Almeida For Free: Cold War
Free events exclusively for 25s & under
Event details
Thu 11 - Sun 14 Jan 2024
From Thu 11 – Sun 14 Jan, we will be holding a series of free events and a free performance of Cold War exclusively for those aged 25 and under. Scroll down for more information on each event.
Tickets for all events go on sale on Wed 3 Jan at 5pm.
This Almeida For Free festival is produced by the Almeida Young Producers: Alexander Surtees, Anoushka Chakrapani, Cassia Thakkar, Ellen Wilkinson, Enyonam Ansah, Fisola Kelly-Akinnuoye, Joelle Hung, Lucie Long, Malini Raman-Middleton, Mary Rosa Tooley, Michael Murray, Patrick Swidenbank-Carroll, Peijia Hu, Zoë De Barros Carvalho E Morris.
A note from the Almeida Young Producers:
Welcome to the Almeida For Free Festival, for arts lovers aged 25 and under. We celebrate creativity and inclusivity, breaking down barriers to make the arts accessible.
Our mission is to create a vibrant space for community, connection, and collaboration, with exciting opportunities for early career artists, newcomers, and anyone in between. Our workshops, panels, social gatherings and masterclasses provide a supportive shared space for curiosity and play.
Our festival is all about joy. We inspire young creatives – promoting expansive, unapologetic art. We are demystifying the industry through open dialogue, with the aim of making theatre for everyone. We hope that you can join us for one of the many exciting events below, where creativity is centre stage.
All events as part of Almeida For Free are free and exclusive to audiences aged 25 and under.
If you have any access requirements or needs we should be aware of, please let us know by emailing participate@almeida.co.uk or calling 020 7288 4917.
We are committed to supporting access to our events for Young People who identify as D/deaf, Disabled, Global majority*, and/or have experience of Migration. If you identify with one (or more) of these characteristics, and have missed out on a ticket to a workshop, event, or panel, please email participate@almeida.co.uk and we will prioritise you a place on our waitlist. Please note we do not have a waitlist for the free performance.
*This includes people of Black Caribbean, Black African, South Asian, East Asian, South East Asian, Middle Eastern, Arab, Latinx, Jewish, Romany and Irish Traveller heritage.
Cold War For free Performance
This free performance is exclusively for those aged 25 and under
Thu 11 Jan 7.30pm
Read more about our production guidance and warnings>
Poland, 1949.
Zula is bold and brilliant, a singer who ignites the stage. Wiktor is withdrawn and damaged, a composer longing to write. Irresistibly drawn to each other, they dream of escape. But in communist-controlled Poland that can be a dangerous thing.
Based on Paweł Pawlikowski’s Academy Award-nominated film, Cold War is an epic love story spanning the decades and breadth of Europe at its most divided.
Featuring traditional Polish songs, stirring choral arrangements, alongside music from Grammy Award-winner Elvis Costello, Conor McPherson‘s (Girl from the North Country, The Weir) adaptation of Cold War is a compelling story of passion, redemption, and the journey to be free.
Directed by Almeida Artistic Director Rupert Goold (Tammy Faye), this poignant new musical features Anya Chalotra (The Witcher) and Luke Thallon (Patriots).
Tickets are free and exclusive to those aged 25 and under, limited to 2 per person. Proof of age must be brought to the performance for each ticketholder.
We have a limited amount of extra tickets available for youth groups who would like to attend. Please contact participate@almeida.co.uk if you would like to request tickets for your group.
Captioning
This performance will be captioned. To book and for further information please contact the Box Office on 020 7359 4404 or email boxoffice@almeida.co.uk.
Talkback After the performance
A post-show talk will be held in the auditorium with the cast. Free to same-day ticket holders.
You can find the full production information about Cold War here>
Thu 11 jan
MEET, GREET AND EAt: bREAKFAST WITH THE ALMEIDA STAFF
Thu 11 Jan 10am (approx. 1 hour 30 mins)
Location: Almeida Theatre Bar
No booking required.
Come Meet, Greet and Eat with us.
This is an opportunity to connect with fellow young creatives and get to know some of the Almeida team from various departments, including Participation, Literary, Marketing, Development (and more!) over a cup of tea and cake.
