Contact I What's On I Jan-Jul 2016 by Contact

W H AT ’S ON | JA N – JUL 2 016

@contactmcr |

/contactmcr

THANK YOU Thanks to our Funders, Sponsors and Supporters, and all who have made donations to Contact online and in person. Core Funders:

Project Funders:

DO IT FOR REAL

Project Partners:

Awards:

Creative Experts Clients: BBC, Business In The Community, The Co-operative Group, Crowe Clark Whitehill, Curious Minds, Electricity North West, GMCVO, Greenlight Computers, Heineken, Insider Media Ltd, North West Business Leadership Team, The National Deaf Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Society, NHS, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Salford University, Sharp Futures, South Manchester Enterprise Network, Tate Liverpool, Tyneside Cinema, The University of Manchester, St Johns Buildings, Siemens, Your Housing.

contactmcr.com tickets & info: 0161 274 0600

WELCOME

JANUARY – JULY 2016 AT CONTACT

Matt Fenton © Joel Chester Fildes

Spring/Summer at Contact sees one of the most exciting, diverse and provocative programmes you’re likely to find anywhere in the country. It includes outstanding theatre, dance, live art, spoken word, music and cabaret for audiences of all ages, plus some great exhibitions.

In a season of highlights, we recommend checking out the brilliant urban moves of Avant Garde Dance; the architectural performance of Reckless Sleepers; the funny and moving explorations of mental health by Bryony Kimmings and Kim Noble; and of course Queer Contact Festival, our annual celebration of the best LGBT art and culture. We’re really pleased to present new shows from Contact Young Company, 20 Stories High with Theatre-Rites, Quarantine and Le Gateau Chocolat. There’s a fantastic line-up for our Flying Solo Festival, showcasing the best of what happens when performers go it alone, including Contact commissions from Jenna Watt, Ria Hartley, Ben Mellor and Kate O’Donnell. The season culminates in July with our biennial international festival of young people’s theatre, Contacting the World. It’s going to be a busy few months, so we can’t wait to welcome you! Matt Fenton, Artistic Director/Chief Executive Book more, pay less

Mates rates

Book more than one show in a single transaction and save some cash! • Book 2 shows, get 10% off your tickets • Book 3 shows, get 15% off your tickets

Book 6 tickets for a show in a single transaction and get £1 off each ticket

T&Cs: Tickets must be booked in a single transaction, offer cannot be applied retrospectively. Exclusions apply, visit contactmcr.com/ticketoffers for details.

Contact is the national contemporary arts organisation that places young people’s decision-making and leadership at the heart of everything. Young people 13+ work alongside our staff in deciding our programme, making staff appointments and sit on our Board. The result is a remarkable, diverse and exciting programme for everyone — whatever your age. Did you know? • Contact

is a creative space for young people aged 13 to 30, providing workshops and opportunities, mostly for free (see pages 26 to 27).

• Contact

is a charity dependent on our valued Funders, Trusts and Foundations, and the generosity of individual donors. To find out more about how you can support our work, please contact: emmawigley@contactmcr.com I 0161 274 0657.

JAN

Wed 27 Jan, 8pm. £13 / £7 conc. Over 7s.

AVANT GARDE DANCE: THE BLACK ALBUM Returning to the UK after a sold-out international tour. Open up the sleeve of The Black Album to find a triple-bill of effortlessly stylish dance. Three distinctly different hip-hop choreographies are woven together like a concept album, taking you on a soulful journey. Experience the many shades of black through break dance, improvisation and complex choreography, alongside a score of free jazz, electronica, classical, and more. Using innovative cutting-edge dance, you will experience a new way to watch music and a new way to listen to dance. Avant Garde Dance are at the forefront of hip-hop / contemporary dance theatre, led by Artistic Director, Tony Adigun. In 2011/12 Tony was awarded Best Choreographer at the BEFFTA Awards and was also Artistic Director of Sky’s Got To Dance.

'Bold, inventive dance… an adventure in hip-hop’ The Stage ‘Incredible musicality — truly breath-taking’ Richard Alston | avantgardedance.com I #theblackalbum

Stay after the show and dance at Mixed Movement (see P23)

contactmcr.com tickets & info: 0161 274 0600

Wed 27 – Fri 29 Jan, 7:30pm. ©£11/£6 conc. Rehan Jamil Thu 28 Jan, 1:30pm. Over 14s. Post-show talk on Thu 28. DERVISH PRESENTS

THE CROWS PLUCKED YOUR SINEWS Written/directed by Hassan Mahamdallie. Performed by Yusra Warsama. Woolwich today, Somalia under British rule. Two women and two worlds collide.

