Thu 29 Jan, 8pm. £15/10. Over 15s. Post-show talk. BSL Interpreted.
Tim Crouch and Andy Smith:
what happens to the hope at the end of the evening
A story about this evening, one evening and every evening; a story of two men meeting in the middle of their lives, and at the outer edges of their friendship. As they strive for common ground – as they fight and fail, as the wine is drunk and the world falls apart – the possibility of the theatre as a place for community and change comes alive.
A spirited, funny and thought-provoking play about finding yourself and finding togetherness by long-term friends and award-winning theatre makers Tim Crouch and Andy Smith.
An Almeida Festival 2013 Commission supported by Live at LICA.
Mon 2 Feb, 7pm. £10/6. Over 11s. Post-show talk.
Triforce: MonologueSlam UK
The ultimate showcase for actors from all backgrounds and profiles comes to Contact. Following a lengthy audition process, 20 actors are given the opportunity to perform for a welcoming audience and a panel of people in a position to move their careers forward. With a special Youth Round for 11-16 year olds, and professional actors taking part.
Queer Contact Festival 2015: Contact’s celebration of LGBT arts and culture as part of LGBT History Month.
Thu 5 Feb, 8pm. £15/10. Over 14s.
Contact and Manchester Pride present
David McAlmont & Guy Davies: Fingersnap Live
Fingersnap is the incredible voice of David McAlmont with musical partner Guy Davies – they make a welcome return to Manchester, with McAlmont and Butler hits, original material, astute covers and tracks from the Great American Songbook. Melodic, joyous and haunting by turns – an awesomely talented pairing.
Thu 5 to Sat 7 Feb, 7:30pm. £13/7. Over 16s.
Contact and Word of Warning in association with The Arches present
Amy and Rosana Cade: Sister
Post-show Q+A on Fri 6 Feb with Prof. Jackie Stacey (University of Manchester).
Amy is a sex worker. Her sister, Rosana, is a shaven-headed lesbian. They are both feminists. In Sister they present a bold and unflinching examination of themselves: their family bonds, shared experiences, and the differing paths their lives have taken. Sister is a powerful and joyous performance exploring feminism and choice. Please note: contains nudity.
Supported by Wellcome Collection as part of the Sexology Season, and the Sexuality Summer School, University of Manchester.
Thu 5 to Sat 7 Feb, 9:30pm. £13/7. Over 18s.
Contact and Eggs Collective present
Eggs Collective Get A Round
A show with lipstick on its teeth and Wotsits on its face. Eggs Collective Get A Round explores friendship, kindness and belonging against the backdrop of a big night out. Smart and energetic, entertaining and political, this is a piece of theatre that warms hearts and reeks of Blossom Hill.
Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. Commissioned by Contact. Originally developed by Camden People’s Theatre as part of the Passing the Baton series and supported by Royal Exchange Theatre.Made in collaboration with Olivier Award-winner, Mark Whitelaw, and nominated for The Arches Brick Award 2014.
Fri 6 Feb, 6pm. £6/5. Over 14s.
DIVA: Let’s Talk About Sex Baby
To shed a little light on our diverse community’s desires, DIVA magazine has invited experts including – Campbell X, Dr. Rachel Morris (Cosmopolitan Magazine), Dr. Monica Pearl (University of Manchester), Sarah Graham (addiction expert) and Kathy McGuirk (The Lesbian and Gay Foundation) – to open up a lively and arousing debate, hosted by DIVA editor Jane Czyzselska.
Supported by the Wellcome Collection as part of the Sexology Season, and the Sexuality Summer School, The University of Manchester.
Sat 7 Feb, 11am to 6pm. £15/10*. Over 14s. BSL interpreted.
Queer Media Festival
An exciting day of short films, performances and in-conversation events showcasing LGBT storytelling worldwide. The event has over 20 guests including YouTube sensations Vinny & Luke (V-Squared), Anna McNay (DIVA), Paul Brand (ITV), and Rikki Beadle-Blair. Hosted by Aashi Gahlot, Mike Buonaiuto and Craig Daniel Adams.
*Includes entry to Queer Media: The Breakfast Club at Taurus, Canal St (Sun 8 Feb, 10am to 12:30pm).
