School Play is set against the backdrop of an education system in turmoil. It is a sharp, wry and timely drama that asks what it means to be a primary school teacher in contemporary Britain.

The headteacher’s office of a south London primary school is always busy. But today is results day and the phone won’t stop ringing. Jo, the headteacher of St. Barnabas, knows that the arrival of the school’s SATs results puts her job on the line. With the future of the school and its pupils at stake, Jo struggles to maintain order as her staff and superiors demand answers. Can she protect her students and herself?

Post Show Talks
Friday 10th February
Q&A | Reflection on the Play with Director, Playwright and Head Teacher from St Andrew’s (Barnsbury) Church of England Primary School | 9.40pm

Monday 13th February
Post-Show Discussion with Cast, Director and Playwright | 9.40pm

Tuesday 21st February
Drama Workshop for schools prior to performance | 2.30pm

Tickets £12

Southwark Playhouse
77-85 Newington Causeway
SE1 6BD
020 7407 0234

A day of talks, workshops, films and food to celebrate the launch of the Connected Seeds Library, exhibition, and book.

To celebrate the launch of the much-anticipated interactive Connected Seeds Library, we are hosting a day of events, food, films, and workshops. The day offers opportunities for networking with experienced and novice growers around East London, stalls, free vegetarian lunch and exhibition tours. Come along to learn about seed-saving, seed sovereignty, and community growing spaces.

Combined with the Tower Hamlets Food Growing Network’s Winter Gathering, this event is the culmination of an 18 month community research project based at Queen Mary University of London and Spitalfields City Farm exploring new technology to support urban agriculture in East London. The research produced a Connected Seeds Library, which is an interactive community resource that links the seeds within to the stories of the East London growers who grew and donated them. The library will be on display in the cafe gallery at Rich Mix, along with photographs and audio documenting the research process.

In the evening we will walk over to nearby Spitalfields City Farm for the book launch, herbal drinks, and music.

10:00 – 10:30 Coffee and registration
10:30 – 11:30 Introduction to the Connected Seeds project, talks on the importance of community growing space & seed justice.
11:30 – 12:30 Workshops including seed-saving, Getting your garden ready for Spring, and a future farming and technology 12:30 12:30 – 14:00 Lunch, stalls, networking and a raffle
14:00 – 16:00 Film screening
16:00 ——–Walk to Spitalfields City farm
16:30 – 18:30 At Spitalfields Farm: Book launch + drinks + nibbles + fire + music + herbal cocktails.

Rich Mix
35 – 47 Bethnal Green Road
London E1 6LA
020 7613 7498
boxoffice@richmix.org.uk

A solo exhibition by the award-winning photographer Shahadat Hossain on 150 women and girls who live and work as sex-workers.

Banishanta is a tiny island in Bangladesh, constantly under the threat of the rising waters – consists of 150 women and girls who live and work as sex-workers inside a state-licensed brothel. This exhibition explores their stories.

‘When I reached the Banishantaghat – locally referred as the ‘Banishanta Para (brothel)’, it felt like I had left the city and entered a different world altogether – the world of the condemned. Many of the chhokris (enslaved sex workers) are underage. Unregistered at birth, none of them know their own birth dates, and they don’t have any proof of identity.

Officially these girls do not exist, so it is nearly impossible for them to leave the island for a better life after they complete their terms as enslaved sex-workers. Some of the girls are runaways who left home to escape poor conditions or bad marriages, and ended up at the brothels where their lives get written-off. Many others have been abducted and sold to a Madam by a parent or relative. Others were born into the brothels. They must take 5-10 clients a day, and most of them don’t receive any money, as they must first repay the people who bought them.

ENTRY FREE

Mezzanine Gallery
35 – 47 Bethnal Green Road
London E1 6LA
020 7613 7498
boxoffice@richmix.org.uk

It is a musical that follows the life of Viveca, a young African-American girl who dreams of becoming a dancer in 1960’s America. A cheeky and satirical coming-of-age story with an original score fusing Motown, pop and R&B.

What black child hasn’t woken up one day to realise they won’t ever be the blond haired blue eyed princess or prince? In a world where black is always trouble – that smiling and fitting in costs – so you become a chameleon – changing who you are to fit others!

We follow Viveca journey from school in 1960s LA through to auditions on Broadway. It is a look at how women have been defined by others and themselves from the 1960s to present day. It also considers growing up during the civil rights movement. Viveca chooses to face the realities of racism and sexism with optimism and faith and discovers her own self-worth.

Suitable for ages 13+

Post Show Talks
Fri 10 Feb: discussion panel includes Fadi Tavoukdjian (Writing Manager) and Kirsten Childs (Writer).
Sat 11 Feb: Bonnie Greer leads a discussion about the themes of the show with Writer Kirsten Childs, Actress and Twerk Innovator Kelechi Okafor and Simeilia Hodge-Dallaway.
Thurs 9 March: TRSE Artistic Director Kerry Michael chairs a Q&A with members of the Bubbly company.

