Performance Venues S/S 2023

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Performance venues

& Summer 2023
Spring

We are delighted to welcome you back with our wonderful Spring brochure for the University of Sheffield’s Performance Venues, encompassing the vibrant University of Sheffield’s Concert series and the groundbreaking Enable US Festival. In here you will find a diverse range of events to experience, from live gigs, to circus, theatre and contemporary music. There is something for all tastes here at Performance Venues.

Take a look through what we have planned for this season, with highlights of everything we have to offer across campus. All our events will be taking place in our legendary venues, from the iconic Octagon Centre, the intimate Drama Studio and the breathtaking Grade II listed Firth Hall.

Make sure you keep an eye out on our website and social channels for even more updates. We’re constantly adding new events across the year, so to be the first in the know and make sure you’re signed up to our mailing list, we wouldn’t want you to miss out!

tickets and find up to date information on all our events and venues on our website:
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Welcome

Live at Performance Venues

We’re thrilled to be continuing our programme with amazing music, comedy and student work at our venues this spring, including hilarious Australian comedian Luke Kidgell and music from Jive Talkin’, the ultimate Bee Gees tribute act.

University of Sheffield Concerts

Our curated programme is a diverse array of incredible music from across classical, folk, world music and the very cutting edge of contemporary music. We also support student performances and collaborate with the Department of Music to support their work. Highlights from this season include: Classical Sheffield Weekend with Music for the Arts Tower, Martyn Ware, Courtney Pine, The Young Un’s, and समास Samas, a Nepal/UK Collaboration.

Enable US Festival of Theatre

This boundary-pushing programme champions the very best in new dance, comedy, physical theatre and horror. Highlights include: The Chosen Haram, a unique circus show that deals with themes of sexuality, faith, addiction and connection; multi-disciplinary piece Lighthouse by solo performer Hazel Lam; and Haunted, a terrifying two-tale story that will chill your blood!

SUWO, p18 New Music Ensemble feat. James Banner, p10
Book
3
Emergence, p28
now at performancevenues.group.shef.ac.uk

Luke Kidgell Cheers to That

Australia’s most loved comedian* Luke Kidgell, is back on tour with his brand new show ‘Cheers to that!’ (*not a fact, just a personal opinion of Luke’s). After a big year in 2021 dodging lockdowns and attending almost every pub in Australia, Luke has some tales to tell. With 5 Tours under his belt, Luke Kidgell has amassed over 3 Million fans online, has a Comedy special on Amazon Prime and now he is bringing his brand new stand up show ‘Cheers to that!’ to the world. You’ve seen him on the internet, now it’s time to see him in real life. Luke is back on stage in his debut UK show, this is not one you want to miss.

Tuesday 21 March Octagon Centre

Ticket price: £20 Recommended Age: 16+

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Jive Talkin’ perform The Bee Gees

Renowned as the original and very best Bee Gees tribute show, and THE ONLY Bee Gees tribute show that has actually performed with the original Bee Gees! In 1997 Gary & Darren from Jive Talkin performed LIVE on HEART FM with THE BEE GEES and received great compliments from both Maurice and Barry Gibb......

As with the original Bee Gees, Jive Talkin is very much a family affair, with brothers Gary and Darren Simmons taking the roles of Barry and Maurice Gibb, with Darren’s son Jack joining the group in 2014 and taking on the role of Robin Gibb. The guys are supported musically by a four piece band with Lead Guitar, Violin, Cello and Drums, to ensure that every note in every song is just right! Wherever the group play they receive superb plaudits; “The Soundalike quality is quite sensational” (The Stage), “Amazing similarity to the real Bee Gees” (Wakefield Express), Absolutely Brilliant (Maurice Gibb), WOW (Barry Gibb).........

For a truly amazing experience and an opportunity to hear all the great Bee Gees hits; Tragedy, Night Fever, Massachusetts, Stayin Alive, Jive Talkin, etc, in a 2 hour explosion of music and vocal harmony, this is a night not to be missed!

Saturday 28 October, 7.30pm

Octagon Centre

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Concerts

This Spring’s programme is a really vibrant mix of music, with new collaborations and some really exciting guests. I’m proud to say that as usual, it is a fundamentally diverse selection of artists and projects, drawn together by our desire to present events that have a story to tell or that draw on work happening here on campus.

Some major projects include our work with the Classical Sheffield Weekend through March 17-19, including the return of Apartment House and a folk choir singalong with new Kate Rusby music. We’re also ecstatic to be able to do another unique event in the Arts Tower after the success of our ‘In C’ event in the famous paternoster lifts back in 2018.

On top of all this, we’re sending 3 artists to Kathmandu to work with Nepalese musicians, resulting in some new work and a special event in Firth Hall called समास (Samas) where everyone will share their collaborations.

Some other highlights from the season include a 360 degree sound bath in the Octagon Centre with Martyn Ware (Heaven 17), British jazz royalty with Courtney Pine and Zoe Rahman, a Queer Folk Ceilidh, and a Mozart special with the Manchester Camerata and Professor Simon Keefe. We’re also continuing our special lunchtime and rush-hour events - all free and featuring some special guests alongside talented student performers.

As you can see - it’s going to be a very busy Spring!

Ticket Deals

Under 30s & Student Tickets

Anyone under 30 can enjoy the live music in our curated programme from just £6. See individual concert listings for validity. Our student tickets are now valid for any students, at college or university level.

