Children's Shows Festivals Music Spoken Word Theatre

Today in London: Monday 5 August 2013

By TW Editorial | Published on Tuesday 30 July 2013

We all know Mondays can be tricky, so why not ease those beginning-of-week blues via this list of cultural start-ups; each one a springboard towards Friday…

TODAY’S FESTIVAL CHOICES

Hack The Barbican, Barbican Centre Foyer, 5-31 Aug
Taking bragging rights to the title of London’s largest instance of ‘inter-disciplinary collaboration’, the Barbican and office-space innovators The Trampery‘s month-long Hack-athon is a rolling programme of workshops, talks, live arts shows, entrepreneurial classes and technological demonstrations, all designed to get teens and pre-teens thinking. Details here.

TODAY’S MUSIC CHOICES

The Polyphonic Spree, Rough Trade East, 5 Aug (pictured)
New age happy clappers The Polyphonic Spree give their new LP, ‘Yes, It’s True’, a live re-affirmation ahead of its release, via one of Rough Trade’s infamous in-store performances. As ever, today’s show is only accessible via a wristband given either per sale of the LP, or to early bird arrivals. Details here. 

TODAY’S THEATRE CHOICES

Alice In Wonderland, Kensington Roof Gardens, 5 Aug
With a fairy-lit BBQ dinner inclusive in ticket prices (albeit ranging between a steep £40-65) Kensington’s Tudor rooftop bower hosts Heartbreak Productions‘ staging of Lewis Carroll’s trippy children’s classic. Details and tickets here.

The Pitmen Painters, Richmond Theatre, 5-10 Aug
Having packed the National Theatre night after night when it ran in 2011, ‘Billy Elliot’ writer Lee Hall’s  smash-hit play, based on the real life Ashington Group, a team of Northumberland miners who took evening classes in painting and art appreciation, finds itself back in the capital (well, on its edge) as part of a national tour. Details and tickets here.