Gareth Cutter – one of the artists we’ve commissioned for Library Theatre / Larkin’ About’s Manchester Histories Festival project – is looking for actors to take part in his pervasive game Lions After Slumber. If you’re interested in getting involved, read on!
 

I’m looking for volunteer actors to participate in a theatrical pervasive game project for the Manchester History Festival in association with The Library Theatre and Larkin’ About on Saturday 3rd of March.

This is an exciting opportunity to associate your name with a large festival, put your skills to use in a unique outdoor setting and perform in front of a new audience of game players, keen on exploring the history of Manchester through play.

Who Am I Looking For?

I’m looking for the following performers who are comfortable working outside in an urban environment and with a small degree of improvisation. Previous experience in similar work is preferred but not essential.

4 x male actors (aged 20 – 50)
1 x female actor (aged 20 – 50)
All available on Saturday 3rd March between 10am – 4pm

What Will You Need To Do?

You will need to:

* Read and memorise a short brief on the character and a character’s script in advance
* Read and learn the rules of the game so you can help the players play it as easily as possible
* Be available to speak in person or over the phone about the role in advance of the game

Fees and Expenses

There will be a small budget to put towards travel and food expenses for the day, which will be paid at the conclusion of the game. Please let me know your requirements when applying.

Regrettably, there isn’t a budget to pay actors a dedicated fee at the moment.

How Do I Get Involved?

Please express your interest by emailing cutteruption(at)gmail.com (replace the at with an `@’), putting Manchester History Festival in the subject line and marking it for the attention of `Gareth Cutter’.

Do share any details that you think would make you particularly suited to the role e.g. previous experience, qualifications etc. and ask any questions you may have.

Participants will be notified and selected shortly after Friday 24th February.

Many Thanks,

Gareth
Cutteruption

Liz Postlethwaite discusses The History Game, a pervasive gaming project delivered by Library Theatre & Larkin’ About for the Manchester Histories Festival on 3rd March 2012.

Come and play!

Sat 3rd March, 11am – 4pm.
Manchester Town Hall, Albert Square, Manchester, M2 5DB
Free!

Do you fancy searching and collecting, sneaking and peeking, chasing and racing round one of Manchester’s most beautiful landmarks for one day only? Then join Larkin’ About for The History Game and find out more about Manchester spending a day playing indoor and outdoor games.

Join in with a diverse group of artists. Gareth Cutter explores the relationship between the working classes and figures of authority during the Industrial Revolution. The Victorian theme continues with Rebeka Haigh’s exotic bird hunt, before Peter Keeley hurls us to the centre of a criminal investigation at the turn of the century. We are then catapulted to Soviet-era 1956 where Oscar Mike brings us The Telephone Exchange, a team game of secret communication, bluffing and political loyalty. Bren O’Callaghan then allows us a peek into the hidden and unexpected stories of Manchester’s past.

Pervasive games fuse the spectacle of theatre with the thrill of playing games. They allow us to explore our surroundings in a new, fun and immediate way.
Come out and play!

This event is delivered by the Library Theatre Company and Larkin’ About.
 

www.manchesterhistoriesfestival.org.uk/whatson/larkinabout
 

Larkin’ About, Cubicgarden & the Manchester Werewolf Chapter run regular Werewolf games at Barcelona Bar, Manchester.

Check back here for upcoming dates.

AARRrroooo!!!

 
PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF DATE!
Weds 25th January. 7pm – Late.
Barcelona Bar, 6 Hilton Street, NQ M4 1NB.
Free.

Following the success of our Werewolf Event in November, Larkin’ About are again teaming up with Ian Forrester and the Manchester Werewolf Chapter to run Werewolf. We had a great time and hope even more people make it down. It’s a great way to connect, have fun,have a drink (if you’re so inclined) and to lie your head off.

Werewolf is a simple game of strategy and deception, played by a large group of people. The game is all about making accusations, lying, bluffing, second-guessing, and social engineering.

We had plenty of total beginners last time as well as grizzly old pros so feel free to join us whatever your level. All are welcome. Bareclona Bar is a fantastic venue and the manager bent over backwards to make us feel welcome.

Here’s a tip for new players, Ian Forrester is ALWAYS a werewolf…

Join the FB event page for this event.

 
The Larkin Agents just want to say a huge thank you to all the players, designers, hosts and actors that made it down to our Larkin’ About at Contact event of Saturday 3rd Dec. This was the first of our regular events as resident company at Contact and we are super pleased with how it went.

