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Dateline: 8th July, 2005
Theatre on the Allotment Touring company Cartoon de Salvo will present their new show, The Sunflower Plot, on allotments in Farnham (Surrey) and Newark (Notts), later this month and in August. "Keep out of direct sunlight," they told Ike. But he'd always preferred to do things his own way. Past the runner beans and behind the shed, there's a gardener with his wellies in the earth and his head in the sun-kissed clouds. As the summer evenings close, join the 'excitingly talented' (Independent) Cartoon de Salvo, as they relate the mud-spattered myth of a man whose allotment was the ultimate escape… To create The Sunflower Plot, Cartoon de Salvo have spent a year with allotment-holders in Farnham, Surrey and Newark, Nottinghamshire, cultivating their plots and hatching ideas for a spectacular show. The promenade performance is inspired by the myth of Icarus, the boy who set his own course, dangerously close to the sun. The Sunflower Plot will feature gardening, pyrotechnics and live music, made with the help of a singing saw and some very curious vegetables. The show has been devised by the company, directed by Alex Murdoch (Young Vic, National Theatre, Kneehigh), and designed by Becky Hurst (Manchester Royal Exchange, London Bubble). Original music is composed by Jim Marcovitch of the international klezmer band She'Koyokh. The company are collaborating with technical designer Phil Eddols (Improbable, West Yorkshire Playhouse) and pyrotechnic masters The World Famous. The Sunflower Plot is co-produced with Nottinghamshire County Council STAGES and Third Space, and is supported by Arts Council England. The show will premiere on West Street Allotments in Farnham, Surrey (14 - 16 July (previews) then 18 - 23 July at 8.00), and transfer to Hawton Road Allotments in Newark, Notts (11-13 August (previews) then 15-20 August at 7.45). Tickets are avilable from Farnham Maltings (01252 726234) and Nottingham Playhouse (0115 941 9419). The Newark performances coincide with National Allotments Week, (August 8 - 14). Allotments are enjoying a boom in popularity in the UK, particularly among younger women. There are currently about 350,000 allotments in cultivation in Britain. The production will dramatise a battle between supermarket property developers and the allotment community. Its themes will reflect the growth of the organic food movement in the UK, and scepticism of supermarkets as recently expressed in two best-selling books: Not on the Label by Felicity Lawrence and Shopped by Joanna Blythman. Please note that all three Archive indices are very long and will therefore take some time to download.
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