Access Nights
Signed 9 Mar 7.30pm
Captioned 10 Mar 7.30pm
Audio described 11 Mar 2.30pm

Newham Resident Discount Nightt
Wed 1 Feb £2.50 proof of address required, subject to availability

Tickets £12-£15.

Theatre Royal Stratford East
Gerry Raffles Square
London E15 1BN
020 8534 0310

Fancy getting in touch with your wild side? Want to play with the wild ones in the woods? Are you sure…?

Spend a night in the company of the wild ones – hairy ladies, iron men, feral children and others who help us define what it means to be human by testing societal norms. Join the Crick Crack Club to explore who these wild ones are, the function they serve, our myriad reactions to them, and why these potent characters populate our stories, our psyche and our reality.
Please be aware that performances and imagery throughout the building will explore adult content and feature nudity.
Programme

The Crick Crack Club is the UK’s premier performance storytelling programmer and promoter, working with the finest performance storytellers, developing audiences, supporting artists and collaborating with venues across the UK and Europe.

FREE EVENT

Wellcome Collection
183 Euston Road
London NW1 2BE
020 7611 2222
info@wellcomecollection.org

A colourful celebration of India’s vibrant plants and culture.

Inspired by the vibrant colours, culture and magnificent plant life of India, this year’s festival will feature giant floral displays created using exotic orchids, decorative rickshaws, Indian soundscapes, films and much more.

Entry to the festival is included with day admission. Friends of Kew enter free.
Tickets from £14

To book by phone 0844 995 9672 (Calls cost 7ppm plus standard network charges)

An exhibition created in search and celebration of the 25 greatest sneakers of all time. As voted for by an international poll of the general public & industry experts.

The exhibition will be both a history and an homage – revealing the secret stories behind the creation of the most iconic sneakers ever made; providing a fascinating narrative of the integral role they played within key sporting & cultural movements throughout the 20th & 21st century; and even offering a glimpse into the psychological hinterland of the cult of sneaker obsession.

Featuring a 3,000-year timeline, G.O.A.T Sneakers identifies the earliest known iterations of the shoe before chronicling its evolution across the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries

Entry daily 10:00 – 18:00
FREE ENTRY

Unit V
Reliance Wharf
2-10 Hertford Road
London N1 5ET
020 3598 2626
info@cultbrand.co.uk

Emeka Egbuonu celebrates the Book Launch of his new book My Sister’s Pain – an emotional tale of two sisters and the lemons life throws at them.

Presented in Variety Bill format, the evening will be a celebration of Sisterhood and a night filled with all female performers and special guests -singers, poets, dancers, speakers, drama and much more with guests including Jamelia, Egwu Oganiru, Christina Matovu, Project G, Free Spirit, Jade & Angelica, Samantha Jayne, Karen Allen, Jemilea, Tanika, Kate Anolue, Dylema and MC Angel.

Running time: 2 hours inc 20 min Interval

Tickets all seats: £10 adv | £12.50 doors *plus £1 per ticket online, £1.25 per ticket over the phone.

Hackney Empire
291 Mare Stree
E8 1EJ
+44 (0)20 8985 2424

Caryl Churchill’s critically-acclaimed play captures the mood of the time.

Escape Alone is set in a sunlit suburban garden, four septuagenarian women talk about the banalities of everyday life. Their stories expand to a world of private pain which reveal a vision of an impending dystopian future.

In Escape Alone random gossip that Sally has an aversion to cats, Lena’s a depressive agoraphobe, and Vi, formerly a hairdresser, has murdered her husband. Mrs Jarrett, suggests that tomorrow’s problems will be far greater monstrously magnified by a coming catastrophe. Brexit perhaps?

Doors 18:30
Tickets from £10

Royal Court Theatre
Sloane Square
London SW1W 8AS
020 7565 5000

“Why you? Why us for that matter? Why anything? Because this moment simply is.

13 artists who each reflect on their current moment through personal, political and historical viewpoints, united by the common lens of time. Hailing from different backgrounds and artistic practices, the final whole is a nod to the concept of Eternalism, a space in which each moment exists in and of itself, an endless loop in which all these points exist at once. If, indeed, the idea really is that Everything Exists Now, then all moments are present simultaneously.

Admission Tue-Sat 11:00 – 18:00

Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery
533 Old York Rd
SW18 1TG
020 8875 0110

A celebration of Chinese New Year and the year of the Rooster 2017. The theme this year: ‘Explore The Silk Road’.

