AUTUMN 2013
FUNDERS AND PARTNERS
east.by.south.east
The Roddick Foundation
Herman Horsten
A String Section by Reckless Sleepers – page 21
welcome This autumn The Basement celebrates its 10th birthday. That’s 10 years in which the venue has gone from being a derelict hole in the ground to a leading centre for the creation and presentation of contemporary performance with an international reputation. Over that time, our programme has evolved continually, as has the way in which we work with artists. At heart though, our aim has stayed the same: to create and present remarkable, unusual experiences of the highest quality for audiences. The last 10 years would not have been possible without the support, encouragement and friendship of many of you. I would like to thank the artists, funders and of course our fantastic audiences that have loyally followed us through every new season, being open to the unknown and sometimes challenging work we presented. The Basement has never been about looking back and now is no different. This autumn’s programme is one of the strongest yet, featuring performances from exceptional artists including Forced Entertainment, Ivo Dimchev, Nicole Beutler, Reckless Sleepers and many more. We are very proud to present two newly commissioned works from the sensational Stacy Makishi and the Swiss/Serbian collaboration of Martin Schick and Damir Todorović. To make the most of this fantastic line-up, we now have a new season pass, giving you five shows for £35. We also bid a fond adieu to the much loved Supper Club after five fantastic years. We hope you will join us for a special Last Supper (Club) featuring some of the best works from the past five years.
Helen Medland Artistic Director
Art of Movement. Billy Cowie
DANCE South East Dance, Pavilion Dance South West, Dance Digital and The Basement present
DIGITAL FUTURES IN DANCE Part of Brighton Digital Festival As part of this year’s Brighton Digital Festival, The Basement plays host to a series of residencies, performances and public discussions connecting dance and technology.
FRI 13th – MON 30th SEPT For the full programme see www.thebasement.uk.com
Following a collaborative residency with Australian born UK-based choreographer and dancer Matthew Morris (DV8, Siobhan Davies) French dance mavericks Le Clair Obscur present their own version of Sleeping Beauty, in which French dancer Sandra Devaux, encased in a glass coffin, connects to her audience via Facebook. A public discussion on the future of dance and technologies will bring together an outstanding panel of digital dance and screen-dance experts. Facilitated by Genevieve Smith-Nunes, the event will be streamed live online. Brighton based international artist Billy Cowie presents his stunning new 3D dance film Art of Movement, co-commissioned by South East Dance. Finally, we present a special preview launch of Pulse Dance Game, the new Dance gaming app developed by Pavilion Dance South West. The game’s creators will be out and about in Brighton testing the app on Brighton’s unsuspecting residents and visitors, then sharing their findings back at The Basement.
www.brightondigitalfestival.co.uk www.southeastdance.org.uk
ENQUIRIES: 01273 699733 Book TICKETS: www.thebasement.uk.com
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PERFORMANCE / MUSIC / INSTALLATION
THE LAST SUPPER (CLUB) Various Artists 5 years, 30 Supper Clubs, 264 artists and an audience of thousands… Supper Club has become something of an institution for The Basement and for Brighton, presenting a monthly feast of intriguing, eccentric and intoxicating performance. So it’s with a heavy heart that we bid this night one last farewell. Join us for The Last Supper (Club) – a celebration of all the finest artists we have presented over the past 5 years.
SAT 5th OCT 8PM – 2AM £8 / £6 CONCS & UNDER 25’S
Featuring a Greatest Hits selection of works from previous events the evening is hosted by Supper Club stalwarts Ivan Fabrega and The Two Wrongies. As always the night will feature a profusion of bite-sized nuggets of performance mayhem taking place throughout the venue’s many subterranean spaces. For this final Supper Club ever, we are delighted to welcome back artists including Bernadette Russell, Brian Lobel, Emma Bennett, Foxy & Husk, Greg Wohead, Hunt & Darton, I’m Not Her Sidekick, Lab Collective, Martin Lewton, Pennie Long, Richard DeDomenici, Stacy Makishi and Yve Blake. So pull up a chair, grab some food from the bar and raise your glasses to the last ever night of performance pandemonium like no other.
