m
me
london international
mime festival 2011
London
15 > 30 january
contemporary visual theatre
m
me
london international mime festival
London
London International Mime Festival champions contemporary
visual theatre. It’s a once-a-year chance to experience the best in
cutting edge circus, adult puppetry and animation, physical and
object theatre, in a dazzling array of shows designed to provoke,
inspire, enlighten and entertain. There’s dark, ecological satire,
explorations of the arts of laughter and dying, an aerial show
help with choosing:
Shows using puppetry/animation
Akhe Engineering Theatre
Faulty Optic
Josef Nadj & Akosh S
Les Antliaclastes
Teatro Corsario
Family-friendly shows 5+
Compagnia 2+1
which looks at female identity and the clash of cultures,
an industrial robot in harmony with acrobats, the mystery of
crows revealed, and much, much more. Welcome to sixteen
January days and nights with few words or language
barriers, packed with premieres and performances by
artists from ten different countries, after-show
Family-friendly shows 8+
Atelier Lefeuvre & André
Cie 111 / Aurélien Bory
Cie MPTA / Mathurin Bolze
Circo Aereo
Compagnia 2+1
discussions and workshop learning opportunities.
We are grateful to all our artists and their technicians,
our own fantastic festival team, venue colleagues and
funders. Most importantly we gratefully acknowledge
the core financial assistance and support of
Arts Council England. Read on and book early!
Joseph Seelig & Helen Lannaghan
Festival Directors
meet the artists after the shows:
Mon 17 Jan: Wed 19 Jan: Thu 20 Jan: Fri 21 Jan: Sat 22 Jan: Sun 23 Jan: Mon 24 Jan: Tue 25 Jan: Wed 26 Jan: Thu 27 Jan: Fri 28 Jan: Sat 29 Jan: Teatro Corsario
Akhe
Sobelle/Ford
Circo Aereo
Cie 111/Aurélien Bory
Cia 2+1
Les Antliaclastes
Joseph Nadj & Akosh S
Upswing
Jos Houben
Cie MPTA/Mathurin Bolze
Anagoor
Faulty Optic
Nani/Ingimarsson
Atelier Lefeuvre & André
PLEASE ARRIVE IN GOOD TIME FOR THE SHOWS LATECOMERS MAY NOT BE ADMITTED
12+ /Parental guidance
Anagoor
Josef Nadj & Akosh S
Paolo Nani & Kristjan Ingimarsson
Geoff Sobelle & Charlotte Ford
Teatro Corsario
Shows using circus skills
Atelier Lefeuvre & André
Cie 111 / Aurélien Bory
Cie MPTA / Mathurin Bolze
Circo Aereo
Compagnia 2+1
Upswing
Shows for people with hearing impairment
All shows are suitable, except Jos Houben’s
performance-demonstration, and Geoff Sobelle &
Charlotte Ford which will be BSL interpreted on
Fri 28 Jan
Visit our website to see video
extracts of this year’s shows:
www.mimelondon.com
Cover photo: Cie MPTA/Mathurin Bolze
This page: Cie 111/Aurelién Bory
‘Original,
entertaining, cleverly
orchestrated terror’
T EATRO CO R S A R I O
La Vanguardia
S PA I N
S O U T H BANK CENTRE’S PURCELL ROO M
S AT 1 5 > WED 1 9 JAN
L A MALDICIÓN D E P O E
(THE CURSE OF POE) UK PREMIERE
Based on stories by celebrated horror writer
Edgar Allan Poe, this gothic thriller from
Spain’s puppetry experts touches emotions
from tenderness to white-knuckle fear.
Thrust from one terror to another, oh pity
poor Edgar - hounded by the law, dogged
by misfortune, guilty of loving the beautiful
Annabel Lee. Beware the cat with black magic
powers and the crazed, knife-wielding ape.
From Valladolid in Castilla y León, Teatro
Corsario’s award-winning ‘puppets of terror’
have tingled spines across Europe. Not for the
faint-hearted!
Critics’ Prize: Best Production at 2010 Lerida
Puppet Festival, Spain, and Pula International
Festival, Croatia
Sat 15 > Wed 19 Jan
Sat, Mon-Wed 7.45pm, Sun 4pm
Meet the Artists: Mon 17 Jan
Runs 60 mins / no interval
Book online via mimelondon.com
£14.50
Tickets: 0844 847 9928
SOUTHBANK CENTRE
Suitable for 12 years +
Presented in association with Southbank Centre
Coproduction: Circe Producciones Teatrales S.L. and
la Fundación Siglo para las Artes en Castilla y León
5
‘A delicious cocktail of bravura clown
skills and technical precision. Absurd,
improbable, magnificent’
COMPAGN I A 2 + 1
La Stampa
L A PORTA
SW I TZ ER LA N D
S O U T H BANK CENTRE’S PURCELL ROO M
T H U 2 0 > SUN 2 3 JAN
(THE DOOR) UK PREMIERE
Cross the threshold to a world of fantasy, illusion
and old-fashioned artistry. Developed from a series
of classic entrance and exit routines, La Porta
reveals the ins and outs of clown theatre with
consummate skill and timing.
