Pick of the Week

By Holly O’Mahony

A night of performances at NOW Gallery

Top Gun: Maverick under the stars

Head to NOW Gallery for an evening of poetry, performance and live music to coincide with artist Darryl Daley’s current exhibition What You See Here/What You Hear Here. The evening’s performances will all be loosely based on themes of archive, memory and home – which are the subjects of Darryl’s exhibition – and guests will have the chance to see the exhibition while on site. The event kicks off with a drinks reception at 6pm. NOW Gallery, Soames Walk, London SE10 0SQ. May 25, 6pm - 10pm. Admission: FREE/reserve a ticket in advance. www.nowgallery.co.uk/events/now-later-let-it-stay-here

Finger on the buzzer at Greenwich Theatre

Be a part of the action at Greenwich Theatre, as theatre collective Gutter Street hosts its popular Mess Around event, inviting the audience to get involved with an evening of games, quizzes and live music. While a competitive streak might help (there’s prizes for the winners after all), the event is really a chance for creatives to meet one another in a fun, relaxed environment. Greenwich Theatre, Crooms Hill, London SE10 8ES. May 28, 7pm. Admission: £8.

www.greenwichtheatre.org.uk/events/the-mess-around-by-gutter-street/

The sound of music

Blow away the week’s troubles (well, let the talented wind instrumentalists of Trinity Laban Symphonic Winds blow them away for you) in this Friday night concert at Blackheath Halls. Andrew Dunn conducts the event, which features music by Omar Thomas, Vulcan Daugherty and Camille Saint-Saens. Blackheath Halls, 23 Lee Road, Blackheath, London SE3 9RQ. May 26, 6pm. Admission: £5. www.blackheathhalls.com/whats-on/ trinity-laban-symphonic-winds-2/

Outdoor movie season returns this weekend to St George’s Garrison Church. Under what will hopefully be a starry night sky, wrap up warm and watch the 2022 release Top Gun: Maverick without having to open your purse. That said, a licensed bar will be up and running for those who fancy a tipple or some snacks with their movie. St George’s Garrison Church, Woolwich, London SE18 6BW. May 27, 6pm - 11pm. Admission: £5. www. stgeorgeswoolwich.org/ events/detail/events-2023

Are YOU Britain’s next big stand up star?

If you think you’ve got what it takes to make an audience fall about laughing, then head to Bromley’s Churchill Theatre, where a six-week stand-up comedy course, beginning on Monday May 29, is teaching newbies the ropes. Get this: by the end of the course, you’ll have written five minutes of material which you’ll perform to your fellow course mates in a comedy showcase. The course will cover techniques for improvisation, commanding the room, performance skills, using a mic, editing and structuring material, and, if you’re serious about the next step, how to get booked. Churchill Theatre, High Street, Bromley BR1 1HA. May 29, 7:15pm, then weekly for six weeks. Admission: £200/£150 concessions. www.churchilltheatre.co.uk/Online/ tickets-stand-up-comedy-for-beginnersbromley-may-2023

Coming up trump(et)s

Community centre Mycenae House, together with Greenwich based arts charity Global Fusion Music & Arts, is hosting acclaimed jazz artist Hannah Horton and her band. A graduate of both the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Trinity Laban, Hannah is a member of Women In Jazz Media and runs ‘J Steps’, an initiative helping musicians who identify as female or non-binary to take their first steps in the industry. Hear her perform tracks from her most recent, critically-acclaimed album Inside Out, plus some of the numbers that helped her make her name in music. Mycenae House, 90 Mycenae Road, London SE3 7SE. May 26, 7:30pm. Admission: £12.

www.mycenaehouse.co.uk/events/gfma-hannah-horton-quartet/