For The Life & Death Of Marina Abramovic tickets please fill in the online accreditation form here or contact Elisa Ruff at Manchester International Festival on elisa.ruff@mif.co.uk or 0161 238 7337
Visit www.thelowry.com/pressnights to see more details online.
3 All the details for Theatre events, Exhibitions & Activities in July & August
a) In the Theatres
MANCHESTER INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
Sat 9 – Sat 16 July
The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic
Manchester International Festival and Teatro Real Madrid will present the world premiere of a startling new piece for the stage: The Life and Death of Marina
Abramovic, a biography of the grandmother of performance art reimagined by visionary director Robert Wilson.
The show will feature scenes from Abramovic’s life and career, from her Serbian childhood to her work as a performance artist. Featuring original and
traditional music, including songs written and performed by the incomparable Antony (Antony and the Johnsons), this ground-breaking show will bring together
the worlds of theatre, art and music to thrilling effect. The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic will be a once-in-a generation cultural event, starring Marina
Abramovic, Willem Dafoe and an international cast of actors and performance artists.
This will be the first Robert Wilson production to be seen in the UK since The Temptationof St. Anthony in 2005.
After the sell-out success of Marina Abramovic Presents at MIF 09, which saw the artist leading audiences through an exhilarating four hours of live
art at the Whitworth Art Gallery, her show at New York’s Museum of Modern Art attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors.
Several of the artists from Marina Abramovic Presents will appear in Life and Death.
Following the dates in Manchester in 2011 the show will run at Teatro Real in Madrid in April 2012. “We are pleased to welcome Robert Wilson to the Festival for
his first UK show in five years, and to bring Marina and Antony back to Manchester following their appearances here in 2009. The Life and Death of Marina
Abramovic is an exciting expression of what MIF was created for new work made in collaboration by some of the world’s leading artists”, said Alex Poots, Festival Director.
“The opera art form needs to develop new ways forward for the future. This could mean, of course, new composers but also projects developed by great visual artists, actors or
singers who do not necessarily need to be opera singers. For sure, Antony, for example, brings a lyricism that in conjunction with Bob Wilson and Marina Abramovic
will make this production a real opera, just as Monteverdi would have loved”, said Gerard Mortier, Artistic Director, Teatro Real Madrid.
Commissioned by Manchester International Festival and Teatro Real Madrid with Theater Basel, Art Basel, Holland Festival and Salford City Council.
Produced by Manchester International Festival, Teatro Real Madrid and The Lowry.
With thanks to Gerard Mortier for his collaboration and support.
CREATIVE TEAM
Robert Wilson Concept, Direction, Design
Marina Abramovic Co-creator
Antony Composer and music curator
William Basinski Composer and music curator
Jacques Reynaud Costume Designer
Ann-Christin Rommen Associate Director
Wolfgang Wiens Dramaturg
AJ Weissbard Lighting Designer
Nick Sager Sound Design
PERFORMERS
Marina Abramovic Ivan Civic Amanda Coogan
Willem Dafoe Andrew Gilchrist Antony
Elke Luyten Christopher Nell Kira O'Reilly
Antony Rizzi Carlos Soto
Svetlana Spajic Group (Svetlana Spajic, Minja Nikolic, Zorana Bantic and Dragana
Tomic)
For more information on The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic please contact Dorothee Dines, Sutton PR on 020 7183 3577 Dorothee@suttonpr.com
The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic
Sat 9 / Mon 11/ Wed 13 / Fri 15 / Sat 16 July at 19.30
Tickets £15 - £39.50 (no ticket booking fee; transaction charge applies)
Concessions available
DANCE
Sat 9 July
Milapfest present Annapurna Indian Dance Company
The Indian Hereafter
Inspired by the story of Ten Incarnations from the ancient mythology of India and blending live Vedic chanting, original music and storytelling with Bharata Natyam and Yakshagana Dance, this is an innovative exploration into the concept of the journey of souls in search of peace and true purpose of life.
Times 7pm
Tickets £8
The Studio
Sun 24 & Mon 25 July
Carlos Acosta
Premières Plus
Following previous sell-out successes at The Lowry, acclaimed Cuban dance superstar Carlos Acosta returns this Summer 2011 for two performances of Premieres Plus.
Significantly enhanced and reworked from the Premieres staging in 2010,
Premieres Plus: The Heart of Carlos features new works and collaborations with major UK & international dance stars and musicians, celebrating Carlos's astonishing dance vision. This staging is devised and produced by Acosta and combines his outstanding classical technique with some of the most celebrated contemporary works of recent years.
