Robert Llewellyn, THE SHIPWRECKED HOUSE and More Set for Canada Water Culture Space, Autumn 2014

Canada Water Culture Space, the intimate theatre hidden amongst the books of Canada Water Library, will be full to the brim with a cracking programme of new ideas, theatre, comedy, music and shows for all the family.

Curated by the Albany, South East London's leading arts centre, the season includes Robert Llewellyn - best known as Kryten in Red Dwarf and presenter of Scrapheap Challenge - who takes audiences on a mind-boggling, laugh-out-loud foray into the world of electric cars in Electric Cars are Rubbish Aren't They? (Friday 26 September, 7.30pm). Robin Ince returns with further thought-provoking hilarity, taking in Milgram, McLuhan and various mind experiments in Blooming Buzzing Confusion (Saturday 8 September, 7.30pm).

A line up of cutting edge theatre includes Gloriator (Wednesday 8 October, 7.30pm), an audacious attempt by world-renowned French actress Gloria Delaneuf and her UK tour manager to restage the Ridley Scott movie Gladiator - using only costumes made out of cardboard. Fringe First Award winning Feral (Thursday 30 October, 7.30pm) is a multimedia performance blending film, live performance and animation. Innovative publisher Penned in the Margins presents Claire Trevien's The Shipwrecked House (Thursday 13 November, 7.30pm), a spoken word piece inspired by Trevien's Guardian First Book Award nominated poetry collection.

Some of the UK's finest folk comes from Blackbeard's Tea Party (Saturday 25 October, 7.45pm), mixing fiddles and squeezeboxes, guitar noise, synth bass and a feast of bass, and award-winning British singer, songwriter and guitarist Blair Dunlop, performing tracks from his new album House of Jacks (Friday 21 November, 7.45pm).

A whole host of colourful characters will be paying a visit for the Family Theatre programme on Saturdays, including The Pied Piper of Hamelin (Saturday 27 September, 1pm & 3pm), and Hugless Douglas (Saturday 15 November, 1pm & 3pm). Theatre Peckham, in partnership with Canada Water Culture Space, presents a spellbinding Christmas adventure for all the family: The Magic Paintbrush (Tuesday 2 - Saturday 20 December, Various Times), a retelling of the old Chinese tale about Ling and how she uses her paintbrush to help the people around her.

"The Albany is working with Southwark Council to bring some of the most interesting thinkers and artists from the UK and further afield to the theatre in the heart of the library at Canada Water Culture Space. With the likes of Robin Ince, Penned in the Margins, Tortoise in a Nutshell and Gloria Delaneuf presenting innovative, thought provoking, and often hilarious work, this Autumn the most inspiring place to spend time really will be at the library - so grab a drink at the bar and pull up a seat" Gavin Barlow, CEO and Artistic Director, The Albany

Canada Water Library is a visually striking building situated on the banks of Canada Water Lake, just by the entrance to Canada Water Underground, Designed by world renowned architect Piers Gough, partner at CZWG Architects, this innovative cultural and community centre opened its doors in November 2011.

As part of an innovative partnership with Southwark Council, Canada Water Culture Space is managed and programme by the Albany, South East London's leading performing arts venue. The Albany's work at Canada Water Culture Space is part of a long term project led by the venue exploring innovative collaborations between live arts and libraries.

The Albany is an arts centre based in the heart of Deptford with a history embedded in the local community, and driven by the cultural diversity and creative mix of South East London. The venue has a 500 capacity 'big top inspired' main house, which has been described as 'a mini Roundhouse', as well as two smaller studio spaces, 26 resident companies housed in offices throughout the building, a café, a large garden and five friendly chickens.