The Crows Plucked Your Sinews is a one-woman show starring multi-talented performer Yusra Warsama, with live music. Based on real events and featuring the epic lyrical tradition of Somalia, this is a unique exploration of the violence of empire and the poetry of resistance. | #CrowsPlay Supported using public funding by Arts Council England.

Thu 28 Jan, 5:30pm. Free. Over 13s.

WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES DIFFERENCE MAKE? 40 years on from the publication of Naseem Khan’s The Arts Britain Ignores, we invite artists from Black, Asian, and minority backgrounds to share perceptions on the politics of race, exclusion, integration, art and culture.

What Difference Does Difference Make? asks how you think cultural policy and practice has responded to the changing ethnic diversity of Britain over the past generation. Curated and produced by the WDDM Team — Dr Rob Berkeley MBE, Naseem Khan, David Bryan, Kully Thiarai, Matt Fenton and Jenny Williams. Supported using public funding by Arts Council England. © Zarah Hussain

| walkbeforeme.com I #walkbefore

FEB Our Lady J

Tom Allen

Jackie Kay

Laurie Brown

Jo Clifford

Debs Gatenby Jamal Gerald

Kate Bornstein

Jamie Fletcher Company

contactmcr.com tickets & info: 0161 274 0600

QUEER CONTACT FESTIVAL 2016 The eighth annual Queer Contact Festival is bigger than ever, celebrating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender arts and culture in Greater Manchester as part of LGBT History Month. Expect theatre, music, dance, cabaret, comedy, spoken word, and visual art at Contact and beyond, with new collaborations with HOME, the Royal Exchange Theatre, Band on the Wall, RNCM, Word of Warning and more. This year’s festival explores sexuality, gender, religion and belief, with local, national and international artists including Erasure’s Andy Bell, US transgender performers and activists Kate Bornstein and Our Lady J, Jackie Kay, AL and AL, Jo Clifford, Eilidh MacAskill, Mother’s Ruin and more; plus new commissions from Debs Gatenby, Laurie Brown and Jamie Fletcher Company. Full listings via contactmcr.com/queercontact I #queercontact Andy Bell

FEB © Ben Hopper design by Guy Sanders

BSL

performance Wed 24 Feb, 7:30pm

Tue 23 & Wed 24 Feb, 7:30pm. £13 / £7 conc. Over 13s. Post-show talk on Tue 23. 20 STORIES HIGH AND THEATRE-RITES

THE BROKE ‘N’ BEAT COLLECTIVE Spend an evening with the Collective; a raw, gritty, funny and moving gig that explores the hardships faced by young people in the UK today. Gripping tales, transfixing poetry and hip-hop puppetry like you’ve never seen before. 20 Stories High and Theatre-Rites join forces and bring together four amazing artists: beat-boxer Hobbit, b-boy Ryan Logistic Harston, singer/poet Elektric, and puppeteer Mohsen Nouri to form The Broke ‘N’ Beat Collective.

‘Great theatre should be about taking risks ... this play has it in the bag’ The Guardian (Melody Loses Her Mojo)

A 20 Stories High and Theatre-Rites co-production in association with Unity Theatre, Liverpool.

| 20storieshigh.org.uk | theatre-rites.co.uk I #brokeNbeatcollective

MAR

contactmcr.com tickets & info: 0161 274 0600

Tue 1 – Thu 3 Mar, 8pm. £13 / £7 conc. Over 12s. Post-show talk Tue 1 and Wed 2 Mar.

RECKLESS SLEEPERS: NEGATIVE SPACE To begin, Reckless Sleepers built a room-sized wooden frame and lined it with plasterboard. For several weeks they started smashing it up, smashing it down, then piecing the fragments of their destruction back together. The result is this show, Negative Space. From a blank architectural canvas, something fantastical emerges. It’s a love story. It’s a slapstick comedy. It’s slasher, action, melodrama... and not a single word is spoken. Soon different possible stories are spiraling around, hurtling towards an ending.

