Rebels With A Cause!

For alongside our regular programming - which includes sell-out performances by comedians Lucy Beaumont and Frank Skinner, roof-raising concerts by the Hungarian National Symphony Orchestra, as well as Paddington In Peru and artist-turned-film-maker Steve McQueen's Blitz - there's a series of events and activities that set out to not only entertain us, but also ask questions: about who we are, what we do, how we do it and (in some cases) how we can do it differently. 

These events and activities look inward, to ourselves and our personal lives, as well as outwards, to wider society. They challenge our perceptions, in some cases overtly, but often in more subtle ways. There's activism and protest - at many levels - but also suggestions for ways forward and answers too, if you listen. 

These are our rebels, our Rebels With A Cause! While this may sound like something new for us, in all honesty, it's simply tapping into a thread that's been present at Warwick Arts Centre since our inception, 50 years ago. 

Reflecting the University of Warwick's global reputation for innovation and change, we've long promoted artists, performers, thinkers and other creatives whose work examines facets of our complex lives, and ultimately calls for a new way.

How this is done varies. 

Take for example, the approach taken by Breach Theatre for their lauded After The Act (Nov 1-2). Founded by University of Warwick alumni, Breach have used real-life testimony to explore the impact of the infamous 'anti-gay' clause. 

On the surface, this merely mines an episode from our recent past, yet here timing is everything as many of the issues raised by After The Act are echoed in the challenges and attitudes currently faced by the trans community. 

After The Act is not, therefore, just a straight-forward history lesson as (like much great art) it also has a powerful message for the present.

In two other exciting performances, the focus shifts towards the audience. The Paper Birds' Feel Me (Nov 6) is a stunning mixture of live performance, film, projection, dance and music, that offers a unique perspective on the subject of forced migration by asking us what we care about, while Shôn Dale-Jones' radical The Duke (Nov 19) questions how we accord value: is an antique porcelain figure worth more than, say, a seat in a refugee boat? 

And there’s more. Delve deeper into Rebels With A Cause! and you'll find West Midlands composer Bobbie-Jane Gardner's call to action (Songs For A New World, Dec 1) and tales of struggle and hope with two of the UK’s most applauded folk stars, Eliza Carthy and The Young'Uns (Nov 23), while acclaimed singer Sarah Jane Morris (The Sisterhood, Nov 12) presents new work inspired by the lives of pioneering female musicians - such as Bessie Smith, Joni Mitchell and Kate Bush - whose songs reshaped contemporary music.

You'll also find some of today's best comedians getting in on the act too, including Kiri Pritchard-McLean (Nov 16) and Grace Campbell (Nov 21), who use their own stories to highlight wider issues of identity, family, society and values. 

While even in the Mead Gallery, artists contributing to our landmark exhibition, Material Worlds (until Dec 15), explore everything from gender to heritage, using textiles (materials more associated with domestic environments than art galleries).

These are our rebels: rebels whose tales inspire, challenge and inform (as well as entertain), whose tales push boundaries and open our eyes; they’re our change-makers, our Rebels With A Cause!

Look out for further posts from Warwick Arts Centre staff and associates who recall their own stories and the impact of work they’ve experienced at the arts centre.