6 ENQUIRIES: 01273 699733
Book TICKETS: www.thebasement.uk.com
Matthewv Andrews
Ed Collier
PERFORMANCE The Old Market and The Basement Present
MESS House and Caroline Horton & Company with China Plate (UK) Josephine is putting on a play - Boris and Sistahl help. It’s about anorexia. But don’t let that put you off. Unflinchingly they confront big issues (and extremely tiny ones). Today they will tackle a particularly thin elephant in the room. Obsession, addiction and not wanting to get out of bed: a play with songs from You’re Not Like Other Girls Chrissy creator and 2013 Olivier Award nominee Caroline Horton.
WED 9th OCT BAR OPENS 6:45PM SHOW STARTS 7:30PM £12 / £10 CONCS AT THE OLD MARKET 70 MINS 13+
2012 Stage Award Winner for Best Ensemble. Touring in association with Beat, the UK’s leading charity supporting people with eating disorders. Developed with the help of experts from King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry. Mess is presented as part of The Basement’s programme for World Mental Health Day – a series of engaging, creative and thought provoking activities taking place across the city to raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing. For more information and full listings go to www.thebasement.uk.com. The World Mental Health Day programme is funded by Brighton & Hove City Council and Arts Council England. See also All Very Well on page 33. ‘Comes perilously close to genius and announces Horton as a major major talent’ **** Time Out **** Evening Standard **** Financial Times **** Metro
Written and Created by: Caroline Horton Directed by: Alex Swift Devised by: Caroline Horton, Alex Swift, Hannah Boyde and Seiriol Davies Performed by: Caroline Horton, Hannah Boyde and Seiriol Davies Presented by: Triggered@Warwick Arts Centre Commissioned by: Battersea Arts Centre and Parabola Arts Centre Funded by: Wellcome Trust Arts Award Supported by: Ovalhouse, London
ENQUIRIES: 01273 699733 Book TICKETS: www.thebasement.uk.com
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PERFORMANCE
THE FALSETTOS Stacy Makishi (UK) Hilarious and moving in equal measure, The Falsettos sees five-foot Stacy Makishi from Honolulu find a deep connection with the depressed mafia mobster Tony Soprano – taking in therapy, a love affair with a fish, a longing for home and a poignant conviction to ‘never stop believing’ along the way.
THURS 17th OCT BAR OPENS 7:30PM SHOW STARTS 8PM £10 / £8 CONCS & UNDER 25’S 60 MINS 16+
Geographically distant from her beloved and increasingly ancient mum in Hawaii, Makishi speaks the unthinkable yet undeniable desire to kill her – to spare her any further pain. Perhaps love and violence are not such strangers after all. A work full of Hawaiian aloha, The Falsettos is a show for our times, taking on taboos about violence and old age in a deeply humane and inspiring way. Makishi’s newest work is a mix of performance lecture, stand-up, and movement, with video clips from the American series The Sopranos, songs by Tom Waits and a minimal design by Jo Palmer. The Falsettos premiered to acclaim at Chelsea Theatre in May 2013.
Written and Performed by: Stacy Makishi Lighting & Set Designer: Jo Palmer Production Manager: Jo Palmer Video Artwork and Animation: Claire Nolan Producer: Nikki Tomlinson, Artsadmin Creative Consultants: Lisa Asagi, Jo Allitt, Francesca Dadlani, Cat Harrison, Joanne Makishi, Vick Ryder, Peggy Shaw, Lois Weaver Co-commissioned by: Chelsea Theatre, Colchester Arts Centre and The Basement with support from The Roddick Foundation
10 ENQUIRIES: 01273 699733
Book TICKETS: www.thebasement.uk.com
Will Munro
PERFORMANCE Pink Fringe and The Basement present
WALKING:HOLDING Rosana Cade (UK) A woman with a shaved head takes your hand in a station. A large man dressed in black leads you down an alley. An Indian woman holding a rose greets you outside a pub. A six-foot drag queen walks you past a church. A hooded youth puts his arm around you as you sit together on a bench. A white haired woman hugs you good-bye as you leave. Walking:Holding is a one-on-one walk through town, in the hands of strangers. Rosana Cade is a Glaswegian artist whose work and research is firmly rooted in a queer discourse. She received the Athena Award for Walking:Holding which has been shown extensively throughout the UK and Ireland. She is currently collaborating with her sister on a new project that explores female sexuality. Together with Nick Anderson, Rosana is the co-founder of //BUZZCUT//, an artist-led festival based in Glasgow that is dedicated to creating new events for contemporary performance and live art, and supporting the Scottish experimental performance community.
