wmc outsideMORE THAN 30 SHOWS PACKED INTO WALES MILLENNIUM CENTRE’S AUTUMN 2019 PERFORMANCES FOR THE CURIOUS SEASON

More than 30 productions featuring new writing, circus, comedy, dance, spoken word, scratch performances, burlesque and drag will feature in Wales Millennium Centre’s Performances for the Curious season this autumn.

The biennial season champions experimental, contemporary new work and gives audiences an affordable but exhilarating glimpse of some of the latest developments in performance from Wales – in Welsh and English – and beyond, across several artforms. The forthcoming season includes the premiere of The Invisible Woman, a one-woman, dark comedy developed in part at a scratch performance in the Spring 2017 season. Written by Ailsa Jenkins and inspired by her own disappearance, it’s an irresistible slice of Welsh new writing about aging ungracefully and searching for significance.

Other highlights include;

  • Drudwen; a powerful mix of physical theatre, spoken word and music made in partnership with Pontio with support from the Arts Council of Wales and Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru. It’s a dark, Welsh fairytale, performed in a mixture of Welsh and English.
  • I Wish I Was a Mountain; a philosophical show tackling mindfulness and lots of questions big and small, made with Theatr Iolo for children aged 7+. It will be  complemented by free philosophy workshops for children.
  • Beast; Krishna Istha’s stand-up comedy show exploring the lighter side of being a trans person of colour.
  • From further afield, Hive City Legacy is an exhilarating live performance about social activism for teens aged 14+, made by the Roundhouse, international creators Lisa Fa’alafi, Busty Beatz of Australian sensation Hot Brown Honey, hip-hop artist Yami ‘Rowdy’ Lofvenberg and a league of extraordinary Femmes of Colour.
  • A new production of 4.48 Psychosis, the last play written by renowned verbatim playwright Sarah Kane about the relationship between a psychiatrist and his patient. It’s made with Deafinitely Theatre and performed in both English and BSL.
  • Salomé; a screening of the controversial 1923 film adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s play (considered to be the first piece of ‘arthouse’ cinema), accompanied by live instrumentation inspired by traditional Arabic percussion ensembles. The evening is presented by Sound Affairs.
  • RED; an exciting new Christmas show, co-produced by Wales Millennium Centre and Likely Story for audiences aged 7+, bringing the familiar story of Little Red Riding Hood bang up to date.

 The productions are made with local, national artists and companies and staged in the building’s many intimate spaces; from the Weston Studio to its Glanfa foyer, from the Dance House to the ffresh bar. This is the most accessible season of work the Centre has ever presented, with performances for D/deaf or hard of hearing audiences of all but one show at the Weston Studio and several relaxed performances. It’s also the Centre’s most family-friendly season, with shows for all ages from 0+.

Most of the season’s shows go on sale today (Monday 15 July 2019), and the rest will follow later this summer.

Performances for the Curious Autumn 2019 kicks off on 14 October with the first in a series of Scratch performances; a fantastic opportunity for audiences to see early stages of artists’ work and contribute to their development with feedback. Tickets for these and other shows are sold at the Pay What You Feel rate; 100% of ticket income for these goes to artists.

The season closes on 29 December, with the final performance of RED.

Announcing the season, Artistic & Creative Director Graeme Farrow said: “This autumn’s season is a veritable feast for adventurous audiences. The experience is the thing; it’s a rare chance to see great talent at work, catch new productions as they burst onto the scene, and even have a say yourselves in how they develop. Bust most of all, here is a whole season of great nights out – stimulating, exciting and always entertaining.”

To see the full Performances for the Curious programme, visit www.wmc.org.uk/curious

ImPatrickDownes