TEMPEST HEADLINES AUTUMN SEASON at The Albany

The Albany's autumn programme this year focuses on personal responsibility, activism, forgotten histories and identity issues. Plus, of course, plenty of fun.

Events include live music - with a welcome return by Lewisham's own Kae Tempest (above) - theatre, poetry, dance, comedy, art and family shows at both the Albany and Canada Water Theatre, with £1 tickets available for most performances. 

The Deptford venue has always been famous for music and the new season is no exception. In September, creative arts company Heart n Soul return to their original home after 11 years with The Beautiful Octopus Club on the 16thwhich promises an evening of fine tunes, fine food and live radio.

And the month also sees the start of Lewisham Calling, a series of events curated by locally-based young producers. It begins on the 27th with Akousmata’s electronica dialogue between music, movement and space then continues in October with Koralo on the 1st, followed on the 8th by Fear + Faith’s exploration of the African and Caribbean diaspora’s musical heritage. Four days later, Ziah’s Game Night presents a feast of freestyling and improvisation.

Also in October - which is Black History Month - Underground Lewisham from the 13th to the 16th celebrates the area’s contribution to the UK grime scene and culminates in a performance by acclaimed MC and producer Novelist (below).

On the 29th you can revel in a gig by pioneering south London techno veterans Test Dept. And Church Of Sound take over the Albany on 17 November to present Kwake Bass, whose musical director credits include Kae Tempest - who will be performing here on the 13th.

The theatrical highlights of the Albany’s autumn season are Butterflies on 9 October, which is based on kids’ own experience of anxiety, and Quiet Rebels, a multimedia piece from 9-11 November about white working class women who crossed colour line to marry Windrush generation men.

Family entertainment is, as ever, high on the Albany agenda. On 28 September toddlers will be spellbound by the stories of shapeshifting ToooB, there’s creative play for the over-2s with Do Re Mi Ka Do - part of Dance Umbrella 2022 - on 20 October, three days later fans of Alexis Deacon’s little lost alien Beegu can enjoy the live music adventure Strange Creatures and on 26 and 27 October Squidge The Film gives kids aged 5-9 the chance to dance along.

In November, There’s A Rang Tan In My Bedroom & Other Stories uses puppetry and music to enchant five to 11-year-olds on the 27th. And this year’s Albany Christmas show is The Tin Foil Astronaut about the Man in the Moon visiting Earth. It runs from 2-24 December.

Canada Water Theatre’s schedule for the season is no less varied. September welcomes leftfield standup with Arabs Are Not Funny on the 24th featuring comedians Fathiya Saleh, Ahmed Ibrahim and Jenna Al-Ansari. ToooB (see Albany listing above) is shapeshifting on the 27th and 48 hours later Tomiwa’s EAST Music Fest will be showcasing traditional music from across Asia.

October 3 sees the start of a new series of the popular lunchtime concerts Comfortable Classical featuring members of the City Of London Sinfonia. There will be further recitals on 7 November and 5 December.

Off The Chest is a poetry night for anyone over 14 on 6 October. And on the 15th you can see The Story Of Claudia Jones (above), a theatrical experience involving standup, storytelling and song which pays tribute to a legendary social activist and carnival creator.

Strange Creatures and Butterflies - both also on at The Albany – are on the 22nd and 25th respectively and the month’s listings end on the 29th with Let’s Try This Again, six short plays by up-and-coming writers about disenfranchisement.

November opens with an LGBTQ+ comedy night called Alphabet MafiHa! which will be hosted by Harry Wright on the 4th. On the 10th, Kat Lyons takes to the stage in Dry Season, a theatrical piece about the menopause, and on the 12thRose Tint Rebellion host Let’s Jam, an evening of new bands taking part in the prestigious EFG London Jazz Festival.  

Children’s show There’s A Rang Tan In My Bedroom is on the 26th before moving on to the Albany (see above) the following day. And there’s more family fun from 4-10 December with poet Joseph Coelho’s timely eco-themed show Jack Frost And The Search For Winter.

Full details of all the events at https://www.thealbany.org.uk/shows-and-events/