Aino-Sofia’s pick: Pleasance Theatre: Edinburgh Preview Season
The Edinburgh Fringe is the largest arts festival in the world, the place where university drama groups and budding stand up comedians flock in their thousands in the hope of being noticed. The British satire boom of the 60’s began with a university revue at the Fringe; it has helped household names like Rowan Atkinson, Eddie Izzard and Tim Minchin establish their careers. Do you want to spot the next Rowan Atkinson before everyone else, but feel like Edinburgh is a bit far? Pleasance Theatre has you covered! Their two-month preview programme lets comedians hone their shows before heading up north.
Edinburgh Preview Season at Pleasance Theatre, Carpenters Mews, North Road, London N7 9EF, https://www.pleasance.co.uk/via/search/london/tag/wip, 30 May – 27 July 2019, various times. Tickets: £5 per show or 3 for £12.
Camilla’s pick: Late at Tate Britain: WAVES
The monthly Late events are a good way to get a more in-depth look into the museum’s current exhibitions and better yet, without any extra cost. The evenings usually consist of talks, workshops and performances, although this month’s events have yet to be announced. What we do know is that the events revolve around Tate Britain’s Sixty Years exhibition and women in art in the past, present and in the future. I have worked extensively around the subject in my previous museum jobs and I am eagerly waiting for the full programme to be published.
Late at Tate Britain: WAVES, Millbank, London SW1P 4RG, https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/late/late-tate-britain/waves, 7 June 2019 at 18.00–21.30. Free admission.
Aura’s pick: Beyond Your Wildest Dreams: Weimar Cinema 1919-1933
The British Film Institute (BFI) offers a peaceful oasis in the bustle of Southbank. I used to go there often while studying in London, because it made me feel at home. After all, I had been a regular customer of the National Film Institute in Helsinki for many years. This spring, I am most excited about the season of Weimar cinema. Its breathtaking trailer promises city adventures, sinful nightclubs, shocking crimes and surreal landscapes.
Beyond Your Wildest Dreams: Weimar Cinema 1919–1933, British Film Institute, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XT London, https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=weimarcinema, Several screenings throughout June. Tickets: £10,50–£12,50.
Essi’s pick: Nelson Mandela: The Official Exhibition
Wandering around London with no plans is always a good plan. The last time I tried, I ended up at Nelson Mandela: The Official Exhibition at 26 Leake Street Gallery Waterloo. It’s coming to its end so please, visit asap! The exhibition is well curated: with the sounds of Zulu praise song avulekile amasango in the background, it follows the revolutionary leader’s footsteps from his early years in rural South Africa through to his political awakening. Authentic objects, letters and quotes paint a gloomy but resilient picture of Nelson Mandela’s imprisonment and struggle against the cruel apartheid policy. While the exhibition tells the story of a globally-loved man, it sheds light on South Africa’s struggle for democracy – something that, I guess, will never not feel raw and recent.
Nelson Mandela: The Official Exhibition, 26 Leake Street Gallery, entrance: 7 Addington Street, London SE1 7RY, https://mandelaexhibition.com/, open daily 10am-6pm until 2 June 2019, tickets: £8-15.
Hanna’s pick: Smoke & Mirrors – The Psychology of Magic
Since reading about Harry Houdini’s tricks, I have been fascinated by the work of illusionists. In one of his performances, he freed himself from straitjackets while hanging from a rope above street audience. Tricks such as this one, have always raised the question, what is it that we are not seeing?
Smoke and Mirrors – The Psychology of Magic is an exhibition, displayed at Wellcome collection this summer. The exhibition gives the audience an opportunity to not only take a look at some of the most famous magic artefacts, but also at the psychology behind magic. It is promised to leave the audience aware of the fact, that we, as humans, are not half as observant as we think we are.
Wellcome collection, 183 Euston Road, NW1 2BE London, https://wellcomecollection.org/exhibitions/W_vuwBQAACoA_SY2, open Tuesday–Sunday until 15th September, free admission.
Text: The Institute’s interns Photo: Essi Miettunen
