Thursday 14 May 2015

Physical Fest 2015

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Unity Theatre

Just one week until Liverpool's International Physical Theatre Festival returns

It is now just one week until Liverpool’s Tmesis Theatre and Physical Fest return to the city for 2015. This year’s festival runs between Friday May 22–Saturday May 30 and offers an incredibly diverse range of acts and performances that are not to be missed.

As always, Tmesis Theatre will be bringing the very best and most established artists from all corners of the globe, with companies from Italy and Spain joining the UK performers for a truly international Physical Fest.

Physical Fest will launch on Friday May 22 at The Unity Theatre with Pact with Pointlessness, a one woman performance that lies somewhere between stand up and vaudeville. A double act for one from acclaimed choreographer Wendy Houston, who created it to tackle the death of her friend, choreographer and dancer Nigel Charnock - who she performed with in DV8, the show is full of crackling wit and ridiculous movement and is a frank demonstration of how it feels to be knocked sideways by death, renegotiate and carry on.

On Saturday May 23, also at The Unity, Ship of Fools present From the Cradle to the Bin, a hilarious odyssey about being thrown on life’s scrapheap, told through live music, grotesque parody and shocking imagery. Follow Mr Whitey, an affable English gent, as he spends his final days on the edge of a broken care system. Meet inept carers, sneering owners, money hungry family members and a whole host of others who are sure to make Mr. Whitey’s final day a memorable one.

Following on from his fifteen minute debut at Physical Fest 2014, Leebo Luby has had direction from Aitor Basauri (Spymonkey) to create a new absurd and extraordinary show, Faruchio Peru is Extraordinare. On Sunday May 24 at The Bluecoat, self-proclaimed ‘showman’ Faruchio Peru is an enigma wrapped in an ego, surrounded by an unpronounceable name, in this one man clowning show. An extraordinary man in ordinary times? Or a very ordinary man in extraordinarily absurd times? What does he want? What does he mean? Is there anything Farucchio Peru cannot do? He thinks not but is he mistaken?

Monday May 25 sees a night of work in development extracts at The Joe H Makin Centre, LJMU. In a double bill of exciting new physical work, Animikii Theatre present biblical tale Cain and Abel, exploring the theme of brotherhood through reimagined mythology, weaving vocal and movement languages with striking imagery and powerful music.

Then Yorgos Karamalegos presents some initial ideas from a two week workshop exploring the idea of Home and feelings of alienation with his core team, dramaturge Despina Sidiropolou and actor Tatiana Spivakova. Using the story of Medea as an entry point to their research as well as a personal study of the psychological triangle of mother, father and child.

Monday May 25 and Tuesday Ma 26 also feature Wild Trio, a site specific dance performance at 45-61 Duke Street, providing a refuge from capitalism in the heart of Liverpool 1. The Wild Trio have assembled and prepared, rigorously shedding social skins for the arrival of unexplainable phenomena. Site specific performance with dance artist Laura Doehler, Cathy Walsh and Genevieve Say.

Also on Tuesday May 26 at The Unity, Animal Religion present a stunning contemporary circus performance which brings out the inner animal in us all. In a grotesque parody of the modern human and the differences between the sexes, the stage is transformed into an “animalarium”; with acrobatics, heels, a spoon in the nose, rooster fight and ritual dances. It questions what is animal and what is human and includes a post show Q & A.

Friday May 29 sees the return of the annual Fest Live  at The Unity, an international showcase for the most exciting new physical and visual work from both emerging and established artists internationally which is carefully selected by a panel of the UK festival directors. With styles ranging from clown to dance theatre and hosted by a very special comic guest compares, Fest Live is an entertaining evening not to be missed.

Following the success of last year’s first draft of his hilarious clown show at last year’s festival, Jamie Wood returns with Oh No! to bring in the end of the festival on Saturday May 20. The new version of the show has been polished, trimmed, tucked and battered. When John Lennon fell in love with Yoko Ono the world was shocked. When they claimed there love was politics and art, the world squirmed. When Lennon was assassinated the world mourned. Playing amongst the enigmatic instructions of Yoko Ono's art works, in the shadow of Lennon's death, Oh No! is a psychedelic ride - a wonky homage to the woman damned for destroying the Beatles and a show about reckless optimism, high art and what we might yet have to learn from the hippies.

And if this line up wasn’t enough, The Unity Theatre also comes alive before and after the show. Come early to see intimate performances, pop up street theatre and have a bite to eat.

Squash Nutrition are serving delicious, locally gown food at every Unity Theatre show from 6pm. Buy two courses for just £5 with your ticket! Or just turn up and choose from a different seasonal menu every night.

Tmesis Theatre Graduate Company present Honky Tonk Hideaway before every show. A strange saloon, some deadly sins all add up to a physically immersive 15-minute experience. Presented at Unity 2, every night before and after the main Fest show at The Unity.

And as a final preshow warm up go on a solo trip into the bizarre beyond; Solotoria invites participants to step into the only seat in the house to view a repertory of shows including ballet and opera- totally immersive experiences in less than three and a half minutes. This is theatre for one, a miniature personal entertainment that has charmed and delighted all ages. Pop by and smile between 6-8pm before all of the Unity Theatre shows.

There will as ever, be a wide selection of participatory workshops and classes to take part in and full details of these can be found at www.physicalfest.com.

Physical Fest has become one of the international key events in Liverpool’s cultural programme, bringing the world's best local, national and international movement and physical theatre artists to Liverpool in an exciting 9 day programme of events, workshops, taster classes and performances. With an exciting and diverse line up, 2015 promises to deliver the exceptional class of entertainment this festival has become renowned for.

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