Word of Warning

02/09/2026

Emergency 26: experience Manchester’s 26th micro-marathon of the bizarre, bold & beautiful on 26 September at Contact…

🔗 emergencymcr.org

🟥 ARTISTS: Alex Billingham · Bait · Ben Hodge · chris brown · Chris Jenkins · Emergency Chorus · Emily Bold · Emma Geraghty · Id Est Performance Company · Isabella Victorie A. · Joss Affleck · Kellie Colbert & Deborah Newton · Lee Fletcher · Lisa Ford · Lowri Evans · Mimosa Art House & Rosie Fielding · ON · Pablo Pakula · PHØBIA · Rachel Gomme · Reckless Sleepers & UoS Performance · Rowena Gander · Ruby Antonowicz-Behnan & Yui Yamamoto · Sap Dance & Desire Lines Dance Theatre · Sweætshops® · (Participating artists subject to change.)

Emergency 26

24/08/2026

A DAY OUT FOR THE CURIOUS, Emergency 26 takes over Contact on Saturday 26 September: a micro-marathon of the bizarre, the bold, and the beautiful…

🔗 emergencymcr.org

🏃 *Probably* England’s longest-running Live Art event, Emergency is Manchester’s annual platform for live art and contemporary performance…

🔴 This 26th edition will feature *about* twenty-six works from Noon to 10pm:
— with an Afternoon of installations, interventions, limited capacity works;
— followed by an Evening full of short shows from 5pm…
— participating artists will be announced at the beginning of September!

🟥 Emergency 26 presented by Word of Warning + Contact; produced by hÅb; supported by Contact and using public funding by Arts Council England.

06/08/2026

FINAL ARTIST CALL for EMERGENCY 26 — Manchester’s annual platform for Live Art & contemporary performance.

🏃 *Probably* England’s longest-running Live Art event, the 26th edition takes over Contact on Saturday 26 September…

🔗 emergencymcr.posthaven.com

🔴 PROPOSAL DEADLINE: 5pm this Friday, 7 August

31/07/2026

Dance North West NOW- North West Arts Organisations Unite to Strengthen Dance in the Region and Beyond.

Twelve leading North West venues, promoters and dance organisations have come together to launch the Dance North West NOW Action Plan- a collaborative approach to strengthening dance across the region.

The partnership, led by Cheshire Dance, brings together Blackpool Grand Theatre, Bluecoat, Cheshire Dance (Chair), Company Chameleon, Contact, Culture Liverpool, Culture Warrington, hÅb (Word of Warning), Lancaster Arts, The Lowry, StoryhouseLive and unity theatre.

The five-point Action Plan sets out a shared commitment to create new opportunities for North West dance artists through collaborative commissioning, national touring, continued professional development and dance audience strategical growth. Future plans include expanding support for outdoor, rural and digital work, alongside education and creative health.

Launched alongside the independent Dance Plan consultation authored by Helen Palmer and Ian Tabbron, the Action Plan provides a practical framework for collaboration and future investment in dance across the North West.

Read the Action Plan, explore the consultation findings and use them to further your ambitions in dance, gain support and help the sector to become stronger: https://www.cheshiredance.org/groups_and_projects/dance-north-west-now/

20/07/2026

THANK YOU to our Haphazard 2026 artists, audiences, team, and all at Z-arts — please tell us your thoughts if you came along by filling in our audience survey illuminate-data.org.uk/survey/rnqbgk

✴️ 2026 continues with Emergency: a day out for the curious at Contact on 26 September…

🟨 OUR HAPHAZARD 2026 ARTISTS WERE: Claire Leith & Lucy Fegan · Hyde N Seek 📷4 · In Between Time 📷1 · Lesya Tyminska 📷2 · Liv Loupe 📷3 · Lizzy Margereson · Matt Girling · Miranda Prag · Scrapheap Collective · Shynara Nygmetova & Zixuan Hong

11/07/2026

HAPHAZARD TODAY! Free Live Art for all ages at Z-arts — turn up any time from 1pm to 4pm — come and go as you please — expect the unexpected!

🔗 haphazardmcr.org (link in profile)

🟨 Playful, quirky, engaging, daft — from whispered constellations to dissolving homes, paper wishes to impossible time machines, and holiday camp clowning to becoming a dog — a haphazard exploration of how we move through the world together.

🟨 Haphazard 2026 takes over Z-arts with ten works from artists:

Claire Leith & Lucy Fegan {@}l.ucyblue

Hyde N Seek PHØBIA

In Between Time In Between Time

Lesya Tyminska Lesya Tyminska

Liv Loupe Olivia Loupe

Lizzy Margereson

Matt Girling Matt Girling

Miranda Prag Miranda
(📷 by Joe Twigg Joe Twigg)

Scrapheap Collective

Shynara Nygmetova & Zixuan Hong Shynara • Systems & Brand Designer .xin

(Participating artists subject to change.)

📅 Saturday 11 July from 1pm to 4pm (turn up at any time).

📍 Z-arts, 335 Stretford Road, Hulme, Manchester M15 5ZA.

🎟️ FREE entry: there’s no need to book… just turn up!

✅ Age Advisory: suitable for all ages (parent/guardian/carer discretion).

CREDITS

Haphazard 2026 presented by Word of Warning + Z-arts; produced by hÅb with Z-arts; supported using public funding by Arts Council England, and by Manchester City Council and Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
Word of Warning (hÅb) Z-arts Arts Council England Greater Manchester Combined Authority

10/07/2026

WEEKLY WARNING: read today’s guide to the bizarre, beautiful, and best performance in + beyond…

OUR 10 JULY EDITION INCLUDES: Ageless Festival at Yorkshire Dance on 10+11 July · Haphazard 2026 at Z-arts on 11 July · the Greater Manchester Fringe during July

🔗 wordofwarning.posthaven.com

10/07/2026

https://wordofwarning.posthaven.com/warnmcr-age-limits-dot-dot-dot

Between Haphazard and Ageless, from tot to timeworn, this weekend seems remarkably unconvinced that curiosity comes with age limits… This weekend, for us it's all about Haphazard at Z-arts on...

07/07/2026

JOIN US SATURDAY AFTERNOON for Haphazard 2026, from 1pm to 4pm at Z-arts… a free Live Art takeover for all ages!