NEW WORKS for Premieres Plus: The Heart of Carlos include:
• Will Tuckett’s On Before, originally created for the Ballet Boyz’s Billy Trevett and Royal Ballet principal Zenaida Yanowsky, and now performed for the first time by Carlos and Zenaida to John Adams’s masterwork Christian Zeal & Activity
• Acosta making his solo debut in Memoria by Rambert Dance Company’s Miguel Altunaga with a score by Mexican electronica composer, Murcof
• A newly revised version of Simon Elliott's The Emotional Architecture employing emerging digital technology and spectacular 3D digital animation.
Premieres Plus: The Heart of Carlos comprises a packed night of nine major pieces including:
• Russell Maliphant's masterpiece Two, originally created for Sylvie Guillem, and regarded as one of Maliphant's most original and inventive pieces
• Kim Brandstrup's Footnote to Ashton from Brandstrup's Two Footnotes to Ashton, created for the Royal Ballet in 2005 during the Ashton centenary and is a solo for Zenaida Yanowsky set to Handel's beautiful aria Per te lasciai luce from the cantata Amoroso Delirium
• Simon Elliot’s Falling Deep Inside, a multimedia commission accompanied by live singing from the renowned Pegasus Choir (London only – local choirs in Birmingham & Salford)
• Edwaard Liang's Sight Unseen, created in 2006 for Hubbard Street 2 in Chicago, and Hand Duets with George Cespédes & Carlos Acosta, a commission from George Cespédes - just nominated for an Olivier Award 2011 for his work with Danza Contemporanea de Cuba - to a score by Cuban composer Omar Puente
Morten Lauridsen's O Magnum Mysterium sees Zenaida and Carlos perform together with the Pegasus Choir.
Times 7.30pm
Tickets £20 - £49.50
Lyric Theatre
Mon 25 July – Galleries open until 7.30pm
For more information about dance at The Lowry please visit www.thelowry.com/dance
DRAMA
Fri 1 & Sat 2 July
Death On The Quays
There’s been murder – and one of your fellow diners must be the murderer!
It might even be you…
An evening of dining and sleuthing in the Lowry’s award winning restaurant – everyone has a role to play – and a possible motive. Your hosts for the evening reveal various clues as you enjoy your meal – and suspects are questioned between courses – before the killer is finally unmasked during coffee! See if you can pick your way through the plot twists and red herrings and solve the murder before the detective. There’s also a special prize for the diner who gives the best performance of the evening – great fun and good food guaranteed!
Times 8pm
Tickets £39.50 includes 3-course meal & tea/coffee
The Lowry Restaurant
Thu 14 July
Murdered with Kindness
They Call Her Natasha
The songs of Elvis Costello lead us through the life and times of his female counterpart. This is the story of Elsie Costello, whose story strangely mirrors that of her male counterpart. Starring superb vocalist Lou Dalgliesh and featuring such classics as Accidents Will Happen, Shipbuilding, Alison, I Want You and many more, this is a unique evening where classic song writing and stunning performance come together in a superb story.
“If you get chance to see Lou Dalgleish as Elsie Costello, do take it “Beyond Belief ‘’
The Official Elvis Costello Fanzine
‘This show features Elsie Costello/Natasha belting out some of the finest songs from the Costello canon, with a postmodern story of obsession through’
Metro
‘Fans of Lou Dalgleish, fans of Elvis Costello, in fact all fans of high quality songs and stunning singing must see this.”
The Independent
Times 8pm
Tickets £16
Quays Theatre
FAMILY
Tue 2 – Sun 14 August
Mr Stink
The Lowry is delighted to welcome the North West premiere of the delightfully stinky musical adaptation of David Walliams’ award-winning novel for children, Mr Stink.
Mr Stink stank. He also stunk.
And if it is correct English to say he stinked, then he stinked as well.
David Walliams, star of Little Britain and Come Fly with Me has written the smelliest book of all time breaking new ground by being the first ever interactive scratch ‘n’ sniff family show! Each audience member will be given a free scratch ‘n’ sniff booklet bringing Mr Stink pongingly to life.
Chloe doesn’t like school very much. She isn’t as cool as the other kids, no iPhone, no DS and no friends. Then she meets Mr Stink – the local tramp. Yes, he smells a bit but he’s the only person who’s ever been nice to her, including her mother who wants to be the local MP and is trying to rid the streets of its homeless. About to lose her only friend, Chloe finds Mr Stink a secret hiding place…but is there more to him than meets the nose?