Kai Leclerc, Bernard Stockli and Andreas Manz
came together at the theatre school of legendary
Swiss clown Dimitri and subsequently toured as
members of his company. Their individual credits
include seasons with top European circuses such
as Roncalli, Monti and Knie, America’s Ringling
Brothers and Barnum & Bailey, and appearances
at Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, and on The Late
Show with David Letterman. Director Sergio Bini
co-starred with Roberto Benigni in the Academy
Award-winning film Life is Beautiful.
Thu 20 > Sun 23 Jan
Thu-Fri 7.45pm, Sat 6pm, Sun 4pm
Meet the Artists: Sun 23 Jan
Runs 75 mins / no interval
Book online via mimelondon.com
£14.50
Tickets: 0844 847 9928
SOUTHBANK CENTRE
Captivating comedy, magic and music.
Suitable for all ages.
Presented in association with Southbank Centre
7
COMPAGN I E 1 1 1 /
AUR ÉLIEN B O RY
‘Once again Aurélien Bory comes up with magic,
wit and a ton of ideas. A contemporary take on
Chaplin’s Modern Times’ Le Figaro
FR A N C E
S O U T H BANK CENTRE’S QUEEN ELIZAB E T H H A L L
F R I 2 1 > SUN 23 JAN
S ANS OBJET
UK PREMIERE
In the 1970s it made cars. Now transplanted from assembly
line to stage, an industrial robot is the unlikely hero of
a remarkable futurist fantasy. Seemingly endowed with
human qualities, by turns friendly and frightening, the robot
stars with acrobats Olivier Alenda and Olivier Boyer in this
spectacular performance piece for men and machine.
After sold-out visits to London with previous productions
IJK, Plan B, More or Less Infinity and Les Sept Planches de
la Ruse, director Aurélien Bory’s Compagnie 111 returns with
its latest show.
Production: Cie 111/Aurélien Bory
Coproduction: TNT-Théâtre national de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées;
Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne E.T.E; Théâtre de la Ville-Paris; La Coursivescène nationale La Rochelle; L’Agora-scène conventionnée Boulazac;
Le Parvis-scène nationale Tarbes-Pyrénées. Supported by London
International Mime Festival. Cie 111/Aurélien Bory receives the support
of Fondation BNP Paribas for the development of its projects
This visit to London is supported by Culturesfrance
and Institut français
SOUTHBANK CENTRE
Fri 21 > Sun 23 Jan
Fri & Sat 7.30pm, Sun 6pm
Meet the Artists: Sat 22 Jan
Runs 70 mins / no interval
Book online via mimelondon.com
£14.50/£16.50/£18.50
Tickets: 0844 847 9928
9
UPSWING
FALLEN
‘Terrific input from
aerial experts, Upswing,
this is one hell of a ride’
UK
S O U T H BANK CENTRE’S PURCELL ROO M
MO N 24 > WED 26 JAN
Guardian (on Upswing’s The Wicked Lady)
LONDON PREMIERE
Weaving dance, aerial, circus, shadows and animation with African
spirituality and a contemporary story, Fallen creates a dynamic
and poetic portrait of eternal love, overwhelming loss and the
resilience of the human spirit.
Alone in a foreign land, caught in a place of transition, a woman
turns from reality to escape to a place where dreams reunite her
with all she has lost in her flight. Fallen questions what it means
to be a woman and a mother when caught in the process of
change, as one culture meets another.
Following events at the National Theatre’s Watch This Space,
The Liverpool Culture Company for European City of Culture,
BBC London, the Commonwealth Games Cultural Festival in
Melbourne, and a collaboration on National Theatre of
Scotland’s Peter Pan, artistic director Vicki Amedume
has established Upswing at the forefront of aerial,
interdisciplinary circus in the UK. This performance
features a collaboration with the animated
illustrations of Paper Cinema’s Nic Rawling.
Presented in association with Southbank Centre
Produced in association with The Albany, La Brèche Cherbourg, Jacksons Lane, London International
Mime Festival, Norden Farm Centre for the Arts and Southwark Playhouse
SOUTHBANK CENTRE
Mon 24 > Wed 26 Jan 7.45pm
Meet the Artists: Tue 25 Jan
Runs 50 mins / no interval
Book online via
mimelondon.com
£14.50
Tickets:
0844 847 9928
11
PAOLO NA N I &
KRISTJAN I N G I M A R S S O N
‘Great comic theatre about
man and his fragility - you
might just die laughing’
L’Eco di Bergamo
D EN M A R K
S O U T H BANK CENTRE’S PURCELL ROO M
T H U 2 7 > SUN 3 0 JAN
T HE ART OF DY I N G
In 80 minutes of wordless comedy packed with gags, rhythm, music
and poetry, The Art of Dying explores the big taboo issue we all have
to face but want to ignore. Paolo Nani and Kristjan Ingimarsson are two
clowns, a long-standing double act at the peak of their career.
