Opera and Ballet International present

An Ellen Kent production

Donkey star is set to steal the limelight in new production of Carmen

The cast in opera director Ellen Kent’s dazzling new production of Carmen is looking forward to welcoming a new addition to the company – donkey –. Candy-Floss

Candy-Floss, will take a break from her home in Charlton to tread the boards alongside international stars, a celebrated chorus and full orchestra when she comes to York on Tuesday 24th November.

Award-winning producer/ director Ellen Kent spent her teenage years in Spain and has a rich store of experiences to draw as she weaves passion and drama into the show at The Grand Theatre Blackpool.

Ellen said: “Incorporating a donkey into the production lends it a real taste of Spain. My mother used to run the equivalent of the RSPCA in Spain when I was growing up and the farm was full of 30 to 40 donkeys, the same number of dogs and even more cats”.

“We used to travel miles across the countryside to festivals when they were planning to use a donkey. We’d buy the donkey off them and run – often chased by villagers. There was never a dull moment”.

“The animals were always my mother’s top priority. It’s a tribute to her really, that I use donkeys in the show – she would have been delighted and the audience always love it, especially as we try to use rescue donkeys from the local area.

Candy-floss, whose nickname is ‘Flossy’, and likes extra strong mints and ginger biscuits, is no stranger to the limelight. She has previously appeared in nativity and Palm Sunday Parades, a drama production at Lincoln Castle last year and several Agricultural Shows. She’s mothered three foals and has a  mischievous streak,  she’s always the first to escape from a field if there is better grass on the other side of the fence! Her owners will be on hand to bribe her with ginger biscuits in case the 15-year-old has any doubts.  A collection to raise money for donkey welfare will be made on the night.

As well as magnificent sets, luxurious costumes and heavenly singing, the shows also feature local children from the Stagecoach Theatre Arts in York.

Ellen is drawing inspiration from paintings by Goya for her production of Carmen, set against the backdrop of the bullring and the hot, dusty Moorish and Roman architecture.

Introducing Liza Kadelnik the celebrated international mezzo-soprano from the Romanian National Opera, together with the stunning international mezzo-soprano Zarui Vardanean as Carmen.

Bizet’s dramatic and sensuous opera Carmen tells the story of the downfall of soldier Don Jose, who is seduced by the fiery, beautiful and passionate gypsy Carmen. Abandoning both his childhood sweetheart and his military career, Jose pursues Carmen but loses her to the glamorous bullfighter Escamillo. In true tragic operatic fashion, Jose can’t bear to be without Carmen and stabs her in a jealous rage.

For more information on the tour of the UK and Ireland, go to www.ellenkent.com .

Tickets are on sale now from the box office on

King Charles III
A new play by Mike Bartlett
Directed by Rupert Goold with Whitney Mosery

• NEW 2016 DATES ANNOUNCED FOR THE CURRENT UK TOUR INCLUDE LEICESTER, SHEFFIELD, BRIGHTON, OXFORD, CHELTENHAM, MANCHESTER AND NORWICH
  
• INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED PRODUCTION WILL OPEN IN AUSTRALIA AT THE ROSLYN PACKER THEATRE, SYDNEY, IN MARCH 2016
  

The producers of Mike Bartlett’s multi award-winning contemporary play, King Charles III are delighted to announce today that the current UK tour has been extended into spring 2016.

Robert Powell will continue in his role as Charles.  Tickets are now on sale.

New venues set to receive this award-winning production from January 2016 are Leicester Curve Theatre, Sheffield Lyceum Theatre, Brighton Theatre Royal, Oxford Playhouse, Cheltenham Everyman Theatre, Manchester Opera House and Norwich Theatre Royal.

King Charles III recently opened at Broadway’s Music Box Theatre to great acclaim from the New York critics and enjoyed huge success in London last year with critically acclaimed sell-out runs at the Almeida Theatre and in the West End.

Rupert Goold’s production won an array of awards in 2015, including Best Play at the Olivier Awards and the Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards and Best Theatre Production at the Southbank Sky Arts Awards.

Continuing on stage with Robert will be Penelope Beaumont as Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall,Jennifer Bryden as Katherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Ben Righton as William, Duke of Cambridge, and Richard Glaves as Prince Harry. Dominic Jephcott, Lucy Phelps, Giles Taylor,Tim Treloar, Beatrice Walker and Paul Westwood will also remain in their roles.

Robert Powell will also lead the cast when King Charles III opens in Sydney on 31 March 2016 at theRoslyn Packer Theatre as part of the Sydney Theatre Company’s 2016 season.

Directed by the Almeida Theatre’s artistic director Rupert Goold with Whitney Mosery, King Charles III is designed by Tom Scutt, with music composed by Jocelyn Pook, lighting by Jon Clarkand sound by Paul Arditti.

Mike Bartlett’s play explores the people underneath the crowns, the unwritten rules of our democracy, and the conscience of Britain’s most famous family.

His TV series Doctor Foster has recently broadcast on BBC One to widespread acclaim.

The King Charles III UK tour is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, Stuart Thompson Productions, Tulchin Bartner Productions, Charles Diamond and the Almeida Theatre in association with Birmingham Repertory Theatre and by arrangement with Lee Dean.

King Charles III was first produced by the Almeida Theatre and subsequently co-produced at the Wyndham’s Theatre in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions and Stuart Thompson Productions in association with Lee Dean & Charles Diamond and Tulchin Bartner Productions.

REMAINING AUTUMN TOUR DATES

2 – 7 November 2015
Malvern Festival Theatre
Grange Rd, Malvern, Worcestershire WR14 3HB
Box Office: 01684 892277
www.malvern-theatres.co.uk/

9 – 14 November 2015
Guildford Yvonne Arnaud
Millbrook, Guildford, Surrey GU1 3UX
Box Office: 01483 440000
www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk/

16 – 21 November 2015
Edinburgh Festival Theatre
13-29 Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9FT
Box Office: 0131 529 6000
www.edtheatres.com/

23 – 28 November 2015
Bath Theatre Royal
Theatre Royal Bath, Sawclose, Bath BA1 1ET
Box Office: 01225 448844
www.theatreroyal.org.uk/

30 November – 5 December 2015
Chichester Festival Theatre
Oaklands Park, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 6AP
Box Office: 01243 781312
www.cft.org.uk/

7 – 12 December 2015
Plymouth Theatre Royal
Royal Parade, Plymouth PL1 2TR
Box Office: 01752 267222
www.theatreroyal.com/

NEW SPRING DATES

26 – 30 January 2016
Leicester Curve Theatre
60 Rutland St, Leicester LE1 1SB
Box Office: 01162 423560
www.curveonline.co.uk

1 – 6 February 2016
Sheffield Lyceum Theatre
55 Norfolk Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S1 1DA
Box Office: 01142 496000
www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk

8 – 13 February 2016
Brighton Theatre Royal
New Rd, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1SD
Box Office: 08448 717650
www.atgtickets.com/venues/theatre-royal-brighton/

22 – 27 February 2016*
Oxford Playhouse
Oxford Playhouse, Beaumont Street, Oxford OX1 2LW
Box Office: 01865 305305
https://www.oxfordplayhouse.com/
*Will go on sale in November, check website for details

29 February – 5 March 2016
Cheltenham Everyman Theatre
7 – 10 Regent St, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL50 1HQ
Box Office: 01242 572573
https://www.everymantheatre.org.uk/

7 – 12 March 2016
Manchester Opera House
3 Quay St, Manchester, Lancashire M3 3HP
Box Office: 08448 713018
www.atgtickets.com/venues/opera-house-manchester/

14 – 19 March 2016
Norwich Theatre Royal
Theatre St, Norwich, Norfolk NR2 1RL
Box Office: 01603 630000
www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk/

 

CLC Art Café, Peckham 2 – 14 November.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

The story of Des Warren, Ricky Tomlinson and the Shrewsbury 24 is told in this new play by Neil Gore. The events of the 1972 building workers’ strike and the establishment’s reaction are told passionately by Gore and William Fox – acting the parts of the main protagonists. Des Warren’s activities in North Wales and Shropshire, organising flying pickets to oppose the cash “lump” wages, fight for better wages and improve safety standards on building sites, alongside Ricky Tomlinson (a fine impression by Gore), are ended by the unions agreeing a deal and securing a pay rise. Footage of politicians, picketers and police, and the media coverage of the situation is used alongside poetry and music are used to wonderful effect. The two actors are talented musicians and vocalists, taking us through 1970s classics, folk and workers’ songs to embellish the story.

Whilst Tomlinson returns to work, Warren is unable to, following several unwise newspaper interviews. Then, 5 months later, the police arrest the men and they, along with others, are charged with conspiracy to intimidate, unlawful assembly and affray. The police at the actual picket on the day when the offences were alleged to have taken place had actually congratulated the men on leading such a peaceful protest! The “great conspiracy” between the politicians, police and building firm owners is related as a variety act with dummies and puppets to show exactly what a farce the charges were.  The play becomes darker once the trial begins, culminating in Tomlinson’s and Warren’s impassioned speeches from the dock. The sentences passed, Warren’s resulting illness and the blacklisting of the convicted pickets merit this sombre finale. There has been no happy ending. Campaigners are still fighting to get the case referred to the Court of Appeal.

The play does not paint the characters as saints, but mentions their mistakes, and the actors create characters that feel authentic and deeply human. There are lots of laughs in amongst the political intrigue – Gore and Fox revel in the more over the top characters, and pounce on each others fumbles and mistakes with glee. The audience aren’t safe from them either – don’t sit in the front row!

This is a fascinating and funny play about a part of our history that is very pertinent today as the government tries to curb the role of the unions. Uplifting and inspiring – well worth a look.

 



Underfoot Theatre’s production Living Between Lies have been chosen from over a thousand acts and artists to perform at the Stockholm Fringe Festival in collaboration with the Swedish National Theatre between the 21st-25th of October 2015. They will be performing Living Between Lies in London at the King’s Head Theatre on the 12th of October at 7pm.

Living Between Lies is a one hour comedy drama written and performed by Underfoot Theatre, directed by Florence Bell. It tells the story about four women living in London who all struggle with loneliness, isolation, self-deception and how women in particular cope with these issues – to varying degrees of success.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Underfoot Theatre is a London based company made up of four women from diverse backgrounds: two Irish, one Swedish and one first generation Polish/English. Who came together, after graduating from Royal Central School of Speech & Drama, with a shared passion for devising and the creation of new work with a particular emphasis on the female voice.

Through devising technique they work to create original and bold theatre productions to entertain and challenge the audience to reflect on society and the status quo of women today.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Orla Sanders Orla completed her MA in Text & Performance at RADA in 2002. Other theatre credits this year include Marlene Dietrich in Toilet Party at the Courtyard Theatre, Lindsey in Living Between Lies at the Camden People’s Theatre and Sinead Dolan in How to make Money from Art in the Phoenix Artists Club. In film this year she has credits on nine short films and world war two feature Our Shining Sword.

Magdalena McNab is an acclaimed Swedish actress who has worked extensively in film over the last 3 years. She can currently be seen in the lead role in the multiple award winning short film When Tears Have Fallen, for which she has been nominated Best Lead Actress In A Foreign Language Film at St-Tropez International Film Festival. During 2015 she can also be seen in the British comedy ’The Five Wives and Lives of Melvyn Pfferberg’. She is currently filming a British series for ITV2.

Joanne Fitzgerald is an experienced project manager by day, and in 2013 wrote and performed the play Family Man at the International Comedy Club Dublin. She has trained for two years part-time at the Gaiety School of Acting, Dublin before moving to London January 2014. She is currently working on new plays for submission to the Bruntwood Prize and the Soho Theatre.

Aleks Grela trained as a ballet dancer and completed her training at Elmhurst in Association with Birmingham Royal Ballet. Here she explored many different styles of dance and gained lots of experience performing. After coming back to London she decided to hang up her ballet shoes and turn to acting and went on to pursue her actor training at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:

Florence Bell is a freelance film and theatre director with a background in TV and film acting. Since forming in 2012, her company Counter Productions has produced five plays and a short film. She is currently writing and directing satirical live show “The News”, which airs on You Tube his Autumn.

Synopsis

“We all lie. We need the lies to keep us going, because otherwise you might.. do something you regret”

Living Between Lies is the story about four woman struggling with loneliness, isolation, self-deception, loss of control and loss of identity.

Lindsey moved to London to work on her dream project. It sort of took over, it sort of became her baby… and she’s not going to let anyone or anything come between her and her baby.

Alice has the most wonderful life together with Harry – the love of her life and her future husband. He is so perfect she’s willing to sacrifice her career for him and their wonderful future together. But suddenly he’s not around much and he’s working late all the time… But everything’s wonderful, according to Alice.

Kim might have a small drug problem, she can quit whenever she wants. She meets a strange Irish woman, Laura, in a hospital who promises to write her a prescription if she divulges her secrets. But Laura tells some strange stories, suggesting that her relationship with the truth might be as strained as her relationship with her husband

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Production: Living Between Lies

Company: Underfoot Theatre Company

Running time: 1hour

Genre: Comedy/Drama

Written and devised by the company

Director: Florence Bell

Artists: Magdalena McNab, Orla Sanders, Aleks Grela, Joanne Fitzgerald

Website: www.underfoottheatre.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/underfoottheatre

Twitter: www.twitter.com/underfootheatre

Contact: [email protected]

 

 

The London Evening Standard today announces the shortlist for its 61st Theatre Awards, in partnership with The Ivy. The winners will be announced at an Awards ceremony presented by Rob Brydon, and co-hosted by Evgeny Lebedev, Dame Judi Dench and Sir Ian McKellen, at the Old Vic on Sunday 22nd November, 2015.