Adapted and Directed by Matthew White (Director of the recent West End productions of Sweet Charity and Little Shop of Horrors and the forthcoming production of Top Hat) with music composed by Matt Brind (Musical Director for Legally Blonde and Conductor and Orchestrator for John Barrowman’s latest album).
Tue 2 – Sat 14 August 7pm
Wed, Thu, Sat & Sun 7 August 2.30pm
Sun 14 August 1.30pm & 5.30pm.
No show Mon
Children £14.50 & £16.50, Adults £16.50 & £18.50
Concessions £2 off
Family Ticket £58 & £66
Quays Theatre
DRAMA IN THE STUDIO
Thu 30 June – Sat 2 July
Shred Productions in development with The Lowry
Tinned Up
NeverBeenSeen
Interviews available with writer Chris Hoyle and director Trevor McFarlane
The Lowry Studio’s latest ‘in development’ piece Tinned Up sees Mancunian theatre company Shred Productions explore what really happens to a community when regeneration takes hold.
Shirley Parkin has lived at number ten Brook Street, Langworthy, all her life. And she isn’t going anywhere. A sixty-three-year-old spinster and the life and soul of Salford, she has defied the council for years, refusing to move out of her modest two-up-two-down terrace. Beryl, a fouled mouth friend, Joy, an unhappy single mother and Daz, a thirty-year-old stoner have been campaigning alongside Shirley to keep their local park from the cold grasp of profit hungry developers.
Funny, poignant and relevant, you’ll look never look at the streets of Salford, in the same way.
Chris Hoyle, writer of Tinned Up, explains how he came to write the play, which is inspired by recent regeneration efforts in Salford, and the people affected.
‘I ended up walking through Langworthy a couple of years ago and came across a tinned up street with one house still occupied. The house was really well kept, while everything around it was rotting away. I became obsessed with who could still live on a street like that and started to do some research. I then created the character of Shirley - who is refusing to move from a street in Salford.
I soon found out that it was a really sensitive subject and it has affected so many people, not just in the Salford area, but also all over the country. For years and years, areas have been regenerated and people have been caught in the crossfire. How would you feel if you lived on a street for over forty years and you were told that you had to move to make way for a new development?
After meeting lots of people who have been affected by regeneration in this way, I knew that I had to write a play about it. I don't want it to be a political play about how badly residents were treated by the Council. I want to write a play about the emotional attachment to a home and the insensitive way that people have been forced out of them.
I intend Tinned Up to be a comedy-drama, that is all about the heart of community and all it stands for.’
Tinned Up is the sixth production in the ‘in development with The Lowry’ series of work. This series, part of The Lowry’s commitment to supporting up-and-coming theatre companies, sees The Lowry invest in new work from a range of emerging North-West based writers, artists and companies, as well as up-coming-artists from across the UK.
Previous ‘in development with The Lowry’ productions include Come As You Arts North West’s beautifully moving production The Play That Killed Me, Christine Marshall’s challenging exploration of the power of family secrets, No Loss, Joe Loss, Mancunian theatre company Monkeywood’s tender adaptation of Andrea Ashworth’s memoir Once In A House On Fire, Rogue Theatre’s dazzling cabaret piece The Dancer And The Devil and GreenEyedZero’s groundbreaking physical theatre production Folie à Deux.
Coming Soon
Two more exciting pieces of theatre are currently being developed with The Lowry. Look out for Narcissus and Echo and A Passion for Evil in our September – December season.
Shred Productions explores the concept of storytelling and infuses it with new life. Shred has a huge interest in working with new and experienced industry professionals. Along side producing its own programme of work, Shred collaborates with other theatre companies across the UK and has built up a varied repertoire since the company was established.
Times 8pm, Sat 3pm
Tickets £10
Thu 7 & Fri 8 July
Milk and Two Sugars
Behind Closed Doors
Danny and Emily are getting married... Suzy and Lee are just trying to get by... And Jay, she’s just trying to get her own way.
As events unfold everyone has to make a choice - should what happens behind closed doors stay there? This hour long drama explores human relationships and the choices we make.
Times 8pm
Tickets £10
Thu 14 – Sun 17 July
Come As You Arts North West
God Wept and the Devil Laughed
NeverBeenSeen
Hot on the tail of their sell-out hit The Play That Killed Me, Come As You Arts North West return with their brand new play.
Following Ken and Lewis from The Play That Killed Me, God Wept and the Devil Laughed charts their own incredible wartime journey: from their youths in the idyllic Ribble Valley, through to war in North Africa and Italy, and on to the gruesome liberation of Bergen-Belson. God Wept and the Devil Laughed is about the power of families to rescue each other from the deepest despair and the sacrifices everyone makes when a world goes to war.
