THURSDAY 10 MARCH 2016
IT'S THE TW:GUIDE TO CONVERGENCE 2016
London's Convergence festival kicks off today, with ten days of concerts, talks and exhibitions taking place across the capital and exploring the intersection between art, music and technology.

To celebrate, we've compiled a special TW:Guide to the festival, picking out some of the shows we are especially excited about and talking to the people behind them. We've been posting interviews and features all week, and will continue to do so tomorrow until the TW:Guide is complete.

But get online now to find out about the background to the festival and the top five recommends from the Editor of our sister site CMU, plus check out Q&As with Gaslamp Killer, Lamb and Dave Okumu, and Christopher Thomas Allen of The Light Surgeons and Xanthe Fuller from Mixcloud.

And talking of CMU, the team from CMU Insights are taking part in the Convergence Sessions programme, presenting an insight session looking at the future of media called 'Making Money From Media? You Won't Believe What Happens Next!' That takes place at Shoreditch's Ace Hotel at midday on 17 Mar - click here to find out more.

And CLICK HERE to read the full TW:Guide To Convergence 2016
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CHRIS MELLOR: THREE DAYS AND THREE MINUTES WITH LARRY
If you are as old as me, and your family watched television when you were growing up, I'd say that there's a high chance you have distinct memories of TV turn Larry Grayson. 'Three Days And Three Minutes With Larry' is a play about the late comedian and presenter, dealing with one particular facet of his life.

To find out more, I had a quick chat with writer Chris Mellor, who also runs the Lion And Unicorn Theatre, where the show will be staged. Read the interview here.

'Three Days And Three Minutes With Larry' is on at the Lion and Unicorn Theatre from 14-22 Mar and 28 Mar-2 Apr. See this page here to book your tickets, and this page here if you want to know about further tour dates.



IZZY TENNYSON: BRUTE
We came across 'Brute', an exploration of school days, bullying and adolescent violence, written and performed by Izzy Tennyson, when she took it up to the Edinburgh Festival last summer. It's an impressively clever piece, beautifully written, and incredibly well portrayed.

When I heard it was headed to London's Soho Theatre, I jumped at the chance to talk to Izzy, about this show and what inspired it. Read the interview here.

Izzy performs 'Brute' at Soho Theatre on 15, 17 and 19 Mar. See this page here for more info and to book your tickets.



SARAH CALLAGHAN: ELEPHANT
Next week, up and coming (not to mention youthful) stand up Sarah Callaghan takes her critically acclaimed show 'Elephant' to Soho Theatre following a highly successful run with it at last year's Edinburgh Fringe.

She's a comedy natural, oozing with talent, so of course I wanted to talk to her. I asked a few quick questions, to find out more about the show, her career, and what's coming up next. Read her answers here.

Sarah performs 'Elephant' at Soho Theatre from 17-19 Mar, see the venue website here for more info and to book. For dates her '24' preview shows, follow this link here.


FRIDAY 11 MARCH 2016 >>

Alun Cochrane | Leicester Square Theatre | 11 Mar
I am pretty sure you all know Alun Cochrane by now, from his myriad appearances on your television screens, in such shows as 'Mock The Week', 'Have I Got News For You' and '8 Out Of 10 Cats'. Though I suppose you may not all own televisions. But in which case you might have heard him on the radio, in 'Just A Minute', 'The Now Show', and of course 'Alun Cochrane's Fun House'. If you don't even have a radio, I can't help you. Though you clearly have the internet. Okay, just take it from me, he is super, and northern, and tall. Don't miss him.

The Seagull, Or Why Masha Always Wears Black | Camden People's Theatre | 11 Mar (pictured)
This looks interesting. It's a devised piece based on the character of Masha in Chekhov classic 'The Seagull', which explores the relationship between identity and performance, and putting a rather marginalised character centre stage. See this page here for all the info.