SAT 19th – SUN 20th OCT EVERY 15 MINUTES BETWEEN 1PM – 3PM & 4:30PM – 6PM £6 / £5 CONCS & UNDER 25’S begins AT THE MARLBOROUGH THEATRE 30 MINS one-on-one experience limited capacity booking essential
‘Everyone acknowledged the astute provocation in Cade’s seemingly simple concept with its flesh-and-blood challenge to prejudices, its honouring of individuals and their differences.’ Mary Brennan, The Herald
ENQUIRIES: 01273 699733 Book TICKETS: www.thebasement.uk.com
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PERFORMANCE
UK PREMIERE Centre for the Study of Sexual Dissidence, University of Sussex, Pink Fringe and The Basement present
TRANSGENDER SEEKING… Sunny Drake (AUS) Jimmy is trying to quit romance so he’ll never get hurt again. Since the break-up, he’s been trying to prove that he’s “Great! Fine! Never been better!” But his secret comforts include watching cheesy old black and white romance films – don’t tell his radical friends. Transgender Seeking… is an exposing, funny and tender look at queer relationships. Featuring run-ins with the polyamory police and a host of online dating mishaps, it explores how structures as diverse as the criminal justice system and relationship conventions conspire to affect interpersonal relationships in queer communities (and beyond). It is a hilarious confession of a queer romance-a-holic. ‘Beautiful, articulate, well considered and very sophisticated… complex and difficult subjects are delivered in the most accessible and authentic way. It’s light hearted, fresh and wank free... Sunny Drake is a progressive queer visionary.’ Samesame, Australia
post show discussion The show will be followed by a post show discussion with Sunny Drake chaired by Jason Price, Lecturer in Contemporary Theatre and Performance at the University of Sussex.
THURS 24th OCT BAR OPENS 7:30PM SHOW STARTS 8PM £10 / £8 CONCS & UNDER 25’S 50 MINS 15+
Written, Directed & Performed by: Sunny Drake Dramaturgy: Catherine Herandez Multimedia: Hisayo Horie & Dana Aleshire Set Design & Construction: Atelis Tremblay Puppet: Leah-Jo Carnine & Nikol Daniels
14 ENQUIRIES: 01273 699733
Book TICKETS: www.thebasement.uk.com
Tanya Anderson
Jo Stockham
PERFORMANCE
UK PREMIERE
HOLIDAY ON STAGE – LAST DAYS OF LUXURY Martin Schick (CH) and Damir Todorović (SRB/ITA) The time of luxury is not over - it just belongs to fewer people. Increasingly, we live as little singular competitive identities and at the top, there is less room than ever. Holiday on Stage is a timeless show and a unique entertainment experience. Surprising, accessible and spectacular, this performance contains real famous people, elements of highly skilled acting and cutting-edge choreography. Be transfixed by passionate music, stunning costumes, jaw-dropping special effects all piled high with the detritus of the world we live in, this Western Society. Playing with quotation and cliché Holiday on Stage examines the audience manipulations and sensory seductions of theatre and the media. How do performers measure up to each other and to our expectations in the evolutionary cut and thrust of capitalist society? By playing humorously with clichés, quotes and aesthetics from daily life, Holiday on Stage draws its audience into controversy and discussion about the way things are and what we might become. ‘A haunting mixture of subversive entertainment, humorous notions, shocking facts and real human fate!’ the future press
THURS 31st OCT BAR OPENS 7:30PM SHOW STARTS 8PM £10 / £8 CONCS & UNDER 25’S 70 mins
Concept, Realisation & Performance: Martin Schick & Damir Todorović Mentorship: Renzo Martens Videowork: Susanne Hofer Music: Yujiro Akihiro Costume: Dragana Kunjadic Lighting Design: Michi Egger Production Assistant & Sponsoring: Arnaud Gariépy Production: Festival Belluard Bollwerk Co-Production: Gessnerallee (Zürich), Dampfzentrale (Bern), BRUT (Vienna), Beursschouwburg (Brussels) - supported by wpZimmer (Antwerp) Holiday on Stage was co-commissioned by The Basement, supported by The Roddick Foundation
ENQUIRIES: 01273 699733 Book TICKETS: www.thebasement.uk.com
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performance
TOMORROW’S PARTIES Forced Entertainment (UK) International innovators Forced Entertainment’s latest performance imagines a multitude of hypothetical futures. Two performers wreathed in coloured lights, like a strange fairground attraction, speculate about what tomorrow might bring. Exploring utopian and dystopian visions, science fiction scenarios, political nightmares and absurd fantasies, the audience is carried along on a flowing tide of conjectures, possibilities and dreams. Sometimes collaborative, sometimes competitive the two performers enjoy the pleasure of invention as their suppositions take them in different directions. Tomorrow’s Parties is Forced Entertainment in intimate and comical mode – a playful, poignant and at times delirious look forwards to futures both possible and impossible.
