Souvenirs - Helen Zaltzman + Martin Austwick
In late 19th century Hammersmith, two titans of the artisanal printing scene, Emery Walker and Thomas Cobden-Sanderson, form a deep friendship. They hang out at the same printing events and socialist meetings; they move into houses a few doors apart; they work in the same building; their families go on holidays together. Then in 1900, they set up the groundbreaking Doves Press together… whereupon their friendship swiftly implodes, and they spend the rest of the decade fighting over the custody of their beautiful in-house typeface, Doves. And then things get even uglier.

Written and performed by The Allusionist’s Helen Zaltzman and composer Martin Austwick - and two of you - Souvenirs explores broken friendship, typefaces, lost words, self-destruction, and the legacies we didn’t intend to leave.

Helen Zaltzman has been making podcasts since before iPhones. Yeah, it's ok, she's fine.

Why Should I Brush My Teeth Mummy - Eleanor Westbrook + Tara Frank
As the child refuses to brush her teeth, the mother tries to remain calm, she tries to sing Strauss, she tries to remain relevant, she tries to be a brilliant parent, she tries to keep her voice. Artist-parents Eleanor Westbrook and Tara Franks bring you a playful trio of Cello, Soprano and a naughty child, to try as hard as they can to get to the end of their song.

Eleanor Westbrook is an interdisciplinary performer working at the intersection of opera, physical theatre, clowning, and experimental music. She has appeared across the UK and Europe, from the Edinburgh Fringe to the Southbank Centre, and collaborated with companies such as Belarus Free Theatre, Waste Paper Opera Company, and Kneehigh Theatre. Her original works have been featured at Soho Theatre’s Fool’s Moon and the De La Warr Pavilion and she has collaborated with artists such as Tullis Rennie, Mat Collishaw, Hannah Calscione and Lucie Treacher. She trained in Theatre Devising and performance at LISPA (now Arthaus.Berlin) and Vocal Studies postgrad at Trinity Laban Conservatoire. Known for her visceral energy and surrealist storytelling, Eleanor is committed to reimagining classical forms through a contemporary lens. She is artistic director of TUFT, producing large-scale performance events in Hastings Castle and Caves (both with Tara Franks), and is currently developing a multidisciplinary production of Titus Andronicus.

Tara Frank’s work is all about collaboration, working across genres and art forms, with fellow artists and as an educator/creative facilitator. She composes, performs and collaborates and leads/curates a myriad of creative community projects.
As co-founder of genre-defying string duo Balladeste with violinist Preetha Narayanan, she has been interviewed on Radio 4 Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 3, Soho Radio and NTS, and released 3 critically acclaimed albums to date (Beyond Breath 4* Songlines).

I Used to Know H.I.M
I used to know H.I.M follows the protagonist, H.E.R, as she samples and scratches fact and fiction, poetry and rap, to depict her sonic history of Hip-Hop, from his birth in 1973 right up until the early 90s. Initially created as a form of digital gig theatre produced by Chronic Insanity to celebrate Hip-Hop's 50th Anniversary, I used to know H.I.M makes its return as a live performance.

Yasmine Dankwah is a British-Ghanaian spoken word poet and writer. Inspired by family photo albums and her parents' CD collection, she discovered her love of Hip-Hop and R&B, and how she could use those elements of storytelling and lyricism to explore themes such as joy, nostalgia, and identity. She is the creator and host of Pathways, a podcast which explores young people's experiences and relationship to creative industry development programmes. Her play ‘rite to party’ was shortlisted for the Bruntwood Prize this year.

Adelaide Banks is a London-born actor, poet, and writer of Yorùbá-Igbo-Ika descent. Trained at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre under the SPRINGBOARD programme, her dynamic stage presence has graced theatres such as the Lyric Hammersmith, Theatre Peckham, and Bush Theatre. A career highlight includes performing the Alfred Fagon Award-winning piece at the Dorfmann National Theatre. Adelaide's artistry extends into spoken word, where she has over a decade of experience. Passionate about storytelling, she is currently developing her own play collection, blending her Nigerian heritage with contemporary themes.

Award Yourself Awards (WYA) hosted by Helen Zaltzman
Want to win an award for an achievement you feel deserves a bit of praise and recognition, and it'll never get it anywhere else? Perhaps you have done a beautiful job with a very complicated spreadsheet, or you succeeded in making very convincing Foley of a cow riding a bike, or wrote a jingle so amusing that a listener spat tea across the room? That kind of thing. At last, at XMTR 2025, there's the chance to celebrate your undersung achievements. Enter the Award Yourself Awards here: Award Yourself Awards

Festival Pass Holders Only