Return Fare Scheme

This popular scheme offers a 20% discount to repeat bookers - if you buy a ticket from one of our curated events, check the additional information for your discount code.

Tickets for Good

We will be working with Tickets for Good to provide free tickets to NHS staff and the charity sector, please visit their website at ticketsforgood.org for more details.

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Elaha Soroor & Kefaya

Plus The Orchestral Music of Afghanistan - Baran Screening & Discussion

Afghan singer-songwriter Elaha Soroor and her music are powerful symbols of resistance to the repressive Taliban regime in Afghanistan, who have taken away women’s rights and banned music-making across the country. This event sees her team up with award-winning music/producer duo Kefaya (Al MacSween & Giuliano Modarelli), joining forces for a fresh, vibrant take on Afghan folk music filtered through myriad forms, from spiritual jazz and dub to Indian classical music and electronica.

Pre-concert talk & screenings

Before the main performance, join us for a discussion with Elaha and a screening of the orchestral version of her original song Baran, premiered last July in London as part of the Orchestral Music of Afghanistan: Looking Forward concert. She will be interviewed alongside the project’s other Afghan composers by Dr Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey, conductor and curator of the concert, and a researcher at the University of Sheffield studying the orchestral music of Afghanistan. The bar will open from 5.30pm. Funded by Arts and Humanities Knowledge Exchange.

Friday 10 February, Talk and Screenings 5.30pm, Concert 7.30pm Drama Studio

£16 Full / £13 Concessions & TUoS Staff / £8.50 Students & Under 30s Global Soundtracks

Queer Folk Ceilidh

Queer Folk presents their Queer Ceilidh Dance Party! Enjoy a night of ceilidh dancing and drag. Swing your partner and get down to tunes from the queerest ceilidh band in town. No dance experience necessary - just open arms!

Saturday 25 February, 7.45pm doors

Firth Hall

£15 Full / £12.50 Concessions & TUoS Staff / £6.50 Students & Under 30s Global Soundtracks

Queer Folk Ceilidh
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Elaha Soroor

Maria Stratigou performs Louise Farrenc

Louise Farrenc was one of the most respected pianists and composers in the 19th-century Parisian music scene, and was piano professor at the Paris Conservatoire for nearly thirty years.

Though her works were performed during her lifetime, her brilliance was largely forgotten about until the late 20th century.

Maria Stratigou is a dedicated exponent of Farrenc’s music for piano, and will be performing a selection of her music, including some from a recent release on the Grand Piano label. Stratigou is prizewinning pianist - she was born in Athens and studied at the Conservatory before continuing her studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the Royal Northern College of Music.

Wednesday 8 March, 5.45pm doors

Firth Hall

Free Classics Uncovered

Courtney Pine and Zoe Rahman

In the 80’s he was one of the first black British jazz artists to make a serious mark on the jazz scene when his first album charted. Some 30+ years on (now with an OBE and CBE for services to music to his name) Courtney Pine continues to break new ground with a string of highly acclaimed recordings and numerous prestigious music industry awards.

Recent years have seen him touring sell out shows across the UK, US and Canada and mainstage performances at Bestival, Love Supreme and The London Jazz Festival with his award winning and critically acclaimed albums House of Legends and Black Notes from the Deep featuring special guest vocalist Omar. With HOL and Black Notes widely regarded as two of his most vibrant and exhilarating projects in recent years, the follow up duets project Song The Ballad Book, his collaboration with Pianist Zoe Rahman, has been heralded as one of his most intimate and reflective.

We are delighted to welcome Zoe back to Firth Hall for this double bill after a wonderful performance last October with Sheffield Jazz.

Thursday 16 March, 7.30pm start

Firth Hall

£16 Full / £13 Concessions & TUoS

Staff / £8.50 Students & Under 30s Sound Lab

Find out more performancevenues.group.shef.ac.uk 8

Classical Sheffield Weekend - 17-19 March

We’re delighted to be part of 2023’s edition of the Classical Sheffield Weekend, a citywide festival celebrating the amazing classical and contemporary classical music happening in Sheffield. There is an absolutely jam packed programme and plenty of free events, check their website for full listings, or see below for our highlights: classicalsheffield.org.uk

Platform 4 and Lorenzo PratiMusic for the Arts Tower

We’re back in the Arts Tower for another unique event featuring musicians in lifts, architecturally inspired sound loops and offthe-wall experimental music. Following on from the sold out ‘In C’ performance in 2018, this time the composer collective Platform 4 are working with sound artist Lorenzo Prati to create a timed performance piece travelling across different spaces within Sheffield’s beloved modernist skyscraper. They’ll also be teaming up with CoMA Sheffield and New Music Ensemble for the performance. This will be a completely unique experience which we urge you not to miss.

Friday 17 March, 7.15pm doors

The Arts Tower, £10 Sound Lab

Apartment House plays Feldmen

Our collaboration with internationally renowned label Another Timbre continues with a festival special - a full performance of minimalist legend Morton Feldman’s 2 hour long Violin and String Quartet, performed by the UK’s best experimental ensemble Apartment House.

You don’t just listen to this incredible composer’s work, you live through it, fully experiencing its captivating hypnotic nature. Brought to you in partnership with Another Timbre and Music in the Round’s Sounds of Now series. There will be plenty of opportunities to take breaks, grab a refreshment and experience this performance in a way that is comfortable for you.