Suddenly one of them learns he is dying. How does a clown die? Are
there instructions? How to die with dignity, without making a mess and does it really have to be in the middle of a successful tour? In the
profound mystery of life before death, nothing is straightforward.
Presented in association with Southbank Centre
Supported by the Royal Danish Embassy, London
SOUTHBANK CENTRE
Thu 27 > Sun 30 Jan
Thu-Sat 7.45pm, Sun 6pm
Meet the Artists: Sat 29 Jan
Runs 80 mins / no interval
Book online via mimelondon.com
£14.50
Tickets: 0844 847 9928
13
RUSSIA
I C A T H EATRE
S U N 1 6 > THU 2 0 JAN
AKH E
E NGINEER I N G T H E AT R E
G OBO. DIGITAL G L O S S A RY
UK PREMIERE
A man hauls himself heavenwards by means of a rope attached to
his ankle, hearts explode and beer is poured by means of bullets.
In seventeen short vignettes, and different genres from cinema to
robotics and shadow play, these modern heirs to Russia’s tradition
of avant garde theatre create a stream of unforgettable images and
bizarre events.
Realised with improvised, hand-built technology and stupendous
imagination, Gobo. Digital Glossary is an absurdist take on
the Everyman story, set in Akhe’s world where everything is
simultaneously connected - and separate. Dynamic, mesmerising
visual theatre.
ICA
Sun 16 > Thu 20 Jan
Sun 6pm, Mon-Thu 8pm
Meet the Artists: Wed 19 Jan
Runs 60 mins / no interval
Book online via mimelondon.com
£14 (£12 concs)
Tickets: 020 7930 3647
‘They owe as much to the
visual arts and cinema
as to any kind of theatre.
Dizzying, dense and
immensely satisfying’
Guardian (on White Cabin)
15
FRAN CE
I C A T H EATRE
S AT 2 2 > WED 2 6 JAN
LES ANTLI A C L A S T E S
H ILUM
UK PREMIERE
A micro comic-tragedy based on the cycles of
the washing machine and set in the basement
of a rundown museum of natural history.
Orphaned and cut off from the ordered kingdom
of curiosities upstairs, the cast of nursery rhyme
characters, cartoon images, and mischievous
urchins turn playtime into a theatre of cruelty.
Whites mix with colours, delicates get hot
washed, and a monstrous big toe devours
holes in the socks.
Conceived and directed by Patrick Sims,
formerly creative director of Buchinger’s
Boot Marionettes whose Armature of the
Absolute was a sold out hit at the Festival
in 2009. Hilum - a miniature fantasy-land,
distorting and disturbing, is his new
company’s debut performance.
This visit to London is supported by
Culturesfrance and Institut français
ICA
Sat 22 > Wed 26 Jan
Sat & Mon-Wed 8pm, Sun 6pm
Meet the Artists: Sun 23 Jan
Runs 60 mins / no interval
Book online
via mimelondon.com
£14 (£12 concs)
Tickets:
020 7930 3647
‘You keep rubbing your eyes because you can’t quite
believe what you are seeing. They play with perspective
brilliantly and manipulate objects with such assurance
that it is hard to know where the human ends and the
puppet begins’ Lyn Gardner (Guardian) on Armature of the Absolute 2009
17
‘Refined,
theatrical, intense
performances’
ITALY
I C A T H EATRE
F R I 2 8 > SUN 30 JAN
Rolling Stone Magazine
ANAGOOR
T EMPESTA
UK PREMIERE
Award-winning new theatre from Italy.
‘A masterpiece
of astonishing
visual knowledge,
enigmatic and
fascinating’
Hystrio
Showing misty landscapes and the winds of a gathering storm, two
suspended video screens appear like modern day altar pieces. A sense of
impending tragedy hangs in the air.
Tempesta links past and present, exploring the world revealed in enigmatic
paintings by Renaissance artist, Giorgione. Outwardly calm and conventional,
each one raises doubts in the viewer’s mind, hinting at a more complex web
of meanings.
Giorgione, teacher of Titian, died at 33 in 1510. From his home town of
Castelfranco, near Venice, Anagoor was recognised at Italy’s 2009 Stage
Awards for this unsettling, visual and physical collage inspired by the artist’s
ambiguous studies of light, landscape, youth and violence. Intriguing and
atmospheric.
Contains nudity
ICA
Fri 28 > Sun 30 Jan
Fri & Sat 8pm, Sun 5pm
Meet the Artists: Fri 28 Jan
Runs 45 mins / no interval
Book online via
mimelondon.com
£14 (£12 concs)
Tel: 020 7930 3647
Coproduction: Anagoor, Centrale FIES,
Operaestate Festival Veneto.
