Matthew Austin
Arts and CultureSome things which are happening soon… and some things I like
Really need to get back into the swing of this thing. It’s been terribly neglected recently. A bit of TLC. Yes.
So here’s a bumper list of some things that I will be seeing/listening to over the next few weeks:
LAUNCH OF INBETWEEN TIME
Helen Cole, formerly Live Art Producer at Arnolfini is launching her new production company-cum-festival this Friday. There’s a party with shows by Action Hero and Tom Marshman, and it should be a lot of fun. The website for Inbetween Time is still under construction, but keep checking back – it’ll be launching this week.
GREYSCALE – SPRING TOUR
Very exciting new company. A group of actors, directors and writers with an excellent track record are touring two one-man shows, Stewart Lee’s What Would Judas Do? and Tim Crouch’s My Arm. First time both of these plays will have been performed by another actor. They’re also developing two new plays which will be shown in development alongside the Lee/Crouch shows.
They’re so new they don’t even have a website yet, but they’re showing at Oran Mor in Glasgow, Northern Stage in Newcastle and Ustinov in Bath. Check them out.
EVERYTHING EVERYTHING
New favourite band. Also loving the return of Field Music, Local Natives, Passion Pit, Delphic, the new Gorillaz song, some old Pavement, and the last Bonny Prince Billy album.
MAYFEST 2010 PROGRAMME ANNOUNCEMENT
We’re going to be announcing the programme for Mayfest 2010 very soon. It’s possible we’re going to do it bit by bit. Or it may be all at once. We’re also about to launch a new website. It’s all ridiculously exciting. Cue lots of exclamation marks!!!!!!!
FIREBIRD THEATRE – THE TEMPEST
There are two very different versions of The Tempest happening in Bristol this Spring. One is by Shakespeare at the Tobacco Fatcory, the other by Bristol’s Firebird Theatre. A group of disabled actors, this show is sure to be an extraordinary experience if their past work is anything to go by. It premieres at Bristol Old Vic on 4, 5 and 6 March and then tours to Salisbury and Taunton. Bristol Old Vic is selling very well by the way, so you might like to book tickets sooner rather than later.
PLUS…
A new dance platform at Circomedia, Ausform at The Cube and the very slow emergence from the depths of winter into the first signs of Spring.
Over and out. Promise not to leave it so long next time.
Bristol Ferment
I’ll be hanging out at Bristol Old Vic for quite a lot of this week watching new scratch/work-in-progress showings of some shows. It’s the first incarnation of the theatre’s new development programme. If you’re up to speed with the various artists making work in and around Bristol at the moment, you’ll recognise many of the names. Go here to see the full programme. They’ve done some lovely leaflets too, courtesy of Document. Check it out…
Quiet
Haven’t really posted much here recently. I’m going to try and write more, but other things keep taking over.
In the meantime: follow me on Twitter for some more immediate soundbites: @mostin
Melanie Wilson: Iris Brunette at the Tobacco Factory
I saw this show in Edinburgh and loved it. Well worth checking out:
Melanie Wilson: Iris Brunette
20 & 21 November, 7pm
Twenty people enter the intimate, sound filled landscape of a post apocalyptic city devastated by war and take their seats at a cluster of small café tables. They are both audience and participants, helping to forge the journey of Iris Brunette, the protagonist in this evocative one woman show.
Inspired by Chris Marker’s cult 1960s film La Jetée, we follow Iris as she journeys into the past, attempting to piece together memories of a lost city and a delicate friendship pulled apart by the outbreak of war.
When she speaks, the darkness is magnified, as if she has wormed her way inside your head. Her solo show, Iris Brunette, is not just a performance: it is a state of mind. Lyn Gardner, The Guardian
Tickets: £10 (£8 concessions)
Box Office: 0117 902 0344
Online: www.tobaccofactory.com
Booking advisable due to limited capacity.
Mayfest 2010: Call for Proposals
We are now accepting proposals for performances, projects and theatre events for our Mayfest 2010 programme. If you are a theatre-maker and are interested in presenting new work as part of this festival, or if you have a burning idea for a project or any other thoughts you’d like to put our way, then please drop Kate a line on kate[at]mayfestbristol.co.uk.
Deadline for submissions is 11th December 2009 at 5pm. Proposals should be no longer than 500 words and we will give priority to work that has not been seen in Bristol before.
Thank you.
We are a small team, so please be patient if you don’t receive a response from us immediately.
Mem Morrison: Ringside at The Guildhall in Bath
The ICIA (Institute of Contemporary Interdisciplinary Arts) in Bath is staging Mem Morrison’s new performance event Ringside at The Guildhall in Bath on Friday 27 November. We had Mem’s show Leftovers as part of Mayfest 2008, staged in a greasy spoon cafe in Bedminster and it was a highlight of the festival, so I’m really looking forward to this.