Saturday 18 March, 7pm start, Channing Hall

£16 Full / £10 Concessions / £5 Students & Under 35 Sound Lab

‘Being Human’

- A selection of Kate Rusby songs arranged for choir

Being Human is a collection of ten songs by Kate Rusby and arranged for choir, piano, violin and flute by Kate Shipway. Members from fantastic Sheffield based choirs The Sheffield Music Makers, SingSoc and Singing In... Grenoside, will come together for the very first time to perform this exciting premiere of a new work. The selected songs cover a range of subjects that delve into what it is to be human.

Kate Rusby is a widelycelebrated local folk singer/ songwriter from Barnsley. 2022 marks 30 years of Kate touring as a professional folk singer with a back catalogue of over 20 albums and collaborations.

Sunday 19 March, 2pm doors

Firth Hall, £5 Global Soundtracks

Book now at performancevenues.group.shef.ac.uk 9

Samas: A Nepal/UK Collaboration

समास (Samas): A Nepal/UK Collaboration

Featuring Gus Ferguson, Jan Hendrickse, Jason Kunwar, Mark Fell, Rian Treanor, Sudhir Acharya and Sugama Gautam

This one-off event will present the fruits of a 2 week collaboration project in Kathmandu. Funded by the British Council, the project explores different methods of music creation between a group of multi-disciplinary artists and musicians from the UK and Nepal. With backgrounds ranging between electronic sound art, community practice, industrial music and new-school Nepalese folk, this is guaranteed to be a really special and very unique evening. This project is funded by the British Council’s International Collaboration Grants.

Thursday 23 March, 7.30pm start

Firth Hall

£15 Full / £12.50 Concessions & TUoS

Staff / £6.50 Students & Under 30s Sound Lab

The Department of Music’s experimental contemporary ensemble continues to go from strength to strength. Join us for a free evening of new pieces from the cutting edge of music.

This term we’re inviting improvisor, composer and double bass player James Banner to join the programme. This celebrated musician has recorded, collaborated and performed in festivals and sound installations across Europe, including Outernational, PODIUM and IMPULS. His unique style combines modern techniques with an attitude founded by his punk and heavy metal background - expect ‘tidal movements’ of sound and unfamiliar tunings.

Wednesday 29 March. 5.45pm start

Firth Hall Free Sound Lab

New Music Ensemble feat. James Banner
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Sound Junction

Our week of new music continues with a twist on the regular Sound Junction format. In addition to the usual speakers in the round, we’ll be exploring the wealth of artists who use samples and pre-recorded audio with some special live performances.

Check our website for information about guest performers across the weekend.

Friday 31 March & Saturday 1 April, 7.30pm start both days £7 per concert, £10 weekend pass.

Firth Hall Sound Lab

Greetings from Raasay

A chance to see musicians that are part of a bass clarinet and bassoon course that usually reside in the far Hebridean Isle of Raasay. This concert sees these music tutors take a break from Scotland as they head to Sheffield to perform this recital. Featuring Sarah Watts on Clarinets, Anthea Wood on Bassoon and Antony Clare on Piano.

Programme to include: Sadie Harrison, Elizabeth Kelly, Arnold Cooke, Samuel Coleridge Taylor, Piers Hellawell & Hurlestone.

Why not also pop along to our free final course Concert (Thursday 6th April, 3.30pm doors) featuring bass clarinet and bassoon choirs! This will be the largest gathering of bass clarinets and bassoons ever seen (and heard) in Firth Hall.

Programme to include: Symphony No. 1, Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (arranged for bass clarinet choir by Sarah Watts); Stone Music, for bass clarinet and bassoon choir, by Antony Clare; and a new work by Jaime Diaz.

Tuesday 4 April, 7.30pm start

Firth Hall £15 Full / £12.50 Concessions & TUoS Staff / £6.50 Students & Under 30s Classics Uncovered

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Talking Gigs: Iness Mezel & Nora Abdoun Berber Duo

Our partnership with Talking Gigs has resulted in some of our favourite events over the past few years. Their unique format combines a first half of conversation and musical illustrations, with a second half of all music.

This event features award-winning singer and songwriter Iness Mezel, performing a duo with her life-long friend and bandmate Nora Abdoun, who is also Berber from Algeria, and plays traditional percussion like the “Bendir” a frame drum emblematic of Berber/ Amazigh* identity, a two thousand-yearold culture which has long suffered and still suffers from oppression and invisibility.

This unique duo explores an audacious combination between the Amazigh tradition of voice backed by percussion, with other rhythmic and vocal styles.

Thursday 13 April, 7.30pm start

Drama Studio

£15 Full / £12.50 Concessions & TUoS

Staff / £6.50 Students & Under 30s Global Soundtracks

The Young’uns Presented by Hudson Records

Hudson Records is fast becoming a Sheffield institution - one of the best current labels for folk, indie and world music. We’re delighted to host them in Firth Hall, this time bringing The Young’uns.

The Young’uns live shows are renowned. With heart-on-the-sleeve storytelling, beautiful lyrics, warm harmonies and relentless repartee, Sean Cooney, Michael Hughes and David Eagle (the award-winning stand-up comedian) sing life-affirming folk songs for today.

Born from empathy, crafted with care, fired by hope, and shared with joy, The Young’uns’ songs have been described as ‘a heartfelt secular hymnary for these troubled times and a rallying call for humanity’ (The Scotsman). They have led the band to three BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards (including Best Album in 2018 for Strangers) and the creation of the acclaimed international theatre show The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff (based upon their 2019 album of the same name).

