Out of the darkened stage emerges the frozen static image of a classical ballerina. There is just enough light to make her out, enough dark to keep the image obscure – a glimpse of a young woman and the promise of a dance. It’s a tantalising opener and all the more evocative for its hard to […]

This adaptation, directed by John Wright, of the popular children’s stories created by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin is performed in a jovial pantomime style, with plenty of silly puns and sight gags amongst the storytelling.  The four performers each function as narrators and also play several parts using puppets and quick costume changes.  Nogbad the Bad is […]

Performed in a bouffon clowning style full of grotesque expressions, costumes, and make-up, this piece communicates clear social commentary on the treatment of the elderly and institutionalised. It features five such clowns, who thank us for coming with a gift of chocolate, and welcome us to the play they are putting on. They regularly address the […]

‘Everything sparkles in the sun.’ It’s a statement that lingers from Tom Marshman’s new theatre piece A Place in the Sun. This seemingly positive phrase is lined with a sense of blind-sightedness that makes me uncomfortable. What sparkles exactly? The sea, the sand, the all you can eat buffet, the plastic loungers, the flickers of […]

Like a deep sea dive in your own city, A Folded Path is a brisk urban walk with stimulating surround sound created by location-sensitive speakers carried by the participants. We gathered at the Watershed, Bristol, to each be handed our custom-built small wooden box with a soft leather handle containing a speaker. We all held […]