Ringside is structured around the traditions of the Turkish-Cypriot wedding ceremony and based on his own experiences, encompassing the horror and pleasure of all those he has attended himself throughout his lifetime. Appropriately, the event takes place in Bath’s historic Guildhall, itself a well-used wedding venue in the centre of the city.
Ringside takes a sideways look at the pressure we’re under to get married. Creating scenarios we all recognise, Mem invites you to his would-be wedding to meet his potential brides. Amusing, and at times moving, Morrison’s highly personal work draws on his own experiences as a gay man growing up in a Turkish-speaking community where sexuality isn’t really talked about. The expectation of his own marriage to a woman was always apparent – and re-enforced at each wedding.
In an interview with Canan Marasligil from the British Council, Netherlands, Mem explains that:
“It’s about culture, religion… it raised the debate about the pressure of marriage on men and women. I felt I had to take the responsibility to be a sort of role model for the younger generation, to empower them and tell them “you have a voice.”
Mem Morrison is a performance artist, director and writer who has been making his own work since 1995. He is interested in exploring issues around identity, sexuality, memory and culture – and those of personal history and authenticity. Mem has created projects for stage, galleries and site-specific locations. The work varies in scale from solo to collaborations with sound artists, filmmakers, musicians and community groups.
Previous works include Showroom (1997) which laments the break-up of a relationship and Undo (2004) confronting his real-life classroom bullies. Ringside follows the success of Leftovers which continues to tour both to theatres and greasy spoon cafes throughout the UK.
“Humanity, tenderness, honesty and indeed universality all inform Ringside” The Herald
“Thoughtful exploration of the roles we play and how these tally up with who we really are” Time Out
Tickets: £9/£7 concession
ICIA Box Office: 01225 386777
www.bath.ac.uk/icia
http://www.artsadmin.co.uk/projects/artist.php?id=50
Bristol Jam: Beardyman, Phil Kay, Portico Quartet and loads more…
I’m getting excited about Bristol Jam. It’s a new improvisation festival set up by Tom Morris, the new Artistic Director at Bristol Old Vic, and I’m working on the marketing for it this year. There’s a huge range of work, and there are shows being added daily. Here are some of the highlights so far
Beardyman’s Complete and Utter Shambles (beatboxing, jazz, theatre)
Phil Kay: Winging It (crazy comedy impro)
Portico Quartet and Sweet Billy Pilgrim
Improvised versions of Hamlet and The Seagull by The Factory
Join the Bristol Jam ning to find out more and get show updates as they are announced…
Residence in Residence full programme
Hello everyone,
Here’s the full programme for the Residence event this weekend at the Tobacco Factory.
Friday 11 and Saturday 12 September 2009
Tiobacco Factory Theatre
Raleigh Road
Bristol, BS3 1TF
Booking: 01179020344
Tickets: Pay what you can (minimum £5 for both days)
if you’d like to attend breakfast or dinner please email residencemail@gmail.com
FULL PROGRAMME
Friday 11 September
7:30pm: Doors
7:30pm – 10:30pm: Search Party one-to-one
8:00pm: Welcome and introduction
8:15pm: Muddled State performance
9:30pm: Tom Marshman performance
12:00am: Close
Saturday 12 September
11:00am: Breakfast
12:00pm: Discussion about artist-led initiatives chaired by Theatre Bristol
1:00pm – 7:00pm: Tinned Fingers installation + Jo Bannon performance
2:00pm: Edward Rapley performance
3:00pm: NWN talk
3:10pm: New Work discussion
5:00pm: Tom Wainwright performance
6:00pm: Tiny Ideas (works-in-progress from non-Residence members)
8pm: Dinner
9:30pm: Party starts (Simon Cassidy playing records)
10:30pm: Action Hero party piece
10:45pm: Tom Marshman party piece
Residence in Residence at Tobacco Factory Theatre
Residence are taking over The Tobacco Factory next weekend. It’s our first properly public event, and is a chance to find out a bit more about what we do, why we do it and what we’re planning for the future.
There’ll be discussions about artist-led organisations and ‘new ways for new work’, performances from Tom Marshman, Edward Rapley, Tom Wainwright, Muddled State, Jo Bannon, Search Party and Tinned Fingers, food and drink, a party and a special Tiny Ideas (our pre-scratch event where artists can test out tiny little germs of ideas in front of a supportive audience). The weekend is being organised in collaboration with Theatre Bristol, New Work Network and the Tobacco Factory, and we’ve also invited lots of interesting people to come and talk. It’s an absolute bargain at £5 a ticket and you can book on 0117 902 0344.
Here’s the eflyer, and you can find out more on www.residence.org.uk
Bristol Jam network now live!
Check out the Bristol Jam network here. Bristol Jam is the UK’s first festival of improvised performance, and runs at Bristol Old Vic between 16th and 24th October.