Conceived and Devised by: Robin Arthur, Tim Etchells, Richard Lowdon, Claire Marshall, Cathy Naden and Terry O’Connor Performers: Robin Arthur & Cathy Naden Direction: Tim Etchells Design: Richard Lowdon Lighting Design: Francis Stevenson
post show discussion Both shows will be followed by a post show discussion with the company chaired by Sara Jane Bailes, Reader in Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Sussex.
Forced Entertainment Workshop Thurs 7th November 10am – 1pm £15 Founder member of Forced Entertainment, Cathy Naden, leads a workshop which explores approaches to devising contemporary theatre. Places are extremely limited, so please book well in advance. Visit www.thebasement.uk.com/whats-on
18 ENQUIRIES: 01273 699733
WED 6th - THURS 7th NOV BAR OPENS 7:30PM SHOW STARTS 8PM £10 / £8 CONCS & UNDER 25’S 70 MINS 16+
Production: Ray Rennie & Jim Harrison Co-producers: Tomorrow’s Parties is a production of Belluard Bollwerk International, made possible thanks to a contribution of the Canton of Fribourg to culture. In coproduction with BIT Teatergarasjen (Bergen), Internationales Sommerfestival (Hamburg), Kaaitheater (Brussels), Kunstlerhaus Mousonturm (Frankfurt), Theaterhaus Gessnerallee (Zurich) and Sheffield City Council. With the support of Stanley Thomas Johnson Foundation Forced Entertainment is regularly funded by Arts Council England www.forcedentertainment.com @ForcedEnts #tomorrowsparties
Book TICKETS: www.thebasement.uk.com
Hugo Glendinning
Herman Horsten
PERFORMANCE / DANCE South East Dance and The Basement present
A STRING SECTION Reckless Sleepers (UK / BE) Five women, each with a handsaw and a chair engage in a slow dance with destruction. Elegance and sophistication give way to absurdity as the pull of gravity takes over. Driven to complete their uncompromising task, the five women struggle against, or give in to the inevitable, each in their own style: determination and dignity locked in a fight to the death.
THURS 14th NOV BAR OPENS 7:30PM SHOW STARTS 8PM £10 / £8 CONCS & UNDER 25’S 50 MINS
In 2010 Leen Dewilde started destroying things, smashing cups, breaking down walls, cutting up furniture and sawing the legs off chairs. A String Section started as one of these works, a simple set of 5 chairs, 5 women and 5 saws. A project where the production of sawdust, the left over legs, the half broken chairs, the residue of the action was as important as the action itself. ‘Through this slow destruction emerges a startling disquisition on female experience, and the impossible balancing acts we’re expected – by society, by other women, and by our selves – to maintain.’ ***** Maddy Costa, EXEUNT Magazine **** Mary Brennan, The Herald
post show discussion The show will be followed by a post-show discussion with Reckless Sleepers chaired by Sara Jane Bailes, Reader in Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Sussex.