‘This show makes confetti of convention’ Elliot Garlick Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Architecture and Performance Post-show talk Wed 2 Mar

| reckless-sleepers.eu I #negativespace

MAR

BSL

performance Thu 10 Mar, 8pm

Wed 9 & Thu 10 Mar, 8pm. £15 / £10 conc. Over 14s. Post-show talk Wed 9 Mar. CONTACT AND SICK! FESTIVAL PRESENT

BRYONY KIMMINGS AND TIM GRAYBURN: FAKE IT ‘TIL YOU MAKE IT The international hit show about clinical depression and men. Bryony is an outrageous, hilarious and fearless performance artist from London. Tim is an outrageous, hilarious and fearless account manager from a top advertising agency. Bryony and Tim are a couple. Six months into their relationship, Bryony found out that Tim suffers from severe clinical depression. He had kept it a secret for a very long time. Fake it ‘til you Make it is Bryony Kimmings’ new work about clinical depression and men made in collaboration with Tim. A wickedly warming, brutally honest and heart-breaking show about the wonders and pitfalls of the human brain, being in love and what it takes to be a ‘real man’. ★★★★★ The Stage ★★★★★ Evening Standard ★★★★★ The Skinny ★★★★ The Telegraph ★★★★ The Guardian ★★★★ TheTimes ★★★★ Time Out

| bryonyandtim.com I #fakeit Post-show talk and short presentation, with Dr Ben Fincham (University of Sussex) in conversation with Bryony Kimmings, Wed 9 Mar. Ben Fincham is a sociologist whose research has explored issues of mental illness and depression, masculinity and happiness.

contactmcr.com tickets & info: 0161 274 0600

A 4-day programme exploring what makes us who we are. | sickfestival.com

Sat 12 Mar, 8pm. £13 / £7 conc. Over 18s only. CONTACT, SICK! FESTIVAL AND WORD OF WARNING PRESENT

KIM NOBLE: YOU’RE NOT ALONE

You’re Not Alone is a provocative, moving and darkly comic take on one man’s attempts at connection, friendship and employment at B&Q. Kim Noble takes his audience on a journey through tower blocks, supermarkets and Facebook, seeking an escape from the loneliness of modern society. A renowned performance and video artist, Kim is best known as one half of Perrier Award-winning, BAFTA-nominated comedy duo Noble and Silver. He has also starred in TV shows The Mighty Boosh, Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy and Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace. He currently works at B&Q. ★★★★ ‘One of the most hypnotic pieces of theatre I’ve ever seen' The Telegraph ★★★★ ‘A unique window on the bleak comedy of human existence' The Guardian Kim Noble is an In Between Time Associate Artist. Produced and presented by In Between Time in association with Soho Theatre.

| mrkimnoble.com I #yourenotalone

MAR Wed 9 – Sat 12 Mar, various times/prices. Over 14s.

SICK! Lab is a focused 4-day programme of events and discussions, an open research lab exploring what makes us who we are. How much are we still defined by all those traditional categories: religion, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexuality... Do these aspects of our culture still define us? Are we finding new categories or are definitions becoming so fluid that they are meaningless? Thu 10 Mar, 10am – 5pm

Fri 11 Mar, 10am – 5pm

ON THE COUCH

OPEN SPACE: THE FUTURE OF IDENTITY

Bringing together unlikely couplings of leading voices from the media, arts and academia, with the audience to explore the themes of the lab. Speakers to be announced.

Often described as un-conferences, Open Space events put the agenda in the hands of the audience. Come along and find others with similar questions, but possibly different answers.

Thu 10 Mar, 9:30pm – 11pm

BAR FLIES PHILOSOPHY: THE TRIGGER’S BROOM PARADOX Drawing on the wisdom of Only Fools And Horses, this late night event gets to the core of our very essence. Thu 10 & Fri 11 Mar, 1pm – 9pm

SICK! LOUNGE An open, informal space in which to continue discussions, take on refreshments and engage with Nuffield Council on Bioethics, Disability Arts Online and our International Arts / Medical Humanities research group.

| sickfestival.com

Fri 11 Mar, 7pm – 9pm

LAB TEST An evening of work-in-progress, where artists share new projects in development, giving audiences and artists the chance to discuss the personal, social and ethical issues that they explore.

contactmcr.com tickets & info: 0161 274 0600 Thu 3 Mar, 7:30pm. £7/ £4 conc. Over 14s.

PEN:CHANT Ben Mellor hosts a night of spoken word, live music, comedy, cabaret and performance from the very best local, national and international acts. Open mic spots available — contact info@benmellor.net for slots. | benmellor.net | #pen_chant Tue 15 – Fri 18 Mar, various times/prices. Over 13s. THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER PRESENTS

PALAVER FESTIVAL 2016

Celebrating language and performance, Palaver Festival features theatre and music from across the world. | #palaver2016 © Joel Chester Fildes

Sat 19 Mar, 8pm (7:30pm doors). £11 / £6 conc. Over 13s.

THE BLACK SOUND SERIES CURATED BY BPM AND LEVEL UP.

