Tempting Failure 2013 promised ‘an immersive experience of live art & noise’. It certainly delivered. Curated and produced by Thomas John Bacon, the festival is now in its second year. The setting? The Island, a disused police station situated at the heart of inner city Bristol. The site itself stank of a rich history of […]

Brighton Festival has a long-standing commitment to what was once called ‘street theatre’ or ‘street arts’ but which now tends to be called ‘outdoor arts’. Which is – or at least in Total Theatre’s opinion should be – work that is presented in public spaces, free to audiences and ideally unticketed, so that the passer-by […]

Ebrington is a huge and chillingly evocative reclaimed military complex turned new civic centre on the East bank of the river Foyle (and the destination of the EU-funded Peace bridge which now, stunningly, connects the two halves of the city, Catholic and Protestant). It is here that Derry-Londonderry City of Culture have chosen to stage […]

It’s the final seconds of the final scene of the final performance of How a Man Crumbled at the Edinburgh Fringe 2012, and an audience member has just had a panic attack. Her friend assures me afterwards that she’s OK. Not to give too much away but the scene involves offal. Whilst audience reactions are not always […]

As I write (April 2013), the new dreamthinkspeak show In the Beginning was the End has just finished a run at Somerset House; Look Left Look Right (who won a Total Theatre Award for their show You Once Said Yes, set on the streets and public spaces of Edinburgh) open their latest one-on-one show Above and Beyond, commissioned for […]