Leading the way is the National Theatre with seven shortlisted candidates across six categories – Best Play (Stephen Adly Guirgis) and Best Director (Indhu Rubasingham) for The Motherf**ker With the Hat; Best Actor for Ralph Fiennes’ performance in Man and Superman; Best Actress for Denise Gough in People, Places and Things; the Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright for Alistair McDowall, whose Pomona ran in the Temporary Theatre; and two shortlisted for the Emerging Talent Award in Partnership with Burberry – Calvin Demba (The Red Lion) and Patsy Ferran (Treasure Island). The National Theatre is closely followed by the Royal Court and Donmar Warehouse with five and four shortlisted respectively.

In the Best Actor category, four-time Evening Standard Theatre Award winner Simon Russell Beale is recognised for his performance in Temple at the Donmar Warehouse against Kenneth Cranham for The Father, Ralph Fiennes for Man and Superman and James McAvoy for The Ruling Class.

Returning to the London stage after a 17 year absence, Nicole Kidman is shortlisted for the Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress for her role in Photograph 51, and is joined by Denise Gough for People, Places and Things, Gugu Mbatha-Raw for Nell Gywnn, and Lia Williams for Oresteia.

The Father, written by Florian Zeller and translated by Christopher Hampton – currently playing at Wyndham’s Theatre, vies for the Best Play award with Martin McDonagh’s Hangmen and The Motherf**ker with the Hat by Stephen Adly Guirgis. The latter’s director Indhu Rubasingham also makes the shortlist for the Milton Shulman Award for Best Director alongside Robert Icke for Oresteia and Jamie Lloyd for Assassins at the Menier Chocolate Factory.

This year for the first time there are three musical awards, in recognition of the contribution of musical theatre to theWest End. In the new Best Musical Performance category, Imelda Staunton (Gypsy) is joined by Katie Brayben (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), Rosalie Craig (City of Angels) and Killian Donnelly (Kinky Boots). Gemma Arterton (Made in Dagenham), Ellie Bamber (High Society) and Natalie Dew (Bend It Like Beckham) compete for inaugural Newcomer in a Musical Award. The third musical award, is the Evening Standard Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical, is voted for by the Radio 2 listeners, the shortlist for which has already been announced (Assassins, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Bend It Like Beckham, Gypsy and Kinky Boots). The winner of this award will be announced live on the night on BBC Radio 2 by Elaine Paige.

London theatre has once again seen a wealth of new talent across its stages this year, and awards for Most Promising Playwright and Emerging Talent are hotly contested. The Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright sees Molly Davies (God Bless the Child), Alistair McDowall (Pomona) and Diana Nneka Atuona (Liberian Girl) shortlisted; and for the Emerging Talent Award in partnership with Burberry, those shortlisted are Calvin Demba (The Red Lion), Patsy Ferran (Treasure Island) and David Moorst (Violence and Son).

In addition to these categories there will also be presentations for the Editor’s Award, given to an individual or organisation for an outstanding contribution to theatre; the Lebedev Award, presented to a writer, performer, director or institution for a specific piece of work or as a lifetime achievement award; and the Beyond the Theatre Award, for a performance, event or production beyond the realms of the stage.

Owner of the London Evening Standard Evgeny Lebedev said today, “This fantastic shortlist bears witness to the fact that Londoners are living through a theatrical golden age. With ground-breaking director-led seasons, visionary new writing dominating the West End and the world¹s finest thespian talent queuing up to perform here, London¹s theatre scene is the envy of the world.”

THE 61ST ANNUAL LONDON EVENING STANDARD THEATRE AWARDS SHORTLIST IN FULL

Best Actor:
● Simon Russell Beale, Temple, Donmar Warehouse
● Kenneth Cranham, The Father, Ustinov Bath, Tricycle & Wyndham’s Theatre
● Ralph Fiennes, Man and Superman, National Theatre’s Lyttelton
● James McAvoy, The Ruling Class, Trafalgar Studios

Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress:
● Denise Gough, People, Places and Things, National Theatre’s Dorfman
● Nicole Kidman, Photograph 51, Noel Coward Theatre
● Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nell Gwynn, Shakespeare’s Globe
● Lia Williams, Oresteia, Almeida Theatre & Trafalgar Studios

Best Play:
● The Motherf**ker with the Hat (Stephen Adly Guirgis), National Theatre’s Lyttelton
● Hangmen (Martin McDonagh) Royal Court
● The Father (Florian Zeller, translated by Christopher Hampton) Ustinov Bath, Tricycle & Wyndham’s Theatre

Milton Shulman Award for Best Director:
● Robert Icke, Oresteia, Almeida Theatre & Trafalgar Studios
● Jamie Lloyd, Assassins, Menier Chocolate Factory
● Indhu Rubasingham, The Motherf**ker with the Hat, National Theatre’s Lyttelton

Best Design:
● Anna Fleischle, Hangmen, Royal Court
● Tim Hatley, Temple, Donmar Warehouse
● Robert Jones, City of Angels, Donmar Warehouse

Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright:
● Molly Davies, God Bless the Child, Royal Court Upstairs
● Alistair McDowall, Pomona, Orange Tree Theatre & National Theatre’s Temporary Space
● Diana Nneka Atuona, Liberian Girl, Royal Court Upstairs (Peckham & Tottenham pop up venues)

Emerging Talent Award in Partnership with Burberry:
● Calvin Demba, The Red Lion, National Theatre’s Dorfman
● Patsy Ferran, Treasure Island, National Theatre’s Olivier
● David Moorst, Violence and Son, Royal Court Upstairs

Best Musical Performance:
● Katie Brayben, Beautiful, Aldwych Theatre
● Rosalie Craig, City of Angels, Donmar Warehouse
● Killian Donnelly, Kinky Boots, Adelphi Theatre
● Imelda Staunton, Gypsy, Savoy Theatre

Newcomer in a Musical:
● Gemma Arterton, Made in Dagenham, Adelphi Theatre
● Ellie Bamber, High Society, Old Vic
● Natalie Dew, Bend It Like Beckham, Phoenix Theatre

Evening Standard Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical (voted for by the public):
● Assassins, Menier Chocolate Factory
● Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Aldwych Theatre
● Bend It Like Beckham, Phoenix Theatre
● Gypsy, Savoy Theatre
● Kinky Boots, Adelphi Theatre

Pub opera returns in rep in new season at the King’s Head Theatre amongst Edinburgh transfer hits and female-led new writing

After a bombastic, exciting and innovative 45th year, the King’s Head continues its new artistic policy of being a crucible of new writing and critical rediscoveries, whilst also welcoming the much-anticipated return of pub opera, with the aim of being the best pub theatre in London.