‘A remarkable story... moving and funny.’
Manchester Evening News on The Play That Killed Me
Times 8pm, Sun 4pm
Tickets £10
Sat 23 & Sun 24 July
Language Laid Bare
Deirdre & Me
NeverBeenSeen
Susan White is 35. Average height. Average build. Average looks. But there’s something far from average about Susan.
Susan is best friends with Deirdre Barlow, in fact she is the No.1 fan of the soap star from Coronation Street. From liaisons with Mike Baldwin, ongoing problems with the Platts and the campaign to free the ‘Weatherfield One’, Susan has mentally catalogued all of the intimate details of the former Mrs. Rashid.
This original one-woman show is full of laugh-out-loud yet poignant humour in the style of Alan Bennett and Victoria Wood.
Times 8pm
Tickets £10
Sat 6 & Sun 7 August
Answering to the Governor
NeverBeenSeen
When Jim, a teacher at a Catholic primary school tells an eight year old boy that he doesn't believe in God, the ramifications are massive. Hauled in to a meeting with the chair of governors and the headmaster regarding his suspension, Jim must prove that what he said to the child was meant in the best of faith. But can he convince his religious bosses that he still deserves his position in the classroom?
Times 8pm
Tickets £10
Fri 19 & Sat 20 August
Strawberry Blonde Curls
Elastic Bridge
A lonely, isolated bridge…Footsteps are heard; the patter of six feet rushing towards a shared fate? Three strangers; an accountant, an actress and a librarian, find themselves on the same bridge, same day, with the same intent - 'to end it all.' As secrets and pasts are revealed, who will jump and who will fly?
Three-piece North West-based Strawberry Blonde Curls bring this dramatic yet subtle black comedy to life.
Times 8pm
Tickets £10
FAMILY SHOWS IN THE STUDIO
Sun 10 July
Banyan Theatre Company
The Steadfast Tin Soldier
There once was a remarkable tin soldier who fell in love with a beautiful paper dancer and then tumbled out of a window so beginning a perilous journey into the unknown…
‘Best Children’s Show’
Time Out
This playful retelling of Hans Andersen’s poetic story uses light, simple materials and objects that are skilfully transformed through puppetry, to create a theatrical experience that will engage and touch young hearts and minds.
Age: 3-8 year olds and their families
Show length: 45 minutes no interval
Times 12pm & 2pm
Tickets Children £5.50, Adults £8.50
The Studio
Sat 16 July
Dynamic New Animation
The Frog Prince and Other Peculiar Tales
This magical and witty one-woman adaptation of the famous froggy tale, explores the endearing relationships between princess and frog, puppet and performer. Combining masks, shadows, physical performance and transforming objects into extraordinary characters, this piece will be sure to excite and entertain!
Follow the funky frog’s adventures from the traditional tale to Terry Jones’ clever and crazy fairy tales with extraordinary animal characters everywhere. Enter a world where absolutely anything can happen…and usually does.
Times 12pm & 2pm
Tickets Children £5.50, Adults £8.50
The Studio
For more information about events in The Lowry’s Studio please visit www.thelowry.com/studio
BURLESQUE
Sun 10 July
Sideshow
The weirdest show on earth is back with a blast and has been delivering a weekly West End feast of late-night corruption and confusion at Leicester Square theatre since October of last year. Now on the road to The Lowry with a generous helping of freaks, outcasts and attention seekers, this is cabaret on the outskirts of theatrical society. Prepare yourself for a carnival of the carnal, a bazaar of the bizarre and a fiesta of flesh and be warned…that which is seen at Sideshow can never be unseen!
8pm
£12 - £16
Quays
Fri 17 June
Ministry of Burlesque
High Tease
Back by popular demand, this uproarious revue of razor-wit and frisky antics continues to draw the crowds.
High Tease showcases the very best of true burlesque – a provocative blend of new variety, historical chic and contemporary cabaret. Dazzling and beguiling, expect to experience the daring antics of scantily attired showgirls, whimsical visual satirists, the sultriest of sirens, the edgiest musical-comedy masters, unexpected marvels and a feast of current puns.
Suitable for ages 16+.
Times 8pm
Tickets Table Seats £16, Seats £12
Quays Theatre
Sun 26 June
Seabright Productions
Cabaret Whore
Brilliant character comedy packed with sparkling original songs, Cabaret Whore introduces desperate divas from around the globe, from tortured French chanteuse La Poule Plombée to washed-up lounge crooner Bernie St Claire.
