THIS IS LONDON SEPTEMBER EDITION 2025 copy - Flipbook - Page 24
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AKRAM KHAN COMPANY 25 YEARS
AT SADLER’S WELLS
This October, Akram Khan Company
celebrates 25 years as a company with a
residency at Sadler’s Wells, bringing two
productions to venues in Angel and
Stratford. Sadler’s Wells Theatre plays
host to the UK premiere of Akram Khan’s
latest production, Thikra: Night of
Remembering (Tuesday 28 October Saturday 1 November), a collaboration
with renowned visual artist Manal
AlDowayan, while the much-loved family
show Chotto Desh (Thursday 30 October
- Saturday 1 November) adapted by Sue
Buckmaster returns, this time coming to
Sadler’s Wells East.
Over the last 25 years, Akram Khan
Company has established itself as one
of the foremost innovative dance
companies in the world, winning
countless awards along the way. Led by
Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Akram
Khan, the company embraces a vision
that both respects and challenges Indian
kathak form and contemporary dance.
Past and present converge in Akram
Khan’s latest offering, which received its
world premiere at Wadi AlFann, Valley of
the Arts, AlUla earlier this year. Thikra:
Night of Remembering features an allfemale cast of contemporary and
Bharatanatyam dancers, and takes
audiences on a journey through tradition
to honour our ancestors, deeply rooted
in the power of ritual.
Thikra draws inspiration from the
ancient landscape, mythology and
cultural heritage of AlUla, the ancient
Arab city on the incense routes that
linked Arabia and Europe. Khan and
AlDowayan explore the richly diverse
cultural landscape along with sacred
practices from around the world, to
delve into our own contemporary
existence, paying homage to those who
came before us.
Akram Khan Company’s Chotto Desh
returns to Sadler’s Wells, this time to
Sadler’s Wells East for a new generation
of younger audiences and their families.
Chotto Desh, which means ‘small
homeland’, draws on Akram Khan’s
unique cross-cultural storytelling,
creating a compelling tale of a boy’s
dreams and memories from Britain to
Bangladesh. Adapted by Sue Buckmaster
from Khan’s Olivier Award-winning solo
DESH, this heart-warming story follows
a young man trying to find his place in
the world.
To accompany the performances at
Sadler’s Wells East, Akram Khan
Company presents a family dance
workshop on The Dance Floor, Sadler’s
Wells’ free public performance space.
The accessible workshop brings together
storytelling and dance and is
recommended for children ages 7+ and
their families, the perfect half term treat.
Thikra: Night of Remembering.
THIS
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Photo: Camilla Greenwell
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OCTOBER HALF TERM 2025 AT
POLKA THEATRE
Artistic Director Helen Matravers,
Executive Director Lynette Shanbury and
the team at Polka Theatre are to present
exciting shows and activities families
can enjoy this October Half Term at the
Wimbledon venue. The season offers a
vibrant programme of theatre and
workshops, continuing its mission to
empower, inspire and ensure theatre is
accessible for all children.
Step into a high-energy new comedy
with Dweeb-A-Mania, running in the
Adventure Theatre from Saturday
4 October – Sunday 9 November,
recommended for 8-13 year-olds.
Written by Sarah Middleton and directed
by Hannah Stone, this is the story of two
teenage girls who set out to become
champion wrestlers, after cool kid
Bentley refuses to invite them to his
wrestling-themed party on the grounds
that they’re ‘dweebs’. This punchy and
powerful new play celebrates being
exactly who you want to be.
In the Main Theatre, Well Done,
Mummy Penguin plays from Saturday
18 October – Sunday 2 November for
ages 3–7. This Can’t Sit Still production,
commissioned by ARC and The Albany,
is a joyful stage adaptation of the latest
picture book by award-winning writer
and illustrator Chris Haughton.
A playful nod to the fascinating world
of penguin parenting, the show is
brought to life with daring acrobatics,
integrated sign language, creative
captions and heart warming humour.
Created by the team behind the awardnominated Oh No, George!, it’s an
irresistible ode to family bonds and
incredible parents everywhere.
Polka Theatre is one of just a handful
of dedicated children’s venues in the UK.
Re-opening in 2021 after a major
renovation, it continues to present a
year-round programme of new work
made at Polka, visiting shows, and
Creative Learning activities for 0 –12
year olds. Tickets on sale at
polkatheatre.com or call 020 8543 4888.
www.til.com
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