Supported by Regione Veneto
19
‘I succumbed to the theatrical magic of it all.
Makes you laugh first, wince second and think
long afterwards’ The Times
GEOFF SOB E L L E &
CHARLOTT E F O R D
‘As a piece of theatre this is clever and
spectacular, and brilliantly executed.
As social commentary it is even
better than that’ The Scotsman
USA
B A R B I CAN, THE PIT
WE D 1 9 > SAT 29 JAN
F L E S H AND BLOOD & FISH AND FOW L
LONDON PREMIERE
Urban civilisation on the brink of destruction - time to
shuffle post-it notes and count the paper clips.
Convenience food firm middle manager Jerry pops out of
a wheelie bin, dressed for a day at the office with colleague
Rhoda, and more pointless routine. But as tropical plants burst
out of filing cabinets and wild animals take over the work place,
what starts as a parody of office politics and consumerism
becomes a dark ecological satire. Mankind has lost the plot
and the food chain is about to change.
Winner of a Fringe First Award at the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe
Festival, this hugely entertaining, largely wordless show has its
roots in generations of silent comedians from Jacques Tati to
Mr Bean. You may never eat fast food again.
BARBICAN
Geoff Sobelle returns to the Festival for the first time since his
acclaimed All Wear Bowlers with Trey Lyford at LIMF/bite07.
Suitable for 12 years +
Wed 19 > Sat 29 Jan 7.45pm (not 23 Jan)
Meet the Artists: Thu 20 Jan
BSL interpreted perf: Fri 28 Jan
Runs 65 mins / no interval
Book online via mimelondon.com
£16
Tickets: 0845 121 6839
Geoff Sobelle & Charlotte Ford workshop
Sat 22 Jan 10am - 1pm. See page 36
Conceived and performed by Geoff Sobelle and Charlotte Ford
Presented in association with the Barbican
Coproduction: Barrow Street Theatre New York, Burnt Umber Productions,
Jean Doumanian Productions Flesh and Blood & Fish and Fowl was funded by The
Pew Center for Arts & Heritage through the Philadelphia Theatre Initiative
21
‘a goldmine of ideas,
beautiful, clever, simply superb’
Le Monde
FRAN CE
B A R B I CAN THEATRE
W E D 2 6 > SAT 29 JAN
COMPAGN I E M P TA /
MATHURIN B O L Z E
D U GO UDRON E T
D ES PLUMES
(TAR AND FEATHERS)
UK PREMIERE
Inspired by Steinbeck’s Of Mice
and Men, this remarkable new
circus-theatre production explores
friendship, co-operation and trust.
Five strangers, perhaps exiles or
survivors of a violent storm, are thrown
together on a pitching, rolling vessel
adrift somewhere between earth and sky.
The combination of thrilling acrobatics, bewitching
lighting, music, and ingenious set that’s in a
state of almost constant motion makes this a
performance of both great beauty and heartstopping tension.
BARBICAN
One of today’s most original and brilliant young
circus creators, Mathurin Bolze’s work has featured
regularly at the Festival in recent years, notably
Fénêtres (Laban 2005), Tangentes (bite07) and Ali
(ICA 2009). He was awarded France’s prestigious
Prix du Cirque in 2009.
Suitable for 7 years +
Wed 26 > Sat 29 Jan 7.45pm
Meet the Artists: Thu 27 Jan
Runs 75 mins / no interval
£16 - £28
Book online via mimelondon.com
Tickets: 0845 121 6839
Presented in association with the Barbican
Coproduction: La Brèche, Cherbourg; Les Subsistances, Lyon; L’Agora, Boulazac; Le Parc de la Villette,
Paris; La Verrerie d’Alès en Cévennes; le Cratère, Alès; Théâtre des Salins Scène Nationale de Martigues;
Théâtre National de Bretagne, Rennes; Scène nationale 61, Alençon; Grand Théâtre de Lorient, Le TridentScène National de Cherbourg-Octeville
Compagnie MPTA is supported by Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, Région Rhone Alpes,
Ville de Lyon, Culturesfrance and Institut français
This visit to London is supported by Culturesfrance and Institut français
23
‘Creator of magical
vignettes’
CIRCO AER E O
‘A treasure chest filled
with beautiful sights’
U N CIRQUE PLU S J U S T E
Le Monde
Helsingen Sanomat
UK PREMIERE
FIN LAN D/FR A N C E
R O U N DHOUSE STUDIO THEATRE
T H U 2 0 > SAT 22 JAN
Jani Nuutinen’s enchanting one man
circus conjures pleasure and magic.
In a warm and intimate setting this
craftsman of simple marvels creates
a dreamy world with shadow play,
illusion and skilful object manipulation.
From its candle-lit opening moments
you will be drawn in and charmed.