A celebration of Chinese New Year and the cultural significance surrounding this extraordinary event.
Visitors will discover magnificent life-sized and oversized lantern scenes, which represent and highlight this significant route of trade and culture from Europe to Ancient China. The Silk Road Festival journey begins with a 15-metre wide lantern of London’s Houses of Parliament. Visitors continue their tour by exploring lanterns related to the Silk Road representing Europe, Central Asia, Arabia, Egypt, Persia, India and Ancient China.

Admission Thurs – Sun 17:00 – 22:00
Ticketed entry every 15 minutes arrive 15 minutes before chosen entry time

Chiswick House Gardens
London, W4 2QN
020 7101 5450
Weli Creative Email
Entrance via the Dukes Avenue Gate, accessible on foot only from A4 westboun

South Africa – The Art Of A Nation

British Museum | To 26 Feb 2017

See the history of a nation from a new perspective

From some of the earliest examples of human creativity to cutting-edge contemporary works, discover the fascinating history of South Africa through art.

In this exhibition, a diverse range of art from across the ages tells a story that stretches back 100,000 years. From rock art made by the country’s earliest Peoples to works by South African artists at the forefront of contemporary art, the exhibition features beautiful and important objects, which illustrate South Africa’s rich history.

The exhibition features a selection of significant objects, including some of the world’s oldest art objects and striking contemporary pieces responding to the country’s recent past. See the history of a nation from a new perspective and celebrate the artistic accomplishments of the many Peoples that have contributed to the story of South Africa.

Admission 10:00 – 17:30
Tickets £12.00 | Members/under 16s free | Booking fee: £1.00 per ticket

Great Russell St
London
WC1B 3DG
+44 (0)20 7323 8181

Do women have to be naked to get into a Museum?

The Guerrilla Girls are probably the art world’s most creative complainers. For over 30 years they have been successfully showing the hypocrisy of American galleries and museums. Now they are turning their attention to Europe. Is it worse in Europe?

They explore diversity in European art organisations. It presents responses to questionnaires sent to 383 directors about their exhibitions programme and collections. The questions were formulated to critically look at the narratives that are produced by cultural institutions.

Curator’s Tour Thu 8 Dec, 18:30 | Free

Admission 10:00 – 18:00
ENTRY FREE

Whitechapel Gallery
Gallery 4
77-82 Whitechapel High Street
E1 7QX

A musical loosely based on Diana Ross and The Supremes. Featuring the classic songs.

Inspired by R&B music acts in 1960s America and loosely based on Diana Ross and The Supremes, Dreamgirls transports you to a revolutionary time in American music history. Dreamgirls charts the tumultuous journey of a young female singing trio from Chicago, Illinois called ‘The Dreams’. They learn the hard lesson that show business is as tough as it is fabulous.

Performances:19:50
Matinee:14:30

Tickets from £15 plus £3 booking fee

Savoy Theatre
Savoy Court
Strand WC2R 0ET

An exhibition that showcases women’s photography and video work from around the world.

Drawn from the National Museum of Women in the Arts (Washington, U.S.), this collection display showcases photography and video work by seventeen contemporary artists from around the world.

By turning their camera to women, including themselves, these artists embrace the female body as a vital medium for storytelling, expressing identity and reflecting individual and collective experience.

Admission Tues – Sun 10:00 – 18:00 | Mon Closed
ENTRY FREE

Whitechapel Gallery
Gallery 4
77-82 Whitechapel High Street
E1 7QX

It’s not what you see, it’s how you see it.

Organised around four themes – ‘Ordering’, ‘Displaying’, ‘Observing’ and ‘Making’ – this exhibition questions the approach of ‘learning through looking’,

A major exhibition that examines what we think, feel and value about other species and the consequences this has for the world around us. It brings together over 100 fascinating objects from literature, film, taxidermy and photography to reveal the hierarchies in our view of the natural world and consider how these influence our actions, or inactions, towards the planet.

Admission Tues – Sat 10:00 – 18:00/Thurs 22:00 | Sunday 11:00 – 18:00

Wellcome Collection
183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE, UK.
tel: +44 (0)20 7611 2222
info@wellcomecollection.org

The annual free exhibition of stunning space photography

Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year is the biggest international competition of its kind, annually showcasing spectacular images shot by astrophotographers worldwide.

For a taste of past exhibits and a preview of this year’s contestants click on the link

Opening hours: Daily 10am-5pm (last admission 4.30pm)
ENTRY FREE

Blackheath Avenue
London
SE10 8XJ

100 exceptional images, revealing the astonishing diversity of life on our planet.

From intimate portraits to dramatic landscapes, see how photographers’ passion for the natural world produces startling images.

Admission 10:00 -17:50
Tickets Adults from £10.50 | Child & concs from £6.50 | Family from £27.00

The Natural History Museum
Cromwell Road
SW7 5BD