Sat 7 Feb, 7:30pm. £15.50 VIP tickets / £10.50 standard tickets. Over 18s only.
House of Suarez and Contact present
The House of Suarez Vogue Ball
Hosted by Rikki Beadle-Blair. Music from The Niallist.
After sold out success at Queer Contact 2014, The House of Suarez return bigger and better! Club culture meets high art, as Vogue Houses come together from far and wide to compete for dance supremacy in a catwalk spectacular reminiscent of 1970s/80s New York at its most glamorous.
Please note: this event will take place at Gorilla, Whitworth Street West.
Supported by Arts Council England, MDI and Contact.
Sat 7 Feb, 11pm to 4am. £5.50 advance / £6 on the door. Over 18s only.
Witch*unt
Hip Hop, house and electro club night focusing on female headliners, a strong feminist aesthetic and concept driven stage production. Witch*unt is Manchester Evening News’ most exciting club night of 2014 and will be celebrating its first birthday as part of Queer Contact 2015.
Please note: this event will take place at Kraak Gallery, 11 Stevenson Square.
Mon 9 Feb, 7:30pm. £13/7. Over 16s.
Comedy Playground
Special festival edition of Contact’s comedy lab featuring Joe Lycett (Celebrity Juice, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, 8 out of 10 Cats), Shazia Mirza (Have I Got News For You), Tom Allen (Radio 4’s The News Quiz, Bleak Expectations), Rachel Mars and Kerry Leigh, All held together in glorious style by your MC, Jonathan Mayor.
Tue 10 Feb, 7:30pm. £9/6. Over 14s.
Polari
London’s award-winning LGBT literary salon returns to Contact. Author Paul Burston hosts, with special guests Beatrice Hitchman (Petit Mort, Polari Prize nominee), J. Fergus Evans, Cheryl Martin, Adam Lowe and Young Enigma.
Supported by Apples and Snakes.
Wed 11 and Thu 12 Feb, 7pm. £6. Over 14s.
Shortcuts: Tom Marshman and Ashley Knowles
Work-in-development double-bill.
Two very different performances examining the pressures of an aging population. In Botox Party, Tom Marshman invites audiences to reflect on society’s youth obsession; while Ashley Knowles’ Rage On The Dancefloor explores issues of wealth, age and beauty told through the eyes of a single gay man in his 50s.
Commissioned by Contact. The original staging of Botox Party was supported by Mayfest.
Wed 11 and Thu 12 Feb, 9pm. £10/6. Over 14s.
Kate O’Donnell: Big Girl’s Blouse
Post-show Q+A on Thu 12 with Dr. Rachel Morris (Cosmopolitan).
Written and performed by Kate O’Donnell. Directed by Helen Baggett (Gecko Theatre) with thanks to Ashley Knowles.
Using humour, music, and high kicks, Big Girl’s Blouse tells the story of a girl who was born a boy and became a woman. Who knew what being transgender was in the 1970s? Not Kate’s family. The path to becoming a woman doesn’t always run smoothly and with a lifetime of coming out again and again, Kate has used every trick – theatrical and otherwise – to get by.
Commissioned by Contact. Supported by the Wellcome Collection as part of the Sexology Season.
Fri 13 to Sun 15 Feb, various times/locations. Free.
Pagelight Productions: A Very Victorian Scandal
It was one of the biggest police raids in Victorian England. It was the UK’s Stonewall. And it happened in 1880! But why was it covered-up? Three ambitious, original dramas will present a raid on a Victorian drag ball, a police conspiracy and a court trial to rival Jeremy Kyle. Venues: Via (Canal Street), People’s History Museum and Manchester Central Library.
Part of the First National Festival of LGBT History and Manchester in Love.
Fri 13 Feb, 8:30pm (8pm doors), £10/6. Over 18s.
Mother’s Ruin: Mother Lovin’
Pucker up for a selection box of amorous alt-cabaret artistes this Valentine’s eve! Satisfy your desire for drag, comedy, music and dance in Mother’s welcoming bosom. Hosted by big-hearted, big-bearded drag queen Timberlina and featuring Jonathan Mayor, Joshua Hubbard Dance, Sue Hart, Grace Oni Smith and Violet Blonde, Kate O’Donnell plus an international A-lister!
