Bedlam Fair - Here are the New
New Work, New Acts, New Sites, New Groups, New Possibilities Arts Council funding is enabling us to bring you a selection of new pieces, many from artists in the SouthWest, who will benefit from trying out their 2013 projects in the hassle-free surroundings of Bath and in front of our well-attuned audiences. Street Arts experts will be assessing and advising them on how to progress or consolidate what they're doing; we're choosing shows that we think will be ready and interesting, including artists we've worked with before in Bath. We’re calling it New Work Works. We'll be viewing new shows from companies we already know we like (Ramshacklicious, for one), and some of the wonderful work we've seen on our travels, including the long overdue return of our Dutch friends Electric Circus, with their wonderful Mono the Monkey and other pieces. Street provocateur Richard DeDomenici (he attracted considerable attention with his pointed pranks around the Olympics last summer, for example) will be in Bath for the weekend. We don't know quite what he'll be doing (that's part of the fun) but you can get better acquainted with his work at dedomenici.com. And he will be presenting some recent projects in his show, Popanganda, on the first night of Bedlam at Green Park Station. We're excited! Another new bit is we're starting a long-term project to insinuate street arts into Bath's new (and still-developing) quarter down at Western Riverside. Connecting directly the site and the river, for a kick-off we'll be unveiling a selection of new work at 'The Scoop' (on the riverbank by the suspension bridge behind Homebase – NB we're expecting the bridge itself to be closed for repairs unfortunately), under the gentle guardianship of our old friend and all-round entertainer (in a good way) Dave of The Splott Brothers. There's a brand new Bath-based performance company, Natural Diversions: a side-project of Natural Theatre's Mark Bishop featuring professional disabled performers. They are participating (along with specialist students, local young people and experienced professional actors) in another of our specially made home-grown site specific works, which will spill around the city centre on Bedlam Sunday, a portable promenade piece called 'Spa' about the healing properties and otherwise of the Bath waters, and some of the more peculiar methods of dispensing them. This project - Outside! NOW!! - has the overall aim of building a pool of performers and technicians to make more ambitious shows outdoors as the years unfold: if you want to take part in a future project get in touch. Every year we engage experts in new and different aspects of relevant artforms and techniques, this year the group is working with Stephanie Jalland, who long-term Bedlamites will remember from her work over the years with comic Salisbury performance makers Hoodwink. Our old friends Kilter, Bath’s own site-specific immersive company, will be bringing a version of ‘The Last Post’, their new and lovely installation about letter-writing, to the garden outside The Spiegeltent on bedlam weekend. They’ll be there most of the afternoon and into the evening on both Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 June; the installation has its moments of activity and repose, you’ll just have to come and visit... All Supported by Arts Council England. Friday 31 May Richard DeDomenici Saturday 1 June Sunday 2 June Spa Saturday/Sunday 1&2, afternoons Go look at http://www.streats.biz/ and http://youtu.be/VocmGjh0Oz4 for what happened last year. |
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