These are the fantastic creations of Sarah-Louise Young, winner of Spirit of the Fringe and Three Weeks Editors Awards. Don’t miss her first UK tour following sell-out runs at Edinburgh Fringe, Soho Theatre, Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Café de Paris and the Pigalle Club.
'Sarah-Louise Young can sing, act and be funny all at the same time, proving herself a true performer and a force to be reckoned with. Go, sit back and smile.'
***** ThreeWeeks
Suitable for ages 14+.
Times 8pm
Tickets £12
The Studio
Sun 31 July
Hairy Pretty Things
Following a packed out run in Edinburgh last year, Luke Meredith, Elliot Mason and David Somerset Barnes bring you funny and soulful songs on Daleks, Bears and Cif.
Now featuring cute furry boys extravaganza The Cubs with their brilliant pop boylesque!
Suitable for ages 16+.
Times 8pm
Tickets £10
The Studio
Sat 13 August
Death Row Diva – The Final Account Of Crimson Skye
Coming to you direct from death row, for a limited time only.
Disturbed comedy blended with Burlesque and song, Patsy Cline's Crazy as you've never heard it before; a straight-jacket striptease and her partner Ed the Severed head. Sharper than Freddy Kruger's pinkie, with a bite that makes Hannibal Lecter look like the Tooth Fairy. Crimson will regale you with how she fell for the love of her life, and how he was left as less of a man, serving as a charming reminder about how it's definitely not okay to lie to your partner. Just make sure to count your fingers and toes on the way out!
Times 8pm
Tickets £10
Concessions £2 off
The Studio
COMEDY
Sun 26 June
Three Bonzos and a Piano
Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band fans will be delighted to learn that Roger Ruskin Spear, Rodney Slater and Sam Spoons have teamed up with super-pianist Dave Glasson to create more fun, music and subversive diversion.
Diabolical mayhem from the largest number of Bonzos still playing together anywhere on the surface of the earth. Born in a distant art school past somewhere in the sixties, Three Bonzos And A Piano unleash their Bonzo Dog classics with energetic zip and palaver. Jollity Farm, Hunting Tigers Out In India, I'm Bored, My Pink Half of the Drainpipe, Big Shot, Monster Mash, The Trouser Press, Can Blue Men Sing The Whites? and many more.
Times 8pm
Tickets £17.50
Quays Theatre
Sun 3 July
Craig Hill: Why Don’t You Come Down The Front?
In this, his eleventh solo show, Craig has decided to get as up close and personal with his audience as he can without actually getting them on stage with him (well, some lucky souls might make it up there!). If you make the effort and come down the front, he promises to be as gentle with you as possible as he takes you in hand and squeezes every last drop of hilarity from your laughing tackle.
Craig has spent over a decade entertaining audiences around the world. With his cheeky, irreverent and, of course, wonderfully camp blend of incisive stand-up, razor-sharp improvisation and fabulous musical characterisations, he has become one of Scotland’s best-loved exports. His comic timing and pitch perfect delivery are second to none. Add to that his seemingly effortless audience rapport and rapid-fire wit and there is no doubt that Craig is one of those very rare natural performers who can’t fail to leave their audiences with a huge smile on their face.
Times 8pm
Tickets £14
The Studio
Mon 4 July
Mark Thomas: Extreme Rambling (Walking The Wall)
Following his sell-out nationwide show ‘The Manifesto’, award-winning comedian and activist Mark Thomas returns with his brand new show: Extreme Rambling (Walking The Wall)..
Never one to take the easy option, Mark decided to go rambling in the Middle East and walked the entire length of the Israeli Separation Barrier crossing between the Israeli and the Palestinian side.
This is the story of 300 000 settlers; a 750 km wall; six arrests, one stoning; too much hummus and a simple question...
Times 8pm
Tickets £15
Quays Theatre
Sat 16 July
An Evening with Dom Joly
A truly hilarious evening with one of the UK’s most innovative comedians. For the last ten years, since his multi-award winning international TV hit, Trigger Happy TV- Dom Joly has lead the most extraordinary of lives. In this laugh-out-loud show, Dom talks us through the perils of travelling the world drinking, skiing down volcanoes, holidaying in Chernobyl and North Korea, becoming a paparazzo, trying to fly across the Grand Canyon strapped to an eight foot rocket, turning into Tintin, being arrested in Switzerland while dressed as a yeti, discovering that he was at school with Osama Bin Laden and eating from Gillian McKeith’s pants while imprisoned in the Australian jungle. In this highly original and funny show, Dom attempts to make sense of it all with the aid of some very peculiar holiday snaps.