Choreographer: Leen Dewilde Performers: Caroline D’Haese, Lisa Kendall, Orla Shine, Rachel Rimmer Dramaturg: Mole Wetherell www.reckless-sleepers.co.uk
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PERFORMANCE
UNDER CONSTRUCTION Various Artists Under Construction features some of the UK’s most innovative performance makers, trying out new ideas and works-in-progress, often for the first time. This is a fantastic opportunity to see contemporary performance in the making. The event is free and all are welcome to come and give their opinions through the chaired discussions. This autumn’s line-up will feature three new performances as they begin to take shape...
WED 20th NOV BAR OPENS 7:30PM STARTs 8PM FREE
Hunt & Darton will present an early draft of a new performance entitled Boredom – embrace it, combat it or simply acknowledge it, Hunt & Darton think it’s a good idea to get bored and actively encourage you to join them. You are highly unlikely to get bored while they try and it might just change your life. Two more works, currently in development, will be announced nearer the time. Keep an eye on our website. All the pieces presented in Under Construction are supported by east.by.south.east, a two-year Arts Council funded project developing and enriching the infrastructure for the creation, presentation and touring of live art and contemporary performance practices in the East and South East regions. Funded by: Arts Council England Partners: Cambridge Junction; Colchester Arts Centre; The Garage, Norwich; The Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury; Norwich Arts Centre; The Point, Eastleigh; The Showroom, Chichester
22 ENQUIRIES: 01273 699733
Book TICKETS: www.thebasement.uk.com
Christa Holka. Boredom by Hunt and Darton
FILM / MUSIC / PERFORMANCE CINECITY and The Basement present
JUKEBOX FURY: THE ASSASSINATION OF JFK Various Artists 50 years to the day since the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, CINECITY and The Basement present a special edition of Jukebox Fury to mark one of the defining moments of the 20th Century.
FRI 22nd NOV STARTS 8PM £8 / £6 CONCS & UNDER 25’S
The evening features two seminal experimental films exploring the media and public fascination with the assassination plus readings and talks, live puppetry and performances, choreography and a JFK post-punk playlist. (Themed dress encouraged). This follow up to last year’s JG Ballard themed event will be a poignant yet irreverent reflection on conspiracy theories and paranoia, assassination as media spectacle, the ‘magic bullet’ and the ‘grassy knoll’... Film screenings include:
REPORT Dir: Bruce Conner US 1963-67. 13mins Made over four years directly after the assassination, legendary found- footage pioneer Bruce Conner uses Walter Cronkite’s famous report to guide the audience through the events of November 22nd 1963 via repeated televised images of the assassination.
THE ETERNAL FRAME Dir: T.R. Uthco and Ant Farm: Doug Hall, Chip Lord, Doug Michels, Jody Procter. US 1975. 24mins In an early example of artists’ re-enactment - performed in Dealey Plaza in Dallas itself and eliciting bizarre responses from passersby - The Eternal Frame is a re-enactment of Kennedy’s assassination as seen in the famous Zapruder footage, a home movie which found its way into the collective subconscious.
ENQUIRIES: 01273 699733 Book TICKETS: www.thebasement.uk.com
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PERFORMANCE / MUSIC The Old Market, The Basement, Show And Tell and The Arches present
BEATS Kieran Hurley (UK) Followed by post-show Stick It On, the DJ Democracy. BEATS is a coming-of-age story exploring rebellion, apathy and the irresistible power of gathered youth. With techno... lots of techno. It tells the story of Johnno McCreadie, a teenager living in a small suburban Scottish town at the time of the 1994 Criminal Justice Act – a new piece of legislation which effectively outlawed raves, or “public gatherings around amplified music characterised by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats”. Following sell-out runs at Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre and London’s Bush and Soho theatres, Kieran Hurley’s astonishing mix of intricate, acutely-observed storytelling and exhilarating music and visuals, is currently touring the UK.
