
Mother Computer
The Spiel
Ancient folklore collides with imagined futures in this bold and visually captivating dance performance. Beginning with an act of physical endurance, three performers push their bodies to the limit before embarking on a journey of transformation. Drawing on female archetypes that have endured across generations- witches, mermaids, mothers, snakes, and warriors – the work explores how stories of womanhood are carried, inherited, and reimagined. As these figures emerge and dissolve, the performers navigate shifting landscapes of power, identity, and community, revealing the tension between tradition and technological progress. Inspired by collective folk practices, the choreography moves between moments of unison and disruption. Shared rhythms fragment into collisions, repetition, and resistance, creating a physical world that reflects the contradictions of contemporary life: increasing connection alongside growing isolation. Shaking becomes a central movement language, appearing as both the residue of exhaustion and a force of transformation, release, and defiance. Visually, reflective metallic materials evoke futuristic technologies and robotic forms, yet continually transform into fluid, organic shapes reminiscent of rivers, clouds, and mythical creatures. These shifting worlds blur the boundaries between human and machine, nature and technology, past and future. At its heart, the work is a search for connection. Through endurance, transformation, and collective movement, it explores what it means to belong to one another in a world where technological advancement increasingly shapes how we relate, communicate, and care. Imogen Reeve & Co. is a UK-based dance theatre company under the direction of Imogen Reeve. Their work is known for being interdisciplinary, genre-defying, complex, and physical. This show is part of our Enable US programme of drama, dance, circus and beyond. Sensory warnings: loud music, flashing lights, use of haze
Goes well with…
University & Broomhill: Foundry nights on campus: Steel City student energy, then Bar One, Broomhill pies, or a proper pint at The University Arms.
Bar One (Sheffield SU)
4.4£8–£18🍔 SU bar & kitchen
Open · See SU for term-time hours
10% off burgers and wings with gig ticket. The classic pre-Foundry spot on The Outdoor City side of campus.
The Nottingham House (Broomhill)
4.6£12–£22🥧 Pub & pies
Open · See venue for hours
Free extra gravy or small side with any pie & gig ticket. Legendary for their pies, a short hop from Steel City gigs.
The University Arms
4.3£10–£20🍺 Traditional pub
Open · See venue for hours
£1 off any local cask ale with event ticket. A beautiful traditional pub seconds from campus, proper Sheffield.
Utility readout
Straight-line (approx.)
- Tram · University of Sheffield260 m
- Tram · Netherthorpe Road450 m
- Tram · West Street680 m
111
days to go