We are proud to have hosted the first (to our knowledge) game of Circle Rules Football in Manchester at the start of the evening, with a little help from Dave Hat of Team Hat fame. We’re hoping that with a little practice and a few more games, we might even take on the Bristolians in the near future. Watch out!

Jana Wendler made a stunning game design debut with Spy School, a game which we’re certainly hoping to see a lot more of in the future.

UniverCityCulture ran Histonauts, a QR code game that took players around the Manchester University campus and delved into the past of famous academics linked to the university. For the results of Histonauts and some game images, head over here.

Sturgeon’s Law ran Improv Avatar during which players used twitter to deliver lines of dialogue to four actors in order to create a scene. Points were scored when actors performed specific actions that were unknown to them and not directly referred to in their received dialogue.

Vee Uye ran MixTape, a player/designer collaboration in which players hunted for cassettes tapes around the building that contained monologue delivered over specially selected songs. For more on MixTape, head here.

Greg Foster ran Moral Kombat, a high energy spectacle that used the Mortal Kombat videogame structure and two very convincing actors to allow audience members to confess their crimes and battle to win forgiveness for their confessed sins.

Finally, Larkin’ About ran an additional chase game called Spirit of Spring, in which players headed out into the night in order to collect from the spirits of the seasons the sacred ingredients of the 9 Herb Charm, a potion that had the power to save the Spirit of Spring and rescue us all from deadly Winter. Unfortunately for the players, they were being pursued…relentlessly!

Special thanks to the Whitworth Pub and Big Hands for allowing us to invade their venues during this final game. Much appreciated!

Thanks also, of course, to Contact who gave us the space and support to pull off our event so succesfully.

The talented Albino Mosquito helped to document the evening so keep a look out for stills and videos from the event on this site.

For a lovely write up of our event from one of our attendees, head over to Musing From Manchester.

We’ll keep you posted on our next event at Contact, likely to be in May next year. In the meantime, if you’d like to submit an idea for a game for it, please do get in touch at larkin.about2009@gmail.com.

Stay playful,

Tricia, Aowyn, Crofty & Vee
 

Larkers! Here’s the program for Larkin’ About at Contact. Tell everyone!

Circle Rules Football
by Greg Manley (facilitated by Dave Otridge)
5.00pm (60 mins)
Outdoor

Former ‘Best in Festival’ at the Interesting Games Festival, Circle Rules Football is an action packed new team sport that levels the playing field for long time athletes and newcomers alike. A genius mash-up of Football, Basketball and Volleyball played with one goal in the centre. Oh… and did I mention that it’s played with a giant Yoga ball?!

http://www.circlerulesfederation.com

*Over 18s only. Players will benefit from wearing comfortable clothes/shoes (with grip if raining) that they can run around in, but this isn’t a necessity. Plenty have thrived in jeans and shoes before.

-

Mixtape
by Vee Uye
Durational (30 minutes)
Indoor

Mixtape is a retro-audio treasure hunt with a soundtrack that takes you around the Contact building and into the puzzle of our hearts. Players navigate the space with analogue personal stereos and augment the narrative with their own memories. For 3 players at a time.

Mixtape. n: a compilation of favourite pieces of music, typically by many different artists, recorded on to tape or another medium by an individual.

This is a playtest and feedback is most welcome!
@vee_uye

-

Histonauts
by UniverCityCulture
6.00pm (60 mins)
Outdoor

Become a Histonaut. Take your team on a smartphone-guided journey through the University. Solve the mystery before the other teams do.

Tinyurl.com/UniverCityCulture
@UniverCityCulture

*If you have an iPhone/Android/Blackberry with a QR reader app (search on your app store/market), please bring it fully charged! If not, worry not, we’ll put you in a team with someone who does.

-

Spy School
by Jana Wendler
6.30pm (60 mins)
Indoor

So you want to be a spy? You want hidden microphones, shadowy meetings, secret codes and the occasional car chase, plane jump and “surprise encounter” with a red-haired mysterious Russian actress / an athletic model-turned-special agent (choose according to preference)? Well, forget all that. This is Spy School, and it’s back to the beginnings, my friend. Can you sneakily mark your opponents? Can you even figure out who is on your team? We will find out in this test of observation and sublimity. Only the best will be allowed to continue…
@janawendler

-

ImprovAvatar
by Sturgeon’s Law
7.00pm (30 mins)
Indoor

ImprovAvatar pairs each player with a professional actor, who will serve as the player’s alter ego, speaking the lines written for them by the player. Each writer/actor team will have to collaborate with the other teams in real-time to create a winter-themed scene; in addition each team has a set of tasks to accomplish and forfeits to avoid to earn points.

