Bristol Shakespeare Festival 2008
17 June 2008 - 31 August 2008
Venue: Ashton Court / Brandon Hill / Queen Square / Bristol Zoo - Cost: Various

Once again the Bristol Shakespeare Festival takes over the parks and open spaces of Bristol during the summer months. This year, Shakespeare's Globe returns with two productions - Romeo and Juliet, and The Winter's Tale - performed in the derelict Old Bowling Green on Brandon Hill. Plus there's the usual bag of treats, from Henry V to The Merry Wives of Windsor, Pinocchio to Twelfth Night, and Much Ado About Nothing

Open air theatre is a liberating experience compared to indoor theatre. Grab your friends, bring a rug and a picnic, a bottle of wine or a few beers, warm clothing and a sense of humour, and join us for a play and a picnic in Bristol's beautiful parks this summer.

The Festival opens on 17 June with A Midsummer Night's Dream at Ashton Court. Check out www.bristolshakespeare.org.uk for the full details, or join the Facebook group for special offers. See you under the stars!

Festival Performance Diary

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Ashton Court Mansion
Heartbreak Productions
17 - 18 June, 7.30pm (£5 - £10 in advance, Tickets 0117 922 3686)

Peter Pan – Ashton Court Mansion
Heartbreak Productions
25 -27 June, 7.00pm (£5 - £10 in advance, Tickets 0117 922 3686)

Charley’s Aunt – Ashton Court Mansion
Heartbreak Productions
2 - 5 July, 7.30pm, Mat. 5 July 3.00pm (£5 - £10 in advance, Tickets 0117 922 3686)

Henry V – Ashton Court Mansion
Heartbreak Productions
9 - 11 July, 7.30pm (£5 - £10 in advance, Tickets 0117 922 3686)

Twelfth Night – Bier Keller, All Saints Street, Bristol
Roughhouse (Indoor production)
21 - 24 July, 7.30pm (£8 - £10, Tickets on the door / booking number TBC)

Romeo and Juliet – Old Bowling Green, Brandon Hill
Shakespeare’s Globe Touring
31 July - 3 August, 7.30pm (except 3 August, 6.30pm), Mat 2 August 2.30pm
(£10 - £15, under 10s free, Tickets 020 7401 9919)

Merry Wives of Windsor – Bristol Zoo Gardens
Illyria
6 August, 7.30pm (£6 - £13, Tickets 0117 974 7307)

The Winter’s Tale – Old Bowling Green, Brandon Hill
Shakespeare’s Globe Touring
13 - 16 August, 7.30pm, Mat. 16 August 2.30pm
(£10 - £15, under 10s free, Tickets 020 7401 9919)

Much Ado About Nothing – Queen Square
The Lord Chamberlain’s Men
20 - 21 August, 7.30pm (£8.50 - £14.50, Tickets 0117 9020344 )

Pinocchio – Bristol Zoo Gardens
Illyria
31 August, 4.30pm (£6 - £13, Tickets 0117 974 7307)

Upstairs at the Lansdown: Another Time Another Place
25 August 2008 - 28 August 2008
Venue: The Lansdown, 8 Clifton Road, Bristol BS8 1AF - Cost: £3.50

Another Time Another Place
written & directed by Oliver Millingham.

Upstairs at the Lansdown proudly presents the production of a new play, Another Time Another Place, written and directed specifically for this new theatrical space and inspired by Peter Brook's ethos of "There's an empty space ... use it"

"We are all marked by the people we meet.
For better, for worse and, somtimes, forever"

A solitary man in his 70's sits at a table in a pub with a bottle of wine and two empty glasses. Like all of us, with a story to tell. When a stranger begins to ask him questions about his life, we are gradually enveloped by his past ... will we be allowed to look away?

A new and exciting pub theatre venture, Upstairs At The Lansdown, is an intimate, up-close and personal "in -the-round" performance space above The Lansdown Public House in the heart of Clifton and is in keeping with the pub's commitment to live entertainment and supporting the Arts and local artists.

Please note that seating is limited to 32 for each performance.

My Baby Just Cares For Me
02 September 2008 - 06 September 2008
Venue: Tobacco Factory - Cost: £12 / £8


Full Beam Visual Theatre’s latest show, My Baby Just Cares For Me, will premiere this Autumn at The Tobacco Factory in Bristol. This time we are exploring a social phenomenon that will affect us all: As the baby boomers start collecting their free bus passes, how do we look after an older generation who are more used to dancing to the music of The Rolling Stones than playing dominoes?

My Baby Just Cares For Me is a deeply personal response to this question and draws on the experience of company members and conversations with friends and family to create a frank and funny portrayal of what it means to be a carer and to be cared for.