Friday 21 April, 8pm start

Firth Hall

£18.50 Full / £12.50 Student Global Soundtracks

Find out more performancevenues.group.shef.ac.uk 12

Jeneba Kanneh-Mason

Pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason is already captivating audiences with her “maturity in performance and interpretation” (Fraser). The third of the Kanneh-Mason clan to establish herself as a soloist, Jeneba recently made her BBC Proms debut with the Chineke! Orchestra, performing the Florence Price Concerto.

Jeneba was named one of Classic FM’s ‘Rising Stars’ and appeared on Julian Lloyd Webber’s radio series in 2021. She has also been featured on several television and radio programmes, including BBC Radio 3, In Tune, The BAFTAs, The Royal Variety Performance, the documentary for BBC4, Young, Gifted and Classical, and the Imagine documentary for BBC1, This House is Full of Music. She has recorded for the album, Carnival, with Decca Classics.

&
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Programme: Shostakovich - Prelude and Fugue in D Major Prokofiev - 10 Pieces from Romeo and Juliet Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 7 in D Major Debussy - Estampes Thursday 27 April, 7.30pm start Firth Hall £16 Full / £13 Concessions
TUoS Staff / £8.50 Students & Under 30s Classics Uncovered

Jim Ghedi

Jim Ghedi hails from the South Yorkshire hills and although clearly well versed in the history of British folk music, he stands out as a potential torch bearer for a new generation of respectful yet experimental performers.

Whilst Ghedi’s previous distinctive take on folk has often been instrumental, his new album ‘In The Furrows Of Common Place’ is a deeper plunge inside himself to offer up more of his voice to accompany his profoundly unique and moving compositions. Departing from previous work, here he draws from social-political observations, contemporary songwriting, historical & traditional material and a rich varied number of other inspirations and sources.

This includes the poetry of John Clare, the writing of Robert Macfarlane and the works of South Yorkshire author Barry Hines.

Friday 28 April, 7.30pm start

Firth Hall

£15 Full / £12.50 Concessions & TUoS Staff / £6.50 Students & Under 30s Global Soundtracks

Find out more performancevenues.group.shef.ac.uk 14

Manchester Camerata with Professor Simon Keefe

We’re delighted to present this evening of Mozart’s music, performed by members of one of the UK’s leading chamber orchestras, with illustrated introductions from a renowned Mozart expert. The ‘Kegelstatt’ trio and Clarinet Quintet are two of Mozart’s most famous late chamber works. Mozart’s violin sonatas played an important role in his Viennese career. Termed ‘accompanied sonatas’ (the violin accompanying the piano), they were the most popular form of instrumental-music publication in 1780s Vienna.

Simon P. Keefe is President Elect of the Royal Musical Association and the author of five books on Mozart, including the musical biography Mozart in Vienna: the Final Decade (Cambridge University Press, 2017).

Programme: Mozart, Kegelstatt Trio Mozart, Sonata in A for Violin and Keyboard, K. 526. Mozart, Clarinet Quintet

Thursday 4 May, 7.30pm start

Firth Hall

£16 Full / £13 Concessions & TUoS Staff / £8.50 Students & Under 30s

Classics Uncovered

Almost Human - A Triptych in 3D

The constantly-evolving relationship between humans and technology is the inspiration for this event’s triptych of works curated and performed by Martyn Ware (Heaven 17) and some special guests. The performances will feature a unique three-dimensional sound array configured especially for this concert - this allows for different elements of the compositions to be distributed around the auditorium in a multitude of three dimensional soundstreams.

In addition to Martyn, some very special guests will be joining the event, please check our website for full details on this event.

Saturday 6 May

Octagon Centre

£24 Full / £20 Concessions & TUoS Staff / £16 Students & Under 30s Sound Lab

Book now at performancevenues.group.shef.ac.uk 15
Martyn Ware: Almost Human - A Triptych in 3D

The W

In association with Sheffield Jazz

Featuring some of the UK’s hottest and most in-demand players, The W is a newly established London-based contemporary jazz quartet.

The Guardian once described his music

as “eclectic, eccentric and unobtrusively erudite” which is a fair summation of the sound of The W. Thursday 18 May, 7.30pm start

Firth Hall £17 Full /
Concessions / £9
/ £4 15–17
Free
Featuring Heidi Vogel, vocalist for Cinematic Orchestra, collaborator with Thundercat, Soweto Kinch and Chick Corea; New Yorker Gene Calderazzo, a leading drummer on the international jazz scene whose vast portfolio include performances with Pharoah Sanders, Radiohead and Wayne Krantz; double bassist Andrea Di Biase who has performed with many world-class cutting-edge musicians such as Stan Sultzman, Norma Winstone and Kenny Wheeler; and finally led by composer and improvising pianist Bruno Heinen, a favourite of our series and collaborator with Shabaka Hutchings, ESKA, and Julian Arguelles. Find out more performancevenues.group.shef.ac.uk 16
£15
Students
year olds /
for under 15s

balo & Juliana Day

In association with Jazz at the Lescar

We’re delighted to be teaming up with Jazz At The Lescar to shine a light on a new generation of Sheffield musicians who are creating original and distinctive improvised music. For this event, Juliana Day and balo will spend time in the Drama Studio composing new music in response to this atmospheric space.

Juliana Day is a recorder player, whistle player and vocalist based in Sheffield. Her music uses a haunting combination of recorders, whistles and vocalisations to build up looped textures and ambient, often improvised sound worlds. balo are Sheffield based Manon McCoy and Will Shaw, a duo who create expansive works for harp, drums and live electronics.

