Autumn Season At Jacksons Lane Gives Prominence To Female Voices

This autumn Jacksons Lane puts female artists at the forefront. In an industry still fraught with gender imbalance, this season is packed with bold, disruptive and feminist work by the world's most thrilling circus artists and theatre-makers. Three shows - Raven, Lola and Thunder Road - are exclusively written, directed and performed by women; every show but one has a female protagonist, and female directors and performers outnumber male equivalents.

Award-winning director and artist Bryony Kimmings teams up with Still Hungry, a collective of highly celebrated Berlin aerialists, for season opener Raven. Sick of being called "Rabenmutter", a German term for neglectful and selfish mothers, they use stunning aerial skills, intimate spoken word and a pulsating soundtrack to confront often-unspoken issues around 21st-century motherhood. Kimmings, making her circus directorial debut, lends her signature biting wit and emotive punch in this captivating piece's only UK performances.

Jacksons Lane's status as the UK's leading supporter of contemporary circus is manifested both in Lola - a startling and original mix of tightwire and aerial circus by Finnish artist Hanna Moisala and Greek performer Angeliki Nikolakaki - and, next, in Knot, a beautiful, funny and tragic show about partnership and sexuality by Nikki & JD, two of the world's most compelling hand-to-hand artists and circus storytellers.

The Autumn Season is a melting pot of visual artistry, as pioneers of physical theatre Vamos, Volcano, RedCape and Spymonkey rub shoulders with innovative upstarts Temper Theatre and Certain Dark Things - with a consistent through-line of incredible quality and remarkable skill. Two explosive mixed bills, Pink Bucket and Tilted, feature the most daring artists on the underground circus and cabaret circuits.

Jacksons Lane is committed to making the performing arts open and accessible to all. It offers a quarter of its tickets at £10 for every show, as well as offering free tickets to selected shows to Haringey residents through the Haringey Time Credits scheme.

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Still Hungry
Raven
Fri 21 - Sat 22 Sep, 8pm
"In German, we have this saying: 'raven mother'. Neglectful, selfish. I'm afraid people say this behind my back."
This fresh, forceful, feminist new work breaks down the crippling self-doubt and social expectations of modern mothers - whether to return to work or stay at home, whether to sacrifice or preserve themselves. Berlin circus collective Still Hungry reveal the uncomfortable dark sides of their own motherhood in this mix of aerial circus and physical theatre. Award-winning performance artist Bryony Kimmings lends her signature razor-sharp wit, emotive punch and provocative aesthetic to make her directorial debut for circus. A UK premiere.
Duration: 1 hour
Age guidance: 14+
Price: £10-£18
https://www.jacksonslane.org.uk/whats-on/raven

Temper Theatre
Nightshifter
Wed 26 - Thu 27 Sep, 8pm
Inspired by conversations with junior nurses and paramedics, Nightshifter reflects on our epic capacity to care. Combining Temper Theatre's signature fluid muscular movement, fragmented imagery and soul-shaking soundscapes, Nightshifter explores love, loneliness and responsibility, asking: Do we have time to care? And if so, should we start with ourselves or others? How far can your compassion reach?
Duration: 1 hour
Age guidance: 12+
Price: £10-£16
https://www.jacksonslane.org.uk/whats-on/nightshifter

Lumo Company
Lola
Wed 3 - Thu 4 Oct, 8pm
This two-hander featuring tightwire, aerial straps and all manner of circus skills is a twisted exploration of trying to remember and not remembering. Frustration and distorted moments arise from each attempt, and failure, to remain connected to the world. Lola explores themes of loneliness, social exclusion and dementia through the lens of black comedy and circus. Physical comedy and circus stunts bring humour and lightness to serious subjects - always with a strong spirit of the absurd.
Duration: 1 hour
Age guidance: 14+
Price: £10-£14
https://www.jacksonslane.org.uk/whats-on/lumo-lola

Hijinx Theatre
The Flop
Fri 5 - Sat 6 Oct, 8pm
Paris, 1657ish. Impotence is illegal.
When a member of the aristocracy is accused of being less than upstanding, his wounded pride leads him towards a monumental and very public flop. But can a cast of total idiots save a show about a flop... from being one? Hijinx Theatre, creators of hit show Meet Fred, team up with clown supremos Spymonkey to present an anarchic, slightly rude, hilarious slice of stupidity with live music and unfeasibly large wigs.
Duration: 1 hour
Age guidance: 14+
Price: £10-£16
https://www.jacksonslane.org.uk/whats-on/the-flop