ROUNDHOUSE
With bases in both Finland and France,
Circo Aereo has been a major force in
the recent rise of Finnish contemporary
circus to international recognition. Jani
Nuutinen graduated from the Centre
Nationale du Cirque in Chalons in
2001 and lives in France. The
company’s joint artistic director,
Maksim Komarov, is based
in Finland.
Suitable for 7 years +
Thu 20 > Sat 22 Jan
Thu & Fri 8pm, Sat 4pm
Meet the Artist: Fri 21 Jan
Runs 50 mins / no interval
Book online via
mimelondon.com
£13.50
Tickets: 0844 482 8008
Production: Circo Aereo
Coproduction: Le Sirque-Pôle Cirque de Nexon en Limousin;
Agora-La Scène Conventionné de Boulazac; La Fabrique,
Saison culturelle de Guéret. This visit to London is
supported by Culturesfrance and Institut français
25
‘So long Sooty. Faulty Optic’s
gruesome figures take
puppetry to the cutting edge’
UK
R O U N DHOUSE STUDIO THEATRE
T H U 2 7 > SAT 29 JAN
The Observer (on Horsehead)
FAULTY OPTIC
F LOGGING A DE A D H O R S E
WORLD PREMIERE
Amongst the ink blots, intercoms, coffee rings and
pizza, there’s a little doorway down to the bottom of
the deepest ocean, where the seabed sludge has a
similar chemistry to that of the human brain. The brain
hosts trillions of neurons, each playing an endless
game of mental pingpong. Of course no-one really
knows any of this as fact, although someone bravely
went in search and sent back reports, whilst others
scrutinised, postulated and made lists.
Faulty Optic are famous for their haunting tales,
unusual visual theatre, strange animated figures and
dark humour. Gavin Glover’s latest production for the
Company engages three amateur scientists to plumb
the depths of the Moon, the legend of Salomé and the
consequences of overthinking.
Thu 27 > Sat 29 Jan 8pm
Meet the Artists: Fri 28 Jan
Runs 75 mins / no interval
Book online via
mimelondon.com
£13.50
Tel: 0844 482 8008
ROUNDHOUSE
Suspend your disbelief, forget the normal, plunge into
a world of surreal adult puppetry.
Gavin Glover workshop
Sat 29 Jan 10am - 3pm
See page 36
27
‘The show is almost ephemeral.
Its quality is lasting’
L’Humanité (Avignon Festival 2010)
FRAN CE
L I N B U RY STUDIO THEATRE, ROYAL OP E R A H O U S E
MO N 24 > TUE 25 JAN
J OSEF NA D J & A K O S H S
L ES CORBEAUX
(THE CROWS)
UK PREMIERE
Wise birds, harbingers of death, symbols of the divine and
diabolical, crows hold powerful sway over the human imagination.
In a beautiful duet featuring movement, free-form jazz and a barrel
full of lustrous, inky black paint, Josef Nadj and Akosh Szelevényi
evoke the spirit, and presence, of this most mysterious of creatures.
At its climax, in an extraordinary process of transformation, Nadj
becomes simultaneously paintbrush, bird and the essence of
blackness itself.
Josef Nadj’s work has been a highlight of LIMF programmes since
his Woyzeck in 1999, most recently in 2008 with Spanish artist
Miquel Barcelo in the LIMF / Barbicanbite co-presentation of Paso
Doble, subsequently performed at the Venice Biennale. He is a
painter, sculptor, photographer, dancer, and director of France’s
National Choreographic Centre in Orléans. Akosh Szelevényi,
saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist, has collaborated on
numerous projects with Josef Nadj since 2003. He also
composes music for theatre, dance and circus.
Production: Centre Chorégraphique National d’Orléans
Coproduction: Théâtre Forum Meyrin - Suisse, with support from la Scène Nationale d’Orléans.
A first version of Les Corbeaux was staged at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris,
commissioned by the Jazz Nomades Festival – La Voix est Libre
This visit to London is supported by Culturesfrance and Institut français, and by the
Hungarian Cultural Centre, London, on the occasion of the Hungarian EU Presidency
LINBURY STUDIO THEATRE
Mon 24 > Tue 25 Jan 7.45pm
Meet the Artists: Mon 24 Jan
Runs 60 mins / no interval
Book online via
mimelondon.com
£16, £13, £11, £6.50 (standing)
and £8 (students)
Tel: 020 7304 4000
29
‘With the subtlest of glances, or
slight turn of the head, Houben has
the entire audience in stitches’
The Scotsman
J OS HOUB E N
BELGIUM
L I N B U RY STUDIO THEATRE, ROYAL OP E R A H O U S E
WE D 2 6 JAN
T HE ART OF LAU G H T E R
One performance only!
Complicite original member Jos Houben returns to
London with a new version of his brilliant analysis of
physical comedy. In this witty, engaging and acclaimed
sixty minute performance/lecture he explains and
illustrates just what makes people laugh. And you will.
In great demand as both a director and actor all over
Europe, Jos has been involved with many of the most
successful physical comedy creations of recent years,
most notably in this country with Spymonkey and The
Right Size.