Times 8pm
Tickets £19.50
Quays Theatre
For more information about comedy events at The Lowry please visit www.thelowry.com/comedy
MUSIC
Fri 1 July
The Lancashire Hotpots
There aren’t many bands who can have their videos played on MTV2 and also have real ales named after them but there also aren’t many bands like The Lancashire Hotpots.
The Lancashire Hotpots take comedic observations of the trappings of modern day life (Sat Navs, meeting women on the internet and Shopmobility Scooters) added some infectious melodies and created a live show where singing, drinking and having fun are equally important for both the audience and band alike.
The band have quickly acquired a massive following. In just two years, the Hotpots have become one of the biggest live bands in the North West of England. Their last tour which included 18 dates supporting ardent fan Paddy McGuinness on his ‘Paddy McGuinness Plus You’ tour saw them playing to more than 30,000 people. The band have also notched up an appearance at the 2009 Glastonbury Festival.
With nearly a million Myspace plays currently to their credit, their first album Never Mind The Hotpots reached No 2 in the BBC 6 Music Album charts with national support from Radio 1 (Colin Murray, Rob Da Bank), Radio 2 (Chris Evans, Arthur Smith) and 6Music (Steve Lamacq). Never Mind The Hotpots and their new album ‘Pot Sounds’ have both made it to No 1 in the iTunes comedy download charts.
Times 8pm
Tickets £12.50
Quays Theatre
Sat 2 July
Girl Talk – I Am Woman
Following the long running success of the original Girl Talk, top British singers Barb Jungr and Mari Wilson are joined by cool and quirky Gwyneth Herbert in harmony, hairdos and heavenly voices.
With songs from Bacharach to the B52’s, Bowie to Rogers and Hammerstein, Dolly Parton and more...
Mad Pop to Sublime Ballads, Hairspray and Mascara, Sex and Seduction, Love and Kitchen equipment combine in this hysterical, fabulously sung show performed by Britain’s best dressed divas.
Times 8pm
Tickets £17.50
Quays Theatre
Sun 3 July
Simply Barbra – Love Is The Answer
Internationally acclaimed Barbra Streisand interpreter Steven Brinberg returns to The Lowry with his latest show including highlights of Miss Streisand's latest album.
Steven sings live, absolutely no lipsynching, and his humorous asides between songs are filled with laughter. This is a show for Barbra fans and non-Barbra fans alike...as long as you have heard of this lady...you will have a great time.
Times 8pm
Tickets £18
Quays Theatre
Fri 15 July
Guitar Anthems
Celebrating some of the greatest guitar-based songs ever written, Guitar Anthems takes you back to a time when the guitar was indeed the star.
From Clapton to Queen, Pink Floyd to Dire Straits and many, many more, prepare yourself for a night of monster hits played and sung as you remember, guaranteed to have you singing along, tapping your feet and reaching for your air guitar.
‘An absolute treat - don't miss it!’
Magic FM
Times 8pm
Tickets £15
Quays Theatre
For more information about music events at The Lowry please visit www.thelowry.com/music
In the Galleries
Queer To Stay: 21 Years Of Manchester Pride
Until Sun 16 October
Manchester Pride turns 21 this summer and is marking the milestone with a commemorative exhibition, Queer To Stay: 21 Years Of Manchester Pride. This comprehensive collection of images, memorabillia stories and more, at The Lowry, until Sun 16 October will document the festival’s rich history and explore the impact the Festival has had on individuals, community groups and charities in the region.
From its humble beginnings as a collection of bring-and-buy stalls outside the Rembrandt Pub in 1991 to its current inception as one of Europe’s largest and liveliest celebrations, Manchester Pride has grown and developed with its audience to become a key date in the UK’s Festival calendar.
Queer To Stay: 21 Years Of Manchester Pride aims to chart the history of this historic festival through archive images, stories and memorabilia. Festival organisers are asking Pride goers to come forward with Pride posters, t-shirts, videos, brochures, tickets from throughout the Festival’s 21-year history. Organisers are also encouraging people to come forward with any interesting facts and firsts from previous years.
This exhibition also aims to explore the impact Pride has on LGBT communities in and around Manchester. Since 2003 Manchester Pride has raised £895,000 for LGBT and HIV charities, the most raised by any Pride event in Europe. Queer To Stay: 21 Years Of Manchester Pride will look at the many charities and individuals who have benefited from monies raised by Pride in its 21 years, exploring the important legacy of a festival often just seen as a weekend of hedonistic fun.
