Founded in 2007, Theatre Témoin have created stand out pieces designed to address topics and ideas that may not have much of a spotlight placed on them. Physical Theatre fused with a powerful narrative leaves you with a theatrical experience not to be forgotten. Theatre Temoin’s Artistic Director Ailin Conant is renowned for her social engagement in terms of the projects she works on, working with voices that are often marginalised or forgotten about and it’s clear that this is an element that defines the company’s vision. Ahead of Theatre Témoin’s run at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival of their latest piece The Marked, Ailin spoke to us about the creation of the piece, her inspirations and who she’ll be watching at this year’s festival. Continue reading
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. 
Since 2013, multi award winning artist Trygve Wakenshaw has delighted theatre fans with his unique brand of comedy. The modern day clown, Wakenshaw is not at all afraid of challenging the theatrical norm, presenting a range of carefully crafted skits that transport you into his weird and wonderful world of colourful characters. With his works, Squidboy, Kraken and currently Nautilus all receiving rave reviews, Wakenshaw is a force to be reckoned with. Ahead of this year’s Mayfest, based in Bristol, Theatrefullstop were able to speak to Wakenshaw about working with the great Philippe Gaulier, his inspirations for his latest piece Nautilus, and he offers advice to aspiring clowning artists. 
Love going to the theatre, and have a list of shows that you’d like to see this year? Or in your life time? Well, Theatre Tokens may just be the ticket… or voucher for you! Theatre Tokens is a gift voucher scheme, allowing for theatre lovers to purchase tickets for the UK’s best loved theatre shows in over 240 theatre venues. Vouchers do not expire, and range from £5 to £20 denominations. Theatrefullstop were able to speak to Marketing Manager Megan Hall to find out more about the scheme.
What’s great about the UK in terms of theatre is that there is a wealth of shows to watch, and in a range of settings. We celebrate theatre, and support a range of venues, whether it be fringe theatre or larger scale theatres. The Theatre’s Trust is a leading advisory body for the sustainability of theatre in the UK, priding itself on the protection and preservation of UK theatres. The trust are also responsible for publishing the Theatre Buildings at Risk Register, informing the public of buildings that are deemed as being under threat from closure. Theatrefullstop were able to speak to the Theatre’s Trust to find out more about the trust.
Jean Baptiste Maillet and Romain Bermond, better known as STEREOPTIK, have entranced audiences alike since 2009 with their integration of cinematography and musical accompaniments to make pieces that truly stand out. A partnership that proves vital to the end result, Maillet and Bermond go beyond being performers of their pieces, designing every element, from the narrative, to the lighting, to the soundtrack embedded within each show. Ahead of their performance of Dark Circus at this year’s London International Festival, Theatrefullstop were able to speak Maillet and Bermond about performing at this year’s festival, how they both approach creating their work and the importance of LIMF for the promotion of physical and visual theatre.
The genre of visual theatre may seem quite vague and confusing. The term refers to a form of theatre that uses techniques other than speech to communicate a story. This can be anything from mime, to physical theatre, art installations to puppetry. The Wrong Crowd proudly bear the torch for visual theatre, integrating visually stunning puppets with an inventive narrative. Ahead of The Wrong Crowd’s London International Mime Festival debut of their show, Kite, Theatrefullstop were able to speak to the theatre company’s co-director and puppet designer and director, Rachael Canning about the festival’s importance in the theatre world, Kite‘s central themes and other artists she is looking forward to watching at this year’s festival.
Today marks the beginning of a month long celebration of all things Circus, Film, Visual Theatre, Physical Theatre and Puppetry. The London International Mime Festival has been championing leading voices in a range of theatrical disciplines for 4 decades now, and shows no signs of slowing down. A total of 18 shows promise to surprise, inspire and bring a sense of daring with their individual perspectives on the world. Theatrefullstop were able to speak with Joint Artistic Director of Ockham’s Razor, Charlotte Mooney who will be presenting Tipping Point at this year’s festival about the festival’s importance within the theatre world, how Tipping Point was created and the audience’s reactions to the show so far!