Supported by Arts Council England and Cake Tin Foundation. Part of Manchester in Love.
Sat 14 Feb, 4pm. £6/5. Over 14s.
Queer Youth Debate
Hosted by Sarah Emmott (Secret Diaries, Art With Heart).
The Albert Kennedy Trust, George House Trust, LGBT Youth North West and The Lesbian and Gay Foundation come together with local councillors and academics to discuss the issues affecting LGBT young people and the wider LGBT community.
Supported by the Sexuality Summer School, The University of Manchester. Part of Manchester in Love.
Sat 14 to Sun 15 Feb, 8pm. £20/15. Over 16s.
Contact, Southbank Centre, Pink Fringe and Brighton Dome in association with Manchester Pride present the UK Premiere of
Justin Vivian Bond: Love Is Crazy
After sold-out shows in Paris and New York, cabaret legend and trans-genre artist Justin Vivian Bond celebrates Valentine’s in Manchester with Love is Crazy, a seductive evening of songs and stories about love. Expect the unexpected with original compositions from V’s records Dendrophile and Silver Wells, songs associated with V’s stage and film appearances (including Shortbus), and tracks originally made famous by The Cure, The Divine Comedy, Pet Shop Boys, Patti Smith, Bambi Lake and more.
Originally commissioned by the Palais de Chaillot. Supported by Macdonald Hotels and Resorts, and the Institute of Social Science Research at Manchester Metropolitan University. Part of Manchester in Love, and the First National Festival of LGBT History.
Sat 14 Feb, 11pm to 3am. £6. Over 18s only.
Love Art
Big tunes, performances, live art and surprises on the closing weekend of Queer Contact from the team that brought you Manchester’s Home of Fabulous, Cha Cha Boudoir. A delicious performance-club explosion of glitter and high class drag trash, all to a mix-tape soundtrack of electro, pop, r’n’b and disco sounds.
Part of Manchester in Love.
Sun 15 Feb, 1pm. £9/6. Certificate 18.
Seeing Queerly: Shortbus
Post-show Q+A with star Justin Vivian Bond and Dr. Andrew Moor (MMU).
A special screening of John Cameron Mitchell’s cult-classic film. A group of New Yorkers caught up in their romantic-sexual milieu converge at an underground salon infamous for its blend of art, music, politics, and carnality.
Please note: contains explicit and adult material.
Part of Manchester Metropolitan University’s Seeing Queerly film programme, supported by MMU’s Institute of Humanities and Social Science Research, and by Film Hub NWC, a member of the BFI Film Audience Network.Supported by Macdonald Hotels and Resorts Part of Manchester in Love, and the First National Festival of LGBT History.
QUEER CONTACT FESTIVAL ENDS.
Fri 20 to Sun 22 Feb, 9pm. £11/6. Over 13s.
Mammalian Diving Reflex: Nightwalks with Teenagers
A unique tour with teenage guides that shows a different side to the city.
The remarkable and award-winning Canadian company, Mammalian Driving Reflex have worked with Manchester teenagers to create a performative journey. Share footpaths and futures. Take a poignant, rebellious walk on the wild side.
Supported by the Canada Council for the Arts Theatre International Programme and the Ontario Arts Council’s National and International Touring programme.
Tue 24 and Wed 25 Feb, 2.30pm and 7:30pm. £11/6. Post-show jam, evening of Tue 24. Over 13s.
BSL Interpreted Wed 25 Feb, 7.30pm.
20 Stories High: Black
Written By Keith Saha. Directed by Julia Samuels. Designed by Miriam Nabarro.
Nikki doesn’t think that her Dad is a racist. He just cares deeply about his community. But when an African family move in over the road, the dog won’t stop barking, the local kids start lobbing stones, and her Dad starts laying down the law. A provocative new show from the award-winning 20 Stories High, featuring a live DJ soundscapes from MC Chunky (CYC, Riot Jazz/Hoya Hoya) and introducing the raw talent of Abby Melia.
Supported by Arts Council England.
Wed 25 Feb, 8pm. £12/6. All ages.
