LJMU Uproar Festival
We were invited by the LJMU drama students to attend their Uproar Performing Arts Festival, a 3-week showcase of talent and passion here at LJMU. We spoke to production manager Saffron about the festival, and what it means to her and her peers. “It’s really personal. We have 16 shows and they all have been written and devised for a reason. They write a show to say ‘we’re here.’ A lot of the people who have written a play have taken stories form their real life, which is really nice.”
The plays
We were told that whether you want to cry, laugh, or sing your heart out, we’ll take you on a journey through space, travel back to the 60s, fly you across the Atlantic to the big apple, and even bring you back home for a Northern comedy.
We took their advice, and attended their northern comedy On the Side, a scouse comedy about northern life. The actors told us that they got full creative responsibility, curating plays that touched upon their everyday experiences as artists. They touched on quite important issues in society in a light-hearted way: “You can make a point whilst making it funny.”
Our review
Our student content creator Dorota, who came to watch the play, thoroughly enjoyed her time there - “You could really feel that everyone involved believed in the message behind the production and the festival itself. It really goes to show that once our generation puts their mind to something, they can create something amazing. Their message of stating that ‘we’re here and we’re not going anywhere’ definitely can be felt throughout; the atmosphere, the performance and the professionalism.”
Whether you prefer to witness a gritty drama, a laugh out loud comedy, a sing along musical or simply just a light-hearted show, they have something for everyone.
Head to their website to check out the line up, buy tickets to shows and head to their Instagram for all the latest updates.
✍ Saffron Gotch, Production Manager of Uproar Festival
✍ Dorota Kobylarz, student content creator