Jackie Crozier, festival director of Manchester Pride, said: “I’m really excited about this exhibition and having the chance to document the last 21 years of Pride is just wonderful. I would encourage people who have anything special stored away from previous Pride’s to get in touch. We’re particularly interested in those who attended the very first Pride in 1991 outside the Rembrandt pub.”
Michael Simpson, Head of Visual Art and Engagement at The Lowry comments ‘Pride has been such an important part of people’s lives for 21 years now. We hope this exhibition will be a comprehensive exploration of the impact Pride has had, both as a life-affirming annual celebration and a life-saving year-round charity.’
Warhol and the Diva
Until Sun 25 September 2011
"It would be very glamorous to be reincarnated as a great big ring on Liz Taylor's finger." Andy Warhol
This newly curated exhibition by The Lowry presents an unprecedented collection of some of Andy Warhol’s most iconic works, focusing on the most alluring Divas of his time. As well as presenting the stars he admired, the exhibition will focus on Warhol’s transformation into his own glamorous alter ego, within his self portrait in drag photographs.
The term Diva, meaning ‘Goddess’ was originally attributed to the ‘prima donna’ or first lady of opera (an art form Warhol had the greatest respect for), whose voice and inimitable talent could not be done without. They were revered characters, often with inflated egos and irritable temperaments.
Today, the term Diva is used far more readily within the spheres of popular and entertainment culture to describe any powerful, glamorous, tempestuous and often egotistical male and female performers. Catapulted into stardom by their voice, their temperament or both, these characters are identified as true icons and are admired and adored as such.
The selection of silkscreen, Polaroid and film works within this exhibition will bring to life the essence of The Diva as we know it today, showcasing some of the world’s most iconic performance figures of the 20th century immortalized by Warhol for generations to come.
The exhibition presents some of Warhol’s most instantly recognisable subjects, including Marilyn Monroe, Liza Minnelli, Mick Jagger and Debbie Harry, alongside some rarely exhibited works such as Pia Zadora and Jane Fonda.
Kate Farrell, The Lowry’s Curator of Special Exhibitions explains, “We are honoured to be presenting the work of one of most of the most celebrated artists of the 20th Century. Exploring Warhol's fascination with the most revered performers of his generation within the context of The Lowry is a perfect match, allowing us to present internationally renowned artwork with an emphasis on the theatrical. Warhol admired and adored the subjects he depicted in his work, immersing himself in their lifestyle and living and breathing the glamour of their existence which offers an incredible body of material for the exhibition. I hope our visitors will be as excited by this fascinating collection of works as we are to show it off".
Warhol’s work will be on loan to The Lowry primarily from The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh as well as other private and institutional collections. Final content is still being confirmed but the exhibition will feature over 20 original screen prints and numerous polaroid works and supporting material.
This exhibition is presented as part of The Lowry’s performance related visual art programme, which explores performance practice in its broadest sense.
Media enquiries for Andy Warhol:
Catharine Braithwaite on 07947 644 110 or cat@we-r-lethal.com
To date, images available for press use for the specific purposes of illustrating this exhibition are:
Judy Garland
Debbie Harry
Jane Fonda
Liza Minelli
Marilyn Monroe
Nadav Kander: Selected Portraits, 1999 – 2011
Until Sun 4 September 2011
The Lowry has curated a new exhibition from award winning, internationally renowned photographer Nadav Kander, featuring work that has never been exhibited before, including striking images of Eric Cantona and Cheryl Cole. Other works exhibited for the first time include photographs that were part of a sensational shoot with Tinie Tempah for The Observer magazine this February, and head shots of Take That for their latest album, Progress.
London based Kander is celebrated for his portraiture and landscape works, many of which exist within National collections such as the National Portrait Gallery and The V&A Museum.
His images are readily seen within high end editorial press as well as in contemporary art galleries and museums across the world, capturing subjects as diverse as Barack Obama's administration, and life alongside the epic Yangtze River in China.
Also featured are internationally acclaimed actors such as Sir Ian McKellen and Christopher Lee, as well as David Lynch and Spike Jonze, who make performances come to life behind the camera. The photographic portraits included in this show are a selection from Nadav Kander’s extensive collection dating from 1999 to present day. It includes singers Lily Allen, Michael Stipe, Nick Cave, Richard Ashcroft and Boy George. Nadav comments, “My main intention when photographing celebrities is making work that is unique and personal to that human being, even when the person in front of you has a fixed idea of how he or she wants to be portrayed.”