Following this special one-off London performance
The Art of Laughter will play a month-long season at
the renowned Théâtre du Rond Point in Paris.
LINBURY STUDIO THEATRE
Wed 26 Jan 7.45pm
followed by Meet the Artist
Runs 60 mins / no interval
Book online via mimelondon.com
£16, £13, £11, £6.50 (standing)
and £8 (students)
Tickets: 020 7304 4000
31
ATELIER L E F E U V R E
& ANDRÉ
L E JARDIN
‘Constant delight
and amazement
and a rarely seen
mastery of tempo,
so delicate, so
FRAN CE
L I N B U RY STUDIO THEATRE, ROYAL OP E R A H O U S E
F R I 2 8 > SUN 30 JAN
perilous, like
taming a volcano’
24 Heures
(THE GARDEN) UK PREMIERE
Covent Garden reverts to its horticultural past when Jean-Paul
Lefeuvre and Didier André bring their own garden to the Linbury
Studio Theatre stage. True, some misunderstandings are planted
and rivalries take root, but here is a place of calm in which to
contemplate the human condition without stress or pressure.
Relax and refresh yourself in this garden for all seasons, with
ninety minutes of great comic invention that takes inspiration
from Keaton, Beckett and Jacques Tati.
Fri 28 > Sun 30 Jan
Fri 7.45pm, Sat & Sun 4pm
Meet the Artists: Sat 29 Jan
Runs 90 mins / no interval
Book online via mimelondon.com
£16, £13, £11, £6.50 (standing)
and £8 (students)
Tickets: 020 7304 4000
Production: Atelier Lefeuvre & André,
Par les Chemins with support from
Théâtre d’Auxerre. This visit to London
is supported by Culturesfrance and
Institut français
LINBURY STUDIO THEATRE
Industrial draftsman Didier André and livestock farmer JeanPaul Lefeuvre first teamed up at the French National Circus
School in Chalon, from where they were invited to join Pierre
Bidon’s now legendary Archaos circus troupe. Individually
they have appeared with leading circus groups Que-CirQue and Cirque O, and with the choreographer Philippe
Decoufflé. They have worked as a duo since 2001, with
La Serre, Le Jardin and Bricolage Erotique.
33
WORKSHO P S
HOW TO BE A STUPID
OR THE CLOWN’S INTELLIGENCE
ANGELA DE CASTRO
Tue 11 > Fri 21 Jan, 9.30am > 6pm
BAC, Lavender Hill, London SW11 5TF
More details: +44 (0) 20 7739 8363
Email: whynotinstitute@aol.com
www.thewhynotinstitute.com
This two week course is inspiring and
challenging. It provokes beginners and
experienced actors into finding their own
clown personas through De Castro’s
concept of the ‘Land of Why Not’. Working
through games, exercises and group and
solo improvisations, participants will be
encouraged to develop their playfulness,
simplicity and complicity. By taking
clowning and laughter very seriously, De
Castro leads her students on a journey of
discovery to find the clown inside each
of them. For De Castro clowning is not a
technique but a state. Developing your
clown intelligence will lead to new ways
of playing on the stage and new ways of
connecting with and playing with your
audience. De Castro has been awarded
fellowships with NESTA Dreamtime, the
Arts Foundation and the Royal Scottish
Academy of Music and Drama. She is well
known for having created the Green Clown
in Slava’s Snowshow.
THEATRE DE L’ANGE FOU
Sat 15-Sun 16 Jan, 11am > 3pm £90
Bookings: +44 (0) 20 7263 9339
Email: infoschool@angefou.co.uk
Unit 207, Belgravia Workshops, 157-163
Marlborough Road, London N19 4NF
www.angefou.co.uk
Theatre de l’Ange Fou and the International
School of Corporeal Mime (formerly
known as the Ecole de Mime Corporel
Dramatique) were created in Paris in 1984
by Steven Wasson and Corinne Soum, the
last assistants of the celebrated ‘father of
modern mime’, Etienne Decroux, relocating
to London in 1995. This two-day course is
designed for people wishing to experience
INTRODUCTION TO COMMEDIA
AS A PERFORMANCE TOOL
BARRY GRANTHAM
Sat 15 Jan, 10am > 3pm
Central School of Speech & Drama, Eton
Avenue, Swiss Cottage, London NW3 3HY
Phone +44 20 7637 5661 or email:
workshops2011@mimelondon.com
Inspired by the Commedia dell’Arte,
but relevant for all non-naturalistic and
physical theatre forms. The characters of
the Commedia are introduced as examples
and their face-masks employed, but the
emphasis will be on practical skills, which
can be used by the actor, dancer, mime,
director or choreographer, and applied to
their current projects, training or interests.