Artistic director Adam Spreadbury-Maher originated pub opera in his first season at the King’s Head in 2010, and we’re now proud to relaunch that tradition at its original home with a stylish new production of Mozart’s classic opera Cosi fan tutte in March, directed by international opera director Paul Higgins. This return to pub opera will play in rep alongside Louis Nowra’s play by the same name, Cosi, where patients in a mental asylum perform Mozart’s piece whilst questioning madness in the face of the Vietnam War, which is directed by ex-Sydney Theatre Company artistic director Wayne Harrison. Adam says “Two Cosis at the same time?! If a large funded arts centre said they were going to do this, it would raise an eyebrow – the fact that an unfunded pub theatre is doing it is completely bonkers”.

Before that, in February, we welcome the return of smash success Trainspotting after a sell-out Edinburgh Fringe 2015 run, which plays with us for a month before heading on a national tour. Tickets were tough to come by for this critically acclaimed, anarchic take on Irvine Welsh’s classic novel-then-film in both London and Edinburgh – we received a sell-out show laurel for 58 performances at the Fringe!

We will also present a wealth of new writing this season: January offers new plays The Long Road South, by Paul Minx, focusing on the civil rights movement in the 1960s, and Big Brother Blitzkrieg, by Hew Rous Eyre & Max Elton, which sees Hitler enter the Big Brother House! April features work exclusively by female playwrights with Adrian Pagan Award winner and insightful new play about female relationships Russian Dolls, by Kate Lock, alongside Edinburgh transfer To Kill a Machine, by Catrin Fflur Huws, which delves into the sexuality and chemical castration of Alan Turing. We also have new British musical Something Something Lazarus joining us in March, performed in a ground-breaking “broken cabaret” style, by John Myatt and Simon Arrowsmith.

We’re proud that our new writing offerings this season champion female and international playwrights alongside our continued support for new work with the continuation of #Festival45, #Festival46, in July, featuring work from our 4 trainee resident directors, who will be graduating from our Queen’s Jubilee Award winning scheme this Summer.

With an unashamedly broad church of programming including theatre, musical theatre and opera, transfers to and from the biggest arts festivals in the world, and a trail-blazing policy of ethical employment on the fringe, we are continuing with the big changes from our first year under our new artistic policy, as well as recommitting ourselves to being the most diverse and the best pub theatre in London – if it’s on here, you won’t see it anywhere else. Come and see for yourself this Spring!

The Long Road South, 12 January – 30 January (7pm and 3pm weekend matinees)
It is a hot, humid summer in Indiana, 1965. Andre and Grace, black domestic workers for the Price family, want to leave the house to join the civil rights movement in Alabama. They believe in non-violence. All summer they have been working hard for the Prices – Jake, the bitter cynical father, Carol Ann, his mostly drunken wife, and the family’s teenage Lolita who is determined to keep Andre around at all costs. They still haven’t been paid, though, and need their summer’s wages. The Long Road South traces how one man is forced to go to the very limits of his being to get what’s rightly his.

Big Brother Blitzkrieg, 14 January – 30 January (9.15pm)
After a botched suicide attempt, Adolf Hitler awakes to find himself in the Big Brother House. Confused by his situation and surrounded by some of the most loathsome individuals he’s ever met, he struggles to come to terms with the world of reality television. Join Adolf on the journey of a lifetime as he makes friends, faces demons and finds his true voice. But will he win over the hearts and minds of the viewers in the process? #BigBrotherBlitzkrieg #HitlerInLondon

Trainspotting, 3 February – 27 February (7pm and 8.45pm, 5pm matinees Saturdays)
After 5 star critically acclaimed and sell out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe 2015 and in London, In Your Face Theatre and the King’s Head Theatre’s production of Irvine Welsh’s cult, generation-defining novel Trainspotting is back before it tours the UK! This punchy, 75 minute production recaptures the passion and the controversy of the famous novel, then globally successful film, and repackages it into an immersive production – the audience are literally part of the show, including the notorious “Worst Toilet in Scotland” scene. Both Edinburgh and London critics have praised the production highly, describing it as “utterly amazing” (London Theatre 1), “intense, funny, and moving” (Box Dust) and “bold, unique, and like nothing else you’ll see on stage” (Entertainment Focus). For avid fans this is a must, and if you’ve never read the book or seen the film: this is your ticket to a ride you won’t soon forget.

Così fan tutte, 1 March – 3 April (dates alternate with Cosi (play), 7pm and 3pm weekend matinees)
Pub opera is back at the Kings Head with Mozart’s Così fan tutte. A cynical gentleman’s conviction that women cannot be faithful sets in motion a chain of deceit, disguise and desire in the most perfect ensemble opera ever written. Join us for a new adaptation directed by Paul Higgins and Musical Direction by Elspeth Wilkes.

Cosi (play), 2 March – 2 April (dates alternate with Così fan tutte, 7pm and 3pm weekend matinees)
Young theatre director Lewis is staging a production of Mozart’s comic opera Così fan tutte. The catch? The cast are patients from a mental institution, none of whom can speak Italian… or sing. Can this unlikely cohort, including an obsessive-compulsive, a manic depressive and a junkie, pull it off? Or will a patient with a penchant for pyromania spoil all the fun? As Vietnam War protests rage outside and Lewis confronts the enormity of his task, he begins to realise the frightening and attractive power of madness, politics, theatre and love.

Something Something Lazarus, 8 March – 2 April (9.30pm)
It’s easy to escape the disaster that was today… the weekend that wasn’t… the one true love you’ll never forget. Enter the world of cabaret, where the wine ain’t fine but the company’s classy. Meet Vee, clinging to the stage. Della, attacking piano. Jay in his pants at the bar. And of course Daniel, as always, barely managing. Today’s Friday. They haven’t got long to rehearse the song with the knife. But something’s been delivered. Something that can crack open clocks. And their final hour is about to go horribly wrong. See, the problem with the past – it never stays buried. And whatever happens, the show must go on. So laugh, kick back, find whatever comfort you can. Because there’s some things in life that cabaret just can’t cure. Or maybe it can… A new British musical.

To Kill a Machine, 6 April – 23 April (7pm)
To Kill a Machine tells the life-story of war-time cryptanalyst Alan Turing. It is a story about the importance of truth and injustice and of keeping and revealing secrets. The play examines his pioneering work considering whether a machine could think, asking the questions “what is the difference between a human and a machine?” and “If a human is prevented from thinking, do they then become a machine?” At the heart of the play is a powerful love story and the importance of freedom, in relation to Turing’s own life, death and posthumous re-evaluation. It is the story of Turing the genius, Turing the victim and Turing the constant in a tumultuous world.

