BIG BANG Inspiring the next generation
LEARNING AND PARTICIPATION BEHIND THE SCENES WORKSHOPS SCHOOLS PROJECTS
LEARNING & PARTICIPATION NEWSLETTER WINTER 2017-18 / EDITION 7 01202 280000 www.lighthousepoole.co.uk IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
INTRODUCTION Welcome back. We hope you had a wonderful and restful holiday period and are feeling rejuvenated! There are so many highlights, opportunities and shows coming up that I am excited to share with you. As well as the everinspiring programme of visiting shows, over the coming season we will be continuing to co-produce our own selection of performances, some of which will be brought to your attention within this issue. We are excited to announce several budding artistic partnerships, as well as to take a moment to celebrate the results of various longstanding ones. For instance, I am directing a new play Dominoes by Phoebe McIntosh in the Sherling Studio in March as part of our ongoing partnership with Black Theatre Live. The play will then tour the UK, finishing in London. In contrast to this budding collaboration, our long-established partnership with Angel Exit sees their return to the Sherling Studio with The Drive, which we co-produced last year. Another highlight to look out for is Yellow Earth’s Mountains. Again part of our partnership relationship with Black Theatre Live the show is based on the bestselling memoir Sweet Mandarin by Helen Tse which tells the story of family survival and how we are brought together over food. The show contains live cooking on stage! Coming away from theatre and drama, we will be leading a new cohort of Young Technicians this year, putting some young creatives through their technical paces. We are also working with Audacious to produce several engagement opportunities, tied to their upcoming festival Light Up Poole (Feb 15-17). These include a two-day Film Poetry workshop, an outreach music project entitled Sounds of Poole and finally a Vlogging workshop taking place at Bournemouth University. You can discover more about these opportunities on page 5. We look forward to welcoming you and working with you!
Stephen Wrentmore, Artistic Producer
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CONTENTS WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO Partnerships
4-7
LEARNING AND PARTICIPATION OPPORTUNITIES COMING UP FOR SCHOOLS National Theatre Live On The Big Screen
8
Dance And Physical Theatre
8
Music 8 Exhibitions 8 Drama 9
BEHIND THE SCENES Pre Show Discussion
10
Post Show Discussion
10
Meet and Greet After the Show
10
WORKSHOPS Company Workshops
11
Young Technicians
12
SCHOOLS PROJECTS Armonico Consort
13
Partner Schools
13
ITS OUR 40TH BIRTHDAY! LOOK OUT FOR SPECIAL EVENTS! BIG BANG NEWSLETTER EDITION 7 3
WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO PARTNERSHIPS Here at Lighthouse over the past few months, some wonderful new artistic partnerships have been forged, whilst established ones have continued to flourish. Phoebe Mcintosh
Dominoes One of the wonderful things about working at Lighthouse is the opportunity to join forces with artists to make ground-breaking work. This process is as much about the artists’ development as it is about our own as an organisation, and being part of that is a stimulating notion. Our latest creative foray has proved this tenfold. From January, our Sherling Studio is set to be the lucky host to Phoebe McIntosh as she rehearses and develops her play Dominoes. This production is the direct result of a budding creative partnership between Phoebe, Stephen, Black Theatre Live, and Lighthouse. Inspired by research undergone at UCL into the legacy of British slave-ownership and the compensation the Slave-owners received, the show weaves together themes of race, loyalty, friendship and the tension between the past and present and the effect that has upon the future. Working with Phoebe on this show has already proved to be a rewarding and illuminating experience. One of the many things it has brought to light is the impact that our shared past continues to have on us in the present day. We hope that audiences will take inspiration from the piece, and perhaps begin the process of unpacking what lies within our collective past and even their own family trees and genealogies. The play will show on Friday 16 & Saturday 17 March and will be followed by a post-show discussion where the audience will be encouraged to ask Phoebe about the research and inspiration behind the story. Lighthouse’s own Artistic Producer, Stephen Wrentmore, is directing the piece. You can find out more about the research behind the piece on UCL’s website: www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs.