Aakasha Odedra: Murmur + Inked
Murmur is an exploration of warped and exaggerated realities using Odedra’s personal experiences of dyslexia with ancient Indian classical dance, contemporary dance and media technology. A collaboration between Odedra, Australian choreographer Lewis Major and Austrian based Ars Electronica. Inked explores the human fascination with tattoos and tribal markings, which have been part of human-kind for centuries. Choreographed by Olivier-award winner, Damien Jalet.
Supported from by Sky Arts Academy Arts Scholarships. Supported by Arts Council England. Co-commissioned by Arts at Dartington, (Dartington Hall Trust, UK), Curve Theatre (Leicester, UK), DanceXchange (Birmingham, UK), La Maison de la musique de Nanterre (Nanterre, FR), Maison des Arts de Créteil (Créteil, FR), Pavilion Dance South West (Bournemouth, UK), Sampad (Birmingham, UK), Studio Programme, The Royal Ballet (London, UK ).
Sat 28 Feb, 8pm. £12/6. Over 14s.
The Black Sound Series
Curated by BPM and Level Up. A night of big beats and rhythms celebrating Black music and culture and its influence in the UK. A new era for the The Black Sound Serieswith Media Drop and Level Up participants showcasing new music material they have produced at Contact, alongside a very special headline guest who is no stranger to the genres of Jazz and Bass (to be announced). Followed by an after-party with special headline DJs and the trusty BPM residents.
Supported by Youth Music and the Wellcome Collection, as part of the Sexology Season.
SICK! Festival 2015: Confronting the physical, mental and social challenges of life and death. SICK! Festival takes place in Manchester and Brighton.
Tue 3 Mar, 8pm. £10/8. Over 16s. Post-show talk.
Pieter Ampe / CAMPO: so you can feel
After a renowned series of duets and a quartet, dancer and performer Pieter Ampe is going solo.
While staying in New York, Ampe immersed himself in a world of transformations: an ambiguous environment where standards shift and blur, and where emancipation, sexual and emotional, go hand in hand. In this new dancework exploring sensuality and perception, Ampe asked what masculinity means in a sea of alternatives.
Please Note: contains full male nudity. Supported by the Wellcome Collection as part of the Sexology Season.
Wed 4 Mar, 8pm. £10/8. Over 16s. Post-show talk.
Christopher Green: Prurience
Directed by Wils Wilson. Created by Christopher Green. Featuring Christopher Green and a full cast.
Prurience is an experiential piece of theatre about pornography. Not about the producers or the participants but the consumers. It’s about addiction to porn. Set in a fictional self-help group, you are invited to attend a meeting to discuss the huge change that the internet has brought to the sexual and social landscape of our lives. This is a deft, skilful, entertaining, challenging piece of immersive performance from the creator of Office Party and The Frozen Scream. Please note: this event will take place at a secret Manchester location. Supported by the Wellcome Collection as part of the Sexology Season.
Thu 5 to Sat 7 Mar, 7:30pm. £9/6. Over 14s.
CYC: Under The Covers
Directed by Stacy Makishi.
Contact Young Company (formerly CYAC) is Contact’s renowned young ensemble, made up of young performers, actors, dancers, musicians, poets and MCs. Each year the company creates brand new professional standard shows in collaboration with major national and international artists such as Forced Entertainment, Lies Pauwels and Grupo XIX de Teatro.
Under The Covers will examine young people’s contemporary attitudes to sex, questioning myths and breaking down taboos. It is inspired by the new Wellcome Collection exhibition The Institute of Sexology, and the recent National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles.
Supported by Wellcome Collections as part of the Sexology Season. A Call to Create showcase event.
Sat 14 and Sun 15 Mar, 8pm. £15/10. Over 16s. Post-show talk
Nirbhaya
Written and Directed by Yaël Farber.
Based on the performers’ real life experiences and the violent incident that shocked Delhi and the world.
On December 16 2012, a young woman boarded a bus in Delhi heading for home but never reached her destination. With an extraordinary cast from India, Farber brings us a blistering evocation of that terrible night, and the ripples of change it set in motion in a nation and world no longer able to hold the tides of change at bay. This award-winning play cracks open the cone of silence around women whose lives have been shattered by violence.
An Assembly, Riverside Studios and Poorna Jagannathan production.