http://sturgeonsotherlaw.blogspot.com/

Actors: Jack Coverdale, Janelle Goodridge, Sharon Lancaster, Jack Leng

-

Moral Kombat
by Greg Foster
8.15pm (30 mins)
Indoor

For millennia mankind has sought out the best and most effective ways to deal with the immoral parts of it’s societies. Over the centuries those that have done wrong in the eyes of ‘the people’ have been subjected to a variety of techniques, all designed to ultimately purge culture of it’s immoral doings. This evening – we’re going to introduce you the technique fit for the digital age, something that will finally deal with those accused of debauchery, degeneracy and depravity. It’s time to enter the court…of ‘Moral Kombat‘…FIGHT!

*Moral Kombat contains scenes of graphic violence which some may find unsettling.

-

Spirit of Spring
by Doldrum
8.45pm (75 mins)
Outdoor

It’s Winter in Manchester. The days are short, the nights long, and an icy grip has a hold on the city. But there’s something different about this Winter…it might never come to an end. The Spirit of Spring has been kidnapped. You must find out what has happened and save it if you can. If you fail, the city will remain locked in winter, forever. Beware! There are forces out there who to ensure Spring is never found. You’ll have to move fast to avoid them. You have allies too. Listen carefully, and trust in good.

*Spirit of Spring costs an additional £3 to play – only 30 tickets available so book fast at www.contactmcr.com/spiritofthespring. Over 18s only. This game is not for the faint-hearted, and involves being chased, so please wear comfortable shoes and have a phone on you incase you get lost.

Add yourselves to our Facebook event page for more details and updates!

 
Tickets for our December 3rd event at Contact are now available.

Larkin’ About’s take-over of Contact is comprised of 2 separately ticketed events so make sure the you book for both if you want to attend both.

The main event Larkin’ About @ Contact runs from 5 – 8:45pm and is free.
Book online here.
 
The additional chase game Spirit of Spring starts at 8:45pm and is a mere £3. Book online here. Only 30 tickets available for Spirit of Spring so book fast!

Alternatively, call the Contact box office to book your tickets on 0161 274 0600

Planning to come along? Add yourself our Facebook event page.
 

 
Larkin’ About and the Library Theatre Company are looking to support a selection of artists and performance makers to develop a series of pervasive games for the Manchester Histories Festival 2012. The Festival will see an exciting day of pervasive gaming around Manchester Town Hall on Saturday 3rd March as part of The Big Event. This is an exciting opportunity to develop your practice, explore history from a playful perspective and work in and around one of the city’s most exciting and dramatic buildings.

You will work alongside Larkin’ About and the Library Theatre Company to:

· explore game mechanics in a game design workshop

· develop your game idea through one-to-one mentoring

· ‘play-test’ your idea amongst other artists

· deliver your game as part of Larkin’ About programme The Big Event at Manchester’s Town Hall on Saturday 3rd March

A pervasive game can be described as a game which takes place in and enriches real live environments. For a better understanding of pervasive gaming, why not come to Larkin’ About’s free evening of games at Contact Theatre, Saturday 3rd December 2011, from 5pm. Check out the event page for more information.

This is a paid development opportunity. For more information about how to apply please download the Expression of Interest form.
 

3rd December, 2011. 5-10pm Contact, Manchester.
Main Games: FREE! Additional chase game: £3.

Reinventing Manchester’s playtime, Larkin’ About hosts a series of gaming events through the year. Players will be chasing and racing, searching and collecting, and code-breaking and puzzle-solving in a series of games through the Contact building and beyond.

Larkin’ About’s first event at Contact as Resident Company sees highlights such as an amalgamation of sport and theatre in Circle Rules Football, Greg Foster’s Moral Kombat, where players battle out their morals through computer games, Improv Avatar by Aliki Chapple where ‘actor-avatars’ react to a script being written in real-time, and the first performance of last year’s Playspace commission – Duplex Gaming by Deanna Borland-Sentinella.

The end of the evening sees an additional chase game – can you save the spirit of Spring from eternal darkness? A souped-up reworking of an old Larkin’ game, Spirit of Spring isn’t for the faint hearted.

The main event Larkin’ About @ Contact runs from 5 – 8:45pm and is free.
Book online here.
 
The additional chase game Spirit of Spring starts at 8:45pm and is a mere £3. Book online here. Only 30 tickets available for Spirit of Spring so book fast!

Alternatively, call the Contact box office to book your tickets on 0161 274 0600

Planning to come along? Add yourself our Facebook Event page or email larkin.about2009@gmail.com for more information.

Stay playful!