housetheatre.org.uk

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BETTER THEATRE FOR MORE PEOPLE

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Since the 1st April 2012 house has been funded by Arts Council England to develop the touring ecology of the south east and east of England. We are programmer-led and currently 104 venues have signed up to house with more joining every week.

The work we tour is informed by the feedback from venue programmers. We identify a range of work from regional, national and international companies that are shortlisted by the steering group.

Other house initiatives so far include:

• A brand new commission of a piece of classic theatre in response to the requirement from our venues for more classic theatre to tour to mid-scale venues

• A group of 30 venue programmers to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to network with their peer group and to choose work to tour into house venues

• We are running venue development days that enable cluster groups of programmers and marketers to share ideas, expertise and training opportunities. More of these will become available over the coming year

• Increased digital community engagement amongst venue programmers and touring theatre companies through the house website, including a resources section

house is exploring the idea of an associate artist scheme, tentatively titled ‘greenhouse’, which would see theatre makers, companies and artists being paired with house venues.

We will be running biannual venue networking days that offer opportunities to meet and discuss shared challenges and ambitions.

We are also looking to introduce development days for theatre companies, to complement the venue days and to share ways of improving the way touring companies liaise with venues.

There is more to come but, as ever, we are very open to feedback and ideas as to how we can support audience development at regional venues, and to help provide and sustain ‘better theatre for more people’.

Best wishes, house

WWW.hOuSEThEATrE.Org.uk

HELLO FROM HOusE

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THE AdvEnTuREs OF ALvin sPuTnik: dEEP sEA ExPLORER

PERTH THEATRE COMPAnY & WEEPinG sPOOn On a future Earth whose ice caps have melted, rooftops barely provide escape from the rising waters. Our lonely hero Alvin, heartbroken after the loss of his beloved wife, hears a TV plea from Earth hQ seeking a daring soul willing to find a lost oasis at the bottom of the sea that might just save humanity. www.perththeatre.com.au www.weepingspoon.com

Toured to 6 house venues from the 15th - 20th October

8M3: A dOuBLE BiLL

ATELiER LEFEuvRE ET AndRECHEZ MOi CiRCusDidier André shares his tale, dreaming of the great juggler he once was. Without words but through breathtaking illusion, moments of magic, and a face that tranforms to tell a thousand stories.

ni OMniBusWith adventurous contortions, a little ladder, a long pole, and a traversed rope, Jean Paul Lefeuvre skilfully conquers the space.

8M3A DOUBLE BILL presented in conjunction with Crying Out Loud and made possible with funding from the PASS circus channel project and INTERREG. www.lefeuvre-andre.com

Toured to 12 house venues from the 7th - 24th November

HOusE On TOuR 2012

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PEnGuin

LOnG nOsE PuPPETsBen is delighted when he rips open his present, inside is a penguin. “hello Penguin!” says Ben. Penguin says nothing. Ben tickles Penguin; he pulls his funniest face; he puts on a happy hat, sings a silly song and does a dizzy dance. Penguin says nothing… so Ben fires Penguin into Outer Space; Penguin comes back to earth without a word!

It isn’t until a passing lion intervenes that Penguin finally speaks... and when he does, Ben discovers something that was really worth the wait. www.longnosepuppets.com

35 performances in 19 house venues from the 8th September - 3rd November

POPAGAndA

RiCHARd dEdOMEniCiSit back and relax to the dulcet tones of richard DeDomenici’s songs that aren’t real, facts that are funny, and jokes that don’t rhyme, in his new show Popaganda. A jetlagged litterpicker of the world’s cultural landfill, watch DeDomenici throw western civilisation at the wall, caution to the wind, and see what sticks. Like a can of tomato soup, Popaganda is condensed, easily digestible, and likely to stain. www.dedomenici.com

Toured to 12 house venues from the 22nd September - 7th December

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HOusE On TOuR 2013

THE inCREdiBLE BOOk EATinG BOY

BOOTWORks THEATRE COMPAnYhenry loved books, but not like you and I like books… he loved to EAT books. This exciting theatre adaptation of Oliver Jeffers’ award-winning children’s book by Bootworks Theatre follows the story of a boy with a voracious appetite for books. And better still, he realises the more books he eats, the smarter he gets. But a book-eating diet isn’t the healthiest of habits, as henry soon finds out!

An exciting adventure for 4+ year olds, and their grown ups using live performance, puppetry and back projection. Each performance is 5 minutes long, performed for two people at a time and repeats 30 times per day. www.bootworkstheatre.co.uk

suiTCAsE CiRCus

FOLdEd FEATHERA delightfully heart-warming and interactive family-friendly spectacular.

Meet Wobulous Discombobulous, the anarchic sock as he presents a line up of extraordinarily talented performing objects, all with their own unique and captivating storylines. Suitcase Circus features the most unlikely of performers including the world’s only acrobatic potato sack, a daredevil ski glove, an incredible dancing milkshake straw, the hypnotic tie snake Windsor knot, and the lovable yet bizarre magical Mexican hat Timrek. www.foldedfeather.com

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THE niGHTinGALE

HORsE + BAMBOOImagine you could have anything you wanted... the best that money can buy. unfortunately for the little king, he already has that, and he still feels something’s missing. That is, until he is enchanted by the most beautiful sound in the world and finds friendship in the most unexpected place. www.horseandbamboo.org

THE WATERY JOuRnEY OF nEREus PikE

LAuRA MuGRidGENereus Pike is floating down from the sunshine to the bottom of the sea.

he’s not unhappy about this.

he’s smiling.

