Things to be excited about in FEBRUARY

I'm finding February a bit of a bore. I know that for myself, along with countless other students, the end of exams brought about feelings of relief and freedom which meant a massive anticlimax as soon as term started up again, and brought with it book, after book, after book, after book, after book... you get the picture. This week I've faced a bit of a bummer as well; after deciding to apply for MA courses, before hopefully going on to train at a conservatoire, and securing pretty high-falootin' references from my tutors, I found out about the utterly ridiculously ludicrous stupidity of the current ELQ (Equivalent or Lower Qualifications) legislation [beautifully phrased post capturing the fact that they are all morons to follow].

So basically, I need some cheering up. Here's what I'm hoping will do the job/dunk the biscuit/bite the doughnut (are all my metaphors food based? Perhaps. Read on to find out):

QUEER CONTACT 2011
Contact Theatre: Monday 7th February - Sunday 12th February
'Featuring the cream of local, national and international LGBT theatre, dance, cabaret, spoken word, visual art and music,' I'm a bit late on the uptake with that one. It started on Monday, but in my opinion the best is still to come with what looks like breathtaking choreography by Peter Grist (see video below), performance and film screenings by queer artist-in-resident Qasim Riza Shahean and alternative cabaret night Eat Your Heart Out, featuring the particularly unforgettable Scottee.

If queer culture is something you're interested in finding out more about, then keep lookin' this way for a future post on queer in manchester, with interviews from performance artists doing their best to challenge the assumptions of the norm in city life. I'm just going to say now though, that just because this is stuff which questions gender and sexuality, it has a universal appeal in its acceptance of diversity and anything seen as 'at odd' with society. It's the type of performance I'm probably most excited about at the moment (yes, despite fitting into the category of straight, white, middle-class student) - it's out to bring about concrete change, and above all it really doesn't give a shizzaz what you think. It's audacious, daring and truly innovative, and I think that anyone who disregards it just because it's 'just for the gays' needs to take a deep breath, man themselves up a little bit, and pop along. Bam. Problem solved.

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HAMLET (Nicholas Hytner)
The Lowry, Salford Keys: 8th-12th February
Theatre Royal, Nottingham: 15th-19th February
New Victoria Theatre, Woking: 22nd-26th February
Milton Keynes Theatre: 1st-5th March
Theatre Royal, Plymouth: 8th-12th March
Theatre de la Ville, Luxembourg: 17th-18th March


The National Theatre's acclaimed production of Hamlet is now touring, and I'm going on a trip with the parentals to see it dahn sahf in Woking. My enjoyment of, let's be honest, one of the best plays of all time  is likely to be slightly thwarted by my dad's inability to stay awake for longer than half an hour, anywhere where he is expected to sit down (I've just realised that this is probably actually a medical problem like narcolepsy or some-such, and should be treated with appropriate concern. Awkward.) And the fact that he'll be snoring through the soliloquys, and some daft bat will probably decide that the  most useful way out of this is to spend the 3.5 remaining hours seeing how pointedly she can sigh (People say Surrey is a little bit behind on the alternative arts but all I'm saying is that they are top of their game in artfully designed performative breath-control...)

But still... if this promotional clip is anything to go by, it's going to be a pretty damn sweet treat (and genius use of music as well). The world of Hamlet is a world of malaise, disillusionment and apathy that strikes at the heart of today's postmodern scepticism. If Hytner's staged production manages to bring about the same effect of fragmented reality, through the same excellent unity of sound, light, action and word, as is exemplified in this clip, it's going to be special. Critics have found fault with the production for not 'reinventing' the text, but when the play's focus is such a universal feeling as the pointlessness of action, is this 'reinvention' really necessary? I'll see if I can find out and report back.

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Reet, that's about all I have time for in this post. But there's loads of other sheebum going down. And I will post, as I find. Lots of the best things I just find out about by wondering around the city - one of my favourite past-times. So I'll do some meandering, and be back with you non-existant little people out there.

Feb-tastic
xx

P.S. Beware: I have REALLY BAD FEET because of all of this wandering/wondering. Loadsa hard skin ahoy. Yummy nummy nummy. Thought you should know.