Apologies for cross-posting.
Gerald England's Home page - http://www.nhi.clara.net/gehome.htm
Aabye's Baby - http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Cafe/9091
NHI Review - http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/1735
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From: Manchester Poetry Festival <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Manchester Poetry Festival
Date: 30 October 1998 19:25
Press Release
a.. Multi BAFTA award winning Henry Normal returns to the stage after 3 years away with hot
property Alistair McGowan making a poetic debut.
a.. Paul Farley, this year's Forward Prize Winner for best first collection has a Saturday
night date at Dillons in St Ann's Square
a.. Brand new work is performed in death defying style from the wings of an aeroplane.
a.. There's a vampire.
a.. Keanu Reeves will be at Cornerhouse.(Neil Young writes the soundtrack).
a.. The most recognisable Oxford don in the world will take to the stage at Manchester
University.
a.. Kids can be entertained for free every Saturday.
a.. Your dreams of lottery success will be fulfilled in verse.
a.. I will get to mention Chelsea somewhere on this press release.
a.. If you have never written about it, spoken about it or filmed it this November gives you
the chance to try it and tell the world.
The Manchester Poetry Festival,
go on you know you're dying to taste a slice.
Call Richard to arrange your piece in absolute confidentiality on
(0161) 907 0031… then you can tell your friends
TUESDAY 10TH NOVEMBER
At
The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, Liverpool Road, Castlefield
LOW FLYING AIRCRAFT
BY
LOUISE McKENNY WALLWEIN
Sponsored by Manchester Airport and North West Arts Board.
PA supplied by OHM with assistance by Bassment Supplies.
Doors 7.45pm
Tickets £5 from Piccadilly Box Office (1st Floor, Virgin Megastore, Market Street)
"I am the pilot of my own memories
I hit the ground running"
Low Flying Aircraft is a sensational new piece of verse drama commissioned for the festival and
written and performed by Manchester poet Louise McKenny Wallwein.
This semi-autobiographical poem tells the story of a child called Little Bird, born to fly, growing
up next door to Manchester Airport. Throughout the poem we will learn about this child’s past which
involves her loss of childhood innocence through physical and mental abuse. Memories crash like a
sonic boom.
"In the heatwave of 1976
Mine was the only body in our street that remained covered
If I had done the same as every other child and stripped down to
My knickers and streaked around the streets on my chopper
I would have shown the world the truth of my short existence
My body would have provided a map of my parents unhappiness
My body was covered in a layer of their sickness"
She has had her wings cut from an early age, suspended in an adult reality, determined to escape
and fly away. Will she be believed in a world that at first embraced the knowledge that abuse
exists and now seeks to deny this through a stock phrase, Recovered Memory Syndrome.
Although this piece is only based loosely on Louise’s own childhood, she has certainly led an
eventful life. Raised by Catholic nuns in East Didsbury she began her writing career aged eighteen,
winning the Contact Theatre Young Playwrights Festival in Manchester. This led to her play Melting
Ice touring the North West region and being broadcast on Kaleidoscope.
Following this success, Louise has explored many career paths including go-go dancing, club
directing, art promotion, radio presenting and writing and directing performances. Then in 1995 she
started writing and performing poetry.
Low Flying Aircraft is the culmination of Louise’s first body of work as a performance poet.
Performed in the Museum’s stunning Air and Space Gallery, your senses will be bombarded with a
visual, aural and oral treat as Louise performs from the wingtip of a Shackleton reconnaissance
plane.
Friday 6th November
At
The Green Room
(54-56 Whitworth Street)
HENRY NORMAL
&
ALISTAIR McGOWAN
Hosted by Ra Page
Tickets £6.50 (available form the box office on 0161 950 5900)
Henry Normal thought up the idea of Manchester having a poetry festival and gave it life in 1994.
This is just one of his many achievements in a career that began in Hull in Insurance and now sees
Henry Normal as a much respected poet and a multi BAFTA award winning comedy writer.
Henry first came to public attention as a comic on the burgeoning comedy scene of the late
eighties. His stand-up interspersed stories and jokes with poems that tickled you all over and
sometimes made you stop and gulp. His collections such as The Fifteenth of February and A Map of
Heaven made the strange impact of being great poetry and commercially popular. Henry also spent
five years developing poetry networks in Manchester such as Live Poets Society.
