Discombobulation!

Last week we had the pleasure of hosting the lovely Publick Transport in with their latest show, Discombobulated. PT's Artistic Director, Angus Barr, is a regular at Bradon Forest (having both performed with Gonzo Moose in the past, and toured the last three PT shows here) and on this occasion he was joined by the delightful Merce Ribot. The pair played members of airport security staff who were giving a demonstrative talk on security procedures and why they are important. After a brief and stern introduction from Malcom McClosky (Barr), the presentation quickly declined in to a competition between the two to either perform or inform the audience.

Varying dance routines, luggage tussles, flour fights, magic shows, Tommy Cooper impressions, Shakespeare excerpts and a role playing session led to the finale, which had to be seen to be believed. Somehow the two security officers end their presentation in an impromptu 'two man band' performance of Eternal Love... whilst covered in flashing lights... with confetti cannons. A brilliant bit of silliness, perfect for a Thursday evening!

You know it's going to be a good day when...

... you receive the copy and images for the new Gonzo Moose show!

Pegasus presents Gonzo Moose in…
GRIMM and GRIMMER
The Misadventures Of The Brothers Grimm

1806. It was cold. It was dark. It was almost certainly snowing…

Brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm and their beloved sister, Lotte travel into deepest Bavaria. They are assembling what will become the greatest collection of fairy tales ever published.

But now reality and fantasy are colliding and the family Grimm find themselves trapped in a twisted fantasy world of their own fairy tales.

Are the hapless heroes in grave danger? Yes.
From what? We can’t tell you.
Will they make it back alive? I hope so.

Having previously thrilled audiences with hit shows Is That A Bolt In Your Neck? and You Don’t Need To Know That!, Gonzo Moose are back with a comedy fairy tale adventure bursting with physical comedy, absurd jokes and magical illusion.

Featuring special guest appearances from Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, Tom Thumb, Little Red Riding Hood and Rumplestiltskin…subject to their availability.

I'm so excited already! Make sure you have November 17th in your diaries!

Ooh... we're looking forward to November already!

Get Thursday 17th November 2011 in your diary... Gonzo Moose are coming back! We've booked them for their Christmas show and are just a little bit excited about it all. As you know, the Arts are being cut all over the place. We haven't yet been given our budget for the year, but don't want you to miss out on their Christmas show... so make sure you save this date and come and support us. Gonzo Moose are one of our very favourite companies and they never fail to entertain. Let's make this a sell-out!

The Gonzo Moose Winter Show (Working Title) 
A magical comedy adventure for the whole family

"We have yet to decide the title of the show or what the story will be but rest assured it will have all the trademark Gonzo Moose touches of silliness and madcap humour suitable for the whole family.

This wonderfully inventive and gripping comedy will feature three fearless and daring actors, playing over 20 roles in 75 minutes of fast-paced fun and thrilling action. Packed full of hilarious slapstick, verbal wit, live music and magical illusion this show will have everything.

Suitable for audiences from ages 8 to 80, this is an ideal family show: packed full of hilarious slapstick, verbal wit, and magical illusion.

Over the past five years Gonzo Moose has toured all over the country to great critical acclaim and been compared to Peepolykus and Spymonkey. With irreverent humour and a vivid physical style the show is extremely accessible, visually inventive and very, very funny. "

 A Co-Production with the Pegasus Theatre, Oxford.

The Nothing Show

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. The treats don't end in December though... roll on January 21st...!

Stewart Wright (Bridget Jones' Diary, Doc Martin) will spend the afternoon working with a group of Bradon Forest students to create their own piece of physical theatre in the style of The Nothing Show.

Always engaging and by turns hilarious, whimsical and shocking. The Nothing Show is a tour de force of contemporary clowning. Dedicated to the contemplation and celebration of everyday life, this show is for anyone who would prefer to stay in bed, thinks call centres are the devil’s work and finds the daily rush to beat the clock a complete turn-off.

The two pieces will then be intertwined and performed for your entertainment that same evening!

With The Nothing Show Stewart Wright and Craig Edwards have created a vivid and rich world of possibilities through nothing more than the performer’s skill and the audience’s imagination. The clown – our hero – is on an adventure to escape the hamster wheel of routine daily life and discover a brave new world.

This is an exciting opportunity for our students to work with and perform alongside a contemporary professional actor, using more traditional physical theatre performance skills and techniques. The final collaborative performance will be a one off experience for both actors and audience members!

Stewart Wright first came to the Bradon Forest Theatre in May 2008, when he performed The Nothing Show as a work in progress. We are very excited to welcome him back for this unique performance. Back in 2008 our GCSE students came up with a piece in response to The Nothing Show, based on a scene from Dario Fo's 'Archangels Don't Play Pinball'.

It will be very interesting to see what happens when performer and students are on stage at the same time!

The Nothing Show
Friday 21st January 2011
7.30pm
Tickets: £5 students, £6 adults

Where's home for you?

You know how we love a bit of physical theatre here at Bradon Forest... well, I've just been pointed in the direction of Tangled Feet... a company who have been "devising together since 2003 with a strong belief in the power of ensemble working methods and the many benefits of a shared rehearsal and performance history." Sounds like another day in our theatre already! Check out their trailer and let me know what you think. I know the Big Top 2012 is still quite a time away, but I think they would be perfect!