A night of big beats and rhythms celebrating Black music and culture and its influence on the UK. Expect some very special guests, alongside young people from our Level Up music project showcasing new music they have produced at Contact. Followed by an after-party with special headline DJs and the BPM residents. Supported by Youth Music. I #blacksoundseries

MAR/APR

Tue 22 Mar, 8pm. £14 / £8 conc. (Summer.), Wed 23 Mar, 7pm. £14 / £8 conc. (Autumn.) Thu 24 Mar, 8pm. £8 / £5 conc. (Winter.), Fri 25 Mar. 8pm. £14 / £8 conc. (Spring.) Sat 26 Mar, Sat 2 & Sun 3 Apr, 2pm. £25 / £15 conc. (All four shows). Over 14s.

QUARANTINE: SUMMER. AUTUMN. WINTER. SPRING. World Premiere. A Quarantine, HOME, Contact co-production. Directed by Richard Gregory. An extraordinary quartet of work about our relationship with time, Quarantine’s ambitious project is a piece of mass portraiture, spanning the human lifecycle and made with ‘real people’ in place of actors. In Summer. Autumn. Winter. Spring. each work stands alone, distinct in form, or can be seen as an epic, day-long marathon event. Manchester-based Quarantine are a unique voice in British theatre — internationally acclaimed for their experiments with everyday life. ★★★★ ‘The whole thing exudes warmth, and a valuably impolite yet delicate

and searching curiosity about what it is that makes us human..’

Lyn Gardner, The Guardian (on Quarantine/Contact co-production Summer.)

Please note: This performance takes place at Old Granada Studios, Quay Street, Manchester. Supported by Arts Council England, The Granada Foundation, The Unity Theatre Trust and The Wellcome Trust.

I qtine.com

APR/JUN © Tamsin Drury

contactmcr.com tickets & info: 0161 274 0600 Fri 22 & Sat 23 Apr, 7:30pm. £9 / £5 conc. Two nights £11 / £6 conc. Over 14s. WORD OF WARNING + CONTACT PRESENT

TURN 2016

Celebrating five years of this whirlwind of dance at Contact, this two day spin around new northern dance sees energy burst from every nook and cranny. Fluidly lyrical, effervescently acrobatic or eccentrically innovative, let Turn transport you into a frenzy of dance. Co-produced by hÅb, Contact and Dance Manchester.

| turnmcr.org | #TurnMcr Fri 3 & Sat 4 Jun, 7:30pm. £6 / £3 conc. Over 14s. WORD OF WARNING + CONTACT PRESENT

WORKS AHEAD

Our annual sampler of what’s next in contemporary performance and live art: brand new commissions from up and coming talent — so new, they’ve not yet been made... 2015 saw two young men confront the perils of manliness, from political activism to immortality. Check online for what 2016 will bring. Co-produced by hÅb and Contact.

| worksahead.org I #WorksAhead

APR Ria Hartley

Stuart Bowden

Jenna Watt

Louise Wallwein

Kate Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donnell

Contact Young Company

contactmcr.com tickets & info: 0161 274 0600

Thu 5 – Sat 14 May, various times/prices.

FLYING SOLO FESTIVAL 2016 Contact’s annual celebration of the art of the solo performer returns for its sixth year. The festival features new Flying Solo commissioned performances Faslane by Jenna Watt, a powerful and timely insight into the current nuclear debate, and Untouchable by Ria Hartley, which takes a tender, personal look at recovery for a family in negotiation with the repercussions of a violent history. Stuart Bowden brings his smartly crafted and enchanting lo-fi, DIY, sci-fi storytelling experience, Cheryl Martin delivers a devastatingly beautiful and heart achingly profound show, and Contact Young Company present a brand new series of dynamic and provocative monologues. Ben Mellor explores the placebo effect, Kate O’Donnell makes a song and dance about her path to becoming a woman, Louise Wallwein lets us in on her first two meetings with her birth mother, 30 years after being put up for adoption, and Matt Miller’s show will strike a chord with anyone who’s ever felt lost in a new place. For full details of Flying Solo visit contactmcr.com/flyingsolo I #flyingsolo2016 Photography: Ria Hartley © Paul Samuel White / Jenna Watt © CPOA (Photo) Tam McDonald Crown Copyright / Louise Wallwein © Rachel Cherry / Kate O’Donnell © Lee Baxter / Contact Young Company © Joel Chester Fildes / Matt Miller © José Pope / Ben Mellor © Sam Ryley / Cheryl Martin © fotocad

Matt Miller

Ben Mellor

Cheryl Martin

MAY © Eli Schmidt

Thu 26 May, 8pm. £15 / £10 conc. Over 14s.

