Imagineer Productions, in partnership with Circolombia and Rebel Manifesto Aerial, presents Flow: Milesians – The Coming Of The Gaels, a spectacle performance combining theatre, circus, aerial and live music as part of Coventry City of Culture from 16-22 Apr. Also in Coventry, don’t miss Pirates of the Canal Basin from 21-24 Apr by Coventry’s EGO Performance Company, NoFit State Circus and a 60-strong community ensemble. Part promenade, part static spectacle, Coventry Canal Basin will be transformed into a lively pirate harbour town full of strange and wonderful characters and stories. Also in Coventry, from 18-22 Apr Imagineer and Media Mania invite you to Turning the Tide, a fun family day out where you can experience the beauty, wealth and power of the ocean and discover the threats it faces through VR, film, sound experiences, exhibitions, live performances and hands-on activities at Bishop Ullathorne School Grounds.
Expect high-quality art, music, and a wonderful day out at the Devizes Street Festival on 30 Apr-1 May. Enjoy the fantastically energetic event which sees the Market Place bustling with people, acts, and music, including Avanti Display with Full Circle, Brass Junkies, Ceres by Bassline Circus and Full Tilt Aerial, Dr Jones and Professor Barnard’s Medicine Show, Folkdance Re-mixed with Step Hop House, Half a String with The Lost Colour, Mariachi Las Valentinas, The Playground of Illusions by Travelling Light Circus, Special Delivery by A Bird in the Hand Theatre Company, The Carpeters, The Visionary by Jon Hicks, Encor Une Fois (Once Again) by Tripotes la Compagnie, and more!
There’s two great opportunities to see Shakespeare Undone! by the Natural Theatre Company this month, in Bath on 21 Apr and Sutton Coldfield on 23 Apr. Be taken on a theatrical journey in which the best bits of Shakespeare come to life around you in this brilliant walkabout comedy performance. Streets of Rother, 18 Hours annual street art festival, is back for 2022 with Streets of Rye at Rye High Street on 30 Apr. Don’t miss The 2 Men, Fair Play Comedy, The Grand Theatre of Lemmings and Amy Amelia Arts. On 23 Apr head to Newbury Town Centre where Puppets With Guts will present The Lips, a big puppetry singalong spectacle, at 2pm, 4pm and 9.15pm.
Expect the unexpected at Now Northwich, back to transform the streets of the town centre and Barons Quay with a dazzling programme of dance and street arts for all the family on 30 Apr. There’s so much to see, including Museum of the Moon by Luke Jerram, Autin Dance Theatre’s Out of the Deep Blue, Drum & Dance Extravaganza from Juba do Leão & Jubacana, Mimbre’s Lifted, The Bees by Artizani, Movema’s Taking Flight, Frock by Stopgap, Dandyism by Patrick Ziza Dance, Frozen Light Theatre’s Night Out in Nature, Pandora’s Boombox by Dope Male Performance Company, and Salt Stories by About Time Dance Company.
Join the Royal Shakespeare Company to celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday in his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon with performance, puppetry and installations on 23 Apr. Join the actors and members of the creative team for Unwrapped in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, see Out of the Deep Blue by Autin Dance Theatre, see Room for the Soul in Dell Forest Garden, take part in free drop-in activities led by Forest of Hearts exploring how we can increase and understand biodiversity, and see the final two parts of Henry VI trilogy, Henry VI: Rebellion and Wars of the Roses.
About Us, one of the ten UNBOXED projects, created by 59 Productions, The Poetry Society and Stemettes is in Luton from 14-20 Apr, and Hull from 30 Apr-6 May. About Us is a free open-air spectacular event using cutting-edge projection mapping, animation, music and poetry to celebrate our extraordinary connections to everything around us: past, present and future. Another of the UNBOXED projects, Green Space Dark Skies led by Walk the Plank, has its first official event this month at the Peak District National Park on 23 Apr, and then heads to Lagan Valley AONB- County Down on 30 Apr. 20,000 people from all paths in life will become Lumenators, each carrying a low impact light into the landscape, experiencing beautiful green spaces across the UK, making patterns on mountains, lakes and moorland.
Brighton Open Air Theatre is back with a bumper 6-month summer season and there’s something for everyone with stand-up comedy, drag, music, family favourites, hard-hitting drama, laugh-out-loud comedies, improvisation, opera, dance, and a healthy dose of Shakespeare. Looking ahead, on 15 & 16 Apr The Minack Theatre presents The Kiss that Missed, on 22 Apr Autin Dance Theatre presents Out of the Deep Blue, on 1 Jun see The Gunpowder Plot by Three Inch Fools, and Oddsocks Productions presents Hamlet (The Comedy) from 9-11 Jun.
There’s loads to see and do at Shoot Festival 2022, in Coventry City Centre from 23 Apr-7 May, a two week diverse festival which platforms the best of Coventry and Warwickshire’s up and coming talent. See two brand new theatre pieces commissioned for Performance: In Bloom, listen to up and coming musicians from across the region at the Sound Stage, experience nine bite-sized performances from talented performance artists at the Shop Front Theatre as part of the Performance Programme, and much more!
The Drogheda Arts Festival is back, live and in person 28 Apr-2 May, with a programme of national and international in-door, outdoor and site-specific performances, along with visual arts exhibitions, music, spoken word, theatre, literature, circus, family shows and workshops. On 2 May head to Dominics Park for the DAF Big Day Out, a day of free music, events, and activities for all ages, including Autin Dance Theatre’s Out of the Deep Blue, Tumble Circus with Cycle Circus, Bricí Spraoi’s Imagination Playground, and Goodnight Egg by Bombinate Theatre.
Don’t miss Trevithick Day, an annual community event celebrating Camborne and its most famous son, Richard Trevithick on 30 Apr in Camborne Town Centre. There’ll be steam engines, a steam parade, sound stages with local bands and choirs, street entertainers, stalls, exhibitions, vintage vehicles, and dances led by Camborne Town Band. From 30 Apr-1 May see the physical return of The Fossil Festival in beautiful Lyme Regis, on the world famous Jurassic Coast. Enjoy a weekend of science, discovery, and fun, with talks and lectures, family activities, a 360 dome cinema, fossil market, exhibits, and workshops.
Meet Gnomus, the Caretaker of the Earth created by Puppets with Guts, at Stonehenge from 29 Apr-2 May. A kind and gentle giant, Gnomus can remember the Neolithic people who built the monument and will be sharing stories about how they built it, who else has visited over the past 5,000 years and reminding us that we must all be caretakers of the earth.
