31 July 2017 The National Theatre welcomes HOME, Manchester, a new River Stage partner for 2017 From 4 – 6 August, the National Theatre welcomes HOME, Manchester, a new River Stage partner for 2017. Bringing the very best Manchester has to offer to London’s South Bank, HOME will bring an array of the finest performers and musicians to the capital. Walter Meierjohann, Artistic Director: Theatre, HOME, said “Following HOME’s previous collaborations with the National Theatre, we are delighted to have been invited to curate a weekend of this year's River Stage Festival. We are looking forward to sharing the best HOME and Manchester has to offer, with an eclectic line-up of performers and musicians - this will be the ultimate HOME from home weekend.” Kevin Jamieson, Senior Producer: Theatre, HOME said: “We’re really excited to bring to London the best HOME and Manchester has to offer, with a line-up of performers, musicians and DJs that all embody the incredibly colourful spirit of the city. We’ll be taking over the National Theatre’s River Stage with comedy, cabaret, theatre and music – expect the unexpected and most of all, expect to have a good time: Manchester is loud, proud, and likes to entertain. Watch this space!” Sonya Moorhead, Artistic Director, Mr Wilsons Second Liners, added: " Watch out London, the spirit of Madchester is alive and well and on its way South! Mr. Wilsons Second Liners can’t wait to unleash euphoric anarchy on the River Stage. Children of the 90’s, get your glow sticks and whistles out of the mothballs; we’re going to rally the whole of the South Bank into a hysterical impromptu street rave. " River Stage Festival returns to London’s South Bank with five free weekends of the best and brightest entertainment from some of the UK’s leading arts and culture organisations. The Glory, HOME, Manchester, WOMAD, Rambert and the National Theatre each ‘take over’ the River Stage for a weekend throughout July and August. Friday 4 August 1 Bourgeois & Maurice 6.30pm – 7.30pm Sequin-clad satirical weirdos Bourgeois & Maurice write songs that stick like bloodstains in your new carpet and dissect current affairs and moral confusion. “It’s hard to think of any other act delivering such clever, funny and sharp material” Time Out Dave Haslam 7.45pm – 10.45pm Dave Haslam DJ-ed over 450 times at the Hacienda in Manchester through the late 1980s when his eclectic, open-minded and ground-breaking DJing became a focus for Madchesters indie/dance fraternity. Saturday 5 August Mighty Heart Theatre Saturday 5 August All day Creators of work that aims to reflect the world around them, Mighty Heart Theatre are on a mission to see what people think of Manchester & The North, with some other pop up surprises along the way. These words will then be turned into a performance on Sunday. Bootworks Theatre The Jukeboxes 12pm – 1pm Watch two beautiful 1950s Jukeboxes spring to life as two performers re-create classic pop music videos using props, puppets and a terrible selection of wigs. The kitsch duo bring to life the likes of The Beatles, Sinead O’Connor and Adele. Dance and sing along, whatever your age! The Beat Chics 1.30pm – 2.30pm The Beat Chics believe in two things and two things only. Music from the 1960s and vinyl records. When they head to the River Stage, they'll be spinning a collection of classic and rare records perfect for an afternoon on the South Bank, including tracks from The Shangri-Las, The Supremes, The Zombies, Lulu and more. Bootworks Theatre The Jukeboxes 2.45pm – 3.45pm Watch two beautiful 1950s Jukeboxes spring to life as two performers re-create classic pop music videos using props, puppets and a terrible selection of wigs. The kitsch duo bring to life the likes of The Beatles, Sinead O’Connor and Adele. Dance and sing along, whatever your age! Pen:Chant 4pm – 5.30pm Toiling down the art mines, Pen:Chant taps the seams of spoken word, comedy, live music, contemporary performance and everything in between. Unearthing gems from Manchester, the UK and around the world we present them to you, confident they’ll make your hearts and minds sparkle. Aziz & Dal 6.30pm – 7.15pm Aziz Ibrahim and Dalbir Singh Rattan are the pioneering creative force behind the new Asian Blues genre mesmerizing audiences worldwide. Ibrahim’s signature Asian-Mancunian guitar playing and songwriting blends with Singh Rattan’s exceptional and aggressive percussion styling, to create a sound layered with rich melodies and rhythms. The ‘AZIZ & DAL’ live shows highlight the duo’s breathtaking performances which take audiences on an unmatched, electrifying sensory journey. 