Lady Rizo – Multiplied | Soho Theatre | 7-26 Mar
New York's award winning Cabaret favourite Lady Rizo is back in London, and what's more, she'll be performing. That may not seem like such a feat for a performer, but she's only recently given birth to a child, so I think it's pretty impressive that she's already back on stage. Anyway, that explains the title of this show, in which the talented entertainer explores how parenthood fits into a showbiz career. See the venue website here for info and to book.


SATURDAY 12 MARCH 2016 >>

Alice In Wonderland | Little Angel Theatre | 12-13 Mar (pictured)
This looks like a lovely, lovely, lovely adaptation of 'Alice In Wonderland' from puppetry/physical theatre specialists Box Tale Soup. Obviously one for the children, this, but it's the sort of show that will enchant grown-ups too, and possibly even younger teens (the advice says ages 4-12), so definitely something the whole family can enjoy. See this page here for info and to book.

The Saturday Night Show | The Invisible Dot | 12 Mar
A super duper line up for The Invisible Dot's 'Saturday Night Show' this week – Kiri Pritchard McLean hosts her colleagues, most excellent sketch purveyors Geins Family Giftshop, plus award-nominated comedian Joseph Morpurgo. See this page here for info on this, and future Saturday line ups.

My Beautiful Black Dog | Royal Festival Hall | 11-13 Mar
This weekend sees the main push of the Women Of The World festival, and Saturday is full of brilliant events, though I think they are now running a bit low on day passes, sadly. When I last checked, though, this stand-alone event still had tickets available, and it's an excellent show, which we saw and loved in Edinburgh. Brigitte Aphrodite – punk poet, musician, feminist showgirl – performs a gig/play hybrid of a show that makes loud and powerful statements about depression. See this page here for more info.


SUNDAY 13 MARCH 2016 >>

Takeover 2016 | Tricycle Theatre | 13-23 Mar
As that header implies, Tricycle Theatre is being taken over this week, and it's by young people from local areas. The result is a festival of events programmed for youthful types by youthful types that includes theatrical performances, workshops, masterclasses and films. Tonight, as part of their NT Connections strand, you can see a double bill of plays by James Graham and Patrick Marber, see this page here for more info.

In The Age Of Giorgione | Royal Academy Of Arts | 12 Mar-5 Jun
This new exhibition promises to offer a interesting and original look at the Venetian Renaissance, and to shine a light on development of pivotal ideas that "changed the course of art". Works by Bellini, Durer, Titian, Sebastiano del Piombo, and Lorenzo Lotto feature alongside pieces by Giorgione. See this page here for details.

D-Code | Camden People's Theatre | 13 Mar (pictured)
This looks like a fascinating play from acclaimed and award winning performer Yael Karavan. It involves physical theatre, different languages and video mapping, and explores our genetic origins in an attempt to find a deeper understanding of DNA and the different identities inside us. I hope I have expressed that correctly. Go to this page here to get a clearer explanation.


MONDAY 14 MARCH 2016 >>

Adam Riches Is Coach Coach | Soho Theatre | 14 Mar-2 Apr
2011 Edinburgh Comedy Award winning character comedian Adam Riches brings his 2015 Fringe Festival success 'Coach Coach' to Soho Theatre this week. It's a spoof sports movie that features not just the super-talented Riches himself, but also a cast of excellent and up-and-coming fellow comedians, and it's brilliant. Go see for yourself, follow this link right here.

Three Days And Three Minutes With Larry | Lion and Unicorn | 14-22 Mar, 28 Mar-2 Apr
Some readers may be too young to have clear memories of seventies TV doyen Larry Grayson, but I doubt that's a reason to not see this show, which sounds really good. A new play by new Lion and Unicorn AD Chris Mellor, it focuses on the comedian and presenter's last public performance, and stars Ian Parkin from 4 Poofs And A Piano, which sounds like a good fit. See this page here for info and to book.

Universe | Soho Theatre | 14 Mar
Well, performance storyteller Clare Muireann Murphy had me at the title, to be honest, because I am always attracted to anything that might involve a discussion of things like the universe, and stars, and stuff. That said, not entirely sure exactly what to expect from this show, but it does promise a "playful exploration of the beginnings of the universe" and to explore the question of where science meets myth, and that seems like a great premise to me. See the venue website here for more info and to book.