FRI 22nd – SAT 23RD NOV BAR OPENS 7:45 SHOW STARTS 8:30PM £12 / £10 CONCS AT THE OLD MARKET 60 MINS 16+
Both performances of BEATS will be followed in TOM’s Bar by a uniquely-customised Stick It On night, the DJ Democracy where the music is provided by you. The night is split into 15 minute slots for each person Stickin’ It On. If you fancy giving it a go, all you have to do is bring your favourite records (or CD’s) that you would play to fill the dance floor... Best New Play at the Critics Awards for Theatre in Scotland 2012 – Winner. ‘A tremendous piece of storytelling that takes us back to 1994’ The Guardian ‘An original, urgent piece of theatre.’ **** The Telegraph
26 ENQUIRIES: 01273 699733
Written and Performed by: Kieran Hurley Original DJ mix by: Johnny Whoop Live Visuals by: Jamie Wardrop Please note this performance contains strobe lighting
Book TICKETS: www.thebasement.uk.com
Anja Beutler
PERFORMANCE / DANCE
UK PREMIERE South East Dance and The Basement present
1: SONGS Nicole Beutler / nbprojects (GER / NL) 1: SONGS is a solo performance, a concert, a song cycle and an existential exercise for a singing body. Theatre maker and performer Ibelisse Guardia surrenders her voice to the intense words of tragic female figures from the history of theatre, including Antigone, Medea and Gretchen.
THURS 28th NOV BAR OPENS 7:30PM SHOW STARTS 8PM £10 / £8 CONCS & UNDER 25’S 50 MINS
The suffering of fictional heroines (and anti-heroines) repeatedly enters the performers fragile, raw, calculating and intensely emotional physicality as she sings, shouts and speaks. But who is speaking here? And do the dramatic references from the past resonate in the here and now? This collision of contemporary electronic music and literary archetypes generates a subtle but violent scream against an incomprehensible world.
Concept, Direction, Staging: Nicole Beutler Performance: Ibelisse Guardia Music: Gary Shepherd Text Advice & Artistic Assistance: Magne van den Berg Dramaturgic Advice: Igor Dobričić Rehearsal Assistance: Giulio d’Anna Costume: Jessica Helbach In 1: SONGS Nicole Beutler contextualises the intense Lighting Design: Minna Tiikkainen emotionality and cool calculation of these mythic women Video Design: videomachas.com (Susanna Brenner & Helle Lyshoj) within the history of theatre. She asks how we are moved Music Advice: Aleks Grujic by emotion and how we observe the emotions of others. Technical: Paul Schimmel What is it about certain powerful feelings that resonates Graphic Design: Connie Nijman across the ages. Thanks to: Felix Ritter, Maurits Musch, Alan Razzak, Steve Green 1: SONGS is made by Nicole Beutler in collaboration with Production: Josta Obbink / nb theatre maker / performer Sanja Mitrovic and composer / Publicity: Jildou Kroes / nb DJ Gary Shepherd. It is performed by Ibelisse Guardia. Management: Marten Oosthoek / nb Co-production: nb, Amsterdam | Beursschouwburg Brussels Sponsor: XOVER Sound System K Array, Raul Mini Made possible by PACT Zollverein Essen, Frascati Amsterdam, Fonds Podiumkunsten
ENQUIRIES: 01273 699733 Book TICKETS: www.thebasement.uk.com
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PERFORMANCE
LILI HANDEL Ivo Dimchev (BG) The unsettling and outrageous character of Lili Handel is a virtuosic piece of physical and vocal character creation from acclaimed Bulgarian choreographer and performer, Ivo Dimchev. Provocative, grotesque and seductive, but always desperate to entertain, Lili Handel is a fractured collage from the dark side of performance. Colliding the languages of theatre, dance, performance art and media confessional with breath-taking operatic vocal technique, Dimchev’s performance explores the human body as a subject of physical and aesthetic consumption, even offering his own blood to the audience.
THURS 5th DEC BAR OPENS 7:30PM SHOW STARTS 8PM £10 / £8 CONCS & UNDER 25’S 60 MINS 16+
Ivo Dimchev has created more than 30 performances that have been performed across Europe and North America. His work has received numerous international awards for dance and theatre. He also delivers master classes in the National Theater Academy (Budapest) and the Royal Dance Conservatorium of Belgium (Antwerp). He is founder and director of The Humarts Foundation in Bulgaria that organizes an annual, national competition for contemporary choreography. Dimchev is currently Artist in Residence in Kaaitheater, Brussels. ‘An elegant, excessive creation and a very special physical performance’ Egoist Magazine ‘Simply fantastic’ New York Times Text, Choreography & Original Music: Ivo Dimchev www.ivodimchev.com
30 ENQUIRIES: 01273 699733
Book TICKETS: www.thebasement.uk.com
Tamas Katko
Andrew Whittuck
INSTALLATION Daily Life Ltd, jubilee square arts consortium and The Basement present
ALL VERY WELL AN INSTALLATION BY BOBBY BAKER AND PARTICIPANTS OF WORKSHOPS EXPLORING IDENTITY AND WELL-BEING The Basement and Daily Life Ltd join forces to present All Very Well, a stunning month-long light-box installation in Brighton’s Jubilee Square.