2 The Beat Chics 7.45pm – 9.00pm The Beat Chics are back and are digging deep into their vinyl boxes and setting out on an excursion into some of the best pop and rock the 60s have to offer spinning tunes from girl groups, garage, Northern Soul and much more. We Are Ian: In Bed With My Brother 9.30pm – 10.45pm 1989. Manchester. The year it all changed from black and white into crazy technicolour. Illegal raves. Acid parties. We might not have been born, but Ian remembers and can take us back. Peppered by recordings of conversations we’ve had with Ian, and scored by buzzing 80s and 90s tracks. "Be Ian, be you but really, just be in this audience" ✮✮✮✮✮ A YOUNGER THEATRE Sunday 6 August Vogue Workshop By House of Ghetto 12.30pm – 1.15pm Made popular by the likes of Madonna and the classic documentary Paris is Burning (1990), voguing is characterized by model-like poses integrated with angular and linear arm, leg and body movements. This dance-based workshop will explore the link between voguing and fashion portraiture. Strike a pose! Mr Wilson’s Second Liners 1.20pm – 1.55pm Where New Orleans meets 90s club classics. 90s club culture’s greatest hero, Mr Tony Wilson, is back with upbeat dance tracks over traditional slow hymns. The vision is an anarchic, street theatre extravaganza, bursting with colour and sound, and rousing audiences young and old into a joyful frenzy. Derailed Little Soldier Productions 2 – 3pm Meet Merce, Patricia, Dan and Thomas. Keyboard warriors, forty-somethings worried that their children hate them for not making more of a difference, and lots of music. An unpredictable and urgent theatrical counter protest. A show about changing the world, with a live rock band. Welcome to the revolution. Mr Wilson’s Second Liners 3 – 3.30pm Where New Orleans meets 90s club classics. 90s club culture’s greatest hero, Mr Tony Wilson, is back with upbeat dance tracks over traditional slow hymns. The vision is an anarchic, street theatre extravaganza, bursting with colour and sound, and rousing audiences young and old into a joyful frenzy. Mighty Heart Theatre 3.30 – 4pm Verbatim Reading Boy Blue Entertainment 4.30pm – 5.30pm Join Boy Blue Entertainment and their youth companies, Sky Blue, The Bluez and The Blueprint, for an energetic, inspiring and participatory hip hop summer party. 3 Boy Blue Entertainment is an award-winning hip-hop dance company and Barbican Artistic Associate which was founded in London by Choreographer Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy and Composer Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante. The Company are close collaborators with HOME, Manchester. Acclaimed for presenting “the perfect marriage of music and dance” Boy Blue demonstrate boundless creative energy in all their performances, laying down the beats, and delivering thrilling and raw dance sequences. Ends Notes to Editors 1. For interviews contact the NT press office: [email protected] 2.For images click here. The National Theatre At the National Theatre, we make world-class theatre that is entertaining, challenging and inspiring, and we make it for everyone. In 2016-2017, the NT staged 26 productions and gave 2,585 performances at our home on the South Bank. The NT’s award-winning programme had a UK paying audience of 1.8 million, 400,000 of which were NT Live audiences. The work the National Theatre produces appeals to the widest possible audiences with new plays, musicals, re-imagined classics and new work for young audiences. The NT’s work is seen in the West End, on tour throughout the UK and internationally, and in collaborations and co-productions with partners across the country. Through NT Live, we broadcast some of the best of British theatre to over 2,000 venues in 60 countries around the world. Our extensive Learning programme offers talks, events and workshops for people of all ages, and reaches nationwide through programmes such as Connections, our annual festival of new plays for schools and youth theatres. In 2016-2017 there were 196,826 participations through the NT Learning events programme. Over 3,000 schools have signed up to the free streaming service, On Demand. In Schools, since its launch in September 2015. nationaltheatre.org.uk @nationaltheatre @NT_PressOffice HOME, Manchester HOME, Manchester’s centre for international contemporary art, theatre, film and books, opened its doors in 2015. HOME is a place for curiosity seekers, for lovers of the dramatic, the digital and the deeply engaging; for radicals and reciprocators. HOME works with artists to produce new and extraordinary theatre experiences, programming an exciting, eclectic mix of drama and dance with a strong focus on international work, new commissions and talent development. Led by Artistic Director: Theatre, Walter Meierjohann, HOME has collaborated with many of the most celebrated artists on the UK and International scene, including Complicite, 1927, Simon Stephens, Hofesh Shechter, Peeping Tom, Philippe Quesne and 59productions and offers opportunities to theatre makers at all career stages to develop and extend their practice, presenting thought-provoking and experimental work.