Russian Dolls, 5 April – 23 April (8.30pm, 3pm weekend matinees)
Hilda is blind, lives alone, and is visited by a carer once a week. Camilla is a young offender looking for her next mark. A surprising and curious relationship sparks off between these opposites as both search for connection and purpose. Kate Lock’s insightful new play delves into maternal relationships and the line between friendship and family, and contrasts our current culture of blame and instant gratification with the self-worth and determination of the post-war generation. Directed by Hamish McDougall.

London’s annual celebration of contemporary visual theatre

2016 LONDON INTERNATIONAL MIME FESTIVAL

Saturday 9th January– Saturday 6th February 2016

www.mimelondon.com

The London International Mime Festival, directed by Helen Lannaghan and Joseph Seelig, is a unique event in the theatre calendar, a once a year chance to see the very best and newest contemporary visual theatre, including cutting edge circus-theatre, live animation and puppetry, mask, physical and visual theatre.

Over 29 days, 18 invited companies will give 112 performances of productions that are almost all UK or London premieres, at the Barbican, Central Saint Martin’s Platform Theatre, Jacksons Lane, Shaw Theatre, Soho Theatre, Southbank Centre, The Peacock, and, for the first time, Tate Modern. Artists from Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, Spain and Sweden will be joining some of Britain’s fast emerging talents as well as established names.

MARCEL – UK Premiere

Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, Paris (France)

Shaw Theatre, 100-110 Euston Road, London NW1 2AJ

www.shaw-theatre.com

Saturday 9th – Tuesday 12th January

Saturday, Monday and Tuesday 7.30pm; Sunday 3pm

After-show discussion: Monday 11th January

Runs 60 mins / no interval

Tickets: £20 (£17.50 concessions). Booking fee applies.

Booking: www.mimelondon.com/houben_magni2016

Age guidance: 8+

British Sign Language interpreted performance: Tuesday 12th January (Jacqui Beckford)

LIMF 2016 opens with Marcel, performed by Complicite original members Jos Houben and Marcello Magni and produced by the famous Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris. A tender and witty exploration of how to get round ageing, these two distinguished performers revisit their early days with Complicité in celebrating the art of physical comedy and the beauty of the ‘gag’.

Jos and Marcello met as students at the École Jacques Lecoq in Paris. They last appeared together on stage in London in Peter Brook’s production of Fragments in 2008.

‘Irresistibly funny, liberating, absurd and touching… two great comic performers’ – Le Monde

Supported by Institut français.

 

THE ART OF LAUGHTER

Jos Houben (Belgium)

Shaw Theatre, 100-110 Euston Road, London NW1 2AJ

www.shaw-theatre.com Sunday 10th January, 6.30pm

Runs 60 mins / no interval

Tickets: £20 (£17.50 concessions). Booking fee applies.

Booking: www.mimelondon.com/jos_houben2016

Age guidance: 8+

ONE PERFORMANCE ONLY

The Art of Laughter is sixty minutes of brilliant observation which proves that in certain conditions, it’s impossible for people not to laugh. As a special festival highlight, Jos Houben reprises his acclaimed performance-demonstration, explaining and illustrating just what makes us chuckle. Jos has been involved with many of the most successful physical comedy creations of recent years, most notably in this country with The Right Size. Since its premiere in 2008, Jos has performed The Art of Laughter around the world, including two, month-long seasons at the renowned Théâtre du Rond Point in Paris. A Total Theatre Award Winner.

‘With the subtlest of glances… Houben has the entire audience in stitches’ – The Scotsman

TIPPING POINT – London Premiere

Ockham’s Razor (UK)

Platform Theatre, Central Saint Martins, London, N1C 4AA www.platform-theatre.com

Monday 11th – Saturday 23rd January, 7.30pm (not Sunday 17th).

Aftershow discussions: Thursday 14th and Thursday 21st January Runs 70 mins / no interval

Tickets: £18 (£16 concessions). Monday 11th January all seats £12.

Booking: www.mimelondon.com/ockhams_razor2016

Age guidance: 6+

Following the sell-out success of Not Until We Are Lost, Ockham’s Razor returns with its new full length production Tipping Point. Poles are balanced on fingertips, hung from the roof, lashed, climbed, swung from and walked along, they become forests, cross roads and pendulums. The performers balance, climb and cling to this teetering world, supporting each other as they wrestle with the moment when things begin to shift. They must decide whether to rail against the chaos, struggling to exert order on a disordered world, or ride it out, allowing life to tilt towards the tipping point. Tipping Point features a live performance of a multi-layered surround sound musical landscape specially composed by Adem Ilham & Quinta who have previously worked with Radiohead, Hot Chip and Bat For Lashes.

‘Physically thrilling’ – The Sunday Times

NAUTILUS -London Premiere

Trygve Wakenshaw (New Zealand)

Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, London, W1D 3NE

www.sohotheatre.com

Monday 11th – Saturday 23rd January 8.45pm (not Sunday 17th); Saturday matinees 4pm.

Runs 75 mins / no interval

Previews: Monday 11th and Tuesday 12th January.

Tickets: Previews: £12.50; then Monday – Thursday £15 (£12.50 concessions); Friday and Saturday £17.50 (£15 concessions); Saturday matinees £15 (£12.50 concessions).

Online booking: www.mimelondon.com/trygve_wakenshaw2016

Age guidance: 12+

NAUTILUS is the final part of rubber-limbed Trygve’s ‘underwater trilogy’, the follow-up to delirious, sell-out, physical comedies KRAKEN (LIMF15) and SQUIDBOY. Oozing with whimsy, dripping with charm and magnificently mad, Trygve is his own animator in a cartoon world. A master of risqué innocence, he trained with Philippe Gaulier, developing a uniquely eccentric style of mime-comedy that has won him legions of fans the world over. His awards include Time Out Best Comedy of 2014 and Edinburgh Underbelly Award 2014. Nautilus was nominated for the 2015 Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

‘Astonishing, original, witty and engrossing’ – The Arts Desk

MI GRAN OBRA (My Great Work) – London Premiere

David Espinosa (Spain)

Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern Thursday 14th – Sunday 17th January

Runs 55 mins / no interval

Thurs 14th 3pm and 5pm; Friday 15th and Saturday 16th 5pm, 7pm and 9pm; Sunday 17th 1pm, 3pm and 5pm.

Tickets: £18 (£16 concessions) (£26 including Alexander Calder exhibition ticket valid for use on the same day only, £23 concessions)

Booking: www.mimelondon.com/david_espinosa2016

Age guidance: 12+

Catalan actor, director and puppeteer, David Espinosa thinks big but gets real, adapting his ambition to a stage no bigger than a small table. His Great Work is a colossal spectacle in miniature. Its dramatic story unfolds in an exquisite, playful and highly imaginative production that also explores the relationship between performers, objects and viewers, and questions our own ideas of art and culture. Mi Gran Obra was first seen in the UK at the 2014 BE Festival. These performances are related to the Tate Modern exhibition Alexander Calder: Performing Sculpture.

