Tomás Ford at the Not Television Festival

Carried on others’ arms: an uplifting inaugural Not Television Festival

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A report on the inaugural Not Television festival at Chelsea Theatre, a weekend of shows involving collaboration between performers and audience members and the special atmosphere that resulted

The Not Television Festival 2014 (photo by Holly Revell, adjusted by Adrian Kinloch)

The Not Television Festival – this weekend!

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 The Not Television Festival is almost upon us! It doesn’t seem long ago that I was chatting to Francis Alexander, the artistic director of Chelsea Theatre, about the spirit of engagement that underpins Come With Me If You Want To Live, the cabaret night we’ve put on at the theatre twice now. Why couldn’t we […]

The first Not Television Festival takes place August 29-31 2014 at Chelsea Theatre, featuring Red Bastard, Tomás Ford, Miss Behave and more.

Introducing the Not Television Festival!

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 One of the joys of doing a blog is that you get to celebrate the things you like just cos you like them. Since Not Television launched at the end of 2013, I’ve had the chance to do a bit of that in real life too, programming some of the acts I admire at Come […]

What Makes You Anxious?

The Anxiety Box speaks!

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 Last night was the first edition of Come With Me If You Want To Live, the quarterly cabaret show I’m putting on for Chelsea Theatre. I was really chuffed at how it all went: there was an incredible pop-up exhibition of David Hoyle’s paintings, with guided tour; cheeky vegetable sculptures by Rachel Porter; typically brilliant lip-synchery […]

This machine kills anxiety: cabaret vs late capitalism

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   As you’ll have noticed, there’s a good bit of anxiety around these days. I’ve got loads. You probably have too. I’m anxious about global things, like geopolitical instability and climate change; societal things, like employment prospects and dodgy urban planning; and personal things, like having a substandard body and shortchanging important relationships. Most people, […]

 
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