Kander manages to capture a well known face in a new, and often vulnerable light, using the lens to peer into the soul of the subjects he photographs, as well as his own. The remarkable effect of this process is displayed within this unmissable exhibition.
He comments, “My portraits are about how I respond to an individual and how I express my perception of a person through my portraiture, how we interact and how they present themselves to me will always have an influence on the final photograph; the shot becomes a photographic dialogue between the sitter and myself. Which ultimately extends to the viewer.”
Kate Farrell, The Lowry’s Curator of Special Exhibitions, comments: “We are really excited to work with Nadav Kander on this newly curated exhibition. We have carefully selected photographs from his vast archive of intriguing portraits of actors, directors and musicians; subjects that we are all familiar with, shot in a truly unique, and subtly beautiful way.”
Ongoing
Lowry Favourites
Lowry Favourites includes new loans to coincide with the 35th anniversary since LS Lowry’s death (23 Feb 1976). Ongoing LS Lowry displays bring the Galleries to life with photographs, sound and film, telling you more about LS Lowry and his work than ever before. As well as a rich variety of paintings and drawings from The Lowry Collection, there are new loans from public and private collections around the country.
Notes to Editors:
Gallery Information
The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays M50 3AZ
Information & Box Office Telephone 0843 2086005
www.thelowry.com
Gallery Opening Times:
Galleries open everyday 11am – 5pm (10am – 5pm on Saturdays)
Admission to the Galleries is FREE. On arrival, visitors need an admission ticket from the Galleries Desk.
For more information about exhibitions at The Lowry please visit www.thelowry.com/exhibitions
3c) ACTIVITIES
Fri 1 & 15 July
Under 5s First Steps
xplore your creativity through movement. Help design a dance, wiggle like a worm, balance in a shape and count to the music. This fun dance session encourages physical awareness that energizes and educates too!
Suitable for ages 2½ - 4½.
Times 10am – 10.45am & 11am – 11.45am
Tickets £3.50 (£1.75 Salford residents)
Fri 29 July & 19 August
Under 5s Doodle Tots
Explore art, sound, texture and materials whilst having fun getting message in this colourful workshop designed especially for toddlers and their parents/carers.
Suitable for ages 2½ - 4½.
Times 10am – 10.45am & 11.15am – 12pm
Tickets £3.50 (£1.75 Salford residents)
Sat 9, 23 July, 6 & 20 August
Saturday Playhouse – Make Your Own Art
These colourful workshops will encourage budding artists to develop new skills and stretch their imagination using a variety or art and craft ideas To see what’s on the menu, check www.thelowry.com/family
Times 11am – 12.30pm
Tickets £3.50 (£1.75 Salford residents)
Fri 22 July
Under 5s Story Time – Tiny Tot Tales
Take your toddler on an imaginative journey of stories and songs, in this inspiring workshop where each month, a different artwork or theme will be brought to life!
Suitable for ages 2½ - 4½.
Times 10.15am – 11am
Tickets £3.50 (£1.75 Salford residents)
Sun 31 July & 28 August
Free Family Sunday
Join us in the Galleries on the last Sunday of every month where you’ll discover fun art and drama activities inspired by our current exhibitions. Check www.thelowry.com/family for details of each month’s activity.
Drop in 11am - 3pm
FREE
Media enquiries:
Michelle Bowey, Head of Media Relations, The Lowry
Tel: 0161 876 2037 or Email: michelle@thelowry.com
Or
Marie-Claire Daly, Media Relations Executive, The Lowry
Tel: 0161 876 2024 or Email: marie-claire.daly@thelowry.com
Pictures:
For high resolution images, please go to The Lowry’s image library www.thelowryimages.com
New users need to register by clicking on ‘register’ on the left hand side of the page, fill in the required information (which includes creating your own password) and click ‘create account’. You will then receive an email from images@thelowry.com stating that a request has been sent for approval. After approval has been granted, you will receive another email confirming activation of your account. You will then have access to images via the log-in page.
Notes to Editors:
The Lowry celebrated its 10th anniversary on 28 April 2010 and has spent 10
years delighting, engaging and challenging both local and national audiences with the very best in visual art and performance. The Lowry Centre Trust is a not-for-profit charitable organisation and registered charity (no. 1053962). All income supports our world-class Theatres and Galleries programme, the care and display of the LS Lowry Collection and our life-changing Community and Education work. The Lowry’s Chief Executive, Julia Fawcett (www.thelowry.com/juliafawcett) was awarded an OBE for services to the Arts in the Queen’s 2010 New Year Honours list.