From Govanhill to the World: Radical Performance in the Southside
Experience radical theatre and dance from around the globe without leaving the Southside, as Take Me Somewhere's international festival sets up residence at Tramway.
The Last Supper by MEXA | Photo by Maringas Maciel
By Jessie McGoff
This October, some of the boldest artists working today are coming to our doorstep. Take Me Somewhere, Glasgow’s international festival of radical performance, runs 15 - 26 October 2025 with its heart firmly in the Southside, at Tramway and even spilling into St Ninian’s Church just next door.
For those of us living in and around Govanhill, this means we won’t have to travel far to see groundbreaking work that’s making waves around the world. From Mexican movement artist Lukas Avendaño exploring indigeneity with a performance in St Ninian’s Church, to Glasgow-based wrestlers taking part in a city-specific reimagining of professional wrestling in Tramway, the festival brings together the local and the international in ways that are accessible and often surprising.
21 Common by Regina Caeli | Photo by Joanna Stawnicka
Why here, why now?
Take Me Somewhere was founded to make Scotland the place to experience and create radical performance. In practice, that means staging work that asks urgent questions: about how we work and rest, how we live together, and how we imagine better futures. And with Tramway right on our doorstep, the festival places international ideas in local, familiar spaces.
This year’s programme includes more than 19 performances, from the intimate to the epic. You could find yourself sitting down at a communal last supper with Brazilian collective MEXA, playing a collective video game led by donkeys, or contemplating burnout, asking how to perform when you can’t.
Making space for everyone
One of the things that sets Take Me Somewhere apart is its commitment to accessibility and care. The festival recognises that performance isn’t just about spectacle, but about who gets to be in the room. That’s why there are relaxed shows, artist pass concessions, a bursary for parents and carers and informal gatherings for disabled artists and practitioners.
SELKIE by Craig Manson | Photo by Diana Dumi
Homegrown talent
There’s also plenty of homegrown work to celebrate. This year’s programme is packed with exciting local voices. Craig Manson’s Selkie: The Wet & Wild Show! is a wild, tongue-in-cheek performance drawing on Scottish myth and queer nightlife. Jo Hague’s self insert outside fan spiral (on ice) transforms the ice rink into a surreal dreamscape, part fan fiction, part fantasy. Shawn Nayar’s The Mongrel explores questions of identity and belonging through bold movement and sound. And 21Common’s Regina Caeli, created by real-life couple Lucy Gaizely and Gary Gardiner, offers a moving meditation on grief, memory and love, crafted in the wake of personal loss.
For Govanhill residents, it’s a chance to see local artists at the forefront of shaping where performance is heading next.
asses.masses asses by Patrick Blenkarn & Milton Lim
An invitation
If you’ve ever felt contemporary performance wasn’t “for you,” Take Me Somewhere is here to change your mind. You don’t need insider knowledge, just curiosity.
Artistic Director LJ Findlay-Walsh sums up the festival’s attitude: “Whether gathering at a communal feast, facing the monstrous within, or standing in the fire of ambition and desire, through these works audiences can explore what it means to want better and more.
We’re excited to continue presenting work that welcomes audiences to challenge their
perception of what performance is, what it can be, and who it is for.’”
From Govanhill to the world, and from the world back to Govanhill, the invitation is the same: performance belongs to everyone.
The Last Supper by MEXA | Photo by Maringas Maciel
Take Me Somewhere Festival runs 15–26 October 2025 at Tramway, St Ninian’s Church, and venues across Glasgow. Explore the full programme at takemesomewhere.co.uk.
This article is part of a series of advertorials purchased by Take me Somewhere festival.
