Our favourite celebration of all things queer returns this February, just in time to spice up the barren Mancunian winter. This is the eighth instalment of the festival of comedy, performance, live art and dance and it’s one of the most alluring yet. Here are five of the programme’s highlight.
NW film Premiere: Al & Al’s Icarus at the Edge of Time ft. Philip Glass score by BBC Phil at RNCM
The North West premiere of this film looks set to be the event of the festival. The story is a futuristic retelling of the classic Greek myth of Icarus, transposed to space. Philip Glass’ score will be performed live by the BBC Philharmonic alongside this new sci-fi film, created and directed by AL and AL, acclaimed British film makers and artists. There is live narration by physicist, Brian Greene, who wrote the book upon which the film is based. Al and Al also have a new solo show starting at Home Mcr from Sat 6 Feb – 27 Mar.
Sat 6 Feb, RNCM. 124 Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9RD. Tel: 0161 274 0600, £15 (£12), www.contactmcr.com
Musical: Andy Bell’s Edinburgh Fringe smash, Torsten the Bareback Saint at Contact (pic)
Legendary pop star, Andy Bell is the lead singer in Erasure. As part of Queer Contact 2016 he appears in this raucous musical show which follows the adventures of an ‘age-defying polysexual’. Need we say more? The show was a massive hit at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2014 and is very likely to sell out.
Thu 4 Feb, Contact, Oxford Road, Manchester M15 6JA. Tel:0161 274 0600, 8pm, www.contactmcr.com.
Workshop: Kate Bornstein: My Gender Identity at LGBT Foundation
Gender revolutionary, author and performer, Kate Bornstein, is running this special, day-long workshop exploring the concept of gender. Learn about postmodern gender theory as well as the intersections between gender with sex. Games and exercises are part of the fun, with refreshments included. Kate is also performing in her solo stage show On Men, Women and the Rest of Us at Contact the night before (Fri 5 Feb, 8pm, £15 (£10).
Sat 6 Feb, LGBT Foundation, 5 Richmond Street, Manchester, M1 3HF. 10am, £90. Tel: 0161 274 0600
www.contactmcr.com
Drag: Performance, history and more: Jez Dolan: Life’s a Drag at Contact
Explore the history of Drag in Manchester through performance, exhibition and oral history in this new collaboration between artist Jez Dolan and Salford-based writer Chris Doyle.
Thu 4 – Sat 6 Feb, Contact, Oxford Road, Manchester, M15 6JA. Tel: 0161 274 0600, 7pm, £11,
www.contactmcr.com
Comedy: Comedy Playground at Contact
This group show includes Tom Allen, Suzi Ruffell and London-based comedian and musician Rosie Wilby. Hosted by local star and comic, Jonathan Mayor.
Mon 8 Feb, Contact, Oxford Road, Manchester, M15 6JA. Tel: 0161 274 0600, 7.30pm, £13, www.contactmcr.com
- Words:
- Anna Georgieva
- Published on:
- Thu 4 Feb 2016