Wed 18 Mar, 8pm. £10/8. Over 16s. Post-show talk.
Zachary Oberzan: Tell Me Love Is Real
In the winter of 2012, two famous performance artists sat in separate, anonymous hotel rooms on the West Coast of America, waiting to take the stage. In a bizarre coincidence, both over-dosed on the anxiety drug Xanax. One survived, one did not. The two individuals are Whitney Houston, who tragically died, and the other Zachary Oberzan… this is Zachary’s story.
Sat 21 Mar, 8pm. £10/8. Over 14s. Post-show talk.
Edit Kaldor: Woe
Three teenagers talk about something they have no words for. They lead the spectators through memories of their own youth, gradually replacing the proffered images of childhood with their own experiences of neglect and abuse. Scientific representations of what happens in the body and the brain during abuse are woven in with subjective experiences, dreams and fantasies.
Edit Kaldor is a unique voice in international contemporary theatre. She mixes documentary and fictional elements and often works with non-professional actors.
SICK! FESTIVAL ENDS.
Fri 27 and Sat 28 Mar, 7:30pm. £9/5 (Two night pass £11/6). Over 14s.
Word of Warning and Contact present
Turn 2015
Pirouetting and spinning, twizzling and twirling, Turn lands at Contact for its fourth year. This two day conflagration of the best dance in town, explodes into life with some fifteen new works taking over the whole building. Fluidly lyrical, effervescently acrobatic or eccentrically innovative, Turn has played host to curly haired capoeira twins, a ballerina in a body bag and a goggle-wearing, flipper-dance. Join us in 2015 for another round of physical exuberance.
Co-produced by hÅb, Contact, Dance Manchester and Live at LICA; a greenroom legacy project.
Thu 2 Apr, 1pm (Youth Performance) and 8pm. £12/10. Over 14s.
Contact and The Lowry present
Secret Diaries
Best days of your life. Right?
As the Iron Lady stands and Iron Curtain falls, Hayley struggles to find her way in an ever-changing world. Inspired by a true story. Re-capture your youth with this honest look at the world through teenage eyes.
Please note: this event will take place at The Lowry, Salford Quays. More info on Youth Performance: 0843 208 6003 / [email protected].
Developed with New Wolsey Theatre and supported by Contact and The Lowry. Funded by Arts Council England. The Granada Foundation and The Equity Foundation.
Thu 2 Apr, 8pm. £15/10. Over 16s.
Gina Yashere: Laugh Riot
Multi-award winning comedian Gina Yashere returns to the UK with her biggest tour to date.
From her disappointment at being diagnosed with sleep apnoea, despite losing over five stone in weight, to being coughed on, stared at and followed in China, to finding herself in a brothel in Singapore, Gina has plenty of stories to tell.
Regular Events
Join Young Identity for their regular Contact event: One Mic Stand at 7pm on Friday 27 February (tickets: £6/3. Over 13s). Featuring two open slams and special guests. Email [email protected] to take part.
RAW (Rhythm and Words) is our regular open mic event for poets, vocalists and MCs and runs on Mondays 26 January, 23 February and 3March, 8pm. Watch or take part for free: www.contactmcr.com/raw.
Mixed Movement, our open stage event for dancers takes place after Aakash Odedra’s Murmur and Inked on 25 February from 10pm. Email [email protected] to take part. Hosted by Keisha Thompson.
Exhibitions
Thu 29 Jan to Sat 18 April, open daily (not Sun). Free.
Pacitti Company: The SPILL Tarot
Presented to coincide with Queer Contact and SICK! Festivals.
Inspired by the imagery of the tarot, this is a beautiful and vividly staged series of collaborations between renowned photographer Manual Vason and artists working in radical performance including Ron Athey, Harminder Singh Judge, Marisa Carnesky and Franko B.
Thu 29 Jan to Sat 18 April, open daily (not Sun). Free.
George House Trust: HIV Activism on Paper
Presented to coincide with Queer Contact Festival – our annual celebration of LGBT arts and culture.
George House Trust supports people living with or affected by HIV in the North West of England. As the charity’s 30th anniversary approaches, this exhibition explores their engagement in HIV activism; telling the shared, local, national and global story of HIV.