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STREET FESTIVAL BIG IN FALKIRK Falkirk, Fri 24 May-Mon 3 June
The street is, after the church, the oldest venue for theatre in Europe, dating back at least to medieval times. Surprising, then, that it’s still one of the centres of theatrical innovation in contemporary performance. Your chance to see a good deal of this sort of thing is Big In Falkirk, a huge celebration of street theatre in, on the face of it, another implausible venue.
‘Every single train stops there,’ says festival director Neil Butler. ‘When we first started the festival two years ago, I was contacted by Radio 1 about what the best place to hold a big live event was: Glasgow or Edinburgh? I immediately said Falkirk. It has 3.6 million people within a half hour’s travel, and all the trains stop there. Also, they’ve got a great council, which has been very supportive, and there are . good funders in the area, like ’ f ., . .
British Waterways and British ' '
Petroleum who are also s ', supporting us. The first year we r ‘ . ml ah." ‘ . . i"- ’ " got 70,000 people, and the next, Adherents of physical theatre: Sticky which we decided to do without
Radio 1 brought us 78,000. This year we expect to get Glasgow’s year of architecture, but not seen in this 100,000, with Radio 2’s live music festival topping country since, which incorporates a vast structure and tailing the event.’ made entirely from Sellotape. It all sounds very
If you’re one of these punters, you can expect a gripping. variety of entertainment all over town. A highlight is So, too Heir Of Insanity, an outdoor trapeze act Arka, in which the Polish company, Theatre Of The performed upon an inflatable structure. It sounds Eighth Day, bring a huge wood and cloth ship to sail pretty hairy, but it’s probably considerably less through the streets of Falkirk. The piece incorporates dangerous than travelling on a privatised train. all of the concepts associated with the idea of an Finally, for more conventionally-minded theatregoers, Ark. ‘With all the talk about asylum seekers at the there’s an As You Like It. Performed as a site-specific moment it’s quite relevant, but it’s also very production in Callendar Park by a group calling itself accessible,’ Butler says. ‘l’m taking my kids along.’ the Glasgow Repertory Company, it incorporates
England’s Improbable Theatre, whose designer some of the Flexible Deadlock crew, who’ve had Julian Crouch has recently won awards for his success with this kind of work before. All this, and production of Shockheaded Peter is presenting the world’s biggest busking competition: just enjoy. Sticky, a piece originally commissioned for (Steve Cramer)
PUPl )E l HY
STREET OF BLOOD Tramway, Glasgow, Fri 31 May—Sun 2 Jun
Street Of Blood features; a rape. a CfththXIOtt and a vampire getUng stabbed by Jesus. Some-tunes; Ronnie Burkett Wonders; ‘.'./hat was; going through his; head. ‘I put stuff In that l‘l were to sit doz'rn and lltmk about rt. I would shy away from.’ says; the Canadian performer.
Hrs; one-man show is; that rare thing: a piece of puppet theatre for adults; Unlike your average Punch and .Judy. it l()tl(;l‘.()f; on AIDS. religion and celebrity worship. Audle".ces; say it moved thorn to tears. Telling the tale of [idna Rural. a reactionary plillfifh'lO‘f/ll housewife. her
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Stage Whispers
The talk of the green room
Wt llSPl‘RS IS SO geared up for the World Cup that he's got himself a Zldane haircut. And If you're a'tother ylctlm of that anxrous; oeuple of weeks; between domestic and international football. you might take comfort :n lsos;celes; Productions On Our Way To l/sbon. This two-hander. written by Patrick Prior and performed by Pat Abernethy and Dave Marsden, recreates; the Journey of two fans to Celtic's; famous; 1967' Furopean Cup victory over Inter Milan. This; piece has; already been \.'-./armly received Il‘. london. so llS premier at The Arches; ll‘. Glasgow «Thu 30 May
Sat 1 Jun. should galvanise the Parkhead faithful.
ALSO AT THE
Arches, there’s an opportunity for aspiring designers, be their speciality lighting, set, costume or sound. Designer Sarah Paulley runs her theatre design summer school for six intensive days in July. If you’re free from 15 until 21 July, and you’ve got a spare £150, you never know what you might learn. Book by phoning 0141 565 1011. FDINBURGl l'S THEATRE \«Vorks;hop's; prtxluctzon of Its;
t ondon namesake's; classic Oh. lit/hat A lovely ‘./"./.'1." comes as; a pleasant Stlrl)l"8(2. Director Robert Rae will present Joan
l ltt!e\.'./ood's; epoch- vnaklng piece of post war theatre through the 100 strong community company winch one hopes; wrll help lll expEonng the epic qualities; of this; yzrulent condemnation of the Insa'llty of the Great War. Opening on Tue -"~ Jun. the DlOCO runs; untrl Sat 15) Jun.
The Maids
AND IF YOU HAVE A taste for classic European theatre, you can see some for free from Thu 30 May until Sat 1 June at the Gateway, Edinburgh. Here, Lizzie Eldridge will direct Genet’s dark exploration of illusion and reality, The Maids. This celebrated piece, exploring multifarious gender possibilities will start at 7.30pm each night.
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