NEWLY crowned Strictly winner Chris McCausland will be returning to the day job at Warwick Arts Centre this spring.
The comedian and winner of the hit BBC dancing show will be looking to raise a laugh rather than scores from the judges when he performs at the University of Warwick venue on May 23.
Other highlights lined up for WAC’s Spring/Summer 2025 Season include a world premiere from internationally-based Leamington-based dance company Motionhouse, who present the first ever performance of their new production, Hidden (February 6 to 9). Hidden explores how, in an increasingly divided world, light can come out of darkness in times of crisis.
Other leading stage companies performing include South Asian dance and music company Sonia Sabri Company with Roshni (February 12), imitating the dog, who uncover the life of African-American Eugene Bullard for All Blood Runs Red (March 13 and 14), and Tavaziva Dance, whose Greed (June 10) offers a unique take on The Seven Deadly Sins.
There’s also Strictly Come Dancing professionals Karen Hauer and Gorka Marquez performing Speakeasy (March 15), Edinburgh Fringe smash-hit …Earnest? (May 24 and 25), and Kim’s Convenience (May 27 to 31), the stage show that inspired the hit Netflix series.
An eclectic live music programme features Grammy-nominated blueswoman Beth Hart (February 22), folk star Seth Lakeman (February 26), US songwriter Joan As Policewoman (April 17), and Afro-fusion artist K.O.G aka Kweku of Ghana (May 22), while the work of legendary Oscar-winning Jaws, Star Wars and Harry Potter composer John Williams is celebrated by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (February 23).
An extensive comedy line-up boasts major names including Katherine Ryan (January 31), Al Murray (March 1), Jason Manford (March 8) and Mo Gilligan (March 14), as well as rising stars Eshaan Akbar (February 22) and Micky Overman (February 13).
Familiar faces from TV will also be sharing their stories, including Scam Interceptor Nick Stapleton (March 14), Gardeners’ World’s Adam Frost (March 16), historian Lucy Worsley (May 13) and astronaut Chris Hadfield (June 19).
There’s plenty for younger visitors too as the City Of London Sinfonia combine music with storytelling for The Wonderland Garden (February 9), while February Half Term welcomes Pirates Love Underpants (February 17) and Rude Science Live (February 20), with Dinosaur World Live (April 23 to 25) returning for Easter.
Tying in with the University of Warwick’s year long 60th anniversary, The Future Is Today: Prints and the University of Warwick 1965 to Now (January 16 to March 9) brings together inspiring work from over 60 artists, including David Hockney, Andy Warhol, Lubaina Himid, Yinka Shonibare and Coventry’s George Shaw. Filling the Mead Gallery, the exhibition is accompanied by a working print studio where visitors can make their own artworks.
The Always Free Foyer programme also continues with a raft of free creative workshops, open mic sessions, songwriting workshops and jazz jams, as well as Family Sundays, Baby Book Club, Monthly Clothes Swap Shops and a special Print Makers Market too.
Visit warwickartscentre.co.uk for full details.