‘A delightful, successful critique of spectacular, exorbitantly expensive theatrical projects’ – Art & Culture Today

Supported by Institut Ramon Llull – Catalan Language & Culture

OOG – London Premiere

Al Seed (UK)

Jacksons Lane, 269a Archway Road, London, N6 5AA

www.jacksonslane.org.uk

Friday 15th – Sunday 17th January, Friday and Saturday 8pm; Sunday 5pm

Aftershow discussion: Saturday 16th January

Runs 40 mins / no interval

Tickets: £18 (£16 concessions)

Online booking: www.mimelondon.com/al_seed2016

Age guidance: 12+

The end of a war. A locked cellar. A beam of light. Oog leads you deep into the fractured mind of a shell-shocked soldier. Utilising Guy Veale’s powerful soundtrack, this is an intensely physical and poetic exploration of the trauma of conflict and violence, and the psychological damage it inflicts. It burns indelible images on the mind as it questions what happens when humans morph into something different, something less than human. A companion piece to The Factory, shown at the ICA as part of LIMF 2007, Oog won a Total Theatre Award at the 2015 Edinburgh Festival.

‘Visual imagery that sometimes takes the breath away… An experience that will leave no-one who sees it completely unchanged’

– The Scotsman

EXPIRY DATE – UK Premiere

BabaFish (Belgium)

The Pit, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS

www.barbican.org.uk

Tuesday 19th – Saturday 23rd January, 7.45pm

Aftershow discussion: Wednesday 20th January

Runs 60 mins / no interval

Tickets: £18, plus booking fee

Online booking: www.mimelondon.com/babafish2016

Age guidance: 12+

Dominoes topple… an hourglass is overturned. Time is ever-present in this ephemeral retrospective of one man’s life, his scattered memories conveyed through acrobatics, movement, music and dance. Joseph sits alone at home, preparing for the final hour. Arms outstretched, he reaches into his past, reflecting on moments of a fast-escaping existence filled with struggle and love. Yet always the clock keeps ticking. Assisted by her father, an inventor by trade, Swedish-born artist Anna Nilsson has devised a Heath Robinson set, where a ball bearing spins around weird and wonderful machinery and pendulums wave. It provides a poignant backdrop for an abstract tale about time running out, characterised by four performers and their unpredictable mix of acting, juggling, hand-balancing and singing.

‘An astonishing show of great impact’- Dordogne Libre

Supported by Wallonie-Bruxelles International & The Agency Wallonie-Bruxelles Théâtre/Danse

THINGS EASILY FORGOTTEN – UK Premiere

Xavier Bobès (Spain)

Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX

www.southbankcentre.co.uk

Thursday 21st – Sunday 24th January, Thursday and Friday 5pm and 8pm; Saturday 2pm, 5pm and 8pm; Sunday 11am, 2pm and 5pm.

Runs 75 mins / no interval

Tickets: £18 (£9 concessions)

Booking: www.mimelondon.com/xavier_bobes2016

Age guidance: 16+

A brief history of Spain in the second half of the twentieth century, for five people, by and with Catalan artist Xavier Bobès. Around a table, in an intimate, salon setting, a powerful sequence of close-up sensory experiences invokes old memories and invents new ones. Through this miscellany of sights and sounds, objects and photos, a fascinating story unfolds in a powerful sequence exploring memory and identity. Bobès has been creating unusual visual theatre since 2003, when he established his company, Playground. His work has been performed all over the world.

‘Xavier Bobès is a magician manipulating time itself’ – Putxinelli Magazine

Supported by Institut Ramon Llull – Catalan Language & Culture

ANECKXANDER – A tragic autobiography of the body – UK Premiere

Alexander Vantournhout & Bauke Lievens (Belgium)

Jacksons Lane, 269a Archway Road, London, N6 5AA

www.jacksonslane.org.uk

Friday 22nd – Sunday 24th January, Friday and Saturday 8pm; Sunday 5pm.

Aftershow discussion: Saturday 23rd January

Runs 45 mins / no interval

Tickets: £18 (£16 concessions)

Booking: www.mimelondon.com/vantournhout_lievens2016

Age guidance: 16+ – this performance contains extensive nudity

Aneckxander unfolds in a minimal setting with one acrobatic body, a few carefully selected objects, and music by Arvo Pärt. Balancing on the fine line between tragedy and comedy, Alexander Vantournhout rewrites the autobiography of his own body: from subject to object to matter. It all started when someone told him that his neck was rather long, the result is a raw self-portrait in which the body both exposes itself to and tries to escape from the prying eyes of those looking at it. Alexander studied in Brussels, at PARTS training school, and at the ESAC circus school. He collaborated with Bauke Lievens to produce Aneckxander, which went on to be a prize-winner at the prestigious CircusNext competition. Bauke Lievens’ projects include work with several previous LIMF artists including Kaori Ito, Un Loup Pour l’Homme, and les ballets C de la B.

‘Extremely powerful performance that deals with the complex relationship of the body, the artist and performance. True physical commitment’ – Telegram

HORROR – UK Premiere

Jakop Ahlbom Company (Netherlands)

The Peacock, Sadler’s Wells, Portugal Street, Holborn, WC2A 2HT

www.peacocktheatre.com

Monday 25th – Tuesday 26th January, 7.30pm

Aftershow discussion: Monday 25th January

Runs 80 mins / no interval

Tickets: £12 – £29

Booking: www.mimelondon.com/jakop_ahlbom2016

Age guidance: 14+

A deserted mansion… a young woman returns to the place of her bleak childhood. No longer able to suppress memories of her cruel parents and strange sister, she is forced to confront the past. Jakop Ahlbom’s imaginative hommage to the horror movie genre is ingenuously gruesome, genuinely scary and frequently very funny.

Referencing Gothic spine-chillers as well as more recent frighteners like The Shining, Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist, Horror will have you shuddering at the edge of your seat. Swedish-born Jakop Ahlbom recently directed his first opera, staged at Deutsche Oper Berlin, and his dance film Off Ground, starring Louise Lecavalier, won the the prestigious Prix Italia TV Award. Lebensraum, his previous show for the LIMF 2014 garnered rave reviews and played to sell-out houses.

‘Excellent special effects, witty and irresistibly scary’ – Volkskrant

KITE – World Premiere

The Wrong Crowd (UK)

Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, London, W1D 3NE

www.sohotheatre.com

Tuesday 26th January – Saturday 6th February 7pm (not 31 Jan); Saturday matinees 2pm

Previews Tuesday 26th – Wednesday 27th January

Schools matinees: Thursday 28th and Friday 29th January

Aftershow discussion: Saturday 30th January and Saturday 6th February after 2pm performance Runs 60 mins / no interval

Tickets: Previews £10; then Monday – Thursday £15 (£10 con); Friday and Saturday £17.50 (£15 con)

Online booking: www.mimelondon.com/wrong_crowd2016

Age guidance: 7+

A lonely girl is taken to live in her grandma’s airless flat where the windows are shut tight. Her memories of seagulls and sand dunes begin to fade in the silence. One night a handmade kite comes to life and heralds the start of a wild adventure and the chance to find what it seemed was lost forever. Inspired by the world of indoor-kite flying and stories such as The Snowman and The Red Balloon, Kite is a play without words, with original music, dance, puppetry and of course kites. From acclaimed theatre company The Wrong Crowd, creators of inventive, playful and compelling new theatre (Swanhunter, Hag, The Girl with the Iron Claws), Kite is a poignant love-song to the wind, freedom and the joy of play.