See our website for further details. This event runs in tandem with the following performances at The Lescar:

1/2/23 Tim Knowles Quartet

24/5/23 Emergence Collective

5/7/23 J2Oh

2/8/23 Assembly Trio

6/9/23 balo

Friday 19 May

Drama Studio Sound Lab

Sounds of the Stacks

Sounds of the Stacks is an exhibition by sound artist Lorenzo Prati in collaboration with the University Library. Taking place over the summer period when campus is at its quietest, this site-specific installation temporarily transforms Western Bank Library’s Level 2 into an interactive sound environment.

You are invited to walk through the shelves and explore a collection of low-volume compositions made with sounds related to the building ranging from the quiet turning of pages and the rattling of book trolleys to recordings of fairground organs from The National Fairground and Circus Archive.

Monday 17 - Monday 31 July Western Bank Library - Level 2 Free Sound Lab

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balo Book now at performancevenues.group.shef.ac.uk

Forged in Sheffield

Sheffield University Chamber Choir

The Sheffield University Chamber Choir return this spring with their exceptionally talented group of singers. After a triumphant joint performance with English Touring Opera, the choir have recently performed in the churches and cathedrals of Liverpool, Cologne and Paris. With music ranging from the 16th to the 21st century, this talented choir are bound to mesmerise you with their performance.

Saturday 29 April, 7.30pm start

Firth Hall

£11.50 Full / £9 Concessions & TUoS Staff / £6 Students & Under 30s

Sheffield University Symphony Orchestra

The Sheffield University Symphony Orchestra return to stunning Firth Hall with an excellent programme of works that have recently included Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8, Borne’s Carmen: Fantasia by a flute soloist, and Elgar’s Symphony No. 1 as well as championing new pieces by student composers. This Spring they’ll be led by guest conductor George Morton.

Sunday 30 April, 7.30pm start

Firth Hall

£11.50 Full / £9 Concessions & TUoS Staff / £6 Students & Under 30s

Sheffield University Wind Orchestra

Prepared to be blown away by this award winning ensemble. Bringing you a wide varied programme with their conductor Gareth Widdowson, Sheffield University Wind Orchestra are a popular musical society that have been running for over 20 years. As well as performing in Firth Hall, they are regular performers across Sheffield and beyond, touring all over the UK and Europe.

Saturday 6 May, 7.30pm start

Firth Hall

£11.50 Full / £9 Concessions & TUoS Staff / £6 Students & Under 30s

Find out more performancevenues.group.shef.ac.uk 18

Live Music at the Drama Studio

We’re continuing our work with the Music Management School as the students prepare to bring you another incredible two nights full of talent, music and atmosphere. It’s the second year running of this event, where we’ve covered genres from K-Pop, to a historic retelling of pop music. So who knows what the students will present next, you’ll have to join us to find out!

Monday 15 & Tuesday 16 May, Drama Studio

Lunchtime & Rush Hour Concerts

Throughout term time we run free informal recitals and events in Firth Hall, including visiting guests and the most talented of our Department of Music students. Please check our website for details on the day, but expect to be wowed by incredible classical recitals, folk tunes and more. You are welcome to bring food to our Lunchtime concerts, and there’s no need to book a ticket to any of the below, just turn up!

February

Wednesday 15th Performances from our students

Monday 20th Performances from our students

Monday 27th Performances from our students

March

Wednesday 1st Performances from our students

Monday 6th Performances from our students

Wednesday 8th Maria Stratigou (see page 14)

Monday 13th Indian Music Ensemble

Wednesday 15th Performances from our students

Monday 20th Julian Payne Recital featuring Lucy Milburn and Zhongyi Wang

Rush Hour - from 5.45pm

Lunchtime - from 1.10pm

Lunchtime - from 1.10pm

Rush Hour - from 5.45pm

Lunchtime - from 1.10pm

Rush Hour - from 5.45pm

Lunchtime - from 1.10pm

Rush Hour - from 5.45pm

Lunchtime - from 1.10pm

Wednesday 22nd Jazz & Pop Rush Hour - from 5.45pm

Wednesday 29th New Music Ensemble (see page 10)

April

Monday 24

Performances from our students

Rush Hour - from 5.45pm

Lunchtime - from 1.10pm

Wednesday 26th Jazz & Pop Rush Hour - from 5.45pm

Book now at performancevenues.group.shef.ac.uk 19

Enable US

Join us in the cosy surrounds of the Drama Studio and shake off those winter blues with our Spring / Summer programme, where a wonderful array of acclaimed companies and performers descend to present a highly energised season of drama, dance, circus, physical theatre and contemporary performance.

Boundary breaking and genre defying, Black Sheep celebrates Blackness out of a diasporic lens. Savage Heart is a striking and emotive combination of puppetry, movement and live music. Adam Z Robinson’s new show Haunted promises to be equally captivating and chilling. Back by popular demand, The Pretend Men return with not one but two zany slapstick offerings - Police Cops In Space and Badass Be Thy Name. The fun and fiery The Bull And The Moon is our family friendly offer for the Easter holidays, blending contemporary dance, flamenco and theatre. We also have Lighthouse - a multidisciplinary piece crossing the boundaries between dance, circus and performance art.

