Visitors to the 24th Stockton International Riverside Festival (SIRF) will be treated to a spectacular launch event.
Eyes will look skyward for Wired Aerial Theatre’s performance of As The World Tipped on Thursday, 4 August at 9.30pm.
This ambitious and extraordinary piece of epic theatre will be staged for just the fifth time ever when it comes to SIRF, having premiered at Norwich and Norfolk Festival this year.
Stockton High Street will play host to the one-off performance which will see a 120 tonne crane lift a horizontal stage to become a vertical screen almost 100 feet into the air. The suspended screen will provide the platform for 11 performers all attached to bungee ropes as they use breathtaking aerial skills to look at the topical theme of climate change through aerial theatre and video footage.
With the historic Town Hall as the backdrop, this show will be a visual treat and festival organisers expect an audience of thousands to line the High Street for this afterdark show.
The London-based production company has been working closely with Stockton Council to ensure the technically complex show is a real spectacle. Such is the scale of the production, the company will be setting up on Wednesday, 3 August for them to undertake a full dress rehearsal that evening and to ensure the safe anchoring of the staging they will also be increasing the size of their production area.
This will mean relocating some of the market traders for that day to allow for sufficient anchoring sites to be installed.
Councillor Ken Dixon, Stockton Council’s Cabinet Member for Arts, Leisure and Culture, said: “This is a hugely ambitious production and we are very proud that we have been able to bring it to Stockton and to SIRF. Following its recent premiere at Norwich and Norfolk Festival, the company have asked for more space to anchor their staging that will allow them to perform whatever the weather or wind.
“Stockton International Riverside Festival is one of the real highlights of the region’s cultural calendar and now in its 24th year, audiences have come to expect some of the most unusual, breathtaking and visually stunning shows.
“The technical requirements can often be very challenging, especially with new and large outdoor productions and safety always has to be paramount.
“We regret the need to move a number of market traders at this late stage but hope they will understand the reasons why and enjoy a good day’s business in their new, temporary location if they wish to trade that day. The traders affected will get that day’s pitch for free if they still wish to trade or qualify for a day’s holiday.”
SIRF runs from Thursday, 4 to Sunday, 7 August. Check out www.sirf.co.uk for the latest news.
Notes to Editors
All media enquiries for SIRF should be directed to Emma Chesworth at Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council emma.chesworth@stockton.gov.uk. Telephone 01642 526162.
The Stockton Weekender is an independently produced festival, presented by Tees Music Alliance with support from Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council and Arts Council England. The Stockton Weekender runs alongside SIRF – one of Europe’s finest festivals of street theatre. For details log onto www.stocktonweekender.co.uk
All media enquiries for The Stockton Weekender should be directed to Ciara Johnson at Tees Music Alliance. E-mail ciara@teesmusicalliance.org.uk or telephone 01642 606525.
A TippingPoint/Without Walls Co-commission
Commissioned by Brighton Festival, Norfolk & Norwich Festival
Made in Liverpool supported by Liverpool City Council
Co-commissioned by GDIF, Mintfest, Stockton International Riverside Festival and XTRAX