The session will consider ‘Commedia’
improvisation, on stage partnerships
(Zanni pair), direct audience involvement
(Pantalone) and the importance of space
and timing in the handling of comedy. Barry
Grantham has given his unique workshops
in many countries - including Italy itself,
inspiring performers, students and teachers
alike. He is the author of Playing Commedia
and Commedia Plays published by Nick
Hern Books.
Further information:
www.worldofcommedia.co.uk
WORKSHOPS
INTRODUCTION TO
CORPOREAL MIME
Decroux’s precise and unique style of
expression - corporeal mime.
CLOWN THROUGH MASK
JONATHAN YOUNG
Mon 24 > Fri 28 Jan, 10am > 5.30pm
£260 (£230 concessions)
London Welsh Centre, 157-163 Gray’s Inn
Road, London WC1X 8UE
Bookings: + 44 (0) 7740 475 879
www.shams.org.uk
This intensive course, synthesising Native
North American and European clowning
traditions, explores how the clown can act
as mirror to the audience’s own humanity.
Rather than defining the clown as stupid
or naïve, we can become beautifully
ridiculous by facing and expressing all
aspects of the self through each making
Last festival’s Etgar Theatre workshop, run in association with
Central School of Speech & Drama and the Puppet Centre Trust
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WORKSHO P S
six masks. In an introductory week to
this transformative method, we will each
make, wear, and clown with the first mask;
exploring presence, colour, innocence and
experience. This visionary training is for
professional performers and artists open
to working through the body, voice and
imagination. The course is led by theatremaker and teacher Jonathan Young, artistic
director of Shams, whose work combines
visual and site-specific theatre with video
and autobiographical performance.
STUCK WITH YOU
GEOFF SOBELLE & CHARLOTTE FORD
Sat 22 Jan, 10am > 1pm £40
Central School of Speech & Drama, Eton
Avenue, Swiss Cottage, London NW3 3HY
Phone +44 20 7637 5661 or email:
workshops2011@mimelondon.com
“You have two people, you have the world”
Athol Fugard
PUPPET AS PERFORMER
GAVIN GLOVER
Sat 29 Jan, 10am > 3pm £45
Central School of Speech & Drama, Eton
Avenue, Swiss Cottage, London NW3 3HY
Phone +44 20 7637 5661 or email:
workshops2011@mimelondon.com
Using our own bodies and the way we move
as the initial inspiration, this workshop will
explore the ways in which a puppet can
CREATING THEATRE AND
PERFORMANCE
THOMAS PRATTKI AND TEAM
Sat 29 > Sun 30 Jan, 10am > 4pm
London International School of Performing
Arts (LISPA) The Old Lab, 3 Mills Studios,
Three Mill Lane, London, E3 3DU
£100 for the two days
Bookings: 020 8215 3390
Further information: welcome@lispa.co.uk
www.lispa.co.uk
A new generation of performing artists
is changing the landscape of modern
theatre. What began a few decades ago
as an avant-garde movement has changed
the vision of mainstream theatre as well.
The idea of the performer as a creator
of her/his own work is no longer a fringe
phenomenon, but reflects the broad desire
of an entire generation of performers to
develop their very own artistic voice and
to take creative responsibility in shaping
their vision of life. This two-day physical
and improvisational workshop will give an
insight into the teachings of LISPA and its
vision of a pedagogy for the devising artist.
It addresses all performers, dancers, actors,
directors and teachers in the field of the
performing arts who have an interest in the
idea of creating original work.
WORKSHOPS
Charlotte Ford and Geoff Sobelle (Flesh
and Blood & Fish and Fowl) will lead a
workshop in creating highly physical
comedic “clown” duos. Hilarious duos
are born of an oppositional magnetic
force to create a singular dynamic; an
inevitable chemistry; a unique DNA that is
as particular as its two counterparts. This
workshop leads participants to create
characters that provoke, prod and spur their
creative partners to develop the “functional
dysfunctional relationship.” The class
is aimed at professional theatre artists
and higher education students who are
interested in clown / physical comedy.
move in space and how it can apparently
live, breathe and think, walk, run and maybe
fall over. Suitable for all performers, artists
and teachers. Puppets will be provided.
BROCHURE PH OTOS:
Akhe: V. Telegin • Atelier Lefeuvre &
André: Matthieu Hagene • Cie 111: Aglaé
Bory • Cie MPTA: Christophe Raynaud de
Lage • Circo Aereo: Philippe Laurençon •
Josef Nadj: Rémi Angeli/Tadeusz Paczula
• Nani/Ingimarsson: Ole Hansen • Sobelle
& Ford: Jacque s-Jean Tiziou • Teatro
Corsario: Marta V idanes • Upswing:
Hilary Shedel • Etgar Theatre workshop:
Emma Leishman
Puppet as Performer - Gavin Glover workshop
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BOO KING
TRAVELLING TO SHOWS
Barbican Theatre & Pit,
Barbican Centre, Silk Street,
EC2Y 8DS
Southbank Centre’s Purcell
Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall
Institute of Contemporary Arts
(ICA) The Mall SW1Y 5AH
For events on pages 20-23
Southbank Centre’s Queen
Elizabeth Hall
For events on pages 14-19
Online: barbican.org.uk
(reduced booking fee)
For events on pages 4-13
In Person: At the Advance Box
Office, Silk Street entrance,
ground floor (Level G).