Award-winning exhilarating queer circus show The Chosen Haram portrays the highs and lows of a same sex relationship and the barriers they face seeking happiness. Emergence Triple Bill ‘23 will see a new cohort of 14 dancers epically and thunderously fill the Drama Studio stage. Take a look into The VR Diary Of Attica Lehane which fuses music with movement in Virtual Reality technology. Meet the freshest international circus talent honed in the ‘Circus Central” South West, as the 2023 graduating degree students from Circomedia burst onto our stage. We’ll also have opportunities to get to know the cast and creatives with our post show events and workshops led by some of these fantastic companies. To find out more head to our website.

We look forward to welcoming you back!

Ticket Deals

4 for 3 Ticket Deal

Buy tickets for three or more different shows at the same time, and we’ll give you another show absolutely FREE. The more you see, the more you save!

Tickets for Good

We will be working with Tickets for Good to provide free tickets to NHS staff and the charity sector, please visit their website at ticketsforgood. org for more details.

Discover more and join our mailing list to receive 10% off your first booking: performancevenues. shef.ac.uk/enable-us

Find out more performancevenues.group.shef.ac.uk 20

Black Sheep

Fusing physical theatre, spoken word & song Black Sheep is the story of a queer Black woman finding love, after retiring from her full-time job as sword swallower. The story takes the audience on a journey from overcoming institutional racism to leaning into radical vulnerability.

After moving from Germany to London over ten years ago to live and work in a more diverse community, Livia learned that life-long feelings of self-hatred and otherness are part internalised racism and part survival techniques.

With a successful career under her stage name MisSa but tiring of playing someone else full-time, Black Sheep has been long in the making, serving as a candid autobiographical work and a euphoric reclamation of Livia’s identity and ongoing fortitude.

Wednesday 29 March, 8pm start

£13 Full / £8 Concessions / £6

TUoS Staff & Students

Drama Studio

Suitable for ages 14+

BSL Interpreted

Book now at performancevenues.group.shef.ac.uk 21

Savage Heart

London, 1867

Hope House prides itself on reforming the Fallen Women of the city.

Polly arrives with no memory of how she got there.

Powerless and horrified by this new life, she dreams of escaping back into the arms of her lover. But within the walls of this house, ghosts are waiting…

Certain Dark Things return with their striking combination of puppetry, music and movement in this pulse-quickening gothic thriller. Haunting, moving and vital, Savage Heart explores the horror of entrapment and the resilience of women.

Thursday 30 March, 8pm start £13 Full / £8 Concessions / £6 TUoS Staff & Students Drama Studio

Find out more performancevenues.group.shef.ac.uk 22

Haunted

Two tales to chill the blood!

In The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs the White family are visited by an old friend who brings with him a strange object, said to be able to grant wishes to anyone who possesses it. As the old saying goes: be careful what you wish for!

In The Upper Berth by F. Marion Crawford, Cabin 105 of an ill-fated ocean liner has many strange tales attached to it about the thing that dwells in the upper berth. But none of the stories can be true… can they?

Dare you join The Storyteller as he brings to life two classic ghost stories for a unique and thrilling solo show

Adapted and Performed by Adam Z. Robinson.

“Everyone needs to see this show.” 

The Reviews Hub on Upon the Stair

“A must-see production.” 

Northern Soul on SHIVERS

Saturday 1 April, 8pm start £13 Full / £8 Concessions / £6 TUoS Staff & Students

Drama Studio BSL Interpreted

Book now at performancevenues.group.shef.ac.uk 23

Police Cops In Space

After his father is killed by an evil robot, Sammy Johnson, the last Police Cop in the universe, blasts off in an unmanned escape pod. Now on a distant planet, Sammy must team up with Alien fighter pilot Ranger and his trusty Cyborg C9 as they embark on an intergalactic adventure across the galaxy to find Earth, avenge his father and become the best damn Police Cop in space.

Following a total sell-out run at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2017 join multi awardwinning, globally acclaimed The Pretend Men return by popular demand to present the second instalment of their riotous POLICE COPS trilogy.

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“Unbeatable physical cop parody.” The Stage 

“The juggernaut of cheesy americana.” EdFestMag 

“A joy to behold.” Scotsman Monday 3

£13
Find out more performancevenues.group.shef.ac.uk 24
April, 8pm start
Full / £8 Concessions / £6 TUoS Staff & Students Drama Studio

Police Cops: Badass Be Thy Name

Hot off the back of sell-out runs at Edinburgh Fringe 2022, Soho Theatre London & San Fransisco Comedy Fest; multi-awardwinning troupe The Pretend Men / POLICE COPS return with their sell-out comedy blockbuster.

A gritty kitchen-sink drama turns into a vampireslaying horror epic. Complete with a ’90s rave soundtrack and supercharged physical comedy. It’s not only the stakes that are high.

Wednesday 5 April, 8pm start

£13 Full / £8 Concessions / £6 TUoS Staff & Students Drama Studio

– The Stage

– Theatre Weekly

paid £12, I would have paid £13” – Dara Ó Briain “It takes brains

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

Book now at performancevenues.group.shef.ac.uk 25
 – EdFestMag
– ThreeWeeks
“I
to be this stupid”
Stewart Lee “The most brilliantly stupid comedy show of 2020” – Evening Standard

The Bull and the Moon

Lolo is a little Spanish bull that doesn’t feel like he fits in with the other bulls in the farm. He doesn’t like the big loud bull fights, and he really doesn’t enjoy cowboy rodeos either. Instead, he loves dancing with the Moon every night, and dreams of becoming Lola, a famous flamenco dancing cow. Will you come dance with Lolo and help make their dreams come true?