TUES 2ND – SUN 27TH OCT JUBILEE SQUARE FREE
Bobby Baker’s acclaimed Diary Drawings form the basis of this collaboration between Daily Life Ltd, Brighton-based artist Jake Spicer and local arts and mental health groups. Bobby began her Diary Drawings in 1997 when she became a patient at a day centre. The drawings cover Bobby’s experiences of a variety of treatments. They chart the ups and downs of her recovery, family life, work as an artist, breast cancer and just how funny all this harrowing stuff can be. Throughout August local artist Jake Spicer led workshops with local mental health groups. Using Bobby’s work as a starting point, participants could reflect – as Bobby has – on what terms such as ‘well-being’, ‘wellness’, ‘well-being zones’ and the like really mean. A selection of these drawings will be presented alongside several of Bobby’s Diary Drawings. Over a period of four weeks, All Very Well will occupy Jubilee Square with a powerful visual presence. All Very Well is presented as part of The Basement’s World Mental Health programme. For more information go to www.thebasement.uk.com
The Basement’s World Mental Health Day programme has been funded by Brighton & Hove City Council Daily Life Ltd is an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation led by artist Bobby Baker www.dailylifeltd.co.uk Diary Drawing 320 ‘Yoga for weepers’ Watercolour paper, pencil, watercolour © Bobby Baker 2009 Photograph © Andrew Whittuck
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festival SICK! 2013 was a pilot for our brand new festival that seeks out new ways of talking about the experiences that we find most challenging in life and death. Presenting a high-quality, international programme of performance, theatre, dance, film, visual art and digital media, across many venues and public spaces, SICK! is an ambitious new project for The Basement. The festival seeks to engage a wide audience, providing many opportunities for people to share their experiences and gain a fresh insight into those experiences that we often struggle to talk about. The festival strips away taboos to find new languages for dealing with these experiences that are honest, informed, sensitive and at times irreverent. The programme featured 18 events over 9 days with a total audience of over 3000 (91% ticket sales). The programme featured superb performances by artists including Bobby Baker, The Vacuum Cleaner, Kazuko Hohki, Bambie, Yann Marrusich and Giulio D’anna alongside a programme of outstanding feature films curated by CINECITY. Following the overwhelmingly enthusiastic response with sell-out shows from some inspiring and thought-provoking events, we are now eagerly looking forward to the next festival taking place in March 2014.
SICK! 2014 will explore four themes: Adolescence & identity: With new research revealing the extent to which teenage brains really are different, we ask what is it that’s so uniquely intense about this period of our lives in which new passions and creativity fight for space with explosive traumas and uncertain identities. Mental illness & wellbeing in society: This strand of the programme looks at ways in which mental illness can be seen as a social rather than physical or medical condition. It will explore the problems and opportunities of shifting social perceptions of mental wellbeing. Ageing & dementia: As the world’s population ages at a remarkable rate, our feelings about growing old become more confusing and more urgent. As the cult of youth becomes ever more dominant in the media, the loss of physical and mental capabilities becomes increasingly unpalatable. Death & euthanasia: The questions of what happens when we die, what it means to die and how we deal with our own death and the death of others, are at the heart of our human experience. Increasingly, the safety of our modern lives and the efficacy of modern medicine can make death seem a remote abstraction. The works presented in SICK! ask us to look without fear at this inevitable reality.