‘To be selected to work with a venue like Lighthouse is such an exciting thing. It really is unique in the region and well known among artists like me looking for somewhere to showcase their work. I can’t wait to develop this and future shows there.’ PHOEBE MCINTOSH
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WRITTEN & PERFORMED BY PHOEBE MCINTOSH
Audacious
Light Up Poole Festival In February something truly exciting is switching on in Poole… Celebrating local culture, architecture and talent, Lighthouse and associate company Audacious are launching Poole’s very first Festival of Light, as part of our 40th birthday celebrations. The festival will comprise of a trail of interactive, multisensory exhibitions and installations, designed to enthral, engage, and excite all. Beginning at Lighthouse with a huge projection of brand new interactive game Flo, the trail will take a winding route all around Poole and will include a ginormous interactive maze of lights and sounds entitled Squid Soup and funky installations in innovative locations (such as empty shop fronts!). Festival creator and Lighthouse Associate Artist Libby Battaglia says the event will inspire creativity and encourage a sense of cohesion within the community.
Digital Light Art Festival 2018 THU 15 - SAT 17 FEB
The festival will also include three different learning and participation opportunities, allowing the people of Dorset to get directly involved with the programme of work. First off, we have Lucy English from Bath Spa University, who will be running a series of Film Poetry workshops in preparation for a competition which will be open for submissions from along the south coast. The best five Film Poems will be programmed into the festival and one overall winner will receive a £500 prize! Another interesting opportunity comes from sound and visual artist Jon Adams, who will be running several outreach projects in local schools. The students will be sent out and about with the challenge of collecting the ‘sounds of Poole’. On their return to the classroom, Jon will teach the students how to manipulate these sounds and create their own soundtracks. These soundtracks will then become part of the festival, acting as the ‘soundscape’ of the trail. Finally, Bournemouth University are running a series of ‘vloggin’ workshops for students aged 16 and over. Within these sessions participants will learn editing, writing, filming and marketing skills, in preparation for the festival, where they will become the official vloggers, creating an informal record of all the events. Each of these events presents a fantastic opportunity to get involved in something that will engage not just the residents in Poole, but hopefully those across Dorset. Here at Lighthouse, we are thrilled to be supporting such an innovative project and would love to encourage as many people to take part as possible! If you would like to get involved in any of the three participatory opportunities listed above, or would just like a little more information about the programme of events, please get in touch at learning@lighthousepoole.co.uk.
Booking Fees: Prices quoted are for tickets booked in person at the Ticket Office. Tickets booked via telephone or online are subject to a booking fee of up to £1.75 per ticket.
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WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO BSO
Meet The Music An excellent perk of sharing a building with BSO is that we have the exciting opportunity to collaborate and produce a range of innovative events. Our latest collective effort has taken the form of a season of informal demonstrations and introductions to musical style from BSO players, taking place on selected Thursday lunchtimes. These are perfect practical bitesize introductions to music for your students. Each performance, of which there will be five, will focus on a different, key moments in musical history. The aim is to explore the social, political and historical context of famous pieces of classical music, to help audience members connect with and gain a greater understanding of them. Throughout the session, the players will dissect sections of the music through demonstrations and then as a conclusion, will play the music through in its entirety. We are really thrilled to be bringing this opportunity to our audiences. The performances will offer a rare chance to connect with and observe orchestral players in an informal setting, and provide spectators with new and exciting ways to relate to famous, often notoriously difficult to access, pieces of music.
Thursday 22 February
Baroque Period - Vivaldi Four Seasons SPRING Thursday 29 March
Classical Period - Haydn STRING QUARTET NO.2 OP.33 IN E FLAT MAJOR “THE JOKE” - PRESTO Thursday 26 April
Romantic Period - Tchaikovsky SOUVENIR DE FLORENCE OP.70 Thursday 31 May
Early Modern Period - Debussy SONATA FOR FLUTE, VIOLA & HARP Thursday 28 June
20th Century Period - Messian QUATUOR POUR LA FIN DU TEMPS Schools tickets are available!
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Diverse City Our long-standing partnership with Diverse City, a wonderfully ingenious integrated circus company, has produced some brilliant work throughout this past year – including a summer performance residency here at Lighthouse. Here is Alice from Diverse City, to tell us a bit more about the residency… Extraordinary Bodies Young Artists (EBYA) is Diverse City’s performance training company for 16-30 year olds based at Lighthouse in Poole. For one week in August Extraordinary Bodies Young Artists (EBYA) took over the Lighthouse Concert Hall for a masterclass combining aerial circus, dance, theatre and music. The week was led by professional circus artists, dancers and musicians, both disabled and non-disabled, who brought together 30 local young artists to perform in the premier of the company’s new show ‘Becoming’.