The Bull and the Moon is an endearing family friendly production that celebrates anyone who dances to their own tune. A fun, fiery and magical outdoor dance performance that blends contemporary dance, flamenco and theatre, this is a heart-warming story about the importance of being oneself, family and LGBTQ+ inclusivity.

Directed by Carlos Pons Guerra for DeNada Dance Theatre, with choreography by Pons Guerra and flamenco artist Ana García, designs by Ryan Laight and produced by Spin Arts.

Thursday 6 April, 2pm & 4pm start

Drama Studio

£13 Full / £8 Concessions / £6

TUoS Staff & Students

Recommended audiences: 3+

Lighthouse

Lighthouse is a multi-disciplinary piece by solo artist Hazel Lam that positions itself between dance, circus and performance art. A reference to Virginia Woolf’s novel To the Lighthouse, Lam engages in the idea of gentleness as a tool in the face of great adversity and change. She explores feminine movement, gives it centre stage and reacts to modernity’s harsh realities and urban construction.

Tackling with an unusual material - coils of PVC tubing and treating it as a companion, Lam tests its physicality and boundaries. Their duet of an organic body versus the inanimate tubes is playful yet antagonising. The tension between the two escalates throughout as she asks, is it there to hold her, entice her, keep her safe or restrain her? Plastic has become one of the major environmental concerns in recent years. This piece is a reflection of how our generation is born into a plastic overflowing world and our role within it.

Wednesday 10 May, 8pm start

£13 Full / £8 Concessions / £6

TUoS Staff & Students

Drama Studio

“It is impressive how much she manages to convey using so little” Upper Circle

Find out more performancevenues.group.shef.ac.uk 26

The Chosen Haram

Expect a heady mix of love, drugs and Islam. This unique and complex take on circus, performed on two Chinese Poles, is emotionally candid with moments of humour and joy set to a banging soundtrack.

The Chosen Haram deals with themes of sexuality, faith, addiction and connection. The story of two gay men and their chance meeting through a dating app, portraying the highs and lows of their relationship and the barriers they face, social, cultural and personal in seeking happiness and personal fulfilment.

The Chosen Haram is based on a combination of lead artist Sadiq Ali’s personal experience, as well as interviews with members of the LGBTQ+ community who identify as (ex) Muslim. The show is an exploration into the personal struggles faced by many people whose upbringing contradicts their personal truths, and how this can lead to self-destructive behaviour.

Friday 12 May, 8pm start £13 Full / £8 Concessions / £6 TUoS Staff & Students Drama Studio

Age guidance 16+ Includes scenes of a sexual nature, drug use and images that some people may find upsetting.

“Powerful, strong and sensual” The Queer Review 

“Beautifully choreographed, totally unmissable” The Recs 

“Elevates a boy meets-boy love story into something dream-like” The Guardian 

“Beautiful story, beautifully told” The Stage 

Book now at performancevenues.group.shef.ac.uk 27

Emergence Triple Bill 2023

Celebrating their 5th anniversary year, the 2023 Emergence touring programme features a new company of dancers and 3 brand new works. International choreographers Alice Klock and Florian Lochner (FLOCK) have created a physically charged and luscious new work that demonstrates the dancer’s technical skill, exploring the idea of how we’re more powerful than we know.

Anthony Missen’s (Co-Artistic Director, Company Chameleon) new work captures the raw physicality of the dancers brought to life on stage through their virtuosity and strength as performers.

Artistic Director, Joss Arnott completes the bill with a new work for the full company celebrating the interplay between movement and music, individuality and states of euphoria, all of which is accompanied by an electrifying new percussive musical score by composer James Keane.

Saturday 13 May, 8pm start

£13 Full / £8 Concessions / £6

TUoS Staff & Students

Drama Studio

Circomedia Showcase 2023

You are cordially invited to an eclectic double bill of juggling, acrobatics and aerial, threaded together with Circomedia’s trademark inventiveness and ingenuity. Join the freshest international talent, honed in the South West, as the 2023 graduating degree students burst out of the studio and onto professional stages across the country.

Circomedia is the longest running provider of full-time circus-based education in the UK, offering informal classes from ages 5 upwards as well as a BTec Diploma, Foundation and BA degrees, and an MA in Directing Circus.

8th June, 8pm start

£13 Full / £8 Concessions / £6

TUoS Staff & Students

Drama Studio

Find out more performancevenues.group.shef.ac.uk 28

The VR Diary of Attica Lehane

You’re in a bunker, hiding from a relentless surveillance state. How do you stay sane? Attica’s secret weapon is VR, painting expansive virtual worlds, while the real world crumbles around her. She records her story in a series of virtual reality diaries. Tragic, funny and inspiring in equal measure, these are an emotional reminder that the future is created today, and emerging technologies need to be nurtured if they are to be a force for creativity as opposed to control.

From Helen Milne Productions and Leo Mercer, the creator of leo&hyde’s 2019 The Marriage of Kim K, this innovative piece of music-theatre combines a stunning cello-driven pop-classical soundtrack by Talia Erdal.

Wednesday 31 May, 8pm start

£13 Full / £8 Concessions / £6 TUoS Staff & Students Drama Studio

Intro to VR Workshop

Monday 29 May, £9

Join us for an exhilarating “Intro to VR” workshop, where you’ll get a hands-on taste of how VR is being used in musical theatre, visuals arts and gaming.

Over the course of a 90-minute session, you will be given the creative tools to make mindblowing immersive digital art as seen in their upcoming show The VR Diary of Attica Lehane. Alongside this, you’ll watch pioneering examples of VR theatre - and don’t worry, we’ll sneak in a spot of gaming too.