Autobiography, Music & Cultural Identity
Thu 11 Jan 11.30am (approx. 2 hours 30 mins)
Location: Almeida Theatre Auditorium
Tickets are limited to one per person.
Join Tatenda Naomi Matsvai and Tatenda Shamiso in this collaborative workshop exploring the artistic potential of telling stories of the self, culture and identity, through poetic writing and communal singing techniques. We will borrow from and remix the traditions of Eastern Europe, African American spirituals, and Zimbabwean folk traditions to create harmonic compositions that underscore spoken word.
This workshop will explore elements of lived experience through guided writing exercises and improvisation of text through performing music.
Storytelling with Dubheasa Lanipekun
Thu 11 Jan 3pm (approx. 2 hours)
Location: Almeida Theatre Auditorium
Tickets are limited to one per person.
Join Dubheasa Lanipekun, Assistant Director on Cold War, in this practical workshop for emerging writers, directors and theatre-makers with an interest in devising or staging political work.
This workshop will explore Dubheasa’s creative practice, working with visual storytelling techniques for theatre and filmmaking.
Drink ‘n‘ Draft With Literary Manager Stephanie Bain
Thu 11 Jan 3pm (approx. 2 hours)
Location: Almeida Theatre Bar
Tickets for this event are limited to one per person.
This is a free event exclusively for those aged 18-25.
Got a bit of writer’s block? Drink n’ Draft is a relaxed session for writers who want to bypass whatever is blocking their pen from the page…
Step into the supportive and creative environment of the Theatre Bar, where Almeida Literary Manager Stephanie Bain will help you get stuck into your writing with some creative prompts. So let loose, and get working on the script that’s been sitting in your notes app for far too long!
Attending the For Free performance of Cold War? Get 20% off drinks at the bar with a ticket.
Fri 12 jan
Young Creatives: A Collaborative Devising Mixer
Fri 12 Jan 11am (approx. 2 hours)
Location: Almeida Theatre Auditorium
Tickets for this event are limited to one per person.
Are you a producer, writer, performer or musician looking to find interdisciplinary ways of working? Do you want to meet potential collaborators for future projects? Look no further! Explore the collaborative art of devised theatre by creating and making together, and who knows, by the end of the event, you may have met the members of your next creative project.
Led by emerging Director and Almeida Young Producer Cassia Thakkar and fellow Young Producers, Zoë De Barros Carvalho E Morris and Alex Surtees.
If you have any access requirements or needs, we should be aware of in order to best support your participation in this session please let us know by emailing participate@almeida.co.uk or calling 020 7288 4917.
THE BIG ALMEIDA PUB QUIZ
Fri 12 Jan 3pm (approx. 2 hours)
Location: Almeida Theatre Bar
Tickets for this event are limited to one per person.
This is a free event exclusively for those aged 18-25.
Come together to celebrate our For Free Festival week and meet some like-minded young creatives, grab a drink (soft or alcoholic!), and quiz your heart out. We will be hosting a big quiz with a little something for everyone.
Get into teams, brush up your knowledge, and win some great prizes along the way.
This is a great opportunity to meet and get to know other theatre lovers while getting that pub quiz high. Join us in the Almeida bar, if you are an artist, student, creative, or anyone looking to make some connections – this is the perfect place to be on a cold January day!
Polish Folk Dancing with orleta
Fri 12 Jan 7pm (approx. 2 hours)
Location: Rehearsal Room at 108 Upper Street, N1 1QN.
Tickets for this event are limited to one per person.
Join Polish Folk Song and Dance Company Orleta, who worked as Folk Dance Consultants on Cold War, in a two-hour introduction to Polish folk dance, complete with a live musician.
Meet fellow young creatives and get dancing.
No dance experience necessary, just wear comfortable clothes you can move in.
If you have any access requirements or needs, we should be aware of in order to best support your participation in this session please let us know by emailing participate@almeida.co.uk or calling 020 7288 4917.
Sat 13 Jan
Cold War, Hot Jazz: Jazz Night
Sat 13 Jan 7pm (approx. 4 hours)
Location: Upper Hall, Union Chapel 19b Compton Terrace, London N1 2UN.
