Why has Normal People got the nation hooked? There are lots of arty reasons why we like it; lots of ‘oh it's really well made’ and ‘great acting’ and it’s ‘very real’ reasons. But really, we all know, it’s the sex.
All in Arts & Culture
This Playlist Will Get You Partying Across Europe Without Leaving Lockdown
Although you can't physically leave the house, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t feel as though you’re off on the city break of your dreams. Be transported to these enticing destinations by checking out some of the coolest upcoming artists from across Europe.
Normal People: The show you don't want to watch with your parents
It feels like summer 2018 all over again. Sally Rooney’s Normal People is the dominant topic of conversation - although this time around it’s not her words we’re drooling over, but the BBC’s new 12-part adaptation of the novel. Find out what Harpy thought of the series.
9 Films to Make You Feel Whole in Quarantine (and Maybe Miss Your Friends)
Here is a list of films, mostly directed by women and always featuring stellar, complex and interesting female leads, to keep you occupied during lockdown.
Every Twenty-Something Should Watch 'The Most Beautiful Thing' on Netflix
You might think a Netflix binge is the height of procrastination, but the Brazilian period drama, Coisa Mais Linda, or The Most Beautiful Thing, is going to turn your life around.
Insane Animals: Sparkling Satire from Bourgeois and Maurice
Homosexuality, heterosexuality, civilisation, tyranny, immortality, trans-humanism and Brexit are all on the bill, and doused in sequins.
Meet Lolshevism: A Socialist Feminist Comedy Club
Meet the women steering Lolshevism; a socialist, feminist comedy club hosted in Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds. In a sphere that has traditionally failed to include women, minorities, and marginalised genders, Lolshevism provides top tier, inclusive comedy every month…
8 Queer-Friendly Podcasts to Discover this LGBTQ+ History Month
It’s LGBTQ+ History Month in February; the perfect time to discover more queer-friendly podcasts and support the creative endeavours of the LGBTQ+ community… Get your headphones out and enjoy!
The Clashing Cacophony of Wuthering Heights at the Royal Exchange
In a beautifully dissonant retelling of Emily Brontë’s traumatic love story, we are cast into the North Yorkshire Moors at the heart of the Royal Exchange.
7 True Crime Podcasts That Do Women Justice
True crime is having a moment – or maybe more of an hour. From Netflix specials like Making a Murderer to the 2019 Bundy biopic Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, there’s a plethora of grizzly content to consume. If you’re keen to hop on the bandwagon but can’t face being clobbered by patriarchal reporting, this one’s for you. Here’s a handful of true crime podcasts that won’t make your feminism shudder…
Leeds LGBTQ+ History Month in 9 Queer-Friendly Events
LGBTQ+ History Month falls in February in the UK, and lucky for us our hometown is well-endowed with queer-friendly businesses and inclusive venues. Here’s a list of Leeds events for the LGBTQ+ community (and allies), so that you can celebrate this important month with comedy, literature, panel discussions, and wrestling (yes, wrestling!)…
OPIA Collective: The Girl With Glitter In Her Eye
OPIA Collective’s The Girl With Glitter In Her Eye is an ambitious, theatrical piece that explores the narrative – and most importantly, the ownership of the narrative – around trauma. Written and directed by Masha Keninovna, the play tells the story of a friendship complicated by the revelation of trauma. It poses the question: is it possible to tell someone’s story without silencing them along the way?
5 Feminist Shows to Stream this Betwixtmas
It’s that strange week between Christmas and New Year where time is measured in number of Lindor consumed, and setting foot outside the safety of your lovely, lethargic lounge feels positively heroic. If you’re lucky enough to have this stretch of daily cold spreads off work, then rest assured we’re not here to galvanise you into action, but rather enable your annual slump. Here are some of our fave feminist shows to stream before the countdown to NYE begins…
The Glory of Gypsy at the Royal Exchange
Billed as ‘a musical fable’ this sparkling production follows the highs and lows of life in show-business. We watch a pushy mother living vicariously through her daughters; an unmarried woman finding fulfilment in the shadow of the spotlight.
“Run away from your troubles white man” - Playland at Empty Space Theatre
Playland is a meeting of two men in Apartheid South Africa. These men stand at the brink of a new decade, searching for redemption in the bright lights of the fun fair.
trade: the transactional nature of being
We met with Sharla Smith, Rachel Summers and Gracy Goldman to discuss trade, a warm yet incisive three-woman play about sex tourism. Written by debbie tucker green, trade inspects the transactional nature of being, and holds up a mirror to vulnerability of lonely women and the delusion of White Brits abroad.
Macbeth: Queen of Scotland at the Royal Exchange
For centuries scholars have dissected the power of female characters in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Now, in this new adaptation by Christopher Haydon, Macbeth herself questions the same.
9 Sustainable Swaps that Won't Cost the Earth
In recent weeks, the fantastic #FridaysForFuture movement has brought millions to the streets, and there’s no doubt that the press coverage surrounding climate change has reached fever pitch. But as global awareness increases, it seems our political leaders move in the opposite direction, guffawing their way through the UN Climate Change Summit and fervently favouring profit over planet…
Under Three Moons: A Spotlight on Male Communication
Daniel Kanaber’s new play is at once an in-depth conversation and a presentation of the unspoken. At the show’s heart, the titular moon shines a spotlight on the very human - rather, very male - struggle to communicate.
Harpy Interviews: Rosie Hilton
Harpy chats to Rosie Hilton about her creative process, the impact of gender identity on her work and the power of poetry as both personal exploration and instigator of social change.