Writers Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel return the stage version of The Girl on the Train to the setting of Watford, refreshingly diffusing any sense of glamour and bringing a gritty domesticity to the drama.
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Sisterhood and Cinema with Girl Gang Manchester
As part of the annual ‘Week 53’ festival at The Lowry, Manchester, Girl Gang are offering the latest in their series of immersive theatre experiences: enter the world of Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion.
Who or what are the classics for?: RashDash present Three Sisters
“Fuck you and your excellent words.” Questioning how actors and audience ought to interact with the canon, RashDash explode onto the stage to fight for an artist’s right against the dictatorial bonds of the script.
Review: Tessa Coates, Primates
Tessa Coates - sketch comic extraordinaire, trio-of-podcasts host and now stand up - unveiled Primates, her debut solo show, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017. Part-autobiography, part-anthropology lecture (and a whole lot hilarious) Primates has just finished a sell-out run at the Soho Theatre. Harpy was lucky enough to snatch half an hour with Tessa to talk about her experience creating the show.
Directing: Can Diversity Change the Film Industry?
It is easy to justify the need for more inclusion from a political point of view: discrimination is wrong, period. Yet, I have often been asked if I thought that inclusion would actually bring anything positive to the film industry. After all, do we need an nth chick flick or another Dr Dolittle?
Review: The Tiger Lillies present Corrido de la Sangre
Three men, eleven instruments, one psychedelic puppet show projection. Billed as "The Godfathers of Alternative Cabaret", The Tiger Lillies take to the stage to tell the story of Maria: a Mexican woman who escaped the clutches of the cartels and of the devil himself.
The Cherry Orchard: the Slow Surroundings of an Eccentric Matriarch
The entrance of a small, ghostly child, before the house lights go down, marks the opening of this latest production of The Cherry Orchard and suggests that this may not be Chekhov as we know.
You, Join the Femmeniste Revolution!
The Femmeniste exhibition will tackle female experiences and issues such as sexual harassment, women's mental health, cat-calling, girl hate and much more, by bringing together spoken word artists, female rappers and dancers, as well as art and photography... Whether you’re an artist, a writer, or just want to spread the word, your input is what will power the revolution!
Minefield: the Unsung Stories of the Malvinas
Minefield marked the opening night of the ¡Viva! Festival! an annual celebration of Spanish and Latino culture, from HOME and Instituto Cervantes. Described as the festival that celebrates coming together in a world of division, this opening production exemplifies the spirit of cultural collaboration and provides a platform for unheard voices.
The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk: a colourful explosion of theatre
A staged biography of Marc Chagall, The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk is the story of an iconic artist and the woman both blessed and cursed to be his muse...
You Were Never Really Here: Trauma, Violence and Society
You were never really here. From the little the synopsis and trailer offered, I had imagined the film to be your typical conspiracy thriller centered on a hammer wielding anti-hero (Jo) responsible for the saving of a teenage girl (Nina) from an organised group of pedophiles. Apparently not the type of film I would have spontaneously chosen to see, especially when the gruesome violence of Red Sparrow was still very fresh in my mind...
Red Sparrow, Sexism and Casual Discrimination: How can YOU change this?
I went to see Red Sparrow... I did not want to see this film, at all, but there were some disturbing issues, mentioned in critiques, that I felt the need to address. So, I went to see it, with an open mind, eager to reach my own conclusions.
Frankenstein @ Royal Exchange: an innovative tribute to a literary great
Plunged into darkness, with a crash and a flash, we are on Captain Walton’s ship, trapped amidst the ice. 200 years after Mary Shelley’s iconic novel was published, April de Angelis and the Royal Exchange Theatre reignite life into the pages of Frankenstein.
Ear Hustle: The Prison Podcast Leaving its Mark
Ear Hustle reaches you from San Quentin State Prison, California. Episode by episode, the voices of the men incarcerated there provide very real insights into prison life; this podcast is no Orange is the New Black or Prison Break.
Sassy Suffragettes: Votes for Women @ Museum of London
Covering every event in London’s history, from prehistoric flint tools, through the Black Death, Great Fire, all the way to the 2017 ‘FatBerg’, the Museum of London offers a comprehensive overview. In amongst all of this history, and notably sitting alongside the outbreak of the First World War, the Suffragette movement is importantly and proudly highlighted.
Reading Women
To mark International Women’s Day on the 8th March, Penguin are collaborating with Waterstones to open a pop-up shop selling books written exclusively by women and non-binary people. Open from the 5th to the 9th March on 1-3 Rivington Street in East London, the pop-up will host a number of events aiming to ‘celebrat[e] women, past, present, and future’, including the launch of literary magazine Five Dials’ special issue in which women and gender non-conforming artists and writers contribute works on the female gaze.
'The Shape of Water' and the Politics of the Oscars
Between reboots, prequels, sequels, stories strongly anchored in our reality, Marvel and DC’s films, biopics and period films, it sometimes feels like the film industry have been less imaginative for the past few years. Sure, there is a plethora of non-Hollywood productions that are more creative, but the fact remains that when I head to my local cinema, fantasy and wonder seem very absent. This is why I was full of hope and excitement when I went to see Guillermo Del Toro’s latest film: The Shape of Water...
A Passage to India: a Collaborative, Creative Adaptation
Adapting E.M. Forster’s classic novel, the latest simple8 production, A Passage to India, is an “us vs. them” tale, between Englishmen and Indians, Muslims and Hindus, men and women. Championing the oppressed parties, as positive, progressive forces for good, this production enacts the coming together of all sides as an ensemble, to creative, colourful, transportive effect.
Unconventional Love Stories: From the Creepy to the Cute
This Valentine's Day, whether you're all loved up or a single independent Galentine, why not live vicariously through someone else's great love story. Check out the Harpy shortlist of creeps, cuties and couples...
Girl Gang Leeds: A Year of Smashing the Patriarchy
As Girl Gang Leeds approach their 1st Birthday, Harpy met up with Emily and Kaz to get the low-down on the origins of this quirky collective. In this interview, find out how the gang was born and what they're all about.