Upcoming Tour Dates
If you've not caught our exceptional new show- HMS Stormus- a wry look at the climate crisis and humanity through the medium of circus theatre, comedy, physical theatre and bilingual storytelling, then get these dates in your diary!
We've only a few performances left this summer, they are at:
July 12th Market Hall, Caernarfon
July 20th Pontio, Bangor. Rhythm Aye
July 21st Big Splash Festival, Newport
August 6th- Eisteddfod Genedlaithol.
Hope to see you there!
This announcement has been a long time coming, but it has been a busy spring. This year I will be making my directing debut with circus theatre extravaganza, HMS Stormus. HMS Stormus is set in a post climate crisis world, it is the year 2827 and the majority of the world is under water. Humans have only survived by living on cruise ships, endlessly traversing the oceans without much hope. Our 3 outlandish former enterainers are desperately trying to carry on with the ships' intenary and are controlled by the mysterious voice of the tannoy.
This is a fun, action packed circus cabaret that showcases the talents of Ellis Grover, Iago Morgan Jones and Daisy Williams. It weaves bilingual text with jaw dropping circus skills. Commissioned by the Welsh Outdoor Arts Consortium, it will be touring festivals the length and breadth of Wales this summer.
It is a big task to write and direct a show, now that it is all coming together, I am enjoying the challenge. I think it will always feel strange not being on stage, but I have an amazing team of performers who bring joy and enthusiasm to every rehearsal. I have also been well supported by the Articulture team, my mentor Gwen Thompson, writing mentor Kate Jones, who is also a prop making genius, and sound designer Daniel Rhys Lawrence. The work in progress showing at Machynlleth Comedy Festival went down storm (pun intended) We are now in our final rehearsals and the show will premier at Awen Trust's Seascapes Festival Porthcawl on June 1st. Click on the link for details, I hope to see you there.
https://awenboxoffice.com/whats-on/seascape-2024/about
Commissioned by the Wales Outdoor Arts Consortium (WOAC), supported by Articulture and the Arts Council of Wales. Comisiynwyd a Chonsortiwm Celfyddydau Awyr Agored Cymru (CCAAC), chefnogwyd gan Articulture Wales a Chyngor Celfyddydau Cymru.
Howl! Performances have been going well with the show bedding in nicely. We have some more dates coming up before summer comes to an end. If you haven't seen it yet then come along.
Mae perfformiadau wedi bod yn mynd yn dda, a dwi'n mwynhau gwneud y sioe. Mae gennym fwy o ddyddiadau yn ddod i fyny cyn i'r haf ddod i ben. Os nad ydach i weld eto, dewch draw.
Eisteddfod Genedlaithol Cymru 10 & 11 Aug/Awst https://eisteddfod.wales/programme
Awen Trust, Bryngarw Country Park 30 Aug/Awst https://www.bryngarwcountrypark.co.uk/whats-on/
Span Arts, Scolton Park 31 Aug/Awst https://span-arts.org.uk/whats-on/
Commissioned by Wales Outdoor Arts Consortium.
I'm super excited to finally announce (long overdue!) that I have been commissioned to make a show in Wales this year.
Howl! is a magical tale of a wild were-wolf woman. A narrative aerial theatre show performed in Welsh.Written by me, Directed by Gwen Thompson. Original musical score by Daniel Rhys Lawrence with Welsh support and costume design by Kate Jones.
Commissioned by Wales Outdoor Arts Consortium.
Rehearsed in my Mum's field.
We have loads of performance dates throughout Wales this summer, posts coming soon!
Rwy'n hynod gyffrous i gyhoeddi o'r diwedd fy mod wedi cael fynghomisiynu i wneud sioe yng Nghymru eleni. Mae Howl! yn stori hudolus am blaidd-ddynes wyllt. Sioe theatr awyrol naratif yn cael ei pherfformio yn Gymraeg. Ysgifennwyd gennyf fi, cyfarwyddwyd gan Gwen Thompson. Sgor gerddoral wreiddiolgan Daniel Rhys Lawrence, gyda chefnogaeth Gymreig a chynllun gwisgoedd gan Kate Jones. Comosiynwyd gan Gonsortiwm Celfyddydau Awyr Agored Cymru. Wedi Ymarfer yng cae fy Mam. Mae gennym ni lwyth a ddyddiadau perfformio dros Cymru yr haf yma.
The Cabaret of Misfits was a real treat this autumn, it really filled me with joy. Curated by Combine to Create artist, Rachael Macintyre as part of the Findhorn Bay Arts festival, it was my second opportunity to perform in my new home in teh North East of Scotland. The theme of the cabaret was LGBTQ and queerness in circus, and for me the perfect excuse to create an act based on Barbette. Barbette was a cross dressing trapeze and tighwire performer to rose to great fame in the 1920's and 30's and I came across them while researching my show Mirrors & Ribbons. Known to be both exquisitely feminine and in turn reveal themselves to be a macho man, Barbette was much admired.
The biggest problem I had in creating the act was deciding which way to play it- as a woman dressing as a man or vice versa, having it tried numerous versions, I settled on playing high-status feminine, becoming more uncomfotable with my idenitity and then transforming into a man mid-act. Of course I added some extra drama, some of my favourite rope tricks and a healthy dose of the ridiculous and in the end was really pleased with the result.
The cabaret was a tour de force, stuffed full of high quality scottish circus acts, and the audience in the Universal Hall were as lively and lovely as ever. They were treated to hair hanging, aerial chains, contortion, silks, trapeze, sword swallowing, hula hoops and of course rope. The whole night was a roaring success, and I was lucky enough to be in the headline slot, the act couldn't have gone any better or recieved a better reception. It was an absolute pleasure to perform, I hope an opportunity comes up soon to play Barbaretta again.
Credit for the night goes mostly to Racheal Mcintyre, Findhorn Bay Arts Festival, Ruariadh Milne and Emma Robbie for pulling it all together.
It was lovely to spend more time performing in Wales this summer, and to be working again with some of the team from Dadeni at the Eisteddfod (see previous post). Greenman is a lovely festival in a beautiful location close to the Brecon Beacons. The festival has a laid-back vibe and is great for families, which isn't to say that it doesn't also feature some really great music and of course, circus, theatre and dance.
The Back of Beyond stage is an outdoor stage that features a rolling programme of performances and an evening show organised by producer Zoe Munn, who is hugely supportive of Welsh talent, and features performances made by recipients of the Four Nations Bursary, which supports new outdoor work. This year I joined fellow Dadeni performer Ellis Grover in a double bill of circus. Ellis performed his chair and bottle balancing act, which really has to be seen to be believed, and I performed "Phoenix Rising" my bird aerial act- a exploration of bird-like movement on a rope to a sound track of birdsong.
It was really fun performing there and joining the other acts, and of course the bonus of perofrming at a festival is that you get to enjoy the rest of the festival! Roll on Greenman 2023.