NEW! SEASON PASS - 5 TICKETS FOR £35 The Basement is delighted to offer a special season pass entitling you to see any 5 performances of your choice, from our autumn 2013 programme, for just £35. The pass also offers 10% off all drinks and snacks from our bar, simply present your pass to the bar staff when ordering. Act fast to take advantage of this amazing offer to see some of the best UK and International contemporary performance for just £7 a show; there will only be a limited number of season passes available. To purchase please visit www.thebasement.uk.com/whats-on
NEW DRAMATURGIES UK Over the course of 2013, The Basement is delighted to be working with Kristof Blom from Campo in Ghent, Thomas Frank from Brut in Vienna and a group of seven experienced and influential performance programmers and producers from across the UK and Ireland. The group, Matt Burman (Warwick Arts Centre), Helen Cole (InBetween Time), Matt Fenton (Contact Theatre), Emma Gladstone (Dance Umbrella), Roise Goan, David Micklem (independent producer), Jackie Wylie (The Arches, Glasgow), Helen Medland and Tim Harrison (The Basement) are undertaking two research trips to the European venues, exploring models of creative and critical support for the development of new performance. The first research trip to Brut, Vienna in March provided inspirational insights into dramaturgical practices, through meetings with some outstanding artists, dramaturgs and producers. It was also a fantastic opportunity to reflect on the state of development practices in the UK. The next trip, to Campo, Ghent takes place in October. The research trip will incorporate a series of talks, presentations and discussions developed in collaboration with Kristof Blom, Artistic Director of Campo. During this trip, the group hopes to develop aims for next steps and strategic projects supporting the creation of contemporary performance practices in the UK.
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VENUE Hire The Basement is a unique, atmospheric and versatile space with a great vibe. Located in the heart of Brighton’s North Laine area and close to Brighton Station, our venue is the ideal place for all kinds of events and available for hire 7 days a week. Be it a business conference or meeting, corporate entertainment, wedding reception or a private party, our team will make sure that your ideas and needs will be realised. We offer sound and lighting equipment and set up, as well as friendly and professional event management and front of house staff. Our team will support you throughout the planning and delivery of the event to make sure that all of your expectations are met. Contact info@thebasement.uk.com
Caterering partners, The Secret Restaurant have earned a reputation in Sussex as a high end, quality caterer by consistently providing imaginative and tasty food for its clients. www.thesecretrestaurant.co.uk ‘The Basement was an amazing venue for our wedding - a great location in the heart of Brighton, flexible spaces which looked stunning on the day and incredibly helpful staff. Dinner and speeches, dance floor, bar and an impromptu games room in The Pit - The Basement was perfect for all of the above!’ Lee and Amy Rodwell ‘The Basement was a fantastic venue for our corporate scalextric evening. We were very impressed with the venue staff who thought of everything and were a pleasure to deal with. They gave us the flexibility we needed and helped us to arrange a perfect evening’ Rebecca, Woolley Bevis Diplock LLP
ENQUIRIES: 01273 699733 VENUE HIRE: INFO@thebasement.uk.com
39
Brighton Station
YORK PLACE GRAND PARADE
MARLBOROUGH PL
KINGSWOOD STREET
EDWARD STREET ST
The Royal Pavilion
4
PA RA D
E
PRINCES
PA
VI
LI
ON
NORTH STREET
GRAND JUNCTION ROAD
OLD STEINE
JUBILEE ST
2
CHURCH STREET
ST JAMES STREET
MARINE PARADE
Brighton Pier
West Pier
1 The Basement
YORK PLACE
SYDNEY ST KENSINGTON ST
1
NEW RD
GARDNER ST
KINGSWAY
BOND ST
WEST STREET
PRESTON STREET
WESTERN STREET
WATERLOO STREET
UPPER MKT ST
QUEENS ROAD
DYKE ROAD
UPPER NORTH ST
WESTERN ROAD
3
GLOUCESTER ST
NORTH ROAD
NORTH ST
MONTPELLIER PLACE
MONTPELLIER ROAD
NORFOLK ROAD
NORFOLK TERRACE
TRAFALGAR STREET
2 Jubilee Square
24 Kensington St Brighton BN1 4AJ
Jubilee St Brighton BN1 1GE
ENQUIRIES: 01273 699733 info@thebasement.uk.com
3 The Old Market 11a Upper Market St Hove BN3 1AS
4 Marlborough theatre 4 Princes St Brighton BN2 1RD
Book TICKETS: www.thebasement.uk.com @TheBasementUK
thebasementbrighton
Supported by:
The Roddick Foundation
Charity No: 1116008 Company No: 4622154