Student performances in the Drama Studio

Throughout the year our wonderful student drama societies run multiple shows in the Drama Studioencompassing musicals, classic and contemporary theatre and much more. Check our website for full details on the Spring programme and make sure to get your tickets early!

SUPAS

present Sweeney Todd Wednesday 26thSaturday 29th April
SUTCO Wednesday 22ndSaturday 25th February Wednesday 8thSaturday 11th March
Book now at performancevenues.group.shef.ac.uk 29
The VR Diary of Attica Lehane

Visiting our venues

For University of Sheffield Concerts and Enable US events, doors open 30 minutes before the published start time. For events in the Octagon Centre, please see our website. performancevenues.group.shef.ac.uk

Venue addresses

The Octagon Centre

Clarkson Street, Sheffield S10 2TQ

Firth Hall (Firth Court) Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN

Drama Studio

Shearwood Road, Sheffield S10 2TD

Tickets (Concerts

series and Enable US only)

Concession tickets are available to people with a disability or impairment, people in receipt of state benefits or state pension. Children who can sit on their parents’ laps are free. University of Sheffield Staff can get a concession rate for all Enable US and Concerts events, see individual events for details. Further information is available on the University’s Alumni and Staff webpages.

Concerts series events are £3 more On The Door - advance ticket sales go offsale on the day of the event.

Parking

Durham Road Carpark is in close proximity to the venues and is operated by Q-Park. Evening parking is only £3.

Access

Call or email us to request a copy of our access guide or to let us know about any special requirements, which we will be happy to accommodate.

Buying Your Tickets

Visit the What’s On page of our website to buy your tickets for all of our events performancevenues.group.shef.ac.uk/whats-on

Tickets for the Concerts series can also be purchased over the phone on 0333 666 3366 All phone bookings are via TicketSource and subject to a £1.75 service fee.

The Alumni Foundation.

Performance Venues is grateful to the Alumni Foundation for their generous financial support to enable the purchase of lighting and sound equipment, and technical equipment for our Student performances.

Find out more performancevenues.group.shef.ac.uk 30

Image credits available on our online

brochure page.

Visit our new Cafe Bar, Side 8 Social

Join us in our brand new Bar and Cafe situated in the Octagon, serving you a range of food and drink from the finest local vendors. Including craft beers from Thornbridge, great coffee by Forge Coffee Roasters and freshly prepared lunches and hot food from the kitchen.

February Friday 10 Elaha Soroor & Kefaya Page 7 Drama Studio Saturday 25 Queer Folk Ceilidlh Page 7 Firth Hall March Wednesday 8 Maria Stratigou performs Louise Farrenc Page 8 Firth Hall Thursday 16 Courtney Pine and Zoe Rahman Page 8 Firth Hall Friday 17 Classical Sheffield Festival: Platform 4 and Lorenzo Prati - Music for the Arts Tower Page 9 The Arts Tower Saturday 18 Classical Sheffield Festival: Apartment House plays Feldmen Page 9 Channing Hall Sunday 19 Being Human Page 9 Firth Hall Tuesday 21 Luke Kidgell Page 4 Octagon Thursday 23 समास (Samas): A Nepal/UK Collaboration Page 10 Firth Hall Wednesday 29 Black Sheep Page 21 Drama Studio Wednesday 29 New Music Ensemble feat. James Banner Page 10 Firth Hall Thursday 30 Savage Heart Page 22 Drama Studio Friday 31 Sound Junction Tape Page 11 Firth Hall April Saturday 1 Sound Junction Tape Page 11 Firth Hall Saturday 1 Haunted Page 23 Drama Studio Monday 3 Police Cops In Space Page 24 Drama Studio Tuesday 4 Greetings from Raasay Page 11 Firth Hall Wednesday 5 Police Cops: Badass Be Thy Name Page 25 Drama Studio Thursday 6 The Bull and the Moon Page 26 Drama Studio Thursday 13 Talking gigs: Iness Mezel & Nora Abdoun Berber Duo Page 12 Drama Studio Friday 21 The Young’uns Page 12 Firth Hall Thursday 27 Jeneba Kanneh-Mason Page 13 Firth Hall Friday 28 Jim Ghedi Page 14 Firth Hall Saturday 29 Sheffield Univeristy Chamber Choir Page 18 Firth Hall Sunday 30 Sheffield University Symphony Orchestra Page 18 Firth Hall May Thursday 4 Manchester Camerata with Professor Simon Keefe Page 15 Firth Hall Saturday 6 Almost Human - A Triptych in 3D Page 15 Octagon Saturday 6 Sheffield University Wind Orchestra Page 18 Firth Hall Wednesday 10 Lighthouse Page 26 Drama Studio Friday 12 The Chosen Haram Page 27 Drama Studio Saturday 13 Emergence Page 28 Drama Studio Monday 15 Live Music at the Drama Studio Events from our Music Management MA Course Page 19 Drama Studio Tuesday 16 Live Music at the Drama Studio Events from our Music Management MA Course Page 19 Drama Studio Thursday 18 The W Page 16 Firth Hall Friday 19 balo & Juliana Day Page 17 Drama Studio Wednesday 31 The VR Diary of Attica Lehane Page 29 Drama Studio July 17–31 Sounds of the Stacks Page 5 Western Bank October Saturday 28 Jive Talkin’ Page 5 Octagon Diary

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