Lyn's Picks: 25 Jan

We’re all Strangers Here (Online 31 Jan - 28 Feb)
Binaural sound has been one of the revelations of lockdown, particularly through the work of Darkfield Radio. But the new kid on the block is Hitcher Encounters, who in this new project are rekindling the memory of hitchhiking and new encounters through the stories of six real travellers. The project, designed to fit around your everyday life, takes the form of four binaural audio experiences, plus a live phone call, which are delivered to you over a two week period. Intriguing. If you want to know more check out the seductive website here.

Manipulate Festival (Online 27 Jan - 7 Feb)
Edinburgh’s annual Manipulate Festival, a celebration of visual theatre, puppetry and animation, always has a tempting line-up. This year’s edition is no different and the good news is that you can access all performances from your own home. The biggest draw comes towards the end of the festival during the first week of February when Fringe favourites Manual Cinema preview their latest piece, The End of TV. The story is set in Rust Belt USA in the 1990s and told using R&B pop songs. But there is plenty else to appeal in a really varied programmes that ranges from Ariel Doran’s Unboxed, a story told using only a show box, to Ill-Lit, a performance about mental health which employs the Japanese art of rope bondage.

Earwig (Online from 27 Jan)
There’s more audio drama on offer, this time from Glasgow’s Tron theatre, which is premiering a series of six sonic theatre podcasts created with sound designer and composer Danny Krass, and director Finn den Hertog. The short pieces, which place the listener at the heart of the experience, are written by leading playwrights including Hannah Lavery, Jo Clifford, Johnny McKnight, Morna Pearson and Luke Sutherland. The first one, The Deadlift, drops on Wednesday and is penned by Stef Smith, whose Nora was at the Young Vic when the theatre shut-down happened last March. It tells of two women who meet in the weights room where they discover the spiritual in the physical. Smith is a great writer with an acute ear for contemporary anxieties so should be well worth a listen.

You can find lots of streaming theatre shows - many of them available for free - in our Streamdoor guide

Cover Image from The Lonely Sailor Weather Report from Manipulate festival.