Nikki & JD
Knot
Thu 11 - Fri 12 Oct, 8pm
Nikki & JD follow on from their success in Barely Methodical Troupe's international smash hit Kin with their new show Knot, exposing the underbelly of a complicated physical relationship. Funny and heartbreaking in equal measure, Knot displays the muscular prowess of two acrobats as they dance and fight through their fear of commitment. Nikki & JD have worked with acclaimed choreographer Ben Duke to create this soulful piece about sexual identity and the endurance of love.
Duration: 55m
Age guidance: 10+
Price: £10-£16
https://www.jacksonslane.org.uk/whats-on/nikki-jd-knot

And What? Queer. Arts. Festival.
Pink Bucket 3: Of Spirit
Sat 13 Oct, 8pm
Welcome back for your annual injection of Pink Bucket. Of Spirit is an evening of wonky circus, cabaret and live art exploring spirit through the eyes, voices and limbs of queer performers. Join host Virgin Xtravaganzah, and a gaggle of leading queer-lights for an evening of performance, song and the unexpected: infamous cabaret acts MOUSE, Lasana Shabazz and George Hicks join forces with circus artists Charlie Caplan Wilson, Joe Keeley, Lennin Nelson-McClure, Yam Doyev, Vendetta Vain and Sadiq Sadiq, guaranteeing to get your spirit fingers moving.
Duration: 1h 30m
Age guidance: 18+
Price: £10-£14
https://www.jacksonslane.org.uk/whats-on/pink-bucket-3

Vamos Theatre
Finding Joy
Wed 17 - Thu 18 Oct, 8pm
Joy is 83 today: she's feisty, loves to dance, and is losing her memory. Her grandson Danny is rebellious, bright and always getting into trouble. When Danny decides to look after Joy, they discover a shared playfulness and growing love. But is that enough to face the challenges ahead? In this funny and fearless sell-out mask production from the UK's leading full-mask company, you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll find joy. Approaching the subject of dementia with humour and humanity, award-winning Finding Joy is about family bonds, facing things together, and looking for joy wherever it can be found.
Duration: 1h 10m
Age guidance: 12+
Price: £10-£18
https://www.jacksonslane.org.uk/whats-on/finding-joy

Jacksons Lane
Tilted Circus Scratch
Sat 20 Oct, 8pm
See the hottest, freshest contemporary circus in this one-off night of solos and duets. Eight artists and companies perform a selection of brand new shorts using a dazzling array of disciplines in the air and on the ground.
Duration: 1h 30m
Age guidance: 14+
Price: £8
https://www.jacksonslane.org.uk/whats-on/tilted

RedCape Theatre
Thunder Road
Wed 31 Oct - Sat 3 Nov, 8pm
Thelma and Louise have got nothing on Maureen and Sylvie, two adventurers who'll make you marvel and gasp with their groundbreaking First Aid skills. Thunder Road fuses theatre and stand-up to tell a story about the call of the open road, the power of the Heimlich manoeuvre and the kind of friendship you'd take a bullet for.
Duration: 1h
Age guidance: 14+
Price: £10-£14
https://www.jacksonslane.org.uk/whats-on/thunder-road

Volcano Theatre
Macbeth: Director's Cut
Tue 6 - Wed 7 Nov, 8pm
An arresting, untraditional Shakespeare with powerful performances, striking design and sensory surprises. Action and character have been stripped back to focus on the dynamics of the killer couple. Expect a boisterous, playful Macbeth with ribald humour and an undertow of menace. This production is ideal for anyone interested in both the play itself and in contemporary performance techniques.
Duration: 1h 20m
Age guidance: 14+
Price: £10-£16
https://www.jacksonslane.org.uk/whats-on/macbeth-directors-cut

The Story of William Who Died
Certain Dark Things
Fri 9 - Sat 10 Nov, 8pm
In 19th-century London an aspiring artist is trying to survive in a city thriving from an industrial revolution. Haunted by illness, his only escape is through the worlds he creates in his art. But within the lingering smog, he finds himself consumed by darkness. With poetic language, fast-paced physical theatre and mask, award-winning theatre company Certain Dark Things brings William's story to life.
Duration: 1h 30m
Age guidance: 12+
Price: £10-£14
https://www.jacksonslane.org.uk/whats-on/the-story-of-william-who-died

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