WIP It Real Good #2 is a jam packed night of work-in-progress performances. From theatre to cabaret, comedy to live art, we have handpicked some of the most interesting artists on the block creating new work that has never yet been seen. Join us for an evening of freshly half-baked delicacies. The outer shells may well be crisp but the interior is definitely still squidgy. Come ready to witness the unfinished.
THE MANA(GER)FESTO
Presented by JULIA POND
The BRED CEO’s presentation reveals qualities of the best managers, plus a morning routine to keep you productive; using bread dough, poetry and movement, it cracks the veneer of hustle culture.
In a corporate presentation-as-performance, BRED* founder and CEO Julia Pond shares her take on the qualities, attitudes and actions that make a manager truly great, plus a morning routine to keep you at your most productive. Using bread dough, corporate lingo, poetry and movement, the presentation explores value, productive cadences, and performance. In the process, the veneer of hustle culture begins to crack as the messy realities of domestic and emotional life are exposed.
*BRED is a fictional company that manifests as a participatory installation, this presentation, and on Instagram @bred.company.
SAFARI
Presented by PANDORA
Safari confronts a set of issues that are both charged and complex - voyeurism, surveillance and the male gaze. One thing is certain: you are being watched.
Can femme sexual liberation ever be achieved in a society so dominated by the male gaze? What is the relationship between the watcher and the watched? In a world so concerned with surveillance, can we ever truly reframe how we observe each other? Comparing the voyeurism of animal enclosures to the cultural consumption of femme-identifying bodies, Safari takes aim at the frameworks our species have built - and how they force us into toxic relationships with each other and ourselves.
Sound shall guide the audience through an abstract world, where concave aluminum mirrors deceptively warp their surroundings. Through recorded conversations, Safari gives individuals from a diverse range of global backgrounds a distinct voice, laying bare the impact of male sexual and social entitlement though the words of real people discussing their experiences seeing and being seen.
PS: At certain vital moments, interaction with the environment will be strongly-encouraged.
HA HA ALI WILSON
Presented by ALI WILSON
Ever dreamed of admitting your most intimate secrets on stage for strangers to laugh at? Ali Wilson decided to give stand up comedy a go. But was it all sh*ts and gigs?
When the pandemic cancelled everything, Ali needed a new venture. She has plenty to say, surely comedy would be a good fit! But can you make it as a stand-up comic if no one thinks you're funny?
Blending devised theatre and stand-up comedy, ha ha Ali Wilson is a new kind of Netflix special. It's fast, fun and full of expected theatrics.
Ali Wilson is a neurodivergent theatre maker based in Manchester, making devised and comedic performance. She is a former Supported Artist at Royal Exchange Theatre.
'... one of Manchester's most exciting theatre makers.' Circles and Stalls, 2019
LUNACY
Presented by WITH STEVE
A foolish, feminist frolic through the misunderstanding and misdiagnosis of women’s brains and bodies throughout history.
Patient: Doctor, doctor… I think I’m a moon. Is this just a phase? Part of my cycle? Perhaps I’m just bloated?
Doctor: Sounds like it’s all in your head.
Ever admired the moon and its splendour? Ever felt like you were being gas-lit by a doctor? It’s not just you.
Join your moon-mentors, Withers and Stevenson, for a foolish, feminist frolic through the misunderstanding and misdiagnosis of women’s brains and bodies throughout history.
From the “cheeky and geeky” (★★★★ Guardian) minds behind clowning company Silent Faces, see the first outing of this riotous and ridiculous new show as part of Calm Down Dear 2022.
It could get hysterical.