TUESDAY 15 MARCH 2016 >>

Brute | Soho Theatre | 15,17,19 Mar (pictured)
This is an excellent piece of new writing (and performing) by the multi-talented Izzy Tennyson, which won plaudits and awards when it had a run at the Fringe in Edinburgh last summer. This one woman show focuses on teenager Poppy, who has just started at a new school in a provincial UK town, and explores the economic climate, bullying and female violence. See this page here to book your tickets.

Comedy At The Dolphin | The Dolphin | 15 Mar
A new regular comedy night has begun over at The Dolphin in Hackney, and for the measly sum of £3 you can expect quality acts road-testing their new material, plus a headliner purveying a set of already tried and tested material. This week's line-up includes a number of serious TW favourites (I'm talking four and five star reviews) like Lloyd Griffith, David Trent and Mark Smith. It's on every other week so make sure you check out future line-ups too. Tickets on the door (though you can reserve seats via email), house opens 7.00pm, fun starts at 7.30pm. Follow the Facebook page here for updates.

The Dishonoured | Arcola Theatre | 15 Mar-2 Apr
One for fans of secret agent type stuff, this, and perhaps also those who enjoy entertainment with a political edge to it. This is described as a compelling thriller, telling the story of war hero and intelligence operative Colonel Tariq, who finds himself at the centre of a diplomatic crisis. Sounds exciting, doesn't it? See this page here for info and to book.


WEDNESDAY 16 MARCH 2016 >>

A Raisin In The Sun | The Albany | 16-19 Mar (pictured)
A chance to see the late Lorraine Hansberry's award-winning and ground-breaking 1959 drama depicting the lives of working class people of colour in the just-pre-civil rights era, staged by acclaimed black-led touring company Eclipse. Angry, yet inspirational, and, sadly, still entirely relevant. See this page here for more info and to book.

BU21 | Theatre503 | 15 Mar-9 Apr
And now another show that sounds great, if disturbing, though in a rather different way. This piece by up and coming playwright Stuart Slade (you may remember his 2014 first play 'Cans', also staged at Theatre503) explores the fate of six young people following a terror attack in London, and threatens to be terrifying, brutal and heartbreaking, but also inspiring and hilarious. See the venue website here for details.

Quiet Violence | Soho Theatre | 16+18 Mar
This one-woman piece by Sophie Rose was in Edinburgh this summer, and I missed it then, but I don't want to miss it now, because of all the good things I have heard about it. It's described as a "spoken word comedy show" and focuses on all the sorts of things we do to make our lives more difficult in small ways. The result is something powerful and anarchic. See the Soho Theatre's web page here for more info.


THURSDAY 17 MARCH 2016 >>

Sarah Callaghan – Elephant | Soho Theatre | 17-19 Mar (pictured)
This young and able comedian has begun to gain the approbation of all the comedy know-it-alls of late. It's not least because of this show, 'Elephant', a set which she performed at the Edinburgh Festival last summer, generating a plethora of highly complimentary reviews. I suspect she is going to go far, so see her now, before she gets extremely famous. See the venue website here to book your tickets.

Run | New Diorama | 15 Mar-9 Apr
This sounds like an interesting play, inspired by the sad story – which you will probably remember, because it was all over the news – of 21 year old Merrill Lynch intern Moritz Erhardt who was found dead in his flat after working for 72 hours straight. Engineer Theatre Collective's piece follows the fate of four city interns, and asks the question: what lengths will people go to, to secure their dream job? See this page here for details.

Lamb | Troxy | 17 Mar
Okay, so this is kind of a double tip, really, because it's already part of the TW-recommended Convergence Festival, as mentioned above. But I really like electronic duo Lamb (in fact, I am listening to their music as I type) so I thought I would flag up this particular event. Also, we spoke to the band's Andy Barlow recently in light of the upcoming appearance and I was very taken by his plans for this performance. See that Q&A here, and see this page here for more info on the show.
 
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