LE GATEAU CHOCOLAT: ICONS Walking the tightrope between his public and private personas, Le Gateau Chocolat explores our relationships with our icons — the people, the moments, the books, the relationships that have come to shape us, or the ideal we aspire to. Expect an outrageously eclectic mix of music from pop to opera, Madonna to Kate Bush, Elvis to Whitney and Meatloaf to Pagliacci, as Le Gateau explores his own objects of worship through the songs and music of his personal icons. ★★★★★ Metro

‘Honest, vulnerable, raw...That voice, that voice, that voice — captivating, powerful, heartbreaking & leaves me trembling’ Whats On Adelaide Presented as part of The University of Manchester’s Sexuality Summer School 2016 public events series.

| legateauchocolat.com

JUN

contactmcr.com tickets & info: 0161 274 0600

Sat 11 Jun, 7:30pm. £13 / £7 conc. Over 14s. Post-show telepresence jam with Young Identity.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS AND BABA ISRAEL: THE SPINNING WHEEL Steve Ben Israel was a New York jazz musician, poet, stand-up comic, political activist and core member of the iconic ensemble ‘The Living Theatre’. He passed away in 2012, leaving behind a legacy of 1960s counterculture, and a son — Baba Israel.

The Spinning Wheel is an international collaboration between New York hip-hop theatre artist Baba Israel, Artistic Director of Unfinished Business Leo Kay and musician Yako 440, with video by Richard Ramchurn and Dramaturgy by Talvin Wilkes. Celebrating artistic expression, political activism and intergenerational collaboration it remixes past and present in a fusion of storytelling, projection mapping, hip-hop, jazz and spoken word. Supported by Theatre in the Mill, Arts Council England and BRIC House.

| thisisunfinished.com | babaisrael.com | #spinningwheel

JUN ÂŠ Joel Chester Fildes

Sat 18 Jun, various times/prices. Over 14s.

RE:CON 2016 We all have a complex relationship with food â&#x20AC;&#x201D; whether we have too much, not enough, or are happily satisfied, food is personal. Contact's young programming and producing team, Re:Con, explore the social, political and psychological power of food through art, community engagement and the act of sharing a meal. | contactmcr.com/recon

JULY

contactmcr.com tickets & info: 0161 274 0600

Mon 11 – Sat 16 Jul, various times/prices.

CONTACTING THE WORLD 2016 Contacting the World is Contact’s international exchange project for young theatre makers. The project brings together young creatives from across geographical, cultural and social divides and unites them through the common aim of devising new performance work together. Six young companies from Belgium, China, Demark, Portugal, and the United Kingdom will take part in the 2016 edition, with directors including Cathy Naden (Forced Entertainment) and Matt Fenton. | contactmcr.com/contactingtheworld I #contactingtheworld

EXHIBITIONS Thu 4 Feb – Sat 16 April, open daily (not Sun). Free.

KHALIL WEST AND AJAMU: I AM FOR YOU CAN ENJOY An intimate exploration of the diverse backgrounds, perspectives and lived experiences of queer Black male sex workers and their clients. © Ajamu

| ajamu-fineartphotography.co.uk

Thu 4 Feb – Sat 16 April, open daily (not Sun). Free.

LEE BAXTER / GEORGE HOUSE TRUST: GEORGE TURNS 30 Photographs and video works that tell the story of 30 years of the HIV charity George House Trust. Meet some of the people and objects behind the history of HIV activism in the North West. | ght.org.uk Thu 4 Feb – Sat 16 April, open daily (not Sun). Free.

THE WRETCHED GINGER BOY: #MANCHESTERQUEENS Glenn Jones presents a selection of portraits and posters inspired by the creative looks and imaginative performances of Manchester’s drag queens. © Glenn Jones

| wretchedgingerboy.com Sat 6 Feb – Sun 10 Apr, open daily. Free.

AL AND AL: INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL IN THE MULTIVERSE Presented by HOME and Contact. British artists and filmmakers AL and AL, alongside some of the world's groundbreaking scientists; Professor Brian Greene, Alan Turing and Dr. Bart Hoogenboom, investigate a new era of scientific exploration, both real and imagined.

Exhibition at HOME, 2 Tony Wilson Place, Manchester. Curated by Bren O’Callaghan and Sarah Perks. © AL and AL

| homemcr.org

REGULAR EVENTS © Joel Chester Fildes

contactmcr.com tickets & info: 0161 274 0600 Wed 27 Jan, 10pm. Free. All ages. CONTACT AND DAWN’S MIND PRESENTS

MIXED MOVEMENT

Contact’s open stage event for dancers. Turn up and just watch, or let the music grab you and join in. Dancers! Want to take part? Email mixedmovement@contactmcr.com Hosted by Keisha Thompson. | #mixedmovement

Mon 25 Jan, 29 Feb, 25 Apr, 27 Jun, 8pm. Free. Over 13s. CONTACT PRESENTS

RAW (RHYTHM AND WORDS) An open mic for poets, vocalists, and MCs, also featuring the Freestyle Pyramid Competition with quirky prizes. Hosted by Martin Visceral with DJ Jomo. | #RAWMCR

Fri 19 Feb, 20 May, 7pm. £7/4. Over 13s.

