Sitting down at Sadler’s Wells to see Vamos Cuba the expectations keep rising. As I browse through the program I gather there is a storyline and that consequently the show will be so much more than just bouncing and shaking at the sound of Cuban music. The format seems similar to that of a musical, even though the main form of communication will be through dance and the performers will not be the ones singing but rather the singers who join the band.
The ethos of Wilderness is to switch off from the busyness of the outside world and to immerse yourself into a tranquil world of creativity, culture and new ideas. The best part of it is… you are surrounded by the beautiful picturesque views of Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire having left all your cares and worries at home!
Recovering from the breakdown of a relationship isn’t easy, and we usually deal with the effects of heartbreak behind closed doors. For some, an added layer of humiliation sadly taints the process of moving on by having their intimate moments plastered on various revenge porn sites. The fast paced nature of social media and online forums make it impossible to escape from, and this is becoming a sad reality. Award winning writer and performer Charlotte Josephine draws on this topic to create the very timely BLUSH, which will take residency at the Underbelly, Cowgate next month in Edinburgh. Ahead of the festival, Theatrefullstop speaks to Charlotte about performing at this year’s festival, her inspirations for creating BLUSH and the process to creating the piece. Continue reading
In 2015, refugees and migrants fled from various parts of the world including Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq to seek asylum in the EU. Titled ‘The Migrant Crisis’, this sad state of affairs dominated the headlines and continues to do so as 1000s of innocents lost their lives in the hopes of escaping hardship and began to open a younger generation’s eyes in the West as to the various atrocities taking place world wide. Brought to light in Tess Berry-Hart‘s Cargo, migration begins to unravel its complex nature.
Describing O! No as a one man show feels misleading, given Jaimie Wood’s collaborative approach to performance art. I’m speaking from experience here: at one point during the performance, I am enlisted as a member of an orchestra, playing a makeshift instrument supposedly symbolising ‘the expansion and contraction of dreams in this world’. At another point, I am told to enact my own death before the audience.
The Gob Squad is a crowd pleasing addition to Latitude’s theatre program. The four person improv troupe become a regular fixture on the festival site; you can see them daily, running half naked through fields wielding nothing but selfie sticks.
Art for Eating is a discreet highlight of the Latitude festival. Tucked away on the Forest Fringe stage, the show is based on a simple conceit; a couple wish to know if it is possible to recreate the best meal they ever had, enjoyed on their honeymoon in China. Two volunteers in the audience are called upon to eat noodles, drink beer and meticulously recreate the movements of a conversation held some years ago.
Seizing the Little House Arena at Latitude, Christopher Brett-Bailey’s latest show gets off to a rocky start. Running almost half an hour late (in what has otherwise been a very tightly orchestrated festival), the audience wait confusedly outside. Eventually, we are admitted inside and Christopher explains the problem. His show is designed to be played at 120 decibels; at that volume, you would be able to hear it at all other stages on the Festival site: the organisers are having second thoughts. Before there is any time to really contemplate this, a steward marches through the crowd hurling neon ear plugs and Christopher proudly declares that they are going to do it anyway until “the Narcs shut us down”.
Séance is an immersive theatre project conceived by Glen Neath and David Rosenberg. Housed in an intimate shipping container, attendees are seated around a table before being plunged into total darkness, beginning an experience that will make even die-hard sceptics squirm.
Mindfulness and meditation, two constructs that have erupted within contemporary culture, but have you ever considered the roots of both practices and the place of origin? Shangri-La, is a play that explores the place rather than the myth, empathetic considering impact and circumstance of mass tourism. Situated in the Himalayan foothills of China’s Yunnan Province, officially renamed ‘Shangri-La’ in a successful bid for the tourist dollar, this play provokes disequilibrium highlighting conflict and anger.
