Contact Theatre Listings

Workshops and productions from Contact in February and March. 

February 

Apostles 

An exhibition of twelve portraits of maverick artists & thinkers by Lee Baxter.

When? Friday 3 February to Saturday 21 April

Hip Replacement 

An exhibition of graphic works by Lee Baxter 

When? Friday 3 February to Thursday 3 May

‘Age of Elegance’ re-mixed by More Than Fashion 2012 

A contemporary re-mix of a traditional display as part of The Cultural Olympiad’s Stories of the World. Featuring poets and actors from CYAC and Young Identity. 

When? Sunday 15 February to Saturday 19 May

Where? Manchester Gallery of Costume, Plattfields Park

Queer Contact 

Contact celebrates LGBT History Month with the best in theatre, cabaret, art, music and spoken word. 

When? Monday 6 February to Saturday 11 February

Comedy Playground 

Rosie Wilby, Jonathan Mayor & more. Over 16s 

When? Monday 6 February, 7.30pm

How much?  £5 (concessions £3)

Shortcuts 

Work-in-progress: DawN Crandell, D’Lo, Chris Hoyle & Hope Theatre Company. Over 14s 

When? Tuesday 7 & Wednesday 8 February, 8pm

How much? £5

Outspoken 

Alternative poetry slam. Dominic Berry, D’Lo & more. Over 16s 

When? Wednesday 8 February, 6:30pm

How much? £5 (concessions £3)

Peter Grist: The White Chalk Diaries 

Dance from Peter Grist dealing with religion and sexuality. Over 14s 

When? Thursday 9 February, 7:30pm

How much? £8 (concessions £5)

Beyond Da Box 

MC Envy and the best young, gifted & queer music talent. Over 16s 

When? Thursday 9 February, 9pm

How much? £5 (concessions £3)

Mother’s Ruin Theatrical Spectacular 

Cake Tin Foundation presents Mother’s Ruin Theatrical Spectacular. Jonny Woo, Dickie Beau, Myra Dubois, Eggs Collective & more. Over 18s. 

When? Friday 10 February, 8pm

How much? £12 (concessions £7)

Misplaced Memoirs 

Experience Qasim Riza Shaheen’s declarations of love and desire. Over 16s. 

When? Saturday 11 February, 5pm to 7pm

How much? FREE

The Tiger Lilies

Contact in association with Tim Whitehead present The Tiger Lilies. ConGrammy-nominated Godfathers of alternative cabaret live in concert. Over 16s. 

When? Saturday 11 February, 8pm

How much? £15 (concessions £10)

Audio Visual Meditations 

CultureHub, LaMaMa and Contact present Audio Visual Meditations. Musicians and visual artists from NYC and Manchester jam across time and space. 

When? Saturday 18 February, 10pm

How much? FREE

The Flying Solo Festival 

The ability of a single artist to captivate and hold an audience is one of the great performing traditions. The Flying Solo Festival celebrates this skill with performances including live art, spoken word, theatre, intimate performance and dance. 

When? Monday 27 February to Wednesday 14 March, various times

How much? Prices vary

My Heart Is Hitch-hiking Down Peachtree Street 

J Fergus Evans. Fergus has lived in England for almost seven years. He hasn’t been back to his hometown in five. Using animation installation, live folk music and spoken word his new show is about trying to make sense of where you come from when you’re very far from home. 

When? Monday 27 February to Saturday 3 March, check www.contactmcr.com for times

How much? £8 (concessions £5)

The Price of Everything

Daniel Bye. How much is beauty worth? What will people pay for an air guitar on eBay? Can I have a glass of milk? These urgent questions and others are answered in Daniel Bye’s whistle-stop tour of bizarre facts and impassioned arguments: occasionally shambolic, often tendentious — but always a joy to watch. 

When? Tuesday 28 February, 7.30pm

How much? £8 (concessions £5)

Heavy Like the Weight of a Flame

Ernie Silva. Following a Brooklyn street kid’s search for a more meaningful life after the death of his friends and the overdose of his brother this serio-comic show is Kerouac’s On the Road by way of Jimi Hendrix. The journey is sometimes fun, sometimes harsh but always universally human.

