Some of the latest opportunities from Liverpool's wellbeing and creative communities.
Devi (The Goddess) 1960
FACT £10/£8 concessions
30th May
Written and directed by Satyajit Ray, Devi (The Goddess) explores the conflict between fanaticism and free will. This 1960’s classic sees a wealthy landlord decide his daughter-in-law is an incarnation of the Mother Goddess, leading to devastating consequences for the young woman and those around her.
Running time: 93 minutes. Age Certificate: PG. Doors: 19:00. Film: 19:30.
In response to our current exhibition by Burman, we're screening three films that centre around female Asian identity and British Asian experiences. Discover all listings here: fact.co.uk/chila-film
Tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/devi-the-goddess-1960-tickets-601559790527?aff=ALLEVENTS
Open Eye Gallery invites you to celebrate the launch of the UK’s largest showcase of Ukrainian photography.
Free
Thu, 4 May 2023 18:00 - 20:00 BST
Open Eye Gallery 19 Mann Island Liverpool L3 1BP
Ukrainian Photography inspiring UK Words
Open Eye Gallery invites you to the launch of the UK’s largest showcase of Ukrainian photography, Home, developed with 49 partners and 44 sites across Liverpool City Region as part of EuroFestival.
4 May, 6pm – 8pm, Open Eye Gallery on Liverpool’s Waterfront. Speeches 6.30 pm.
Singing Our Socks Off choir will sing welcome songs about belonging together at 6 pm.
The launch will celebrate:
11 new commissions by Ukrainian photographers & UK poets, creating diptychs in public spaces and on Merseyrail sites;
6 exhibitions featuring 20 Ukrainian photographers across 6 cultural venues;
an app inviting people to 5 Home Trails taking you to 25 independent dwell spaces hosting a Ukrainian artwork and encouraging everyone to collect the postcard and respond with their own words;
a book, a zine, a film, a school activity pack, a new writing competition, poetry readings, community workshops and events.
Commissioned for EuroFestival by Culture Liverpool / Liverpool City Council.
The Home programme was made meaningful through collaboration between Open Eye Gallery and Ukrainian. Photographies, and we would like to thank the following:
UKRAINIAN PHOTOGRAPHERS:
Anatoliy BABIYCHUK, Valentine BO, Oleksandr BURLAKA, Igor CHEKACHKOV, Alexander CHEKMENEV, Andrii DOSTLIEV, Lia DOSTLIEVA, Maryna FROLOVA, Nazar FURYK, Sasha KURMAZ, Viktor MARUSHCHENKO, Mykhaylo PALINCHAK, Evgeniy PAVLOV, Polina POLIK ARPOVA, Victoria PIDUST, Viacheslav POLIAKOV, Andriy RACHYNSKYI, Anton SHEBETKO, Yaroslav SOLOP, Elena SUBACH, Daria SVERTILOVA.
UK POETS:
John HEGLEY, Hanan ISSA, Jackie KAY, Roger MCGOUGH (CBE), James CONOR PATTERSON, Deryn REES-JONES.
Reserve a spot here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/home-launch-event-tickets-621846398317?aff=ALLEVENTS
Pride on the Page at The Reader Bar and Restaurant
Mount Pleasant
Join us at The Reader Bar and Restaurant on Mount Pleasant as we explore stories and poems from the LGBTQIA+ experience. All of our Shared Reading groups are completely free. No prior reading experience is required and everyone is welcome. There is no pressure to read aloud – it's fine to just sit back, relax and listen. These sessions are drop-in. For more information contact tickets@thereader.org.uk
Everyman Theatre 4th-6th May
FAMILY TREE is a beautifully poetic drama about race, health, the environment, and the incredible legacy of one of the most influential Black women of modern times. Fearlessly honest, hilarious, and ultimately transformative, this award-winning play is both a remembrance and a celebration. Henrietta Lacks is one of most remarkable people in medical history. Her cells form the basis of the most important medical research and breakthroughs happening today, from cancer to HIV to COVID. But Henrietta never knew any of this. Her cells were taken without her or her family’s knowledge or permission. Henrietta was a Black woman: she is not the only one whose body has been exploited by the medical establishment. Denied her place in history, now is the time for Henrietta’s incredible legacy to undergo a transformation … to blossom and grow into something new and wonderful. This brand-new nationwide touring production is brought to you by playwright Mojisola Adebayo (Alfred Fagon Award winner for FAMILY TREE) and director Matthew Xia (The Wiz, Shebeen). Get tickets here: https://tickets.everymanplayhouse.com/overview/104423?psn=104423
Open Eye Gallery The Liverpool Camarade (part of The European Poetry Festival 2023)
A remarkable poetry event in support of Ukrainian culture. FREE
11th May
A remarkable poetry event in support of Ukrainian culture, celebrating liveness, collaboration and cross-linguistic collective inventiveness. Eight pairs of poets will present their readings:
Kārlis Vērdiņš and James Byrne
Hanna Komar and Michael Sutton
Katerina Koulouri and Patricia Farrell
Yasmin Hafedh and Sarah Dawson
Ailsa Holland and Stephen Sunderland
Robert Sheppard and Sarah-Claire Conlon
Tom Jenks and SJ Fowler
Stanimir Dimitrov and and Michael Egan.
The Camarade format asks pairs of poets, many of whom have never met before, to produce new collaborative works especially for the night of the reading, with no criteria other than a seven-minute time limit.
This non-determinate curatorial model explores the possibilities around live poetry and performance. Moreover, it creates friendships and communities. These events are rapid fire and energised but fundamentally serious and complex in the work they often produce.
European Poetry Festival is one of the grandest celebrations of European poetry ever to take place in the UK. Eleven events over three weeks will see over one hundred poets from across the continent and the UK come together.
This event is a part of HOME programme which includes exhibitions, publications and events in Open Eye Gallery and across Liverpool city region. HOME is commissioned by Culture Liverpool / Liverpool City Council, with kind support from EuroFestival and Arts Council England.
Reserve a spot here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-liverpool-camarade-part-of-the-european-poetry-festival-2023-tickets-617684379607?aff=ALLEVENTS
The Reader - Volunteer for Us
Make a difference in your local community, meet new people, learn new skills and fill your personal reading library by volunteering with The Reader.
Find more information and a form here: https://www.thereader.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer/
More opportunities coming soon!