UK Culture Radar

We are delighted that Bernardine Evaristo, renowned writer, academic and Man Booker Prize Winner 2019, will chair the British Council Literature Seminar in 2023. The seminar will be on the topic of Class and contemporary UK writing. The seminar will consist of public readings by Bernardine Evaristo and Kit de Waal, presentations by Daljit Nagra, Joelle Taylor and Wayne Holloway-Smith, a panel discussion and four author-led workshops. Registrations are open!

Lucy and Raedie are mother and son. They both love the singer Sia VERY much. They love her music, her videos and especially her hair. So they decided to create their performance from the Australian pop superstar's iconic moves. Sia becomes a catalyst to explore the relationship between a son and his mother. It is about experiences of a dynamic relationship between a seemingly adult mother and her son, between a woman and a boy, and ultimately between the artist duo.

A young woman is ready to die to defend what she believes is right. A king is determined to impose his will as the rule of law. Antigone is played by Solène Weinachter; a Parisian dancer and actress. The successful production Antigone, Interrupted comes to Mainz from the Scottish Dance Theatre in Dundee. The artistic director of the company, Joan Clevillé, has tailored this intimate solo to the body of his celebrated performer. Tickets here.

In 1987 and 1988, an unusual film co-production occurred between the GDR and Great Britain. For the first time, film teams travel to the other country, bring people in front of their cameras and let them talk about their living and working situations. Filming takes place at STRAZE in Greifswald.

Bernardine Bevaristo reads from "Mr. Loverman" (Tropics), telling the story of Barrington Jedidiah Walker and the Caribbean community in England. More importantly, it is also about homosexual love. And about the courage it takes to break out of constraints. See her in Frankfurt and Munich in March.

Now Neu NI: Contemporary Writing from Northern Ireland. The British Council Literature Seminar 2022 will connect a new generation of writers and readers. Join the conversation and watch new and established writers from Northern Ireland first-hand in discussions and readings. Watch online now. 

Has a computer glitch wiped out the planet's most intelligent fish? The Brahmasamudram Mining Company, active in deep-sea mining, probably has the habitat of the common lumpfish on its conscience. No problem, because in Ned Beauman's clever and hilarious near-future satire Venomous Lumpsucker, companies can acquire so-called extinction certificates if they participate in the extinction of a species. Buy tickets for his reading in Cologne here.

Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla and the CBSO perform a programme of Weinberg, Schumann and Prokofiev, joined by pianist Kirill Gerstein. See them in Essen, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Cologne and Munich. All dates and ticket details here.

Canadian singer and conductor Barbara Hannigan, performing with the London Symphony Orchestra, has a vast spectrum, ranging from contemporary music – her great passion – way back into the past. It’s typical of her that she combines significant figures from earlier eras, like Bach and Haydn, with contemporary composers in one programme. She has selected music for this concert that particularly moves her with its emotional depth. Tickets here.

MaerzMusik sees itself as a place to exchange artistic knowledge through new encounters and shared experiences. Developed from different perspectives of listening, contemporary music and sound, the festival opens up a shared experience with concerts, performances, music theatre, installation and discursive formats. London-based Riot Ensemble perform at Berlin's MärzMusik festival on 25 March. Tickets are available here.