Litfest present Tree of Leaf & Flame Tales from the Mabinogi at The Storey on February First Friday |
February’s First Friday promises a feast of music, poetry, storytelling and theatre.
The First Fridays promote Lancaster Arts City by encouraging residents and visitors to try something new on the district’s cultural scene on the First Friday of each month.
Daniel Morden, one of the UK’s most popular and award-winning storytellers, comes to town on Friday 7th February when he brings Tree of Leaf and Flame: Tales from the Mabinogi to The Storey at 8.00pm.
Haunting storytelling and dazzling musicianship come together in this unique retelling of The Mabinogi, the oldest stories in Britain. Tickets are £8-£10.
And those just setting out on their literary journeys are celebrated at Lancaster Library which hosts the county heat of the national recitation competition for young people from 7pm.
Poetry By Heart is a free event open to all poetry lovers and includes a talk about the life of Norman Nicholson by Professor Alan Beattie.
Other young people are also pulling out the stops for First Friday at The Hothouse in Morecambe; The Dukes; and Lancaster’s NICE Bar and Restaurant.
From 6.30pm, The Hothouse hosts the Friday Night Project, a free session for anyone aged 12-18 interested in rap, beatbox, singing, visual arts, DJ-ing and music production.
Meanwhile, The Dukes welcomes pupils from Lancaster’s two grammar schools for their production of Sondheim’s musical Sweeney Todd. The razor-sharp entertainment begins at 7.30pm and tickets cost £8-£10.
And 17-year-old singer-songwriter Evie Plumb from the Lakes will mix her soulful vocals with jazzy piano during a free performance at NICE in The Storey from 6pm. Previous gigs have included Radio 1’s BIG Weekend and the Magic Loungeabout Festival.
Also on the music front, there’s free Chilled Out Tunes in the Afternoon at The Dukes from 2-3pm; Get Carter and The Convulsions play The Gregson from 8pm, tickets £4-£6; and The Jazz Mansion opens its doors again at Forrest Hills from 8pm, tickets £15.
• For more information on Lancaster Arts City, First Fridays and the free ‘what’s on’ app, visit www.artscity.co.uk