When? Wednesday 29 February to Friday 2 March, 7pm

how much? £8 (concessions £5)

Dry Ice 

Sabrina Mahfouz. Nina’s world is crazy. She gets paid £20 a pop to take her knickers off. She then goes home to her half drug-dealer, half art-dealer boyfriend who’s no good at either. Her religious mum knows nothing of this and she’s on the way to stay. Telling wild stories is the only way Nina can stay sane, but for how long? Directed by Hollywood actor, David Schwimmer. Over 14s. 

When? Wednesday 29 February to Friday 2 March, 9pm

How much? £8 (concessions £5)

March 

Flying Solo Commission: Pitch Night

In collaboration with Fuel, LaMaMa, CultureHub and MC in Amsterdam. Six solo performers pitch to win mentoring support, rehearsal space, and the opportunity to develop & perform the show in New York and Amsterdam, before bringing it back to Manchester for Flying Solo in 2013. 

When? Saturday 3 March, 6pm

How much? FREE

Digging Deep: The Adventures of Sky the Reluctant Hero 

Nikky Norton Shafau. Sky has been awake for six months and lives in a gritty urban city called Grey Town. Struggling to sleep she takes a walk and begins to find herself stuck somewhere between reality and dreaming. Winner of the 2011 Flying Solo Commission. Presented in partnership with Contact, MC Amsterdam, and The Core at Corby Cube; in association with Fuel Theatre. 

When? Saturday 3 Marhch, 7:30pm

How much? £5 (concessions £3)

7 Days Drunk 

Bryonny Kimmings. From the Total Theatre Award-winning creator of Sex Idiot, comes a hilarious and moving new one-woman show investigating the historical links between artists and mind-enhancing drugs. Two parts song and dance routine, one part breakdown, with a twist of sobering reality for good measure, the show follows Bryony as she cracks open her own creative psyche with the help of scientists and a film-maker. Performed sober. Over 16s. 

When? Saturday 3 March, 9pm

How much? £10 (concessions £6)

My Father and Other Superheroes 

Nick Makoha. In association with mac, Birmingham and Pippa Firth. Directed by Benji Reid. Supported by Contact. The day Nick Makoha realised he was going to become a father, he also realised he had no idea how to be one. One man’s revelation of how pop culture raised him in the absence of his father...

Originally developed at Spokelab, Theatre Royal Stratford East. Supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. 

When? Tuesday 6 & Wednesday 7 March, 7:30pm

How much? £8 (concessions £5)

Writing for Performance Workshop 

Led by Nick Makoha 

When? Tuesday 6 March, 1pm to 2:30pm

How much? FREE with show ticket

Ball and Other Funny Stories About Cancer 

Brian Lobel. An unexpected, humorous and provocative story ofcancer survival. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll want to perform a self-exam. Programmed in association with Word of Warning. 

When? Wednesday 7 March, 9pm and Thursday 8 March, 7:30pm

How much? £8 (concessions £5)

Camp Live Art Workshop 

When? Thursday 8 March, 10am to 4pm

How much? FREE with show ticket

The Making of ‘Bull the True Story’  

Plus post-show chat back. Stacy Makishi. A riff on the Coen Brothers’ film Fargo, blurring the lines between what’s real and what’s fake. A disorientating and uplifting tale revolving around a kidnap, an unrequited love, a lost ransom and a woman frozen in the snow. Programmed in association with Word of Warning. 

When? Thursday 8 March, 9pm

How much? £10 (concessions £6)

Bull: Your Own True Lies Workshop

Led by Stacy Makishi 

When? Wednesday 7 March, 3pm to 6pm

How much? FREE with show ticket

Black T-shirt Collection

Fuel presents Fringe First winner Inua Ellams’ new story about two foster brothers building a global t-shirt brand. On their journey from a market in Nigeria to a sweatshop in China, Matthew and Muhammed discover the consequences of success. 

When? Tuesday 13 & Wednesday 14 March, 7:30pm

How much? £10 (concessions £6)

Black T-shirt Collection Workshop

Led by Inua Ellams

When? Wednesday 14 March, 3pm to 5pm

How much? FREE with show ticket 

Style of Walking

Presented by Hip Hop Dance Society. When confronted by their limits, a dancer must learn to earn respect and ultimately ‘walk with style’. A new play combining spoken word, popping, locking, breaking, salsa and local music support acts. 

When? Friday 16 March, 7:30pm

How much? £7 (concessions £5)

Contact, Oxford Rd, Manchester, M15 6JA. Tickets & Info 0161 274 0600. www.contactmcr.com