The Albany has a diverse programme of events including theatre, music, comedy, spoken word, circus and work for families. From Kate Tempest's Brand New Ancients and Soweto Kinch's The Legend of Mike Smith to Simon Mole's Indiana Jones and the Extra Chair and Talawa's God's Property, the Albany commissions and develops new projects before they embark on London runs and/or successful tours - often returning to re-meet Albany audiences as polished pieces. In many ways a 'spiritual home' for works that challenge new forms, audience dynamic and social relevance, the Albany continues to work with high-profile partners and artists to celebrate original ideas and risk-taking.

The Albany has a range of engagement and participation enterprises, such as its UNCOVER Theatre Company and Music Company for young people, and Meet Me at the Albany, an artist led day club for the over 60s taking place every Tuesday in the Albany café, with a activities and performances for older people.

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LISTINGS:

Monday 22 - Wednesday 24 September 7.30pm

12th ANNUAL LONDON AFRICAN MUSIC FESTIVAL

Playing across 12 venues, the annual London African Music Festival plays at Canada Water for the first time! There is an impressive line up of musicians including Joyce Moholoagae & Safricanto, Sona Jobarteh and Mamni Keita.

22 Sep- The 10-piece Safricanto is led by founder and vocal director, Joyce Moholoagae, a world class South African singer.

23 Sep- Sona Jobarteh is the first female Kora virtuoso from the prestigious West African Jobarteh Griot family.

24 Sep- The Paris based Mamani Keita will make her London debut.

Tickets £12.50, £10 concs.

Friday 26 September 7.30pm

ROBERT LLEWELLYN: ELECTRIC CARS ARE RUBBISH. AREN'T THEY?

Robert has driven just about every electric car there is, some amazing, and some downright dangerous. How could something as mundane, questionable and just plain annoying as a battery make any difference in the world?

Best know for his work as a battery powered mechanoid in Red Dwarf, or a scruffy presenter of Scrapheap Challenge, Robert Llewellyn will argue they are the key to a very different future. This is Robert's only London date to catch this informative, challenging and very funny show.

Tickets £12, £10 concs

Thursday 2 October 7.30pm

ROSIE WILBY & APPLES AND SNAKES PRESENT

QUEER'SAY

A brand new series of queer spoken word events recorded live for Resonance FM's award winning LGBT show Out in South London. Hear three amazing poets Aoife Mannix, Jack Rooke and Anna Kahn perform and then be interviewed by presenter Rosie Wilby.

Ages 14+

Tickets £10, £8 concs

Wednesday 8 October 7.30pm

SPITZ & CO PRESENTS

GLORIATOR

In 2000 director Ridley Scott brought you Gladiator; an epic film of bravery, honour and sacrifice. Now, fourteen years later, world-renowned French actress Gloria Delaneuf and her UK tour manager Josephine Cunningham, bring you Gloriator; an awe-inspiring production of bravery, honour, and costumes made out of cardboard.

Russell Crowe may not be available and their budget is limited, but they are determined it will be a show you'll never forget...

"I hooted. I snorted. I exploded with such mirth that the tears streamed down my face." Stroud News & Journal

Ages 11+

Tickets £10, £8 concs

Friday 10 October 7.30pm

SWITCHFLICKER PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS

HI, ANXIETY

With one in three people of us estimated to experience mental illness, Debs Gatenby's one woman show is a laugh out loud funny, yet wistful look at how mental illness affected her. And her mum.

Two breakdowns and two recoveries - mine and my mum's.

So, how do you cope when you're 40-something and your long-term relationship is over, you're in love with someone toxic and you're a regular at the Tuesday Night Messed Up Club for pints of Stella with heartbreak on the side?

Ages 18+

Tickets £10, £8 concs

Wednesday 15 October 7.30pm

CHANJE KUNDA PRESENTS

AMSTERDAM

Life is about taking risks. This is a big one. Seduced by the attractions of Amsterdam and a charming Surinamese man she met on holiday, Chanje liberates herself of all the possessions that define her, in favour of a voyage into the unknown. What will be her fate?

Amsterdam is a 21st century high powered super-modern love story (in a nutshell), combining theatre with spoken word, movement and music.

