Change for a Tenner

THE PIRATE PARTY CLAPTON ULTRAS  BRING BACK BRITISH RAIL AMY LAMÉ ELGALAND VARGALAND DAVID VAN REYBROUCK SELF-APPOINTED PARLIAMENTS WESSEX REGIONALISM SAM BERKSON THE PEOPLE SPEAK ELLIE HARRISON BOB & ROBERTA SMITH  VLADIMIR UMANETS COLIN BEX IN THE DARK RADIO DOREEN MASSEY ERIC MUTCH MIKEY WEINKOVE MICHELLE MADSEN ADEBUSUYI ADEYEMI MIKE HARRIS MICRONATIONS JOLYON RUBINSTEIN & HAYDON PROWSE THE ALTERNATIVE THE BIG POLITICAL PARTY BONKERS CAMPAIGNS UFFE ELBAEK DAN HANCOX IVOR DEMBINA PROF GRAHAM SMITH HENRY HEMMING MARINALEDA TRENTON OLDFIELD CHRISTIANIA MAKE WILLESDEN GREEN SELF-SERVING LYING BASTARD  THE ART PARTY A HARMONIUM ADAM KAMMERLING PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF SOUTHWARK THE VAGENDA CHUNKY MARK HALA ALI HACKNEY RENTERS HALA ALI MAYA ZBIB PAULA MCFETRIDGE DEMOS GREATER LONDON NATIONAL PARK

Change for Tenner is a series of events about the mysterious art of social change. I’ve curated it with Peter and Shelagh for the London International Festival of Theatre. Tickets are £9.99 and there’s a 3 for 2 offer through the LIFT box office. We’ve tried to do people you wouldn’t normally see in places you wouldn’t normally go. Tickets here. 

RIP IT UP AND START AGAIN Tin Taberbnacle, Kilburn. Wednesday June 4th.
A celebration of anti-politics, rebel-democracy, alternative guv’nors and crepes.

Democracy is rotten. Lots of us don’t vote and if we do, it’s with a heavy heart. This event brings together people who want to change politics itself using new political parties, self-appointed parliaments and protest. Are they helping – or just making the problem worse? Compered by Mikey Weinkove of The People Speak with David van Reybrouck from the Belgian G1000 movement;  Bob & Roberta Smith and his Art Party; Doreen Massey who launched The Kilburn Manifesto last year; Indra Adnan from The Downing Street Project, Kierra Box from Make Willesden Green and Prof Graham Smith from University of Westminster.  The evening also features party political broadcasts from Danish Politician Uffe Elbaek on behalf of his new political party The Alternative and Eric Mutch a man who once tried to change his name by deed poll to Self-Serving Lying Bastard and currently represents the Basic Income Guarantee Party.  TICKETS HERE. 

CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION Peckham Liberal Club, Tuesday June 10th.
Alternative ways for a new generation to seize power, at the Peckham Liberal Club.

 Young people can’t breath because baby-boomers are sitting on them. Somehow they’ve got to wriggle free. This event looks at how the next generation takes power, bringing together young councilors, occupiers, housing militants, agitprop TV makers, an MEP and genuine, bone-fide revolutionaries. Does anyone offer change we can still believe in? Compered by Amy Lamé, including the Pirate Party’s Amelia Andersdotter (Europe’s youngest MEP), Mike Harris who became a Lewisham Councillor aged 27, Adebusuyi Adeyemi of the Young Fabians, Clapton Ultras, Lili Dmitrovic of People’s Republic of Southwark, Holly Baxter of the Vagenda, Emma Mulqueeny who runs Young Rewired State, Heather Kennedy from Hackney Renters and Duncan O’leary research director of the think tank Demos. We have also recorded an interview with Jolyon Rubinstein and Hayden Prowse of The Revolution will be Televised for this event. More on the way. In the meantime… TICKETS HERE.

WITH THE LIGHTS OUT ITS LESS DANGEROUS
St Giles-in-the-Fields, Bloomsbury, Thursday June 12th.
Artists who put their bodies, livelihoods and freedom on the line at St.Giles-in-the-Fields Bloomsbury. Across the world artists, poets and writers are imprisoned, tortured and exiled for the things they say – but here in the UK they get an easier ride.  Why is that? Is it because there’s nothing dangerous left to do? Or because artists have lost their bottle? Maybe it’s just because no one takes art seriously. Bringing together artists, musicians and writers from the UK and abroad we’ll explore whether putting yourself on the line is a pre-requisite of making art that really matters. Do artists need to risk anything if they are to make the world changeable? Compered by poets Michelle Madsen and Sam Berkson, Vladimir Umanets an artist (pictured) jailed for two years for defacing a Rothko, the comedian Ivor Dembina, poet-rapper  Adam Kammerling Hammer and Tongue’s national slam champion 2012, Hala Ali. taxi driver artist Chunky Mark, director producer Paula McFetridge and performance artist Maya Zbib  TICKETS HERE

SOME PEOPLE THINK I’M BONKERS BUT I JUST THINK I’M FREE
The Yard, Hackney Wick, Wednesday June 18th.
A celebration of campaigners who demand things they know they’ll never get in The Yard Theatre, Hackney Wick.   Yesterday’s eccentricity has an funny way of becoming today’s common sense. This is a celebration of people who campaign for unlikely things. Why do they do it? When will they stop? Are they making a point, or do they really believe that a change is gonna come…? Compered by Ivor Dembina with Henry Hemming author of In Search of the English Eccentric, Ellie Harrison who runs Bring Back British Rail, Campaign for Greater London National Park, British Naturists, Wessex Regionalist Colin Bex and Trenton Oldfield who disrupted he Boat Race in 2012 in a quest to ‘end elitism.’ TICKETS HERE.

THIS STATE OF INDEPENDENCE SHALL BE Wiltons Music Hall, June 25th.
Experts in the art of declaring independence at Wiltons Music Hall featuring micronations, communes and subterranean living.

Credit: Sverre Bjerkan

If you can’t change the world, escape it! Are people who found micronations, communes, transition towns, housing co-operatives or intentional communities, changing the world, or just cutting themselves off for it? What about local-currencies, community buy-outs and bit-coins? The evening will be compered by Michelle Madsen and Sam Berkson of Hammer and Tongue who will be joined by Dan Hancox author of The Village Against the World, Lise Autogena a Danish artist who left home at 17 to live in the Danish experimental community Christiania and Mike Harding the ambassador to the UK of Elgaland-Vargaland. In The Dark – a remarkable network of radio enthusiasts and producers – will curate a series of audio pieces on the theme of declaring independence, which will be played during the evening. TICKETS HERE.

Change for a Tenner! Shoreditch Town Hall, Thursday June 26th
Revolutionary gameshow and series finale with The People Speak

 Think you have an idea for change? A new political party, a radical campaign, a revolutionary proposition, a life-changing art project, a new haircut….? Or just enjoy finding out what gobsmackingly brilliant or bonkers things other people want to make happen. Then you want to be at  Change for  A Tenner finale – a dangerously spontaneous gameshow where the audience has all the answers, makes up all the questions and the rules. We’ll put up the proceeds from the box office for the audience to decide how to spend it – by suggesting ideas, having a raucous debate and voting. Or you might decide to gamble it or destroy it. It’s up to you. If 100 people come then we’ll have £1000 to give away (we’ll throw in the extra quid to make it up from £999)…the more people who come, the more money’s on the table. Organised by Mikey Weinkove and The People Speak who will be present at all of the previous five shows.  TICKETS HERE.