Apparently it’s bad form on blogs, newsletters etc to apologise for how long it is since you last sent out a missive to your adoring public, as this would imply that you were egotistical enough to assume you had any sort of public at all, let alone a public stupid enough to adore someone who uses words like ‘missive’.
So I won’t even mention how long it’s been since my last post, let alone apologise for it, and just get on with writing about what I’ve got coming up.
Phrased & Confused
This weekend I and my fellow Geddes Loom band mates, Léonie Higgins and Dan Steele, will be performing a new music and spoken word commission at Summer Sundae Weekender in Leicester, brought to you by the lovely people at Phrased & Confused. The piece is themed on protest, and we’ve tried to imagine what Poetry and Music would protest about if they were characters, with what I hope are quite amusing results. I’ll also be performing in a Gil Scott Heron tribute slot and Geddes Loom will be performing a set of our other material on the Rising Stage on the Sunday. If you’re not around in Leicester we’ll be performing the protest piece at Interrogate Festival in Dartington on 23rd Sept, and at Contact, Manchester on 23rd Nov.
A Game Of Consequence
Over the last couple of months I’ve been busy working with Contact’s Young Actor’s Company on A Game of Consequence – a new piece of street theatre for Xtrax’s Platform 4 outdoor arts festival in Manchester’s Picadilly Gardens on 20th & 21st. The show is inspired by an old fashioned medicine show with a modern twist, and is directed by Cheryl Martin (with me assisting).
Everything We Need
My brand new solo show, which was previously going under the working title ‘Climate Myths’, has now found a better name, and will be opening at the Royal Exchange Studio, Manchester next Spring, followed by a short tour. Dates tba. The show is a series of inter-linked monologues, each inspired by a myth that relates to our understanding of climate change and other ecological crises. But it’s more fun than it sounds, and that this provisional promo image makes it look! The show has so far been developed at Dartington Arts, with a short R&D period completed in May. It’s being directed by Cheryl Martin and live music is performed by Léonie and Dan.
Shambala
I’ll also be performing a solo set and a set with Geddes Loom in the brilliant Wandering Word tent at Shambala Festival on the 26th & 27th August. This is one of the best small festivals I’ve ever been to, can’t wait for this one.
September
Got a couple of gigs coming up in September too, one at The Core, @ Corby Cube on the 3rd as part of an event called Lyric Lounge, also featuring Jean Binta Breeze and Joel Stickley. And I’m going to be on the Manchester team at the Bristol Poetry Festival Slam at The Arnolfini on the 17th.
More exciting things coming up in October and onwards, but I might get round to shouting about in September…