Using puppets, Super 8 projection, upside-down physicality and a Space Hopper, My Baby Just Cares For Me charts the erratic course of a daughter’s love for her father through thick and thin. Snatching unexpected warmth and humour from the jaws of a desperate and complex situation, this is a sharp, stylish and poignant show with a sizzling soundtrack.

Can't Touch This
06 September 2008 - 07 September 2008
Venue: Olympus Theatre, Filton - Cost: £10

We are a group of young people in Bristol who are putting on a benefit show to raise money for our two friends to go to Mountview Drama School this September. We put on a similar show last year which was a great success.

The show will include dancing, singing and entertainment from some of the brightest young performers in Bristol. Many of us are members of other amateur theatre groups including Bristol Light Opera Club, Bristol Amateur Operatic Society and Comedy Club.

We would appreciate any support you can offer.

Brothers Grimm
07 September 2008 - 07 September 2008
Venue: Tobacco Factory Theatre - Cost: £5


Sunday morning shows from the creators of ‘What’s In The Box?’
More enchanting antics from the Creaking Door crew, who bring their
refreshing style of clear storytelling to three more classic fairy tales
from the Brothers Grimm collection. Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel and
Rumplestiltskin. The tales are presented in the usual high energy, interactive
style of the company with plenty of audience participation, comedy and
songs to join in with. The stories are sensitively adapted for younger
members of the audience, but are equally entertaining for the more mature
theatregoer. Much to the delight of parents, children have gone away
singing the songs and acting the stories, days, weeks, even months after!
Running Time: 50 mins
Suitable for ages 2+

Prototype
07 September 2008 - 07 September 2008
Venue: Tobacco Factory Theatre - Cost: £3

Prototype is an informal event that gives Bristol’s theatre-makers the
chance to show you what they’re working on. Each evening will showcase
3-6 short extracts from new pieces: some funny, some strange, some
highly polished, some rather spontaneous... Hang around afterwards for
the chance to have a say on what you’ve seen.

Elizabeth and Raleigh
09 September 2008 - 10 September 2008
Venue: Tobacco Factory Theatre - Cost: £12/£8

The new comedy by Stewart Lee
With Simon Munnery as Queen Elizabeth I and Miles Jupp as Sir Walter Raleigh
Directed by Owen Lewis
Though I have the body of a woman, I have the heart and stomach of
a King, the brain of a dolphin, and the penis of a hippopotamus. All I need
now is some glue.
Raleigh introduces Elizabeth, the wittiest, wisest and most unforgiving of
English Queens. He’s in love with Elizabeth, the spiritual embodiment of
England. But will he end up in her bed, or will he lose his head? Potatoes,
tobacco, Elizabethan dance, cross-dressing, xenophobia and laughs galore
from the team behind Johnson and Boswell: Late But Live, which played to
critical acclaim at the Traverse Theatre during the 2007 Edinburgh Festival.
Stewart Lee (writer) was voted the 41st best stand-up ever in a
recent Channel 4 poll. He co-wrote and directed the Olivier Award-winner
Jerry Springer – the Opera and has various TV and radio credits to his
name. He has also recently worked with Johnny Vegas on the play Interiors
for Manchester International Festival.
Simon Munnery (Elizabeth) is a Perrier-nominated comedian who
has performed around the world to great acclaim.
Miles Jupp (Raleigh) is a successful comedian, with accolades including
the So You Think You’re Funny award and a Perrier nomination.

The Slide Show
11 September 2008 - 13 September 2008
Venue: Tobacco Factory Theatre - Cost: £12/£8

In a small hall somewhere in England, a slide show is beginning. A series
of ‘cultural’ photographs is presented by an enthusiastic husband and wife
team. The theme? Ancient Greece. But their innocent dabbling accidentally
unleashes a potent ancient force – a force hidden for centuries, a force with
many enemies...
This trip of a lifetime features extraordinary battles with gravity, erotic
soundscapes, twisted puppet gods, vocal acrobatics and the world
première of a completely new high-speed art form – on wheels.
Slot Machine are Fiona Creese and Nick Tigg, and are supported
by The People Show.

Little Red Riding Hood
13 September 2008 - 14 September 2008
Venue: Redgrave Theatre Clifton - Cost: £5

The St. John Ambulance Badgers are celebrating their 21st Birthday this year and to celebrate in style they are putting on their very first Pantomime – Little Red Riding Hood.

The children are the youngest section of the St. John Ambulance ages from 5 – 10, along with some adult and Cadet actors they hope to bring to you a most enjoyable event!

10 Ways to Die on Stage
14 September 2008 - 14 September 2008
Venue: The Tobacco Factopry - Cost: £10/£8

'Don't worry...Things will get worse!'...

Welcome to the world of Edward Rapley, a landscape of balloons and paddling pools, childhood memories and adult loss, in a show that plays with stand-up, story telling, dance, live art and clowning.