YOUNG IDENTITY: ONE MIC STAND Join Manchester’s finest young spoken word performers for a boisterous night of poetry, music and visual art. Featuring an open slam and special guests. Email youngidentitymcr@googlemail.com to take part. | youngidentity.org | #onemicstand

EDUCATION If you are a teacher, sign up to find out more about our education activities via education@contactmcr.com or call 0161 274 0600.

CONTACT’S EDUCATION NEWSLETTER Providing information about up-coming educational shows, workshops, participatory activities and projects, our education newsletter helps teachers discover the many ways their pupils can engage with creative learning at Contact. Sign-up to receive regular updates, special offers, and invites to exclusive educational events.

WORKSHOPS Contact delivers bespoke, high quality, innovative educational workshops and participatory projects across a variety of live and digital art forms, as well as continuing professional development training and consultation.

ARTS AWARD Contact is an Arts Award Centre with trained staff who are able to deliver bronze, silver and gold Arts Awards. We are also an Arts Award Supporter Organisation. As an Arts Award Supporter we can offer: • Involvement

in our free workshops and projects.

• Artist

meet and greets.

• Leadership

opportunities.

• Opportunities

to see and review live

performance. • Tours

of the building and backstage.

• Opportunities

to meet staff working in Contact’s various departments.

| contactmcr.com/artsaward

GROUPS It really couldn’t be easier to organise a group visit to Contact. Let us look after you: • Receive

advance information about shows; get great offers and occasional free stuff.

• Groups

of 10 or more make great savings on shows — every 11th person comes free.

PROJECTS

contactmcr.com tickets & info: 0161 274 0600

THE AGENCY The Agency, our young entrepreneurship project with Battersea Arts Centre and People’s Palace Projects, London, has received £397,572 from the Big Lottery Fund to support young people in Manchester and London to transform ideas for making change in their own communities into real projects and social enterprises. The Agency helps young people to develop the skills and confidence needed to become more employable and entrepreneurial. Recently Agency staff and young people have presented keynotes at conferences in Stanford, USA, and Rio de Janeiro, and presented at the No Boundaries conference in Manchester. This is the third year of the programme and the success of previous projects evidence the incredible value that art and creativity have on transforming young lives, far beyond the normal reach of the arts. The pilot years of the project were funded by Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. | contactmcr.com/theagency I #agentschange

JOIN IN Young people are at the heart of everything we do. Don’t just watch, get involved!

CONTACT YOUNG COMPANY (CYC) Weekly, Free. Ages 15 – 25. Next auditions: 19 & 20 Sep. Contact Young Company is our renowned ensemble recruited from a diverse mix of performers, actors, musicians, dancers, poets and MCs under 25. They create professional-standard public performances working with internationally acclaimed companies and directors, including the likes of Forced Entertainment, Stacy Makishi and Common Wealth. © Joel Chester Fildes

| #contactyoungco

MONDAY DROP Weekly, Free. Ages 13 – 19. Mon, 6:30pm – 8:30pm, 18 Jan – 21 Mar, 16 May – 25 Jul. If you’re interested in drama skills and acting then drop in to our regular Monday night sessions and learn from professional performers, actors and directors. No experience necessary. | #mondaydrop

MEDIA DROP Weekly, Free. Ages 13 – 25. Mon, 6pm – 9pm, 18 Jan – 7 Mar / 27 Jun – 15 Aug. MCs, DJs, vocalists, poets and producers! Collaborate, build your skills, share tracks and material in person and online. | #mdropmcr Supported by Youth Music.

contactmcr.com tickets & info: 0161 274 0600

LEVEL UP: MUSIC PROJECT* Weekly, Free. Ages 13 – 30. Tue, 6pm – 9pm, 19 Jan – 8 Mar / 28 Jun – 16 Aug. Develop music production skills working with industry professionals to arrange, mix, produce and record music. | #levelupmcr © Joel Chester Fildes

Supported by Youth Music.

TECHNIQUE Weekly, Free. Ages 15 – 25. Mon, 7pm – 9pm, 18 Jan – 7 Mar Develop skills in lighting, sound and technical theatre led by our professional technicians. | #techniquemcr © Joel Chester Fildes

YOUNG IDENTITY Weekly, Free. Ages 13 – 25. Tue, from 5 Jan. 6pm – 7pm (beginners). 7pm – 9pm (some experience). Write, create and perform with Manchester’s premiere young spoken word performers. | youngidentity.org © Shirley May

GET INVOLVED!

