Mime, mask, physical and devised theatre, live art, puppetry, circus, street arts... This and more can be found in Total Theatre Magazine. But where does music fit into all this? There is an obvious and strong relationship between music and physical/visual performance – as was explored in our most recent Critical Practice seminar, held during the London International Mime Festival. Following on from this, we have two interrelated articles: one – from Paul Clark of Clod Ensemble – explores the role of the composer in collaborative theatre making, and ways in which music and physical performance can interact. The other is by one of Paul's collaborators, John Wright, who has taken time out from Told By An Idiot's busy schedule to work on the new Opera Circus production, The Case.
Meanwhile, back in the jungle, we find Mitch Mitchelson on his bike in Bali, exploring the glorious and the grotesque amongst the chickens. Moving in the opposite direction (east to west) is Alex Mermikides, who looks at the influence of kung fu on contemporary British theatre. Mischa Twitchin highlights the plight of the Little Angel Theatre, one of the country's few dedicated puppet theatres, and David Leddy gives us a run-down of Scotland's vibrant all-year-round performance capital (that's Glasgow, not Edinburgh) – which recently hosted the National Review of Live Arts and New Territories festival. David has no regrets about leaving London and has nothing but praise for Glasgow and its venues. The question of venues – and their role in presenting theatre at a time when artists are more and more frequently taking work into unusual spaces or streets – is explored in 'Burn Down The Theatre?’
It's one thing taking work to new audiences outside of the dedicated theatre spaces – quite another finding ways to bring audiences into the venues. One of the obvious target groups is young people: Phil Gunderson reports on Fresh – a festival of theatre by and for young people. And Geoff Beale goes up to Liverpool to write about Hope Street, one of the country's most innovative theatre training schools.
Should you be looking for a summer training course, you'll find plenty in our listings section – from Corporeal Mime in Paris to Noh in Kyoto, Singing Clown in the Netherlands to Pantheatre's residency on the theme of Scandal in the Italian countryside (with swimming pool...).
Enjoy the summer sunshine – and enjoy the theatre, wherever you find it, indoors or out.