Henry is now more widely acclaimed as one of the pens behind Caroline Aherne’s Mrs Merton Show and
Steve Coogan’s cast of character. More recently he has penned Lost In France and The Royle Family.
Now, for one night only Henry is back in Manchester, back on stage and back performing his first
love, poetry
Fresh from hosting Alistair McGowan’s Football Backchat, Alistair McGowan has found a window in his
busy schedule to perform at the Manchester Poetry Festival.
Alistair’s flair and amazing diversity shines through his career to date. After leaving The
Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1989, he began work as a stand up comedian. He soon became
well known for his excellent impressions; including many of the voices on the seminal Spitting
Image.
Alistair has appeared as a comic on numerous television programmes including The Stand Up Show,
Auntie’s Sporting Bloomers and the Royal Variety Performance in 1995. As an actor he’s best known
for his role as Spock in Tim Firth’s multi-award winning Preston Front. Further work has included
Spark, Jonathan Creek and Murder Most Horrid.
He has extensive radio acting experience but amongst all this, his favorite work, however has been
reading books for Book at Bedtime. He has now done two books and two collections of short stories.
HENRY NORMAL, ALISTAIR McGOWAN
POETRY, COMEDY, PERFORMANCE.
LEMN SISSAY, MAJOLICA WORKS, DILLONS and THE BIG STEP
Majolica Works, based in the Northern Quarter’s Craft Centre have put their considerably creative
heads together with Lemn Sissay to come up with some superb limited edition ceramics. Majolica
Works, having made pottery cool teaming up with a man who is cool poetry; the possibilities are
delicious.
The one off production for the festival will raise funds for The Big Step, the charity arm of The
Big Issue. The plates, all unique, will cost from £64 - £95 and will be on sale from Dillons, St.
Ann’s Square From Saturday 7th November. Plates will be sold on a first come, first served basis.
Be quick.
THREE EVENTS FOR CHILDREN (and their families)
Entertaining, Educating and Entirely Free
SATURDAY 7TH NOVEMBER
11am – Midday
Sainsbury’s Saturday Morning Theatre with Kit Wright
At
Library Theatre, Central Library
Tickets can be reserved in advance by calling the Library Theatre Box Office
on (0161) 236 7110
Remaining tickets will be available on the day of performance
Acclaimed poet, Kit Wright, will be leading the first of this year’s Saturday Morning Theatres. Kit
Wright’s poetry is renowned for its great variety, real accomplishment and most important, sheer
enjoyability. His poems can be heard on both television and radio, and can be read in numerous
books including The Puffin Book of Utterly Brilliant Poetry. His poetry readings are always lively
and entertaining, so this promises to be a thoroughly enjoyability event for children of all ages.
Dillons will have a bookstall at this event and all children will get a goody bag from Sainsbury’s
and Dillons.
SATURDAY 7TH NOVEMBER
1 – 3pm
Kids Poetry Workshop with Mandy Precious
sponsored by Sainsbury’s
at
Committee Room, 2nd Floor, Central Library, St. Peters Square
Suitable for 4 – 11 year olds
Refreshments are provided and places are limited
Mandy Precious continues her popular series of poetry workshops. Follow up the morning theatre show
or just have a fun couple of hours.
Mandy’s Kids Poetry Workshops have become one of the favourite features of the festival. Children
get the chance to create poetry, decorate and generally have a fun and messy afternoon without
realising they have stretched their minds considerably.
SATURDAY 14TH NOVEMBER
11am – Midday
Sainsbury’s Saturday Morning Theatre
with
Adrian Henri
Suitable for 5 – 11 years olds
Library Theatre, Central Library, St. Peters Square
Tickets can be reserved in advance by calling the Library Box Office on
(0161) 236 7110
Liverpool’s Adrian Henri is equally at home painting or writing poetry for adults as he is here
performing for youngsters. He locates the funnybone and tickles it unmercifully. Like a good
cartoon he can enthral children and adults for different reasons with the same story.
He will be reading from his latest poetry books for children. The World’s Your Lobster and Robocat
(Both Bloomsbury Books) where new friends the tomcat of Notre Dame, Kate’s Unicorn and a Winter
Dragon combine with old favourites The Phantom Lollipop Lady, Best Friends, Rover, H25 and the
Haunted Disco.
Dillons will have a bookstall at this event and all children will get a goody bag from Sainsbury’s
and Dillons.
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