Book your slot online or via 0161 274 0600, or just turn up for Monday Drop, Media Drop or Young Identity. *To apply for Level Up and Technique Intermediate please contact tundeadekoya@contactmcr.com

CONTACT LOUNGE AND SPACE HIRE CONTACT LOUNGE

SPACE HIRE

Mon/Tue: 11am – 9pm. Wed – Fri: 11am – late. Sat: 3pm ‘til late for performances.

Our building is available to hire for conferences, festivals, showcases, parties, meetings and more.

Contact Lounge is the perfect spot for meeting, chatting and general lounging. We serve a wide range of hot and cold beverages including Puro Fairtrade coffee (also available to take out) alongside a variety of wines, beers and spirits, and snacks.

Talented staff and excellent catering help make our unique spaces the perfect venue for your event.

The Veggie Café provides great vegetarian food and cakes from our Lounge every Monday – Friday from 11am – 4pm during term time. You can also hire the Lounge for parties, graduations or meetings.

We also offer a ticketing service enabling you to sell events via our Box Office, online and over the phone. All profits from our hires go towards supporting our work with young people. For more info please contact: hires@contactmcr.com or call 0161 274 0628. | contactmcr.com/spacehire

All profits from Contact Lounge go to supporting the work we do with young people.

@contactlounge | #contactlounge /contactlounge

ST WE ST H OT BO

T HS UT MO TS R PO

MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY STUDENTS UNION

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UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER

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T ES AN ISB BR

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M15 6JA

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MANCHESTER ACADEMY

Cars: We do not have a car park but there are several nearby. Please check our website or call Box Office for details.

ST VER DO

MANCHESTER MUSEUM

Buses: run every few minutes on Oxford Road from the City Centre, train stations and South Manchester (Rusholme direction). The closest stop is near to Manchester Academy.

For the latest information and maps to help you plan your visit please go to contactmcr.com/visit

RE NT CE ITY /C ION AT ST AD RO

Check out the map to see our local area.

RNCM

RD FO OX

GETTING HERE

T HS RT WO DIL

contactmcr.com tickets & info: 0161 274 0600

VISIT / ACCESS TICKETS AND BOX OFFICE INFORMATION • We don’t charge booking fees. • Hours: Box office is open Monday – Friday,

10am – 9pm, and from 3pm onwards on Saturdays. Our phone lines close an hour before the advertised show time.

• Concessions include: Senior Citizen,

Student, Unwaged, Disabled and Under 18s. Proof of concession is needed when collecting your tickets.

• Group offers: Buy 10 tickets and get your

11th ticket free.

• Donations: We are a registered charity —

if you’d like to support us, please donate when you book a ticket online or in person.

FEELING SOCIABLE? Please help us spread the word about Contact!

@contactmcr /contactmcr

/contactmcr /contactmcr

/contactmcr ACCESS

This brochure is available in large print upon request. We have a flat foyer entrance, ground floor access to our main theatre space and Contact Lounge, lift access to our other spaces and accessible toilets on every floor. Guide dogs can stay with you, or be looked after by a member of staff. Just let us know when you book.

• Ticket collection: We can post your

tickets out to you. Certain performances also allow Print At Home ticketing. If you choose to collect from our Box Office, please arrive at least 30 minutes before the advertised show time.

• Advanced booking is always recommended. • Latecomers: Many of our shows

don’t allow entry once a performance has started.

• Please ensure you arrive in plenty of

time to avoid disappointment.

• We do not offer refunds on tickets. Tickets

purchased are non-refundable. For more information contact us on 0161 274 0600.

SPACES 1  2 3 5  CONTACT LOUNGE BUILDING   ON LOCATION

We sometimes have BSL interpreted performances — check out individual events for details or contact our Box Office to learn more. If you have any access requirements, please call or text the Duty Manager on 07970 094 069. For more information please go to: contactmcr.com/access

SEASON AT A GLANCE JANUARY Day

Event

Time

Page

Mon 25 Jan

RAW (Rhythm and Words)

8:00pm

Wed 27 Jan

The Crows Plucked Your Sinews

7:30pm

Wed 27 Jan

Avant Garde Dance: The Black Album

8:00pm

Wed 27 Jan

Mixed Movement

10:00pm

Thu 28 Jan

The Crows Plucked Your Sinews

1:30pm

Thu 28 Jan

What Difference Does Difference Make?