Tickets for this event are limited to two per person.
This is a free event exclusively for those aged 18-25.
Bienvenue à 1950 Paris! Immerse yourself in a smoky hot evening of flamboyance, faux fur and live music performances by emerging artists at the Almeida’s first-ever Jazz Night.
Grab a drink from the bar, have a boogie and settle into our 1950s inspired jazz club… Come in your finest attire and dress to impress!
Sun 14 Jan
Stages of Sound with Composer, Jasmine Morris
Sun 14 Jan 11am (approx. 2 hours)
Location: Almeida Theatre Auditorium
Tickets for this event are limited to one per person.
Calling all emerging musicians, directors and theatre makers interested in using and making music for interdisciplinary performance.
Join Jasmine Morris, Electronic Artist and Composer, in this practical workshop and discover the process of composing for different mediums.
Jasmine discusses building a career in sound design, composition, collaborating with others, and experimenting with digital resources, instruments and voices.
If you are attending this workshop, please bring any instruments you play, extracts for voice or any other sonic inspiration. If you do have a laptop with editing software please bring it along.
Migratory Art and Textiles Workshop with Karolina Dworska
Sun 14 Jan 11am (approx. 2 hours)
Location: Almeida Theatre Bar
No booking required.
Join Contemporary Artist (and Almeida staff member) Karolina Dworska, in the co-creation of an Almeida For Free textile installation, themed around migration, community and diaspora.
Learn how to quilt and sew, and engage in conversation by looking at textiles and their connection to identity, migration, culture, community and protest art.
This workshop offers a space for people to connect and share stories about their family history, travel and the personal aspects of migration.
Home, Heritage and History: Seeking Inspiration in Personal and Global Stories
Sun 14 Jan 1.30pm (approx. 1 hour 30 mins)
Location: Almeida Theatre Auditorium
Tickets for this event are limited to one per person.
Join us for a special discussion with invited panellists, exploring the history of post-war migration and its impact on the creative arts, offering insights into migratory storytelling and art.
This event is for anyone interested in telling stories about migration, family history, diaspora and community through theatre and film.
Panelists include: Marlena Lukasiak, Artistic Director of KINOTEKA Polish Film Festival, Aditi Anand, Artistic Director of the Migration Museum, Laura Stahnke and Lily Parrott from London Migration Film Festival, and Aqeel Abdulla, Founder and Director of Yalla Arts and Lecturer at King’s College London.
Food for Thought: A Cultural Leadership Long Table
Sun 14 Jan 3.30pm (approx. 1 hour)
Location: Almeida Theatre Foyer
Tickets for this event are limited to one per person.
Come join us as we gather as young artists to discuss our collective dreams for the future of the arts industry.
Take an empty seat at the table. Write your comments on the tablecloth. There can be silence. There might be awkwardness. There could always be laughter. Talk is the only course.
Hosted by the Young Producers and Youth Advisory Board, we gather to discuss the question: What do you want the cultural industry to look like in 10 years?
Winter Warmers Networking
Sun 14 Jan 4.30pm (approx. 2 hours 30 mins)
Location: Almeida Theatre Bar
Tickets for this event are limited to one per person.
This is a free event exclusively for those aged 18-25.
What’s the ideal way to cozy up on a chilly Sunday evening?
At the Almeida, of course.
Join us at our Theatre Cafe/Bar for our Winter Warmers Networking event, a perfect place to gather with fellow emerging young artists and meet new people over a hot cup of your favourite seasonal drink.
Grab a Szarlotka or a hot mulled wine, get chatty with your neighbours and snuggle up including the chance to enjoy performances by other talented young artists like you.
Almeida For Free: Digital Content
As part of a new For Free offer, we will be releasing some digital content, to view from Wed 17 Jan. We hope to share snippets from our creative workshops, for those who couldn’t make it to the Festival this time…This includes creative prompts from Literary Manager Stephanie Bain, and exercises from theatre-makers Tatenda Shamiso and Tatenda Naomi Matsvai. Keep an eye out on our socials for more information.