The Watery Journey of Nereus Pike is a new show by Fringe First Award winning comedian, storyteller and theatre maker Laura Mugridge, following her acclaimed debut show running on Air and is made in collaboration with improviser katy Schutte and Tom Adams, who provides live music.

Expect an epic tale of love, gods, sea creatures, an impromptu rave scene and a nautical jumper. www.lauramugridge.co.uk

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HOusE On TOuR 2013

THE TREnCH

LEs EnFAnTs TERRiBLEsFrom the award-winning team behind The Terrible Infants, Ernest and the Pale Moon and The Vaudevillains, comes a new play inspired by the true story of a miner who became entombed in a tunnel during World War One. As the horror threatens to engulf him, he discovers another world beneath the mud and death. Setting off on an epic journey of salvation, the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur as he questions what’s real, what’s not and whether it even matters?

The Trench blends Les Enfants Terribles acclaimed brand of physical storytelling, verse, puppetry and live music from Alexander Wolfe. www.lesenfantsterribles.co.uk

THE GiRL WiTH THE iROn CLAWs

THE WROnG CROWdgrowing up isn’t easy, especially when you’re in love with a bear.

This is a story about a girl who dares to follow her longing. The youngest daughter of a king, she feels like a misfit. Then one night a compelling dream leads her deep into the forest, where a chance encounter sets her on a fateful path she could never have anticipated.

The Wrong Crowd bring you this captivating, dark fairy-tale, which shares its roots with Beauty and the Beast. Stunning puppetry, enchanting music and deft humour combine to dazzling effect in this coming of-age tale. www.wrongcrowdtheatre.co.uk

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TEA TiME TEnT The Tent is a haven of creativity, fit to burst with activities for young children, families and adults. For under-6s there will be performances of Tea Time, a wonderfully silly celebration of meal times, inspired by the games we have all played around the kitchen table - an ideal first experience of theatre for little people and lots of fun for parents to see with their children.

As well as Tea Time there will be an array of theatrical games, workshops and craft activities on offer. For older children and adults there will be a cryptic Treasure hunt as well as audio plays, poetry and digital experiences. If all of that sounds a bit too active the Tent will also have a chill-out corner where you can kick back and relax in a cosy armchair with a cup of tea or a book. There really is something for everyone.

house will be supporting venues to adapt the tent for their own village fetes and community gatherings during August 2013. www.oxfordplayhouse.com

THE duCHEss OF MALFi

EYEsTRinGs THEATRE COMPAnY A woman pays the price for daring to transgress her social status. A powerful family is destroyed by passion and cruelty. The Duchess of Malfi, directed by Cheek by Jowl’s Associate Director Owen horsley, is a merciless exploration of morality, class and sex. www.eyestringstheatre.co.uk

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HOusE On TOuR 2013

As YOu LikE iT

TRAnsPORTIn July, the £35,000 house commission was awarded to Transport Theatre to create a production of William Shakespeare’s As You Like It. The piece was chosen from more than 140 applications to fit the brief of ‘contemporary classic theatre’ by programmers from six house region venues: Andover, The Lights; Canterbury, The gulbenkian; Colchester, Lakeside Theatre; Didcot, Cornerstone, hertford Theatre; and Portsmouth, New Theatre Royal.

A state in the hands of a new dictator; the daughter of an exiled leader struggles to live under the new regime. She falls in love with a kindred spirit at a wrestling match.

her dictator uncle, jealous of her popularity banishes her from the city on pain of death. To protect herself she disguises herself as a man and leaves with her cousin to seek out her exiled father in the forest. Amongst the community of exiles, she meets the wrestler again and terrified of the warmth of love, she tests and counsels the wrestler in the art of love and wooing, in her guise as a man.

Transport’s eight-strong production of As You Like It will run the glorious gamut of romance: cross-dressing and love-notes; poetry and brilliant conversation; tragedy, gentle satire and passion. www.transport-theatre.eu

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The Autumn 2012 tour of 8m3 by Atelier LeFeuvre et André has been supported by the PASS project. The PASS project is a new three year cross-channel contemporary circus programme that will support the development of circus for performers and audience, both in Northern France and Southern England. Funded through the Interreg IV programme, the project has four English and four French partners, creating and delivering a series of performances, tours, residencies, presentations and professional development.

Arts Council England is the national development agency for the arts in England, distributing public money from the Government and the National Lottery.

Arts Council England champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people’s lives and supports a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries - from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections.

For further information please visit www.artscouncil.org.uk

www.housetheatre.org.uk

house would like to thank: All the venue managers, venue programmers, touring companies and artists who’ve signed up to house and who’re getting involved. richard kingdom and Claudia West of Arts Council England Our steering group venues and their representatives:Andrew Comben and Orla Flanagan, Brighton Dome and Festival; gavin Stride and Fiona Baxter, Farnham Maltings; Katy Griffiths, Newbury Corn Exchange; Caroline Sharman, New Theatre Royal Portsmouth; Michelle Dickson and katy Snelling, Oxford Playhouse; John Luther, South Street reading; Sarah Brigham, The Point Eastleigh; and Brigid Larmour, Watford Palace Theatre.

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houseFarnham Maltings

Bridge SquareFarnham

SurreyGU9 7QR

01252 745 424@housetheatre

WWW.hOuSEThEATrE.Org.uk

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