Theatre & Performing Arts

La Isla Flamenco Club presents LIGHT & SHADOW, an unforgettable flamenco experience at The Gold Bar. Flamenco is the art of contrasts — joy and happiness balanced with sorrow and deep emotion. Light & Shadow explores these two sides of the flamenco soul through powerful dance, music, and song. Set in the stunning Gold Bar, a 1920s-inspired gold vault bar exuding vintage glamour, this intimate performance places you right at the heart of the emotion. Located in central London, the venue provides a unique and atmospheric setting for an evening of authentic flamenco. Performers: Magdalena Mannion – Dancer Michael McMahon – Guitarist Carlos de Luisa – Singer Demi García – Percussionist Venue The Gold Bar, inside the Colab Tower, 22 Southwark Bridge Road (Entrance opposite 54 Park Street London SE1 9HS / SE1 9HB) Tickets available on WeGotTickets: https://wegottickets.com/event/687285

Join us for a relaxed sketching session from 6–8pm followed by a warm drink and a chat in a nearby café 😊 We usually meet at the V&A Museum or outside in a local park when the weather allows. Please check the location listed in the event details each week, as it may change depending on rain, sun, or gallery access. This is a calm, informal, free meetup — you're welcome to draw at your own pace, chat a little, or just get into the flow. It’s open to all levels, from total beginners to experienced artists. 🖍️ Art materials: In museums/galleries, we can only use dry, non-messy materials: pens, biros, colour pencils, markers, and fine liners (no paint, pastel, or charcoal). In parks or outdoor spaces, feel free to bring paints, pastels, or whatever you like! Bring your own sketchbook and materials, and come just as you are. We’d love to draw with you. ✨✏️☕

Closes 25 January. I decided to be spontaneous and pop into the British Museum this Friday. This is a small display of informal drawings of faimly, friends and fellow artists. I like the context of 17th century London. https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/company-friends-portrait-drawing-17th-century-london If you fancy it, join me!

Host: Van \*This event is a collaboration with other groups and social networks and it will be well attended \*To attend this event you need to buy a ticket from [https://www.fatsoma.com/e/fphh92qc/happy-new-year-singles-social-party-in-holborn-with-complimentary-drink-happy-hour-all-ages](https://www.fatsoma.com/e/fphh92qc/happy-new-year-singles-social-party-in-holborn-with-complimentary-drink-happy-hour-all-ages) **What is better way to start 2026 rather than a group of single people mixing and mingling, partying and dancing, while keeping their eyes trying to spot that special one that will make their heart jump.** Whether you are looking for a partner or just to meet and connect with other people who are at the same phase of life, this is the event for you! You never know who you are going meet in this evening and that is the beauty of it! You may find a friend forever, a party buddy, a partner in crime or a partner in life! Since this is a mix and mingle and not a speed dating there is no age range- in a social pool everybody is welcome and you can choose to speak to whoever you fancy. Connect with like minded people and open your social circle, enjoy chatting about anything and everything, with those you like, for as long as you like If you find somebody who you think you have a connection with, dare to ask their contact details right then and there... like the old times ;) Oh! and you don't need to ask the awkward question: 'so are you single?' because they all will be! You are very welcome to attend alone or with friends. We will be there making introductions, helping break the ice,, and acting as a glue in the group. We have a reserved area where we can mix and mingle, so that everybody can relax and feel comfortable and we get to know each other. and then we are going to move on the dance floor! Simmons Holborn is a powerhouse of a cocktail bar. Situated slap bang in the Centre of London, it brushes shoulders with Tottenham Court Road, Covent Garden, and Oxford Street. With two floors of utter delinquency to explore and a gigantic DJ booth housed inside an 8-foot disco ball - it's kind of a big deal. The largest of the group's bars, the basement level takes inspiration from all the fun of the fair - sporting big-top style paintwork and walls lacquered with novelty circus posters. The upstairs is more typical of Simmons. Stacks of odds and sods line the venue like a shrine to the good old days. Drink cocktails out of Nanna's crockery and dance to live DJs spinning everything from 00s bops to R&B to soul, The program of the night is as follows : 7:00pm-9pm : Singles mixing and mingling 9pm: The music goes up and it is time for dancing. Everyone arriving before 9pm receives a token for a complimentary glass of prosecco Happy Hour till 9pm! Dress code is smart/ elegant/ Smart Casual (smart dark jeans are fine but ripped jeans, sportswear, trainers/sportshoes and hats are not allowed). For security reasons every guest must carry photographic ID with them (Driver’s License, European ID or Passport) independently of the age. If you wish to be welcomed and introduced to other people by the host please arrive before midnight How to find us: When you arrive please ask to be directed to Marianna's Events area/ Van. Any issue on the night feel free to contact Van: 07587546857 For general inquires or difficulties with your ticket booking feel free to e-mail us at benetoupromotions@gmail.com or call Marianna on: 07949526733 How to connect with us: Like and follow our facebook page: [https://www.facebook.com/mariannaland](https://www.facebook.com/mariannaland) Join our facebook group: [https://www.facebook.com/groups/453202104877514](https://www.facebook.com/groups/453202104877514) Follow us on twitter: [@Mariannasevents](http://mariannasevents/)

We'll meet for an easy, social afternoon of gallery hopping, exploring the latest exhibitions (all free) by some of London's best galleries. The plan is to visit new exhibitions at Gagosian, Spruth Magers and Grimm Gallery, all located in Mayfair. This isn't a guided tour or an art history lesson, but simply about experiencing the exhibitions together and enjoying good conversation along the way. Afterwards, we'll head for an optional coffee or drink nearby for anyone who'd like to continue chatting and getting to know each other. No art expertise required, just an interest in art and meeting like-minded gay guys in a friendly, lowkey setting. Limited to 10 attendees. The meeting point is in front of Gagosian, between 14:20-14:30. I'm 6'5, so you won't miss me!

