Saturday 17 May
Manchester Music Service String Showcase
A concert featuring four levels of string orchestra and chamber music performed by pupils from Manchester schools.
Blue Box Theatre | 10am–12 noon | Free
Coffee Morning @ St Werburgh’s
Call in for coffee at the opening of the St Werburgh’s Arts and Crafts Exhibition to enjoy displays from groups across Chorlton and music from the St Werburgh’s Geese and Gosling Orchestra and other performers. Exhibitors include Chorlton Painting Group, Manchester Flower Guild and costumes from The Athenaeum Dramatic Society. This exhibition will be open each weekday from 10.30am to 4.30pm and on Saturday 24 May from 10.30am to 2pm.
St Werburgh's Church | 10.30am–12 noon | Free
The Flick Children’s Cinema
Full details in FLICK Film Festival.
St Clement’s Church Youth Centre | 11am–1pm | £2 per child or adult
Paper Planes Creative Writing Workshop
Whatever you write, switch on new ideas by taking part in this innovative and informal workshop with its range of creative and practical exercises. Whether you write scripts, poems, stories, blogs or novels, this workshop is for you. Led by Commonword trustee Steve Waling and Comma fiction writer Anthony Sides.
Chorlton Library – meeting room | 11.30am–1.30pm | Free
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHT:
Festival Saturday Launch Event
Come and help us to celebrate the official launch of the 2008 Festival with music, dance, drama, crafts (see below) and poetry (see below). This is an event for all the family with food and drink, bouncy castle and live performance stage. There’s also plenty of food with everything from sticky donuts to organic, vegetarian, Fairtrade goodies. Performers include Urban Youth Theatre, Manchester Community Choir, Oyster, The Visitors and Tusk.
St Clement’s Church | 12 noon–4pm | Free
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHT:
Arts & Crafts Market @ Festival Saturday
Following the success of last year, our annual Arts & Crafts Market is back for Festival Saturday. Call in and check out the talent… and while you’re at it, treat yourself to something special made by a local artist. We’ve got something for everyone from cakes and clothing to jewellery and jam.
St Clement’s Church | 11am–4pm | Free
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHT:
Young Linespinners Poetry Workshops
Learn to draft and craft your own poems in these workshops for young people from Years 5–7, and Year 8 upwards. Release your creativity, explore new ways of expressing yourselves and have fun in the process. In the final event of the afternoon you will have the opportunity to read your poems to a wider audience, and to enjoy the work of our guest poets. Parents – drop your kids off and have a wander round the craft market.
St Clement’s Church Youth Centre | 1–3.30pm | Free
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHT:
Music at Lunchtime: Aquarelle Guitar Quartet
The award-winning Aquarelle Guitar Quartet, one of Britain’s leading chamber music groups, launches this year’s lunchtime series with a dynamic and innovative programme. The quartet has performed extensively in major festivals and in venues including St David’s Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields and The Bridgewater Hall. They have also appeared as soloists with a number of orchestras throughout Britain. In 2007 they were finalists in both the Royal Overseas League and Young Concert Artists’ Trust competitions in London.
‘...one of the most interesting and professional debuts during the past few years’ – Classical Guitar Magazine
Chorlton Methodist Church | 1–2pm | Free
Music at The Barbakan
Chorlton’s award-winning deli adds a bit of spice to your shopping with live music from the Didsbury String Quartet.
The Barbakan Delicatessen | 2–4pm | Free
First Stage Theatre Company
First Stage Theatre Company is one of Manchester’s premier musical theatre companies. Tonight they showcase the cast of their next musicals, performing solos from shows such as ‘West Side Story’ and Wicked’, amongst other favourites.
St Clement’s Church | 7.30pm | £5/£3
Crystal Chords – The Art of A Cappella: Mix and Match
Award-winning Crystal Chords is a strong, dynamic and versatile women’s a cappella harmony group which loves to entertain. Their 4-part arrangements vary from jazz to ballad and from pop to traditional blends. Sold out at last year’s festival, you’ll enjoy its unique and infectious mix of music.
St Werburgh’s Church | 7.30pm | £5/£3
Chorlton Arts Festival Celebration of Poetry
An evening of readings from Mark Abraham, R H Barnes, Lisa Jones, Andy N, Helen Tookey and others. This extra special night combines our annual celebration of local poetry with the publication of the first Chorlton Arts Festival book, featuring poems submitted for last year’s event. Get there early to be sure of a seat.
The Lloyds Hotel (Upstairs) | 8pm | Free
96 Tons by The Shudderbins
96 Tons is a post-modern, Northern reality farce featuring live music and footage of the Cities in the Park rock concert performed at Heaton Park in 1993. The play shadows this particular event.
The Irish Association Club | 8.30pm | Free
Festival Folk Night @ Revise with Ash Mountain and Belle of Les Bois
Ash Mountain starts the evening with its special mix of dark-country, soul, folk and blues and we conclude with the fabulous Belle of Les Bois.
‘Belle of Les Bois is an Idaho girl marooned in Manchester, whose strong and passionate tunes might just manage to create a brilliant little island of country in the city’s world of indie rock.’ – BBC
Revise | 8.30pm | Free
Bellyflop and Flynn: For you my friend I make special sauce
A belly flop is when a person dives into musical experiments and lands on their stomach, as opposed to entering arms first. It can be painful and often leaves a red mark on the sonic horizon. It is invariably accidental and there are also ‘belly flop contests’ in which participants are judged on who can create the largest ‘flop’. The Flops’ inception was instigated by low end ranger and Mediterranean man of danger Mino. Guilty by association are Jeslian Fraglified, flautist Ola, digital philanderer Ben, Zambian-on-sea saxchappy Sy, Raggytime bone fella Douglebone and special percussion odd-job man Mbharri.
The Lloyds Hotel | 9pm | Free
Late Night CAF: Garron Frith, James G Wilson and Dave Rybka
A great acoustic line-up to help you relax at the end of a busy day.
Iguana | 9.30pm | Free