Ages 16+

Tickets £10, £8 concs

Saturday 18 October

Life-writing workshop 2.30-5.30pm Performance 7.30pm

TANGLED ROOTS

Strangers meet on an East London-bound train and find they have more in common than they thought in this true-life spoken word performance exploring the untold story of London's mixed-race population, based on funny and touching real-life stories from the Tangled Roots book.

Your story can become part of the action...

Join Dr Katy Massey & the Tangled Roots team in a life-writing workshop in the afternoon, and even hear your writing become part of the story that evening! A specially-commissioned series of photographs will be exhibited as part of the event.

Workshop and performance are free. Booking essential.

Tuesday 21 October 10am & 1pm, Wednesday 22 October 10am

CONTENDER CHARLIE, CHINA PLATE AND WARWICK ARTS CENTRE PRESENT

MACBETH- BLOOD WILL HAVE BLOOD

A one man show where a macabre porter invites us into Macbeth's castle, taking us right into the dark heart of Shakespeare's play. Razor sharp storytelling, a dramatic on-screen world and a heart-stopping soundtrack take us on a break-neck journey through the blood-soaked world of Macbeth.

Reinvented for children aged 9 to 13, Macbeth - Blood Will Have Blood is an accessible and unforgettable introduction to Shakespeare's shocking story of ambition, greed and the abuse of power.

This is a production made specifically for schools, for more information contact 0207 525 2931

Ages 9-13+

Saturday 25 October 7.45pm

BLACKBEARD'S TEA PARTY

Funky folk tunes, swashbuckling songs and an infectious stage energy. Blackbeard's Tea Party mix fiddles & squeezeboxes, guitar noise & synth bass, and a feast of percussion to bring you an unforgettable folk-rock extravaganza.

Tickets £10 in advance, £12 on the door

Thursday 30 October 7.30pm

SHOW AND TELL PRESENT TORTOISE IN A NUTSHELL WITH CUMBERNAULD THEATRE

FERAL

With barely a word spoken, Joe looks back at his childhood home and traces its journey from idyllic seaside town to community gripped by anarchy.Tortoise in a Nutshell builds an entire world in front of the audience's eyes.

A multimedia performance blending film, live performance and animation to bring to life a tiny world in front of your eyes. Feral is a Fringe First Award winner, Total Theatre Award nominee and Edinburgh Festival sell-out show.

Ages 12+

Tickets £10, £8 concs

Friday 7 November 7.30pm

THE PAPER BIRDS PRESENTS

BLIND

A beat-boxing theatre show unlike any other; UK beat-boxing champion Grace Savage explores what young people are hearing in the world today, from motherly advice to what we learn in the school playground and the music charts. An interrogation into the influences on young people today, this energetic and powerful show will have you on the edge of your seat.

Ages 15+

Tickets £10, £8 concs

Saturday 8 November 7.30pm

ROBIN INCE: BLOOMING BUZZING CONFUSION

In a fast follow up to In (and out of) His Mind, Robin Ince continues to prod into our brains with a sharpened pencil to try and work out just how much free will anyone can have. Is anyone a freethinker?

Looking at Milgram, Mcluhan and experiments into the mind, Robin questions if we can arm ourselves against mass media despots and live life pragmatically? Or will we always just be clumsy animals justifying each mistake with a well-honed alibi?

Well, it will be something like that - basically, another night of shouting, gesticulating, gurning and enquiring - a curious mind and id on the rampage.

Ages 14+

Tickets £13, £10 concs

Thursday 13 November 7.30pm

PENNED IN THE MARGINS PRESENTS

THE SHIPWRECKED HOUSE

Outside, a storm is raging. Inside, a darkened room preserves the fragments of a past underneath dust sheets. Sea-shells, voices, yellowing postcards: the flotsam and jetsam of a childhood spent beach-combing on the coast of Brittany. Stories emerge: of treasure found in tidal ponds, and women metamorphosing into serpents. But beneath the floorboards, the creaking groans of whales warn of unsettled futures.