10 Ways to Die on Stage brings one man's life, full of hopes and failures, into bewildering detail, switching from joyous abandonment to moments of tender beauty, as you are brought, for your own benefit, to witness this act of good humoured self dissection, with an ache in the heart, a pain in the head and a little spark of hope.

It might just make you glad to be alive.

Written and Performed by Edward Rapley
Directed by Steve Ryan & Holly Stoppit
Lighting Design by Robert Coxall

edwardrapley.co.uk

The making of this show was supported by What If?, You and Your Work, Jumble It Up, and Pilot.

Edward Rapley is an Arnolfini Associate Artist and member of Residence.org.uk

10 Ways to Die on Stage
14 September 2008 - 14 September 2008
Venue: Tobacco Factory Theatre - Cost: £10/£8

Welcome to the world of Edward Rapley, a landscape replete with balloons
and paddling pools, childhood memories and adult loss; a synthesis of
stand-up, storytelling, dance, live art and clowning.
10 Ways to Die on Stage brings one man’s life, full of all his
idiosyncrasies and frailties, into bewildering detail, switching from joyous
abandonment to moments of tender beauty, as the audience are brought,
for their own benefit, to witness an act of good-humoured self-dissection.
Ed Rapley commands the stage and the space around him with such
a delicate attention to detail that you cannot help but be drawn in to his
world. He takes you gently by the hand and brings you to a place we all
know but rarely speak about. He brings you there with an ache in the heart,
a pain in the head and a little spark of hope.

Blue/Orange
16 September 2008 - 20 September 2008
Venue: Tobacco Factory Theatre - Cost: £12/£8

In a London psychiatric hospital, an enigmatic patient claims to be the son
of an African dictator – a story that becomes unnervingly plausible. This is
an incendiary tale of race, madness and a Darwinian power struggle at the
heart of a dying National Health Service.
Blue/Orange premiered at London’s Cottesloe Theatre in April 2000
before transferring to the West End. Winner of the 2001 Olivier Award
for Best New Play, Critics’ Circle Award and Evening Standard Award
for Best Play.
Plain Clothes Theatre Productions are a Bristol-based company
producing high quality contemporary writing from across the globe.
Formed in 2003, the company has presented work in Bristol, London,
Toronto and Vancouver. Most recently they performed Laura Wade’s
Breathing Corpses at the Cheltenham Everyman, following a sell-out
run at Bristol’s Alma Tavern Pub Theatre. The production went on to
win Venue Magazine’s Play of the Year Award 2007.
Written by Joe Penhall

The Little Red Hen
21 September 2008 - 21 September 2008
Venue: Tobacco Factory Theatre - Cost: £5

“Who will help me plant this grain of wheat?”, asked Little Red Hen.
“Not I”, said the Pig.
“Not I”, said the Rat.
“Not I”, said the Cow.
“Fair enough”, said Little Red Hen, “I’ll do it myself”.
Making bread is hard work, but it would be a lot easier if the lazy farmyard
animals got off their reclining sofas and lent a hand. This timeless folktale
is re-told, re-recorded and re-animated by the unswervingly energetic
Stuff & Nonsense Theatre Company.
The Little Red Hen is a delightfully barmy show with no scary bits
whatsoever, featuring puppets, storytelling, BSL live music, lots of laughter
and bread-making for anyone aged 3+.
Stuff & Nonsense Theatre Company specialise in using puppetry,
syncopated storytelling and original music to create shows for the
whole family to enjoy.

Potted Potter
22 September 2008 - 24 September 2008
Venue: Tobacco Factory Theatre - Cost: £10/£8
All seven Potter books in 70 minutes! Watch comic double act Dan and Jeff
take on the ultimate challenge, with the help of endless costumes, brilliant
songs, ridiculous props, and a generous helping of Hogwarts magic. This
fantastically funny show features all your favourite characters, a special
appearance from a very frightening fire-breathing dragon, and even a game
of Quidditch involving the audience!
Following sell-out seasons at the Edinburgh festival and in London, this
first national tour is a must-see for Potter addicts, and a great introduction
to the series for anyone who’s ever wondered what all the fuss is about.
Dan and Jeff are best known for their storytelling appearances on
Blue Peter, and have also performed part of the show on Channel 4’s
Richard and Judy programme.

Acting For Real - Weekly Dramatherapy groupup
24 September 2008 - 12 November 2008
Venue: Cherry Orchards, Westbury-on-Trym Bristol - Cost: £135
An opportunity to explore and experience the creative and therapeutic models of Dramatherapy within the safe and supportive environment of a closed ongoing group. The emphasis will be to have fun while exploring and expressing oneself through the use of roleplay,creative and therapeutic processess specifically related to the use of drama as a healing medium,theatre games and improvisation. This course will encourage spontaneity and play, whilst also offering a container for personal feelings. Working with and through the body, the approach is holistic and often profoundly transformative. Where there is space to explore personal issues, participants are able to work at their own pace. No previous experience is necessary.