Mon-Sat 10am-9pm, Sun and
Bank Holidays 12 noon-9pm.
Students: Are entitled to half
price tickets in advance, for all
Wed eves. Proof of eligibility
required. Conditions apply.
Access: Please contact Box
Office or email access@
barbican.org.uk
By Phone: 0845 121 6839
Mon-Sat 10am-8pm
Sun 11am-8pm. A booking fee
applies to each transaction.
Tickets sent by 1st class post,
time permitting.
Limited concessions are
available for each performance.
Visit southbankcentre.co.uk for
more information.
In Person:
Royal Festival Hall
10am-8pm daily
No transaction fee
By Phone: 0844 847 9928
9am-8pm (transaction fee
applies)
By Fax: 0207 921 0607
(transaction fee applies)
In Person: Mon-Sat 10am8pm. The Box Office is in the
Link, connecting Bow Street to
Covent Garden Piazza.
By Phone: 020 7304 4000
Most major credit and debit
cards are accepted
By Post: PO Box 6, Covent
Garden, London WC2E 7QA.
Cheques payable to ‘Royal
Opera House’
For events on pages 24-27
THANK YOU
Online:
roundhouse.org.uk
The 2011 London International
Mime Festival gratefully
acknowledges co-operation/
financial support from:
Arts Council England; Barbican;
European Commission
representation in the UK;
Hungarian Cultural Centre,
London; Institut français
du Royaume-Uni and
CULTURESFRANCE; La Junta de
Castilla y Léon (Fundación Siglo)
and Ministeria de la Cultura de
Espana; Royal Danish Embassy,
London; Southbank Centre (reg’d
charity)
By Phone: 020 7930 3647
Wed – Sat: noon – 9pm
Sun: noon – 8pm
In Person: In Person: MonSat 11am-6pm. Later on
performance days.
By Post: ICA Box Office,
The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH.
Cheques to ‘ICA Ltd’
Please include s.a.e
By Phone: 0844 482 8008
Mon-Fri 10am-6pm,
Sat 10am-4pm
Tube/Train: Charing Cross,
Embankment, Piccadilly
Tube/Train: Chalk Farm
Access: See website for details
Access: See website for details
Access: See website for details
NEED LARGER TEXT?
PHONE US ON 020 7637 5661
What’s this square?
This is a QR code. You can
scan it with many new moblie
phones to get straight to the
venue’s website travel page.
BOOK ONLINE VIA WWW.MIMELONDON.COM
Online booking links,
slideshows, ebook and
pdf of this brochure,
largetext page, free
mailing list, links to
Company websites with
videos and much more!
In Person: Wed-Sat noon-9pm
(most busy 6-9pm) Sunday
noon-8pm
Tube: Covent Garden
Access Information:
0844 847 9910
access@southbankcentre.co.uk
Groups: Buy 10 or more tickets
and save 20%. 020 7382 7211.
Conditions apply.
FreeB: Free tickets for 16-25’s
www.barbican.org.uk/freeb
Online: roh.org.uk
Tube: Charing Cross,
Embankment, Waterloo
Tube/train: Barbican, Moorgate
Families: Up to three under
16s at half price with each full
paying adult. Conditions apply.
For events on pages 28-33
Online: ica.org.uk
FOR THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL MIME FESTIVAL
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7637 5661
Email: direction@mimelondon.com
35 Little Russell Street, London WC1A 2HH
Directors:
Joseph Seelig & Helen Lannaghan
Artists’ Manager:
Silvia Maroino
Group Hosts:
Annette Telesford, Dudley Hinton
BOOKING
By Post: Box Office, Barbican
Centre, Silk Street, London
EC2Y 8DS. Cheques payable to
‘Barbican Centre’ or your credit
card details. Please include an
SAE or add 50p for postage.
Online:
southbankcentre.co.uk
(transaction fee applies)
Linbury Studio Theatre at the
Royal Opera House, Covent
Garden, London WC2E 9DD
Roundhouse
Chalk Farm Road, London
NW1 8EH
Please allow extra travel time
at weekends due to planned
engineering work on tubes
and trains - details and route
planners at www.tfl.gov.uk
or use the QR codes on this
page to access the venues’
travel details on their websites.
Discussions Facilitator: Dick McCaw
Marketing Consultants: Mobius Industries (020 7269 9921)
Press Representatives: Arthur Leone PR (020 7637 2994)
Production Manager:
Bill Deverson
Festival Archivist:
Diana Damian
Brochure/Web Design:
Iain Lanyon at keanlanyon.com
Printed by:
Axis axisonline.co.uk
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