Flying Solo Festival 2017 at Contact

Andrew Anderson

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Flying Solo Festival 2017

Contact Theatre, Manchester
27 October-11 November 2017

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

© Lee Baxter
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Flying Solo Festival, Contact’s festival of solo performance, is back with a bumper programme that features some of the North West’s best comic talent – Kate O’Donnell and Jackie Hagan – as well as international acts like American comedian Desiree Burch and Dutch spoken word artist Sheyda Darab.

Let’s start with Hagan, whose breakout show Some People Have Too Many Legs was a big success in 2015. Hagan’s humour reminds you of the kid at the back of the class who always comes up with a clever comment, while her subject matter – in this case, “skint disabled people” in a new work titled Jumble Soul – is deeply human.

As for O’Donnell, it’s now 14 years since she transitioned. In You’ve Changed she wonders whether the world has moved on in that time, or whether we are still stuck with our old ideas. Expect her to explore these big concepts in between many wardrobe changes – all of which will be fabulous.

Elsewhere, Burch’s show This is Evolution is acerbic comedy at its finest as the American explores the plight of the over 30s; those living with the expectation that they should have a ‘real life’ while dealing with the actuality that they don’t.

Finally, Sheyda Darab’s Treasuries of Mysteries mixes spoken word with hip hop and theatre in a show that invites audiences to “look for treasure”. Where else could you see a show that is influenced by both Iranian writer Nizami Ganjavi and krumping?

Full line-up announced soon.

What's on at Contact Theatre

Where to go near Flying Solo Festival 2017 at Contact

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Catalog Bookshop

Find Peter and his Christiania cargo bike around All Saints Park, a hop, skip and a bunnyhop from Manchester Poetry Library.

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Sandbar

Sandbar, just off Oxford Road in Manchester, is a well-loved watering hole, with a great selection of ales and some eccentric seating.

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Johnny Roadhouse

Buffeted by fried chicken outlets, legendary musical instrument emporium Johnny Roadhouse has been serving the local music community for over 50 years.

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Eighth Day

Eighth Day is a co-operative shop that sells ethically-sourced food, wine and cosmetics. There’s also café that serves hearty, healthy meals in the basement.

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The Proud Place

Based in the heart of Manchester on Sidney Street, The Proud Place houses The Proud Trust and serves as a community hub for the wider LGBT+ population across Greater Manchester and beyond.

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