‘Both music and staging are expertly crafted, there are gasps of delight from both kids and adults’ – The Times on Swanhunter 2015

DARK CIRCUS – UK Premiere

Stereoptik (France)

The Pit, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS

www.barbican.org.uk

Tuesday 26th – Saturday 30th January 7.45pm; Saturday matinee 3pm

Aftershow discussion: Wednesday 27th January

Runs 55 mins / no interval

Tickets: £18, plus booking fee

Online booking: www.mimelondon.com/stereoptik2016

Age guidance: 7+

Paper, ink, sand and silhouettes spring into being in the skilled hands of two visual artists who draw and play music live to build a big top universe, their striking creations projected onto a large screen.

‘Come for the show, stay for the woe.’ A sinister ringmaster invites the inhabitants of a dreary city to his circus tent, where he presides over catastrophic acts. The trapeze artist plummets, the animal trainer is devoured, the human cannonball is lost in space … until a juggler strikes a discordant note, releasing the flash of colour everyone has been waiting for. Born from the imagination of French illustrator Pef, the fantastical story of Dark Circus is animated onstage by Stereoptik duo, Romain Bermond and Jean-Baptiste Maillet.

‘A total pleasure … filled with lyricism and freshness’ – Le Monde

Supported by Institut français

IL RITORNO – UK Premiere

Circa (Australia)

Barbican Theatre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS

www.barbican.org.uk

Wednesday 27th – Sunday 31st January 7.45pm; Saturday matinee 2.30pm

Aftershow discussion: Thursday 28th January

Runs 75 mins / no interval

Tickets: £16 – £30, plus booking fee

Online booking: www.mimelondon.com/circa2016

Age guidance: 12+

Ulysses desires only to return home after twenty years of wandering and war. His wife Penelope hangs on in the belief he might one day arrive. History has separated them. Now hope unites them.

Il Ritorno is distilled from Monteverdi’s opera The Return of Ulysses (Il ritorno d’Ulisse) and layered with themes from Primo Levi’s The Truce – a memoir by a Second World War refugee. Drawing on mythology to explore states of exile, this potent production fuses live singing and music with the thrilling physicality of contemporary circus as Circa’s acrobatic artists push their bodies and emotions to the extreme.

‘A luminous new work… Il Ritorno offers a powerful vision of humanity and compassion’ – The Australian

INFINITA – UK Premiere

Familie Floez (Germany)

The Peacock, Sadler’s Wells, Portugal Street, Holborn, WC2A 2HT www.peacocktheatre.com

Thursday 28th – Saturday 30th January, Thursday & Friday 7.30pm; Saturday 6pm

Aftershow discussion: Friday 29th January

Runs 90 mins / no interval

Tickets: £15 – £29, plus booking fee

Booking: www.mimelondon.com/familie_floez2016

Age guidance: 7+

After sell-out successes with Teatro Delusio (LIMF’05), Ristorante Immortale (LIMF’06) and Hotel Paradiso (LIMF’09) and a five star hit at the recent Edinburgh Fringe, Germany’s mask theatre masters, Familie Floez return to the Mime Festival with another brilliant visual comedy. In Infinita, a cast of irresistible, larger-than-life characters are seen both as warring children, and then in later life as residents of an old people’s home. The wily games of nursery one-upmanship seem hardly to change with the passage of time; survival of the craftiest is still the rule of the day. Infinita plays out in a succession of increasingly hilarious scenes, combining poignancy, astute observation and some superbly skilled slapstick.

A show about birth, sex and old age, about our first and last moments, when the greatest miracles occur. And all without a word spoken!

‘One of the most beautiful shows I’ve seen… run, run to see it!’- Telerama

Supported by the Goethe-Institut London

THE BEST THING – World Premiere

Vamos Theatre (UK)

Jacksons Lane, 269a Archway Road, London, N6 5AA

www.jacksonslane.org.uk

Thursday 28th – Sunday 31st January, Thursday – Saturday 8pm; Sunday 5pm

Aftershow discussion: Saturday 30th January

Runs 90 mins / plus interval

Tickets: £18 (£16 concessions)

Booking: www.mimelondon.com/vamos_theatre2016

Age guidance: 12+

It’s 1966. The record player is on, her hair’s bobbed and eye-lashes curled: for seventeen year old Susan, life is an adventure waiting to begin. But what happens next turns everything upside down, and its repercussions will last for decades to come. Step into the wordless world of Vamos Theatre for this bitter-sweet story of mistaken morals and broken hearts, 45s and beehives, where sexual revolution proves a hard and rocky path to tread. Funny, heart-

breaking and human, The Best Thing is a ‘swinging sixties’ story of unconditional love. Led by artistic director, Rachael Savage, Vamos Theatre has become Britain’s leading, full mask theatre group, touring nationally and overseas with inventive and entertaining productions based on real life stories.

‘Life-affirming, funny, deeply touching and highly, highly recommended!’ – Plays To See (Finding Joy, LIMF14)

WUNDERKAMMER – London Premiere

Figurentheater Tűbingen (Germany)

The Pit, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS

www.barbican.org.uk

Tuesday 2nd – Saturday 6th February, 7.45pm

Aftershow discussion: Wednesday 3rd February

Runs 70 mins / no interval

Tickets: £18, plus booking fee

Booking: www.mimelondon.com/figurentheater_tubingen2016

Age guidance: 12+

Three puppeteers welcome you to a cabinet of curiosities where rare artefacts and familiar objects, the wonderful and the mundane, come together in near-perfect equilibrium.

One by one they mysteriously emerge: a pair of golden hands caresses human hair, long-limbed folk dance and sway, two miniature musicians comically duel it out, and an unfathomable creature floats in air and water.

Demonstrating the allure and magnetism of string marionettes, Frank Soehnle returns to the festival with a company of renowned German puppeteers who visibly orchestrate their strange cast with utmost grace, eliciting the subtlest expressions of movement. Referencing art, science and the natural world through their mystical creations, they all interact and elegantly play, to the tempo of an atmospheric score. Sweet, melancholic and sometimes tongue in cheek, Wunderkammer is a gem of puppet-theatre.

