NEWS RELEASE: Monday 7 September 2015
CHRYSALIS FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES LAUNCH LINE-UP Two selected and two invited UK theatre companies will form the inaugural ‘Chrysalis’ festival on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 November 2015 in Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre. The festival will showcase emerging talent, spark critical debate and challenge perceptions of theatre by young people. The two selected productions are ‘Southside Stories’ by the Citizens Theatre Young Co., Glasgow and ‘Headz’ by 20 Stories High from Liverpool. They were among companies from Scotland, the UK and overseas which applied to be considered for the festival and were chosen by a panel of theatre experts earlier this year. These selected companies will be joined by the two invited productions: ‘Under the Covers’ by Manchester’s Contact Young Company and ‘I’d Rather Humble than Hero’ by Junction 25. The Chrysalis festival is a new platform for innovative, and often provocative, performances that bring together the best in vibrant young theatre and challenging new writing. Chrysalis is also part of the ‘Call to Create’ season curated by the Roundhouse London. The season combines the new ideas, energy and talent of young people with the experience of established artists to inspire audiences around the world. Together Chrysalis and Call to Create will help young people break through the creative glass ceiling by showcasing incredible artistic work.
A programme of talks and events with invited speakers, which explore the position of youth theatre in an international context, will accompany this first Chrysalis festival. All events on Saturday 7 November will be BSL interpreted. Tickets for Chrysalis performances are now on sale via the Traverse Theatre website www.traverse.co.uk or the Traverse Box Office on 0131 228 1404. ENDS NOTES TO EDITORS TICKET PRICES: Full price: £12 (Concessions £10) Three-show Chrysalis Festival Pass (any three performances): £22 Full Chrysalis Festival Pass (all four performances): £32 CHRYSALIS Chrysalis is a new theatre festival and the only platform of its kind in Scotland for ambitious and provocative performance by young theatre-makers. Four selected shows will each be performed twice over the two days of the festival: Friday 6 and Saturday 7 November 2015 in Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre. An innovation from Youth Theatre Arts Scotland, Chrysalis aims to attract new audiences to youth theatre arts, inspire Scotland’s youth arts sector and enhance public perception of creative work by young people. CALL TO CREATE Call to Create is a global collective of cultural organisations which are coming together for the first time to shout louder about the great art young people make. Young people often tell us they hit a glass ceiling in the creative world due to their age. But we know that if we combine the new ideas, energy and talent of young people with the experience of established artists, we can create some incredible artistic moments which can inspire audiences and other artists. The Call to Create network was established by the Roundhouse, Camden, London. www.roundhouse.org.uk/calltocreate
THEATRE COMPANIES: 20 STORIES HIGH (Liverpool) 20 Stories High is an award-winning theatre company based in Toxteth, creating dynamic, challenging theatre which attracts new, young audiences while pushing the boundaries of what is theatre. Headz is a collection of monologues which gives a gritty, challenging and humorous insight to the contemporary lives of Liverpool’s young people. CITIZENS THEATRE YOUNG COMPANY (Glasgow) th Citizens Theatre Young Company celebrates its 10 anniversary in 2015. Over the years, the company has performed a very broad range of work, from Shakespeare to new writing. Based at Glasgow’s famous Citizens’ Theatre, the company
offers opportunities to young people aged 18 to 22 in acting, writing and devising. Southside Stories is a new piece which draws on interviews with people who live and work in the dynamic and diverse Govanhill area of Glasgow and features original live music. JUNCTION 25 (Tramway, Glasgow) Formed in 2005, Junction 25 began as a response to a feeling about the need to represent the voices of young people in contemporary performance. I’d Rather Humble than Hero, which explores society’s fascination with fame, celebrity and image, was created by the ensemble of Junction 25, winners of the 2015 CATS Whiskers award. CONTACT YOUNG COMPANY (Manchester) Contact Young Company is a renowned young ensemble of performers, actors, dancers, musicians, poets and MCs based at Contact in Manchester. Each year they create brand-new shows in collaboration with national and international artists. Under The Covers examines young people’s contemporary attitudes to sex, questioning myths and breaking down taboos.
YOUTH THEATRE ARTS SCOTLAND Youth Theatre Arts Scotland is the national development organisation for youth theatre. Our mission is to transform lives through youth theatre by developing inspiring participatory opportunities for young people in Scotland, and by connecting, supporting and training the professionals who work with them. We support a membership of more than 100 youth theatre organisations and freelance practitioners who engage around 25,000 young people in youth theatre activity across the country every week.
Further information and images are available from James Coutts, Press Office on 0131 538 0591 or email james@ytas.org.uk