Culture Diary w/c 05-08-13
Monday – From up on Poppy Hill various times @ FACT
It says much of Studio Ghibli that each new addition to their stable is now greeted with fanfare (in the West as well as in Japan) comparable to a new Pixar release. Adapted from the 1980s manga of the same name, this rites of passage story centred around teenagers Umi and Shun is directed by Hayao Miyazaki’s son, Goro, and deals with the upheaval of the period running up to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
Tuesday – How to Fall in Love 7pm @ the Unity Theatre £9/£7
Billed as “an hour-long love affair”, How to Fall in Love (from the Liverpool disability theatre company RAWD) places disabled people at the centre of this excursion into ‘promenade theatre’ for the Unity. Pairing up audience members, the play arrives with the promise “to take the audience on an adventure on the streets of Liverpool”. Intrigued.
Listener 7pm @ Kraak Gallery (Manchester) £7.50
Self-described as “a talk music band” (you’ll know what they mean when you check them out), the USA’s Listener, around since the middle of the last decade, arrive in Manchester this week. More specifically, they arrive at Kraak, a great multi-purpose art, music and exhibition space just off Stevenson Place.
Orchards/ReVerbed/Springbok 8.30pm @ Drop the Dumbells £3
On their Soundcloud page, Brighton’s Orchards declare that they draw from a wide range of influences, including grunge, The Mars Volta and Lana Del Ray. Troublingly, they also mention Incubus. Less troubling, on giving them a listen, we can only pick out the two former references. At £3 entry, they’re worth further investigation.
Wednesday – NW Writers Meet and Greet 6pm @ Static Bar
We are delighted to be joined this Wednesday by a pair of publications The Double Negative values very highly indeed; arts journal Corridor 8 and culture commissars Creative Tourist. We’d like to invite you along to a contributor meeting with a difference, where you can hear from each publication speak about what we do and the kind of content that makes us tick.
PICK OF THE WEEK: Thursday – Portfolio NW exhibition tour with Rebecca Chesney 6pm @ the Bluecoat
Drawing together eight North West-based artists commissioned to produce brand new work, Portfolio NW is a showcase of some of the region’s hottest emerging talent. This Thursday sees Preston resident Rebecca Chesney lead a tour of the show, no doubt with a focus on her fascinating and eerie response to an abandoned village in Romania.
Desert Hearts 6.30pm @ FACT
Screening as part of the film programme of Liverpool Pride, Desert Hearts was the first feature from documentarist Donna Deitch. Set in Nevada, the film charts the journey of unhappily married New Yorker Vivian, from her arrival to an unexpected sexual awakening.
Friday – Time Bandits 9pm @ FACT
Co-written, produced and directed by Terry Gilliam, Time Bandits is one of those films which seems etched into the cultural fabric of a generation – perhaps even the nation; and why not? When 11-year-old Kevin accidentally joins a band of time travelling, treasure-seeking dwarves, you know it’s just the start of all things fantastical.
Saturday – FestEvol Pt. 2 4pm @ the Kazimier £10/£15 otd
FestEvol part one was pick of the week on culture diary last week, and arguably, part two ups the ante. By The Sea, Outfit, Bill Ryder-Jones and Baltic Fleet duke it our for top-billing, while the likes of Natalie McCool, Voo and DJs Two Sunsets and James Rand are also of the killer rather than filler variety.
The Counter & Location Instructions – Marcy Saude 6pm @ Gasworks (London)
Part of SITUATION|EVENT (SIT|EV), a programme “exploring live, durational and participatory contemporary art practice”, The Counter, from US artist Marcy Saude, is a work-in-progress installation dealing with quantification and possession shot on Super 8. Accompanying The Counter is Location Instructions, a site-specific piece produced in response to London and the Gasworks.
Sunday – Roman Holiday 6pm @ FACT
Roman Holiday is perhaps thought of today as the film which furnished a 23-year-old Audrey Hepburn with her first lead role in Hollywood following success in the Broadway play Gigi. Perfectly cast as a sheltered but rebellious princess escaping her protectors for a trip around Rome with American journalist Gregory Peck, Roman Holiday set Hepburn on the road to greater heights.