The Shipwrecked House transforms for the stage, the surreal vision of her Guardian First Book Award-nominated poetry collection.

Ages 14+

Tickets £10, £8 concs

Friday 21 November 7.45pm

BLAIR DUNLOP: HOUSE OF JACKS

'House of Jacks' is the eagerly awaited second album by award-winning British singer, songwriter and guitarist Blair Dunlop. In 2012, the achingly beautiful 'Blight & Blossom', one of the year's best folk albums, established Blair as an artist with an exciting career ahead and led to him receiving the Horizon Award at the 2013 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

Blair will perform tracks from his new album 'House of Jacks' - a collection of beautifully crafted songs that are influenced but not confirmed by his folk roots.

Tickets £10 in advance, £12 on the door

- Family Theatre -

All Tickets £7 Family Ticket (four tickets) £24

Saturday 27 September 1pm & 3pm

PROFESSOR POP UP PRESENTS

THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN

When the Pied Piper plays his tune the rats run, the greedy Mayor rubs his hands, the children dance and the magic begins! The Pied Piper is a charming show performed with mechanical toys, clockwork boxes and puppets.

Ages 3+

Saturday 11 October 11am, 1pm & 3pm

THE BRIGHT SHADOW PRESENTS

THE PILLOW MAKER

Mr Pillowmaker comes from a long line of Pillow Makers. Throughout time they have used magical Stuff to fill their super soft, super plumpy pillows for beds and heads across the land. One day, Mr Pillowmaker finds that for the first time ever, his Stuff Box is empty and now he doesn't have anything to stuff his pillows with!

Ages 1+

Saturday 25 October 1pm & 3pm

CHRISTIAN LEE PRESENTS

POP!

Follow the magical journey of Christian Lee, whom with his faithful teddy bear, deckchair and fantastic basket of tricks is set for a lovely day at the seaside, when the day takes a turn and things don't quite work out as planned...A mind-blowing feast of magic, illusion, comedy and a MASSIVE balloon!

Ages 3+

Saturday 1 November 1pm & 3pm

DOT & ETHEL PRESENTS

MATCH

Step into a world of forgotten treasures brought to life through puppetry and evocative music. Follow the story of a little girl who sells matches on the city streets, as she opens the door to adventures, challenges, visions a new beginning. Full of hope and optimism, Match is a charming and moving tale inspired by Hans Christian Anderson's Little Match Girl.

Ages 2+

Saturday 21 November 1pm & 3pm

BLUNDERBUS PRESENTS

HUGLESS DOUGLAS

Hugless Douglas is a huggable, lovable young brown bear who wakes up one morning in need of a hug. He tries to find the perfect one, but none of them seem quite right. After all, there are so many different hugs to choose from. But Douglas soon discovers that there's only one hug that will do - a big bear hug from his mum!

Ages 3+

Wednesday 3rd - Saturday 20th December.

THEATRE PECKHAM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CANADA WATER CULTURE SPACE PRESENT

THE MAGIC PAINTBRUSH

Long ago in ancient China a young girl called Ling loved to draw more than anything else. One day she was given a Magic Paintbrush. In this colourful, exciting production of an old Chinese tale, the talented children of Theatre Peckham's performing arts programme join with professional actors to produce a marvellous, musical tale of magic, with very many surprises for all the family! Come and find out how Ling was given the magic paintbrush, how she used it to help many people, and overcome those who wanted to steal it.

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For information on performances for school and the public, check the website for details at canadawaterculturespace.org.uk. Or call 020 8692 4446. Canada Water Culture Space is located at Canada Water Library, 21 Surrey Quays Road, London SE16 7AR. Transport: Tube: Canada Water (Jubilee & Overground Lines); Bus: 1, 47, 188, 199, 225, 381, C10, P12.

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