The Potting Shed cabaret, which takes place on board Walk the Plank's

Potting Shed...future dates

The Potting Shed Cabarets have been taking a break over the summer, but will be back in full swing for our Autumn season of garden fun and frolics.

Future Potting Shed cabarets to look out for include:

Friday 22 November: Beaujolais Nouveau special. Come and celebrate the produce of France’s rich harvest with well known band Dead Belgian and guest curators Nuala Dorrity and Tony Cairns.

Friday 19 December: The last Potting Shed in the garden before the frost settles for the winter.

Friday 13 February 2009: Celebrate spring with the finest selection of gardeners and acts past and present.

There’s also a Potting Shed input at the Vogue Ball on Saturday 8 November as part of Homotopia.

Tickets: £7.50
Box Office: www.wegottickets.co.uk

For more information or to get involved email: info@walktheplank.co.uk

Marvellous magic...venue looked wicked with shiny red curtains, pulled back by glamorous assistants to reveal musical acts aplenty, including an appearance by the Ukelele Orchestra of Wales, and close-up magicians performing to the tables during the interval.

Highlights had to be Madame Pyro's riotous display of glitter, tinsel and balloons; a woman being sawn in half by Becky Hillam; and Fionnuala Dorrity's maniacal performance of 'I've Put A Spell on You' complete with flaming finger tips. Peter Moser's Chilean Bird Man of Death helped save the day after Mark Hill's musical hoover act had tripped all the fuses throughout the ship, leaving an acoustic set the only option: the House Band's guitarist and drummer took up the rhythm that the Bird Man laid down and the night took an altogether different twist...with Tony Cairns' Ballad of Newgate Gaol performed beautifully as an acoustic number.

Less people than usual made for a gentler end to the evening, and everyone went away with ideas for their masks for next month's theatrical Masked Ball, curated by Patrick Dineen. (16th May)

 We have enlisted the help of a photograper and videographer to help us document the Potting ShedCabaret.  You can check out images and video on YouTube!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18556265@N05/sets/72157604104085701/

AND

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=HvdyB7gVhOA

It's that time of month when we're lowering the gangplank and opening The Potting Shed door for another exuberant evening of impromptu performance, eclectic entertainment and dancing in the lower hold of our theatre ship.

Welcome Good Friday into our very own Garden of Gethsemane – which, as well as providing Easter surprises aplenty has a Spanish flavour to the entertainment.

Joining us in the spotlight on the Potting Shed lawn is cabaret group Tutti Pazzi from Barcelona. They have been performing together across Spain since 2005 with their fun and interactive improvisation performances. One of their impromptu performances ‘The Dancers’ appears to be a graceful classic ballet, but turns into a crazy fight to conquer the tutu through a difficult and funny acrobatic act; whilst ‘Impropazzi’ is controlled by suggestions from the audience…anything could happen!

Other international acts will be the Ukulele Orchestra of Wales (who are most definitely NOT related to the Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain, having just two tunes and one public performance to their name: in Machynlleth) and unique stand up comedian Ralf the German, and Kicking Free dance troupe who have just come back from a tour of Egypt.

Meanwhile DJ Al Kent plays disco in the shed. Al is a self-confessed disco obsessive (nerd), semi-successful DJ and Record Producer extraordinaire whose “Million Dollar Disco” will bring back those heady disco days to the Potting Shed in style!

"Amazing venue, looking forward to seeing what else the shed has to offer. Will definitely dress up more next visit." - audience member from Potting Shed February

Tickets for the last Potting Shed sold out online, so book early to avoid disappointment. There will also be tickets available for late night revellers (£3 after 11pm) who wish to come on board for the DJ set and dancing (available on the gangplank if not sold out!).

Buy tickets online at www.wegottickets.com Or for more information visit www.walktheplank.co.uk/pottingshed

Please bare in mind our venue is a ship and it's March so wrap up warm...until you get your dancing shoes on of course!

Cross the Under Gardener here, reporting back!

So that’s the first row planted.  The Potting Shed, capital of Horticulture is on its way.  That chilly February air didn’t keep away did it? A cosy greenhouse of eager and may I say lovely seedlings sat and sweetened the sir with their applause, laughs and support.

