For four extraordinary days in August, Stockton-on-Tees in the North East of England will be transformed into a vast performance space for both homegrown and international street theatre artists.
The internationally acclaimed Stockton International Riverside Festival (SIRF) is now in its 24th year and comes to town from 3 – 7 August.
As ever, SIRF is committed to presenting the best national and international outdoor shows available, whether in street theatre, dance or circus. For the past four years SIRF has worked with seven other English festivals to bring out the best home grown talent as part of the Without Walls consortium. SIRF 2011 will welcome six exciting and diverse Without Walls companies.
SIRF is a founder member of Without Walls which is funded by Arts Council England and comprises festivals in London, Bristol, Manchester, Brighton, Norwich and Winchester as well as SIRF.
The undoubted showpiece will be As The World Tipped by Wired Aerial Theatre. This extraordinary piece of epic aerial theatre is directed by Nigel Jamieson, the man responsible for the Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Sydney Olympic Games. Combining spectacle, emotion and humour, As The World Tipped looks at the topical theme of climate change from a stage suspended 30 metres above ground.
Another show guaranteed to be spectacular is Graeae Theatre Company’s adaption of The Iron Man by Ted Hughes. The book is part children’s story and part science fiction and Graeae’s version will feature an Iron Man the size of a double decker bus! The UK’s leading disabled and deaf company spins the tale with words, signs and an audio descriptive narrative.
Smaller in scale but promising to be equally memorable are two dance shows by Bad Taste Cru and Deaf Men Dancing.
Bad Taste Cru’s Tribal Assembly fuses physical theatre, dynamic b-boy moves and body contact to tell the story of four very different characters. Originally from Northern Ireland and Lithuania, the company is based in Newcastle.
As the name suggests Deaf Men Dancing are an all male deaf company who are working with choreographer Mark Smith and visual artist Rachel Gadsden on Alive! Through dance, visual art, sound and spoken language they aim to turn reality on its head and remind everyone to embrace being Alive!
Finally the Without Walls programme presents two inventive street theatre performances. SIRF favourites Whalley Range Allstars are collaborating with Dutch company Babok to present Imaginary Friends. Ten performers and ten life sized puppets will lead the audience on an entertaining journey through life via the streets of Stockton.
There’s an opportunity to experience Punch and Judy you’ve never seen them before with Red Herring‘s That’s The Way To Do It! The grotesque sideshow characters come to noisy life and the action culminates in a huge tug-of-war with an enormous string of sausages and a lot of audience participation.
Frank Wilson, Artistic Director:
“This year’s Without Walls programme offers everything from traditional street theatre through contemporary dance to some of the most spectacular, thought provoking and inventive work ever presented by British companies at SIRF.”
Jan Doherty, Stockton Council’s Festival Co-ordinator:
“As well as bringing large scale, international performances to SIRF, we are committed to supporting new and emerging talent and showcasing just how strong an array of companies we have here in the UK. As well as some familiar faces, this year’s SIRF sees some of the newest performers on the street arts scene.”
For all the latest news log onto www.sirf.co.uk.