5:30pm

Thu 28 Jan

The Crows Plucked Your Sinews

7:30pm

Fri 29 Jan

The Crows Plucked Your Sinews

7:30pm

Day

Event

Time

Page

Thu 4 – Sun 14 Feb

Queer Contact Festival 2016

Various

6-7

Fri 19 Feb

Young Identity: One Mic Stand

7:00pm

Tue 23 Feb

20 Stories High and Theatre-Rites: The Broke ‘N’ Beat Collective

7:30pm

Wed 24 Feb

20 Stories High and Theatre-Rites: The Broke ‘N’ Beat Collective (BSL)

7:30pm

Mon 29 Feb

RAW (Rhythm and Words)

8:00pm

Day

Event

Time

Page

Tue 1 Mar

Reckless Sleepers: Negative Space

8:00pm

Wed 2 Mar

Reckless Sleepers: Negative Space

8:00pm

Thu 3 Mar

Pen:Chant

7:30pm

Thu 3 Mar

Reckless Sleepers: Negative Space

8:00pm

Wed 9 – Sat 12 Mar

SICK! Lab

Various

10-12

Wed 9 Mar

Bryony Kimmings and Tim Grayburn: Fake it ‘til you Make it

8:00pm

Thu 10 Mar

Bryony Kimmings and Tim Grayburn: Fake it ‘til you Make it (BSL)

8:00pm

Sat 12 Mar

Kim Noble: You’re Not Alone

8:00pm

Tue 15 – Fri 18 Mar

Palaver Festival 2016

Various

Sat 19 Mar

The Black Sound Series

8:00pm

Tue 22 Mar

Quarantine: Summer.*

8:00pm

Wed 23 Mar

Quarantine: Autumn.*

7:00pm

Thu 24 Mar

Quarantine: Winter.*

8:00pm

Fri 25 Mar

Quarantine: Spring.*

8:00pm

Sat 26 Mar

Quarantine: Summer. Autumn. Winter. Spring.*

2:00pm

FEBRUARY

MARCH

contactmcr.com tickets & info: 0161 274 0600 APRIL Day

Event

Time

Page

Sat 2 Apr

Quarantine: Summer. Autumn. Winter. Spring. *

2:00pm

Sun 3 Apr

Quarantine: Summer. Autumn. Winter. Spring. *

2:00pm

Fri 22 Apr

Turn 2016

7:30pm

Sat 23 Apr

Turn 2016

7:30pm

Mon 25 Apr

RAW (Rhythm and Words)

8:00pm

Day

Event

Time

Page

Thu 5 – Sat 14 May

Flying Solo Festival 2016

Various

16-17

Fri 20 May

Young Identity: One Mic Stand

7:00pm

Thu 26 May

Le Gateau Chocolat: ICONS

8:00pm

Day

Event

Time

Page

Fri 3 Jun

Works Ahead

7:30pm

Sat 4 Jun

Works Ahead

7:30pm

Sat 11 Jun

Unfinished Business and Baba Israel: The Spinning Wheel

7:30pm

Sat 18 Jun

Re:Con 2016

Various

Mon 27 Jun

RAW (Rhythm and Words)

8:00pm

Day

Event

Time

Page

Mon 11 – Sat 16 Jul

Contacting the World 2016

Various

Day

Event

Time

Page

Thu 4 Feb – Sat 16 Apr

Khalil West and Ajamu: I Am For You Can Enjoy

Open daily [not Sun]

Thu 4 Feb – Sat 16 Apr

Lee Baxter / George House Trust: George Turns 30

Open daily [not Sun]

Thu 4 Feb – Sat 16 Apr

The Wretched Ginger Boy: #ManchesterQueens

Open daily [not Sun]

Sat 6 Feb – Sun 10 Apr

AL and AL: Incidents of Travel in the Multiverse**

Open daily (not Sun)

MAY

JUNE

JULY

EXHIBITIONS

More than one thing take your fancy? See page 3 for details of our offers.

* at Granada Studios ** at HOME

Find Us Contact, Oxford Road, Manchester, M15 6JA We are open all days featuring programmed activity as follows Monday – Friday: 10am – late Saturdays: 3pm – late 24 hour online booking contactmcr.com Box Office (See P29 for full details) 0161 274 0600 Monday – Friday: 10am – 9pm Saturdays: 3pm – 6pm

Thank you

Thank you to our funders, partners and supporters, and all of the people who have donated online and in person.

Registered Charity Number: 501953 All info correct at time of going to print. Check contactmcr.com for up-to-date info. Cover image: Bryony Kimmings + Tim Grayburn — Fake it ‘Til you Make it. © Richard Davenport Brochure design: markbrownstudio.co.uk