Pete Moser and The Long Walk gave us a taste of what is to come with their half-hour extract.  Beautiful tunes, thoughtful lyrics and an East/West hybrid of cultures to give the Potting Shed some true cultural resonance.  As a kick off, that weren’t ‘aint half bad!

And then, those crazy Future Queens! Les Reines Prochaines, barnstorming, beautiful, bonkers, barmy and boundless!  If we could all have a little dance like they can dance than the world would be a better place I reckon!

Did you plant a seed that night? I know I rummaged around with quite a few of you and got grubby, wrist deep in the compost!  Don’t forget.  It is a simple combination of sunshine, water and a dash of love that will grow those seeds into something lovely.  Keep us posted here with your progress.  Take a picture and add it to Flickr, or join us in Facebook and add your progress reports!

I think I need a month off now.  Turning my compost and chopping my log behind the back shed.  See you next time!

Friday 15 February
Les Reines Prochaines (Basel) – Switzerland's premiere cabaret band, appearing for the first time in the UK after touring Europe for 20 years. Pete Moser and musicians from The Long Walk.

Friday 21 March
Spend Good Friday in our very own Garden of Gethsemane… we can't promise any resurrections!

Friday 18 April
Hardy Annuals or persistent Perennials? National and international performers bring their talents to the Potting Shed. Curated by Jonathan Raison.

Friday 16 May
Marie Antoinette's Post Punk Regency Ball curated by Patric Dineen. Masks obligatory.

Friday 20 June
Queen of Culture, Mandy Romero, presents Miss Fish & Trash Nouveau (Denmark).

(No July cabaret as the Tall Ships will be in port, and sea shanties will rock the decks).

Friday 15 August
Composting for Beginners: more opportunities for emerging artists to showcase their talents and skills.

Friday 5 September Special
Extant bring us their Effing and Blinding cabaret as part of DaDaFest – the audience sit in complete darkness as blind and visually impaired performers take centre stage.

Friday 19 September
Mulching and Mowing – more fun in the garden, to tie in with Kinetic Fallacy's performance on the Mersey Tunnel ventilation shaft, and the Opening weekend of the Biennial.

Friday 17 October
Now that the abundant displays of summer are fading, come and enjoy the Potting Shed's very own harvest festival.

November
In partnership with Duckie/Homotopia details tbc.

Doors open 7.30pm, entertainment begins 8.30pm
Arrive early to secure a table/seat, otherwise standing room only
Advance tickets £7.50 from WeGotTickets.com

A few tickets will be available on the gangplank before the event, but please note ticket numbers are limited so we advise that you buy in advance online.

Designer 

We're looking for a Liverpool based designer who can help us design a flyer for our Potting Shed Cabarets. Deadline 21st Jan, so there is quite a tight schedule. Ideally we're looking for someone who is just starting out who is looking for an opportunity to expand their portfolio and doesn't charge the earth!

Photographer

Also, we want to document all our work from each of the Potting Shed Cabarets.  We'd like someone to come along to the events and snap away to capture the feel of the project.  Unfortunately we are only able to pay expenses for this, so it would suit a Liverpool based photography student.  Ideally the person would be able ot upload images to Flickr for us and contribute to our blog as well...some video snippets would be good as well!

"Sharp-tongued, high energy, social surrealist rebel poet and songwriter", Attila the Stockbroker is a radical political performer who will make you roar with laughter as well as seethe with anger.

Walk the Plank has invited Attila to Liverpool for one of the Gardener's Question Time events that are part of the research and planning for next year's monthly cabaret, The Potting Shed. These research events are aimed at artists, performers, writers, theatre makers, musicians, show-offs and eccentrics, and are designed to provoke debate and encourage conversation about the sort of work we make, how and why.

To hear Attila in conversation, talking informally about his career highs and lows, and where his inspiration comes from, join us at 7pm.

To enjoy Attila the Stockbroker's public performance, come to the ship for 8pm.

The Potting Shed is supported by The Liverpool Culture Company Ltd as part of the 2008 European Capital of Culture programme

Tickets: No tickets, donations welcome on the door, first come first served
Box Office Tel: 0161 736 8964

Attila's MySpace: www.myspace.com/attilastockbroker

To book your place email: marketing@walktheplank.co.uk

For more inforamtion see www.walktheplank.co.uk