education newsletter
Wed 12 February 7.30pm | Theatre
The Urban Playground Run This Town Who runs this town? The highest office gives the best view of all but it’s a long way from the street and the quickest way is to fall…
Tue 15 October 1.30pm & 7pm | Theatre
Propeller Pocket Merchant Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice Pocket-size
‘This production is spot on in every way ‘
The Guardian (2009 production)
Under the direction of Edward Hall, Propeller is an international all-male theatre company best known for its ability to bring Shakespeare’s texts to vivid life with productions full of clarity, poetry, speed and imagination.
A group of hi-rise city workers climb the career ladder, slide on the slippery slope of success, engage in an office romance and fight to make a killing before they get the push. The Urban Playground Team is the original and premiere Performance – Parkour company bringing together urban and contemporary dance theatre with authentic French parkour, the unique electronica of Chris Umney and the stunning cinematography of Sacha Powell.
This year they have created Pocket Merchant, a pocket-sized version of their critically acclaimed 2009 production of The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare’s uncompromising tale of greed and revenge.
Their work includes performing in theatres and on the streets, in moving buses and trains, on the roofs of buildings, the top of vans and countless scaffold towers. Their work has been seen throughout the world.
After the performance, young audiences will be invited into a performance space where the actors will encourage them to express their response to the work in the freest possible way. The actors will invite questions and feedback from the audience in an open and engaging dialogue.
Tickets: £8.50
Limited Free Performance-Parkour Workshops:
The UPG Team coined the phrase ‘performance-parkour’ or ‘2PK’ to describe the use of parkour in a performance setting. Their own brand draws on elements of physical theatre, slapstick comedy, b-boying (breakdance), contemporary dance, capoeira and partner dances to produce choreographies of dynamic, explosive, and often very funny movement.
Pocket Merchant supports teaching from Key Stage Three right through to A-Level, and an Education Pack exploring the production in greater detail is also available free online to download from Propeller’s website www. propeller.org.uk.
In these workshops participants will be introduced to the fundamental principles of 2PK; explore new ways of moving and create their own sequences of choreography. The workshops will include an insight into the making of RUN THIS TOWN and using 2PK to tell simple stories.
There will also be an interactive digital platform available for students to explore the production in more depth. An example of which can be found at http://propeller.org.uk/play
Participants: Aged 11 - 18, max 24 per workshop, dressed for movement, access to drinking water. Workshops: Duration 90 minutes, school gym with vaulting horses, mats etc Leaders: Co-Directors of UPG Team Miranda Henderson & Alister O’Loughlin. DBS, First Aid. (Currently studying DDTAL at Laban which includes QTLS equivalency), Kurt Jobling, performer/workshop assistant, DBS certificate. Please contact Liz Hart on 01293 438156 or email liz.hart@crawley.gov.uk to find out more or to book a workshop.
Box Office: 01293 553636 Online: www.hawth.co.uk
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE Education Pack
Suitable for 11 year plus. Running time 1 hour, plus a 40 minute talkback.
Schools: £8 Wed 30 October 7.45pm | Studio
Uncanny Theatre Instructions for a Better Life
An absurd comedy about serious things. This is all about us, everyone that is, thinking that something is true when it isn’t. It’s a true story. It’s a look at what people believe without question and an attempt to unpick the oddity of what we think we think. Part thriller, part comedic romp through human psychology, Uncanny Theatre stretch logic to breaking point in a show that’s visually arresting and absurdly funny in all its low-tech glory.
Students: £12