‘With a packed-out audience of over 130 people the work blew audiences away: “It was joyful, celebratory and brave’ AUDIENCE MEMBER
‘In EBYA everyone is treated as an individual. Everyone takes part. There is no discrimination. I no longer see peoples’ disability, I see the person.’ EBYA MEMBER 2017
Becoming is a show about growing up, being on a journey and travelling toward who you really are. The show toured to Roundabout Festival in Poole and Circus City Festival in Bristol. Young artists in the company share talent, determination and a desire to create a more inclusive world.
EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES AHEAD In 2018 EBYA are expanding and AUDITIONS will be held on Saturday 27th January. If you are age 16-30 and have a passion for the performing arts, visit Diverse City’s website to find out more and book a place at the auditions. Diverse City are proud to be one of Lighthouse’s Leading Lights.
Mac’s Arcadian
Great Odds In contrast to our long-standing relationship with Diverse City, a relatively new partnership, with theatre company Mac’s Arcadian, has produced some similarly enchanting work. Working with the company on a new Lighthouse co-production Great Odds was a stimulating, challenging and (most importantly!) fun experience. During the lead up to their world premiere, Mac’s Arcadian took up residence in our Sherling Studio, for the final week of rehearsals. Their presence filled our studio with a delightful sense of creativity and we were all very happy to have them here!
‘A wonderfully playful and exciting performance. I love that it is fully inclusive for deaf audiences and interactive for the children. Brilliant theatre for families with young people and children...’ DAVID YOUNG
‘I really loved it!!!!’ A YOUNG AUDIENCE MEMBER…
One of the many wonderful things that this process helped to illuminate was the many different, imaginative and inclusive ways that a narrative can be brought to life. To tell its story, the performance used a combination of BSL, spoken word, music, sound, visual storytelling and puppetry. In this way the show became a delightful space to explore communication, whilst being fully accessible to all audiences. To celebrate its opening, we invited some fabulous test subjects to form an audience for the dress rehearsal. This lucky crew included some children from Oakdale Junior, one of our partner schools. You can read more about our relationship with our partner schools on page 13.
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LEARNING AND PARTICIPATION OPPORTUNITIES COMING UP FOR SCHOOLS As ever, Lighthouse is offering a wide variety of activities and shows to see or get involved in. Check out the Lighthouse programme or our website for a full list of shows and events, as there are additional opportunities that may be of interest beyond what is listed here.
MUSIC Saturday 17 February BSO presents
Heroes and Monsters
Many shows have discounts for students/school groups. We also run a ‘Live for 5’ scheme for 14-25 year olds, which allows entry to many shows for only £5 if signed up.
Once again BSO is bringing the epic soundtracks of the silver screen to the Concert Hall. Featuring films with monsters galore including, Dracula, King Kong, Jurassic Park and Jaws.
Phone Box Office on 01202 280000 or visit www.lighthousepoole.co.uk for ticket details.
CONCERT HALL
NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE ON THE BIG SCREEN Wednesday 17 January
Follies (Encore) A chance to see Stephen Sondheim’s legendary musical from the comfort of Lighthouse’s cinema.
‘Stunning’ TIME OUT CINEMA
Thursday 22 & Tuesday 27 February
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Encore) Sienna Miller and Jack O’Connell star in this thrilling revival of Williams’ twentieth century masterpiece.
CINEMA
Thursday 22 March, Wednesday 11 & Tuesday 17 April
Julius Caesar
February – May Studio Jazz series
Modern Jazz – Friday evenings 26 January – Arun Ghosh Quintet (African infused, funkladen sounds), 9 February – Ian Shaw with Barry Green (witty repartee and fantastic music), 23 February - John Etheridge’s Sweet Chorus (Melodic-based, swinging acoustic Jazz), 9 March – Nerija (exciting and original music inspired by Jazz, Hip Hop and Afrobeat), 23 March – Brandon Allen Quartet (a tribute to legendary saxophonist Gene Sammons), 6 April – Christian Brewer Quartet (Funky Jazz in the Blue Note tradition) 20 April Renato d’Aiello Quartet (beautiful Jazz standards and originals).
SHERLING STUDIO
February – June Lighthouse and BSO present
Meet the Music More info on page 6
SHERLING STUDIO
EXHIBITIONS 23 January
A new take on Shakespeare’s bloody tale of jealousy, betrayal and murder.
Cézanne Portraits of a Life
CINEMA
A chance to see one of the most talked about exhibitions of the year. Featuring interviews with curators and experts from galleries around the globe.
