Mar 27 – Apr 12 Apr 16 – May 2 May 5 – 26

Jessica Copping Ruth Murray Nick Permain St Edward’s School Oxford Photographic Society Oxford Scribes Rob & Harriet Fraser

See page 50 for special offers and full details of concessions.

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