Half a million buttons and the invention of acting
5 handpicked cultural things to do this week: Friday 3 July to Thursday 9 July
This week’s five picks shows the diversity of the arts scene in our region - from a major exhibition by a world-famous artist to a week-long celebration of neurodiversity, inclusion and the talents of those living with a disability. Enjoy.
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5 things to do this week
ART: Ai Weiwei, Button Up!, Aviva Studios, Manchester
I’m writing this on the train home from the press view, at which it was a treat to hear Ai Weiwei speak about his work, so I’m still gathering my thoughts on this exhibition. Paid subscribers will receive a more detailed piece early next week, but for now I’ll say get your tickets booked because once the reviews are out they’ll be hard to come by.
It’s a chance to see a diverse range of Ai’s large-scale work including two new commissions - Eight-Nation Alliance Flags, a series of flags made up of nearly half a million buttons, and History of Bombs, an enormous mural made of toy bricks that features life-size models of weapons. It was a privilege to stand inside Wang Family Ancestral Hall (2015), a Ming-dynasty temple rescued from ruin, and imagine the centuries passing by since it was built. Ends Sunday 6 September, tickets from £20, concessions available
THEATRE: Thespians, HOME, Manchester
The team behind the multi award-winning The Play That Goes Wrong, rewrite ancient history in this a new musical comedy. It’s 534 BC and Greece’s smallest island is battling to avoid defeat in a nationwide prayer competition set up by a thin-skinned tyrant - where the loser is put to death. All is going dreadfully until Thespis accidentally invents acting. Tuesday 7 to Saturday 18 July, tickets from £27.20
FESTIVAL: Kaleidoscope Festival, Storyhouse, Chester
The annual week-long celebration of neurodiversity, inclusion and the talents of those living with a disability returns for its eighth year, with events all created by or for learning-disabled artists and audiences. The programme opens with the Chester Disability Pride Parade (Monday 6 July), filling the city’s streets with a brilliant burst of colour, sound and movement. Monday 6 to Friday 10 July, all events are free or Pay What You Can
THEATRE: Outlaws: A Robin Hood Story, Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre, Chester
Playwright Kieran Lynn (Gangs of New York) returns to the outdoor theatre-in-the-round with a bold, feelgood reimagining of one of Britain’s greatest legends. Friday 3 July to Sunday 23 August
ART: Spectacle by Jude Wainwright, The Whitaker, Rossendale
Major solo exhibition by Manchester-based artist Jude Wainwright, whose portraits and object-based works explore identity, memory and performance. Itfeatures elements of audience participation, inviting visitors to step into the spectacle themselves. Ends Sunday 27 September, free entry
And one thing for the diary…
FILM: Summer Outdoor Cinema, The Reader, Liverpool
The Reader will be opening the Mansion House garden in Calderstones Park for a series of ‘feel good’ outdoor film screenings including Emerald Fennell’s new Wuthering Heights, Clueless and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Wednesday 29 July to Thursday 27 August, tickets £15 adults, £9.50 under-16s
In case you missed it
Thank you for reading the 190th edition of Stored Honey. Please share it with anyone you think would enjoy reading.
I’m off now to make sure I don’t get off at the wrong station.
Have a great week,
Laura
If you’re an artist, actor, theatre maker, curator, director or producer who would like to take part in Stored Honey’s regular Meet the Creator feature, please answer the questions in this Q&A or if you don’t like filling in forms I can send you the questions via email.
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