DANCE AND PHYSICAL THEATRE Tuesday 27 March Motionhouse presents
Charge Centred around the theme of energy, this incredible new multimedia show delves deep into the human body to trace the integral part energy plays in human life. A thought provoking fusion of art and science, this is a show not to be missed.
THEATRE
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CINEMA
DRAMA Tuesday 13 February Red Earth Theatre presents
Mirror, Mirror A mischievous spin on the ever-popular tale of Snow White. Combining puppetry, visual storytelling and sign language.
Suitable for ages 5+ SHERLING STUDIO
Wednesday 21 February Bellow Theatre presents
Bare Skin on Briny Waters Two young women stand on a cliff edge steadily being blown on an unexpected course.
Suitable for ages 14+ SHERLING STUDIO
Friday 23 & Saturday 24 February Wizard presents
I Believe in Unicorns Meet Tomas, a boy who hates school and hates reading even more! That is, until the day he comes across Unicorn lady in his local library… Join us on this magical journey and have this beautiful production turn your world inside out.
THEATRE
Tuesday 6 – Wednesday 7 March Blackeyed Theatre presents
Friday 16 & Saturday 17 March
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde
Black Theatre Live and Lighthouse present
Immerse yourself in the myth and mystery of 19th century London in this thrilling adaptation of the dark psychological classic.c.
A new play written and performed by Phoebe McIntosh explores identity, who we are and where we fit in.
‘One of the most innovative, audacious companies working in contemporary English Theatre’ THE STAGE Suitable for ages 11+ THEATRE
Saturday 10 March Goblin Theatre presents
Peter & the Wolf Featuring new music inspired by Prokofiev’s classic, this is Peter and the Wolf as you’ve never seen it before. Be prepared to be astonished by Goblin Theatre’s ingenuity and imagination.
Unmissable children’s theatre’ HHHHH THE PEG REVIEW SHERLING STUDIO
Dominoes SHERLING STUDIO
Tuesday 3 April
Brainiac Live! Back by popular demand! Science’s greatest and most volatile live show is returning with a vengeance! Strap on your safety goggles and buckle up for the ride of your life…
THEATRE
Friday 27 April – Saturday 28 April Yellow Earth Theatre presents
Mountains: The Dreams of Lily Kwok An epic new family drama, adapted from the novel by Helen Tse.
Age guidance 13+ THEATRE
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BEHIND THE SCENES Pre and Post Show talks with industry professionals. Want to know more about the thinking behind a production? Attend a FREE pre or post show talk and discover more…
PRE SHOW DISCUSSION Friday 16 March
ETO - The Marriage of Figaro THE GALLERY
Saturday 17 March
MEET AND GREET AFTER THE SHOW Saturday 3 February
Don’t Dribble on the Dragon THEATRE
Saturday 21 April
Tessa Bide: A Strange New Space SHERLING STUDIO
ETO - Il Tabarro/Gianni Schicchi FUNCTION ROOM 2
POST SHOW DISCUSSION Saturday 20 January
Gandini Juggling Spring THEATRE
Tuesday 27 March
Motionhouse - Charge THEATRE
Wednesday 9 May
Dad’s Army Radio Tour THEATRE
Thursday 17 May
Platform 4 - Invisible Music SHERLING STUDIO
Wednesday 23 May
Velvet Petal SHERLING STUDIO
Friday 25 May
Love, Bombs and Apples Age guidance for language SHERLING STUDIO
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Booking Fees: Prices quoted are for tickets booked in person at the Ticket Office. Tickets booked via telephone or online are subject to a booking fee of up to £1.75 per ticket.
WORKSHOPS COMPANY LED WORKSHOPS Several visiting companies are offering workshops in tandem with their shows. Costs and fees range from free to £700 depending on the nature and funding of the workshop. If you are interested in brining top professional companies/artists into your schools, please contact learning@lighthousepoole. co.uk and we will facilitate the booking process. Workshop dates often have some flexibility beyond the dates of the show.
Around 17 January
Gandini Juggling A rare chance to learn a key circus skill from a master of the profession. The company offer juggling workshops for up to 30 students, of all ages.
Around 6 March
Black Eyed Theatre The company are offering schools workshops connected to their show ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’. These will cover the technique of multi role-playing, explore the dual nature of man and consider the other themes within the piece. Delivered by practitioners from the company.
Around 26 April
Yellow Earth Theatre Offering workshops suited to students from primary through to secondary school, Yellow Earth Theatre aim to introduce participants to Chinese and East Asian culture and arts. They offer music, drama, storytelling, shadow puppet and dance workshops on request.
