Refugee Week is dedicated to recognising the overlooked. Home, Manchester, set aside 16th-22nd June to provide a platform for theatrical, musical, cinematic and political offerings from refugees and solidarity supporters.
The Impossibility of a Female Artist
The very idea of a woman working acts as an allegory for potential freedom and autonomy: it provides an alternative to being dependent and, to a certain extent, an alternative to marriage. This article will explore how the female artist is portrayed as limited in these two novels, as well as looking at the ways in which this limit still exists given the reaction to Lily Cole’s appointment as creative partner to the Brontë Society.
Review: The Drill @ Home, Mcr
For Breach theatre company, we live in a world where planning for the future is at odds with the constant threat of lacking a future altogether. We live under the looming threat of terror attacks or even “a tornado, probably with a woman’s name, so no one will take it fucking seriously”.
There’s No Such Thing as ‘Female-Fronted’ Music
You’ll never catch me listening to a female-fronted band. Why? Because there’s no such thing. You probably already know that ‘male-fronted’ bands don’t exist—it’s rare to see male artists being defined by their gender, so why have people latched onto the idea that a band can be female-fronted?
Meet Katherine Christie Evans: Velodrome musician and Harpy heroine
Katherine Christie Evans = Velodrome: a queer artist whose work is concerned with social inequality, Feminism, and mental health and queer visibility. Harpy meets Katherine to talk about Velodrome’s debut single and debut event.
Sleepover meets School Disco: what to expect at a Girl Gang event
Lining the route with pink balloons, Girl Gang Manchester transformed the Lowry’s loading bay studio space into an inclusive and welcoming room full of frivolity. If you fancy heading to a Girl Gang event but aren’t sure what to expect, here’s a rundown of all the action from where I was sat last Saturday night.
28th May: Menstrual Hygiene Day!
How many times have you rushed to the toilet in a panic when you’ve suspected that your period has reared its ugly head unannounced? How often have you inwardly cursed yourself for forgetting tampons and resorted to a flaky makeshift toilet tissue pad? Or covertly emailed your colleagues to see if they can help a sister out?
Brighton Rock: Female Stars Shine through a Masculine Mob
In a new adaptation by Bryony Lavery, who’s on a mission “to create iconic roles for women […] because the world is full of fantastic female actors”, Brighton Rock enacts the classic Graham Greene novel and aptly fits Week 53’s ‘coming of age’ theme.
Review: WYP presents The Girl on the Train
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.
#JusticeForNoura
This is the story of Noura Hussein, the 19-year-old woman from Sudan who is facing the death penalty.
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.
Vote! Local Elections 2018
Voting is important. It is empowering. Cast your vote, have your say, and take strength – may it only get better.
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!
The Instagram Diet: is Social Media Force-Feeding us Unhealthy Values?
Take out your phone and open a social media app. I’ll bet it only takes a few swipes before you come across a post related to clean eating, the newest celebrity diet or a gorgeous fitness model, primed to infuse you with #fitspo. It’s the new, healthy way to live, and we just can’t get enough of it.
Therein lies the problem.
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.