‘A fantastic reflection on the power of the imagination’ – Stuttgarter Nachrichten

Supported by the Goethe-Institut London

HE WHO FALLS (Celui qui tombe) – UK Premiere

Compagnie Yoann Bourgeois (France)

Barbican Theatre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS

www.barbican.org.uk

Wednesday 3rd – Saturday 6th February, 7.45pm

Aftershow discussion: Thursday 4th February

Runs 65 mins / no interval

Tickets: £16 – £28, plus booking fee

Online booking: www.mimelondon.com/yoann_bourgeois2016

Age guidance: 8+

Six performers appear to defy the laws of gravity, responding with strength and grace to maintain balance onboard a constantly shifting platform. When an imposing, suspended, podium begins to spin, pivot, swing and elevate, the only way to withstand its forces is through agile movement. Faced by such instability, bodies lean, climb, hang and fall, coming together and then apart, in this perilous dance of survival. A French artist equally dedicated to the circus arts and contemporary dance, Yoann Bourgeois has long been fascinated by ideas of weightlessness and the physics of suspension. For this ingenious show, he challenges performers from both disciplines to meet the physical demands of

his intriguing staging, each scenario choreographed to rousing tracks, from opera aria, Casta Diva, to Frank

Sinatra’s My Way. He Who Falls premiered at the Lyon Biennale de la Danse in 2014

‘A poetic creation … it’s impossible not to fall for its charm’ – Time Out Paris

Supported by Institut français

ALL GENIUS ALL IDIOT – UK Premiere

Svalbard (Sweden)

Jacksons Lane, 269a Archway Road, London, N6 5AA www.jacksonslane.org.uk

Wednesday 3rd – Saturday 6th February, 8pm

Aftershow discussion: Friday 5th February

Runs 60 mins / no interval

Tickets: £18 (£16 concessions)

Online booking: www.mimelondon.com/svalbard2016

Age guidance: 12+ (contains strong language)

Quirky and outrageous in equal measure, All Genius All Idiot, revels in the absurdities of life, using extreme circus artistry to highlight human behaviour at its most animalistic.

Svalbard bends the edges of contemporary circus and blends it with theatre, physical comedy and live music to create a truly original piece that you will remember for its surreal quality as well as its awe-inspiring skills. All Genius All Idiot features Chinese pole, aerial rope, hand balance and acrobatics, driven by a hauntingly beautiful and, at times, bizarre, original soundtrack played live by the performers.

Svalbard’s members met whilst training at Stockholm’s University of Dance and Circus. All Genius All Idiot is their debut show.

‘If Jim Jarmusch directed a circus show – this would be it!’ @Adrian Berry (Artistic Director, Jacksons Lane)

Film screenings and festival workshops – the full programme is available at www.mimelondon.com/film_workshops2016

EVERY INCH A WHOPPING HIT

Gary Lucy will lead the cast of The Full Monty which is coming to Darlington Civic Theatre for one week only from Monday 16 to Saturday 21 November.

In 1997, a British film about six out-of-work Sheffield steelworkers with nothing to lose, took the world by storm becoming one of the most successful British films ever made. Now, the boys are back, only this time, they really have to go The Full Monty…live on stage.

Simon Beaufoy, the Oscar winning writer of the film, has gone all the way with this hilarious and heartfelt stage adaptation that’s getting standing ovations every night on its current UK tour.

Former Hollyoaks and Eastenders star Gary Lucy is no stranger to taking his clothes off but he’s doing it for the first time on stage. He said “I had never consciously decided not to do theatre but I’ve been incredibly lucky in my career to have played so many memorable characters in some great TV series. When the producers of The Full Monty approached me about starring in the tour, I just thought that it was a great opportunity for my first stage experience. It’s a really strong script. All the characters have stories to tell, and the audience really follows that through. It’s a really great cast too, we all get on well. It’s all guys together and we’re just having a laugh.”

Oscar winning writer of the film, Simon Beaufoy, was also a stage novice. Even with a mantelpiece groaning with awards he admits that it was terrifying to begin with, but he was determined not just to create a carbon copy of the film on stage.

“I felt really strongly that audiences would want to come and see a really good play so that’s how I approached it” Simon recalls. “It was a steep learning curve for me and enormously invigorating to learn a whole new craft after 16 years writing for the cinema. I had to discover what works and what doesn’t. Ironically, it’s turned out that the story feels perfect on stage. It’s an ensemble piece about a group of men who are stuck and wondering what to do next.”

The Full Monty is at Darlington Civic Theatre from Monday 16 to Saturday 21 November.

Tickets* are £12.50 to £29.50

*All ticket prices include a £1 restoration levy.

To book contact the Box Office on 01325 486 555 or visit www.darlingtoncivic.co.uk

THE VAMPS
Plus special guests Conor Maynard, The Tide & Hometown

SHEFFIELD ARENA

THURSDAY 14^TH APRIL 2016

The Vamps are back, with a forthcoming album and a world tour! Wake Up, the album, is out 27th November and will include 18 songs and a very special free concert DVD from The Vamps sold out, headline shows at the O2 Arena. The DVD will only be available for the first 4 weeks, while stocks last, so snap up a copy quickly!

In addition to the forthcoming, highly anticipated new music, The Vamps will also be treating their fans to a number of intimate, fan rally shows in the Autumn, followed by arena dates including Sheffield Arena on Thursday 14^th April.

Tickets go on general sale at 10am on Saturday 7th November. Tickets by phone on 0114 256 5656 or online at www.sheffieldarena.co.uk are priced £10.45, £32.45 & £52.25 (including booking fee). Tickets in person at the Arena Box Office are priced £9.98, £30.98 & £49.88 (including bookg fee). Tickets are limited to 6 per person.

The fan-fests kicked off in Madrid on the 14th October, and culminate with a show in Berlin on the 9th November and will be an opportunity for The Vamps to give something back to their loyal fanbase. This will be the first moment for fans to hear some of the new tracks, and The Vamps will also host a Q&A where they can discuss the making of Wake Up, and answer any burning questions the fans have.

Following the fan rallies, The Vamps will return to the arenas for another sure to be sold out run. The Wake Up UK Tour will feature jumbo LED side screens and a sprawling stage across the arena floor so the fans can be close to the band, and with supports from Conor Maynard, The Tide and Hometown.

The Vamps have picked up a phenomenal amount of success since their launch just under 2 years ago. Their debut album Meet The Vamps went multi Platinum in a huge number of countries across the globe and charted at #2 in the UK. They have sold over 10 million singles across their five releases. Their online stats are equally impressive – Can We Dance has clocked up over 41 million YouTube views, Wild Heart over 25 million, Last Night has had over 23 million views, Somebody To You over 79 million views and Oh Cecilia (Breaking My Heart) picked up 34million. Their channel has already tipped 218 million total views and signed up over 1.2million subscribers. They frequently trend around the world on Twitter, and their Facebook has over 5.3million likes.

Tickets for the Sheffield show on Thursday 14th April 2016 will go on general sale at 10am on Saturday 7th November.