Booking Fees: Prices quoted are for tickets booked in person at the Ticket Office. Tickets booked via telephone or online are subject to a booking fee of up to £1.75 per ticket.
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WORKSHOPS YOUNG TECHNICIANS Coming up in February is our 2018 Young Technicians programme. Running over 6 weeks, 12 enthusiastic young creatives will be put through their ‘technical paces’, learning the ins and outs of the role (and of Lighthouse!). Amongst other things, they will get the chance to develop skills in lighting, sound and stage management, learning from the professional technicians here at Lighthouse. Along the way they will also have the rare opportunity to see a range of performances from backstage. This scheme will equip our young techs with key skills and experience and provide them with an excellent foundation on which to build a career in the creative industries.
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SCHOOLS PROJECTS Armonico Consort
with a wealth of experience, including some from the West End. If the last similar event is anything to go by, it should be a fantastic event.
Choir building project culminates in singing spectacular at lighthouse on Thursday 25 January 2018.
Participating schools also have the opportunity to go on to join in on an AC Academy massed gathering at the Royal Albert Hall in March 2018, featuring singers from across the country, a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity for many of the young people involved.
For the second time in three years, Lighthouse, along with SoundStorm Music Education Hub, has been a partner on a major singing and choir development project, led by Armonico Consort’s education wing, AC Academy. Armonico Consort is one of the leading Baroque orchestras in Britain, but its education wing, AC Academy Gala, has a much more contemporary approach, using modern repertoire from around the world to inspire young people (and their teachers) to develop a love of singing. AC Academy work with around 15000 young people nationwide every year.
Tickets £8 adults/£5 children from www.lighthousepoole.co.uk or via Box Office 01202 280000 Read more about Armonico and SoundStorm’s work here: www. armonico.org.uk; www.soundstorm-music.org.uk
Bournemouth and Poole have again hosted a major project this academic year, which culminates in the AC Academy Spectacular on 25 January. The concert will feature Lighthouse partner school, Oakdale Junior School, alongside 5 others from Bournemouth and Poole: Winton Primary, Baden-Powell and St Peter’s Junior, Haymoor Jr, Canford Heath Jr and Bishop Aldhelm’s Primary. SoundStorm and Lighthouse have invested significant resources into the project; and AC Academy has raised the rest. The project has been running in the six Bournemouth/Poole schools during autumn term, targeting older children from the primary school sector. AC Academy Singing Leader, Simon Lole, has been visiting each school, working with existing or prospective choir leaders on repertoire, choir leading and more general singing techniques. Songs chosen are deliberately accessible. Feedback from schools has been very positive. The project is free for schools to take part in, courtesy of the funds raised by the partners. The Spectacular will feature not only 200 young people singing live on stage at Lighthouse in the Concert Hall; but also a 12-piece professional band and singers, made up of musicians
PARTNER SCHOOLS Here at Lighthouse, we are very proud of the progress of our Partner Schools programme. It has so far proved to be truly rewarding, allowing us to offer teachers and students bespoke arts offers that suit their needs and support and extend the arts education accessible within schools. So far, we have been able to offer: : B ackstage Tours – the chance to learn about the innermost workings of a professional arts venue : S pecial Screenings – curriculum focused films for free at Lighthouse : Complimentary tickets to ground-breaking drama : Priority access to workshops, events and projects : W ork Experience – the opportunity for students to gain paid experience in a cultural venue : And much more!
In 2018 we will begin our application process for the next academic year. If you would like your school to have access to opportunities like those listed above, please get in touch with us at learning@lighthousepoole.co.uk to register your interest in becoming a Partner School for the 2018/19 academic year.
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DO YOU LOVE LIGHTHOUSE? SUPPORT THE ARTS IN YOUR COMMUNITY
Our mission at Lighthouse is to entertain, stimulate and inspire the people in our community, but we can’t do it without support.
PLAY YOUR PART As a registered charity, we rely heavily upon the individuals, companies and trusts who choose to help us. Their generosity enables us to provide life-enhancing opportunities for people to enjoy and participate in the arts, both at Lighthouse and out in the community. How would you like to join them?
COME AND JOIN US We rely, too, upon all who are involved with Lighthouse being part of our integrated approach to fundraising. Without this we would not be able to raise the money needed to fulfil our exciting mission.
01202 280000 www.lighthousepoole.co.uk