The End of Everything Ever
25 September 2008 - 27 September 2008
Venue: Tobacco Factory Theatre - Cost: £12/£8

Drawing on true accounts of the Kindertransport, The End of Everything Ever
follows the journey of six year old Agata. She is going to the railway station
with her father; everyone is very happy, only she has the strange feeling
that she will never see him again. On the train, tired and hungry, she
absent-mindedly chews on the paper tag tied around her neck and very
slowly consumes her name and address, erasing any chance of getting
back home.
Using a live six-piece band, multiple languages and an array of
theatrical styles from clowning to high tragedy, NIE shine a light into
some of our continent’s darkest history and emerge with a story of
survival, love and hope.
This performance is played in English, Czech, German, and Norwegian.

The Little Red Hen
28 September 2008 - 28 September 2008
Venue: Tobacco Factory Theatre - Cost: £5

“Who will help me plant this grain of wheat?”, asked Little Red Hen.
“Not I”, said the Pig.
“Not I”, said the Rat.
“Not I”, said the Cow.
“Fair enough”, said Little Red Hen, “I’ll do it myself”.
Making bread is hard work, but it would be a lot easier if the lazy farmyard
animals got off their reclining sofas and lent a hand. This timeless folktale
is re-told, re-recorded and re-animated by the unswervingly energetic
Stuff & Nonsense Theatre Company.
The Little Red Hen is a delightfully barmy show with no scary bits
whatsoever, featuring puppets, storytelling, BSL live music, lots of laughter
and bread-making for anyone aged 3+.
Stuff & Nonsense Theatre Company specialise in using puppetry,
syncopated storytelling and original music to create shows for the
whole family to enjoy.

NippleJesus
28 September 2008 - 28 September 2008
Venue: Tobacco Factory Theatre - Cost: £10/£8

Written by Nick Hornby
Adapted for the stage and performed by Shane Morgan

Taken from the collection Speaking with the Angel (Penguin Books, 2000),
NippleJesus is a story of a man, a Messiah and thousands of nipples, written
from the point of view of a bouncer turned art gallery guide.
Dave Freeman is a 6ft 2", 15 stone Everyman, who, after a couple of
nasty moments as a bouncer, decides to take the more cerebral position
of art gallery guide. Unbeknown to him, he is about to become a pawn in
contemporary artists’ games of intolerance and retribution.
Nick Hornby (About a Boy, High Fidelity) presents an honest, funny
and totally biased tale of contemporary art, religion and the true definition
of pornography.

Bodyworks: Right or Wrong
29 September 2008 - 29 September 2008
Venue: Tobacco Factory Theatre - Cost: £12/£8

Highly accomplished classical Indian dancer Dipisha Patel explores the
boundaries between traditional and contemporary dance. Her recent piece
Anjali, meaning ‘divine offering’, was a contemporary exploration of the
classical South Indian dance Bharata Natyam. As one of the UK’s emerging
classical Indian dancers, Dipisha has been praised for her outstanding
technical ability and exciting interpretations.
London’s Seeta Patel is also widely respected for her contemporary take
on Indian classical dance. Tonight she presents her new, short dance piece
She Was Still inspired by gestural movements of Bharata Natyam.
Right or Wrong was developed as part of a Cultural Brokerage partnership
between Asian Arts Agency and Cheltenham’s Everyman Theatre.

Bodyworks: El Saqiyeh/El Mizan
30 September 2008 - 30 September 2008
Venue: Tobacco Factory Theatre - Cost: £12/£8

El Saqiyeh Iskandar Dance Company’s new production celebrates the
powerful integration of Sha’abi (traditional folk), contemporary dance and
theatre, through the progressive form of Hilal Dance, which is based on the
aesthetic of Arab/Egyptian culture.
International dancer and choreographer Alessandro el Bascioni is
accompanied by two dancers and the renowned percussionist, Ibrahim El
Minyawi, with the rich music of Les Musiciens du Nil. These performers
come together in an intricate play of movement, melody and rhythms.
El Mizan Hilal Dance Company’s new work boldly explores the true
meaning of Oscillations: the swing of the pendulum, the journey and
the search for the point of balance (el Mizan) in one’s body and mind.
International choreographer/dancer and founder, Suraya Hilal, has been
lauded as one of the great talents of our time and her company’s work
represents an unparalleled development of Arab/Egyptian dance.
El Mizan is inspired by Joseph Tawadros’ evocative improvisations on the
classical Oud, the oldest and foremost musical instrument of the Arab world.