Following the 5 STAR REVIEWED sell out success of MACBETH and TWELFTH NIGHT - the Acting Gymnasium's acclaimed Saturday workshop returns with a new production of OTHELLO which will play at Network Theatre Waterloo in February 2026. Email: actinggymnasium@gmail.com - if you'd like to get involved.

*'It was a journey towards conquering our fears and limitations and unlocking our fullest potential.'* \- Sarah Kent\, former visual arts editor of London's Time Out Details and bookings here: [https://imprology.com/G201456/we.shtml](https://imprology.com/G201456/we.shtml) Please aim to arrive 15 minutes early so we can all start on time. Pay Forward £30 - Regular £25 - Starter £20

Join us for a relaxed sketching session from 2–4pm on Sundays followed by a warm drink and a chat in a nearby café. 😊 We usually meet at the V&A Museum or outside in a local park when the weather allows. Please check the location listed in the event details each week, as it may change depending on rain, sun, or gallery access. This is a calm, informal, free meetup — you're welcome to draw at your own pace, chat a little, or just get into the flow. It’s open to all levels, from total beginners to experienced artists. 🖍️ Art materials: In museums/galleries, we can only use dry, non-messy materials: pens, biros, colour pencils, markers, and fine liners (no paint, pastel, or charcoal). In parks or outdoor spaces, feel free to bring paints, pastels, or whatever you like! Bring your own sketchbook and materials, and come just as you are. We’d love to draw with you. ✨✏️☕

Join us for a Friday evening of creative practice\* and cozy conversation! Please visit the group page for details on event structure and what to expect: https://www.meetup.com/the-evening-art-society/?eventOrigin=your_groups Guests are welcome, though we request that you please let us know how many to account for. We don't want to run out of snacks! Kids are also welcome, with the understanding that this is a shared space intended to be comfortable for all and conducive to creative work. Reach out if you have any questions. We can't wait to see you! \*Because we ultimately just want to provide a safe, warm space for our community to enjoy on a weekly basis, our definition of this is pretty broad. Want to curl up with a good book? Working on the next great American novel? Looking for a café-like hum as the backing track to doing your taxes? You're also welcome here!

This class will provide instruction into various concepts of **Jiu-Jitsu** as a form of **martial art**. Participants will have the opportunity to **study**, **practice**, and **experiment** with **submission holds** and **strategic fighting controls** that are the hallmark of the now famous methodology of Professional MMA athletes and professional combatives users. This **gi class** is held every **Tuesday** and **Thursday** and includes **one hour of instruction** and **30 minutes** (sometimes longer, TBD) of **open training**. Gis are available if you need one. Drop-in fee for non-members is **$20** which which can be paid on-site. Note that we are in **Suite #130**.

Note that we are in **Suite #130**. This class will provide instruction into the basic concepts of **Jiu-Jitsu** as a form of martial art. Participants will have the opportunity to study, practice, and experiment with **submission holds** and **strategic fighting controls** that are the hallmark of the now famous methodology of Professional MMA athletes and professional combatives users. This **gi class** is held every **Monday** and **Wednesday** and includes one hour of instruction and one hour of open training. Gis are available if you need one. Drop-in fee for non-members is **$20** which which can be paid on-site.

[Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“The Life of Frankenstein,”** on the birth, evolution and impact of a tale of man-made monstrosity, with Bernard Welt, an emeritus professor of arts and humanities at George Washington University who frequently lectures on Frankenstein in literature, cinema, and culture. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/nv-life-of-frankenstein](https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/nv-life-of-frankenstein) .] Guillermo del Toro’s lush and lovingly produced film adaptation of Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* is just the latest of many iterations of the story to capture the public’s imagination. People have watched Victor Frankenstein give life to his monster in numerous films, on television, and on stage, and even perform “Putting on the Ritz” with him thanks to the comic genius of Mel Brooks. Mary Shelley did not just tell a tale. She spawned the modern genre of speculative fiction and gave rise to a myth that would crop up in debates over nature versus nurture and other matters. Even today it stokes anxieties over the potential impacts of robotics, artificial intelligence, and genetic engineering, by evoking the image of a monster turning on its progenitor. Come gain a new appreciation of Mary Shelley’s creation with the help of Dr. Bernard Welt, who has studied the relationship between nightmares and the horror genre and is the author of *Mythomania: Fantasies, Fables, and Sheer Lies in Contemporary American Popular Art.* Dr. Welt will start by telling a literary origin story almost as famous as Frankenstein itself, of how an 18-year-old Shelley started writing *Frankenstein* in 1816 while staying in a villa on Lake Geneva with two of her era’s leading poets, Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, her lover. Housebound by foul weather, the three read Gothic tales of ghosts and monsters and challenged each other to produce something even more terrifying. Mary dreamed up a story of a man who defied death by creating a living being out of scraps of deceased men harvested from graveyards and anatomy labs. The resulting novel, *Frankenstein*, published anonymously in 1818, would by that century’s end become a touchstone in philosophical discourse on the nature of humanity and in political discussions of imperialism and populism. By the 21st century, Mary Shelley (as she became) had earned a more significant place in the literary canon than Byron and her husband Shelley. We will examine how this grisly tale became a landmark of modern thought and look at the part played by numerous film adaptations from the first years of cinema to the present day. (Door: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image: From a Theodor von Holst engraving in an 1831 edition of *Frankenstein* published by Colburn and Bentley of London.