The Danish Girl
Thriller Live!
Michael Jackson is one of the greatest entertainers our tiny planet has ever seen. His sequined gloves, trilby hat and white-socks-black-shoes combo has become a fancy dress staple, and has lead to hundreds of talent show hopefuls ripping off his signature moves. This week, the greatest tribute to the star is coming to Theatre Royal, in the form of West End concert, Thriller Live!. Expect to hear all the classics, including ABC, Billie Jean and Smooth Criminal, complete with lashings of moonwalking. You’ll be jigging about for days afterwards.
Tuesday 12 - Saturday 16 January, various times, £16 - £31, Theatre Royal
Post film discussion - The Danish Girl
From the director of The Kings Speech comes Oscar nomination contender, The Danish Girl. Starring Eddie Redmayne (of course), the film details the life of painter, Lili Elbe, who, in twenties Copenhagen, was one of the first people to undergo gender reassignment surgery. Following Wednesday’s screening, Claire Jenkins will be leading a discussion about how transsexual people come out, the effect of transsexual transition on families, and the varying degrees of distress caused, and whether or not the film portrays these topics in an authentic fashion. Having studied intimate relationships and transsexual transition for her PhD, Claire knows her stuff, and will no doubt lead a fully informed, interesting debate.
Wednesday 13 January, 5pm screening, 7.30pm talk, £8.20 film ticket, talk is free, Broadway
The perfect pressie for Aunt Ethel...
Trash to Treasure
It’s time to dig out that tatty owd jumper you got eight Christmases ago, and hell, why not them chipped plant pots sitting in the corner of the garage an’ all. Tricia Gardiner, one half of The Lofthouse partnership, is gonna teach you how to take your unloved everyday objects, and turn ‘em into quality artefacts or gifts fer yer grandmam. With an MA in textiles, Trish’ll teach you a whole host of creative techniques to revitalise your bits and bobs. Plus, with it being a WEA course, if you fit the criteria you won’t have to pay a penny. Give Trish a bell for more information on 07557053209.
Tuesday 12 January, 9pm, free, The Lofthouse
Notebook and Pen
Women! Listen up sistren, this one’s a whole lotta you. If you’ve ever fancied trying your hand at writing based on reading stimuli, then hey ho, jobs a goodun, we’ve found the answer to your prayers. The Nottingham Women’s Centre are asking women of all ages, experiences and backgrounds to join them in reading A Room of One’s Own, to provide the inspiration to create their own writing. In a women only environment, it’ll be a safe space to create and share your personal work. You’re also invited to bring some scran to share, so apparently picnics are on the cards too. Win.
Friday 15 January, Nottingham Women's Centre
It's gonna get rowdy
Stealth UK Garage Night
Garage heads, prick up thine ears. Stealth are bringing back an evening of absolute UK bassline carnage in the form of their free old school garage special. This Friday, you can bag yourself proper cheap entry to one of the most screw-face inducing nights Nottingham has to offer. Last month, the event was packed out, with a one in one out policy introduced way before midnight, and those who ventured out to smoke having to rejoin the entry queue, so make sure you get in early and prepare for the long haul. If your Friday nights have been lacking carnage, recently, then this’ll sort you right out, youth.
Friday 15 January, 10pm, £3/£4/£5, Stealth
Monuments Should Not be Trusted Exhibition and Eastern Block Disco
Tempreh don’t half like to throw us a curveball every now and then. And they don’t come more curvaceous than an exhibition based on sixties and eighties material culture from Yugoslavia. Have a goose at artist’s responses to the country’s self-managed socialism, the ‘third way’. Babe Punch will be playing on opening night this Friday, and there’ll be a Non-Aligned Disco from the Hackney Globe Trotter to really get you going. In conjunction with the exhibition, Saturday night will see Wayne Burrows playing all kinds of tunes from the official state record labels of Poland, Yugoslavia and a whole host of Eastern European countries. There’ll also be a live set from self proclaimed ultimate bore band, UrBororo, whose lyrics consist entirely of management self-help guides. Sound right up your road? We thought so.
Friday 15 January, 6.30pm, Saturday 16 January, 8.30pm, free, Nottingham Contemporary
Staring at the Sea, Mark Taylor
Dissimilar Reflections
It’s so important that we grow used to discussing our mental health with each other, to remove the stigma and work towards providing better treatments. One way to open the discussion, is art. Two artists who have each suffered with varying degrees of mental health issues have produced work to be displayed in an exhibition at Nottingham’s Institute of Mental Health. Mark Taylor will present his collection, Staring at the Sea as a somewhat meditative and contemplative experience, and Tony Fisher presents Through a Glass Darkly which examines the meaning behind reflections and mirror images. Whether you suffer from mental health issues yourself, know someone who does, or just want to develop your knowledge and enter into a discussion surrounding mental health, this is an event not to be missed.
Launch Friday 15 January, 3pm, free. Exhibition runs until March, Institute of Mental Health, Triumph Road
The BIG Nottingham Collection
We’re calling on you lot to dig deep in true Hoodtown fashion, this week, in the largest donations collection day for refugees that Nottingham has seen. The doors of Unit 2, Gauntley Court in Hyson Green will swing open to welcome donations of tents, sleeping bags, blankets and warm men’s clothing, along with preservable food such as bags of rice, red lentils and chickpeas. The donated items will be sent to those seeking refuge in Calais and Dunkirk, to make the harsh winter living in makeshift camps a little more bearable. If you’ve got anything to spare, pop down for an hour this weekend. Any questions, or for more information, head to the facebook page, or contact Dhiren Makhecha or Cathy Symes on 07841903941.
Saturday 16 January, 11am, free, Unit 2, Gauntley Court, Hyson Green
Loopers: Mr Woodnote, Eva Lazarus and Lil Rhys
We get the principles behind it, but looping still seems like some kind of sorcery to us when you’re watching a musician building tracks before your very tab holes. The guys behind Loopers are starting 2016 in style and have got Mr Woodnote, Lil Rhys and Eva Lazarus down to exorcise you of any January blues with some heavy sounds guaranteed to get you moving. As a trio, with Mr Woodnote laying down the tracks and Lil Rhys and Eva Lazarus providing vocals, they never play the same set twice and are inimitable in their field. And, to get you right loosened up, Motormouf and chums will be on first to give you some beatboxing, looping loveliness. Go on and shake a tail feather.
Saturday 16 January, 8pm, £8, The Maze
For the motherload of everything else going on this week check out our comprehensive Nottingham events listings.
Promoters: Want your event featured in one of our upcoming Pick of the Weeks? If so then you can start by adding your event details into our magazine and website database.
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