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Dateline:
1st June, 2003
Watch This Space!
Watch This Space! - the NT's summer festival of free events and activities
in Theatre Square
20th June - 23rd August 2003
Watch This Space is the National's annual free outdoor summer
fiesta of the finest street theatre, music and entertainment in Theatre
Square. Now in its sixth successful summer, it has rapidly established
itself as one of the largest, most eclectic and dynamic outdoor festivals
in the UK. Theatre, music, acrobatics, comedy, dance and spectacle from
all over the world will provide entertainment for all ages and tastes.
Liven up your lunch hour and early evening. Enjoy the Saturday late
night events. Lap up the cultural delights of the atmospheric South
Bank in summer. Once again we have scoured festivals around the world
to find the best outdoor performance for:
- free performances 6 days a week for 10 weeks
- over 100 performances by more than 75 acts
- visits by companies from around the world
- the finest UK outdoor performance
- world and UK premieres
INTERNATIONAL STREET THEATRE
Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday lunchtime and early evening
The finest free performance from the UK, Europe and beyond.
20 June
The Cosmic Sausages 1.15pm & 6.15pm
Mixing theatre, circus, slapstick and crowd participation, The Cosmic
Sausages take you on a madcap musical tour of the world, meeting up
with James Bond, Serge Gainsbourg, the Mafia, deranged cowboys, faith-healers,
Cossacks and overacting popstars along the way. (UK)
Walkabout Shows 12.30pm - 2.00pm & 5.30pm - 7.00pm
dotcomedy - News Desk
From their portable desk, top TV pundits keep you up to date with an
improvised running commentary. Includes very local news, sports, travel
and weather. (UK)
Natural Theatre Company
Hilarious scenarios skilfully performed by this company who have been
making people laugh since 1969.
(UK)
Avanti: Mr Lucky
Roaming the streets with his constantly raining umbrella, Mr Lucky creates
a startlingly funny image that brings gales of laughter from unsuspecting
passers-by. (UK)
20 & 21 June
Andrew Baynes - The Art of Sand 20th: 11.00am - 5.00pm; 21st: 4.00pm
- 11.00pm
Life-sized sand sculptures created by this celebrated live art performer.
Baynes' striking installations have been exhibited in galleries and
city centres throughout Britain and commissioned by the BBC, Granada
TV and Disney. (UK)
21 June
Workers Playtime 5.00pm - 11.45pm
A groovy celebration of traditional seaside shenanigans brought to you
by the capital's top feel-good easy discotheque. Expect dancers, performers,
Kiss Me Quick girls, knobbly knees contests and knotted handkerchiefs
all served up with fish & chips or pie & mash! (UK)
26 June
Senza Tempo - Frena mi amor 1.15pm & 6.15pm
Absurd, surreal and witty show from this acclaimed Catalan dance-theatre
troupe. A car screeches to a halt in a dead end street. The four passengers
are lost and their map, like life itself, doesn't carry instructions!
(Spain)
27 & 28 June
Okidok - Slips Experience 1.15pm & 6.15pm
Outstanding theatre-clown duo evocative of the great Russian clowning
tradition but with their own distinctive universe and style. Silent
sketches and astounding physical routines that will bring a little piece
of sunshine to your day. (Belgium)
World premiere Flying Dudes - Rock 'N' Roll Circus 1.15pm & 6.15pm
3, 4, & 5 July Electrifying hard-core circus-skills show set to
a continuous live soundscape traversing the percussive, the atmospheric
and the downright funky. Big rock-out numbers, flying trapeze, aerial
yoga, tumbling martial arts and ecstatic dance. (UK)
10 July
Men In Coats 1.15pm & 6.15pm
Absurdly surreal visual comedy, that is breathtakingly imaginative.
Step into their cartoon world where they stretch to the length of buses
and shrink to the size of dogs. Following international tours and regular
TV appearances this will be their only outdoor show this year and is
not to be missed! (UK)
11 & 12 July
Herbie Treehead 1.15pm
The return of the one-man entertainment centre! Slick juggling, clever
clowning and loads of laughs. (UK)
11 & 12 July
London premiere : Mimbre - Trip-tic 6.15pm
The cheeky acrobatic trio are back with their new show co-commissioned
by the National Theatre. Weaving subtle physical storytelling with their
inimitable daring acrobatics and dynamic choreography Mimbre deliver
a fluid and deft performance characterised by rhythm and humour. (UK)
17 July
Fraser Hooper 1.15pm & 6.15pm
Classic, charismatic clowning that has delighted audiences world-wide.
A highly interactive and spontaneous show, involving dextrous juggling,
eccentric dance and a death-defying finale. (UK)
18 & 19 July
London premiere Labyrinth Circle - Vivace 1.15pm & 6.15pm
Give in to the magic and believe the unbelievable! Gravity is suspended
and objects such as oil drums take on a life of their own. Elegant aerial
acrobatics, world class juggling and subtle comedy guaranteed to amaze
and delight. (Germany)
24 July
La Tal 1.15pm & 6.15pm
Classic clowning with a modern twist. Characters living inside a large
clock emerge to tell stories of love and jealousy. Funny, sad, romantic
and of course, completely cuckoo! (Spain)
26 July
Ramayana Workshops 2.15pm - 4.00pm
Art and theatre workshop for children exploring the theme of the fight
between good and evil of the ancient Indian epic. Participants' paintings
will combine into a 20-foot art installation, forming the backdrop to
the children's performances. (India)
26 July
Aditi Mangaldas & Drishtikon Dance Foundation 5.00pm & 6.15pm
Aditi Mangaldas work has the spirit and dynamism of kathak dance with
a yoga spine, and contemporary dimensions. Regarded as one of the leading
dancers in both the traditional and modern idioms, she has performed
internationally to critical acclaim. (India)
31 July
Erre Que Erre 1.15pm & 6.15pm
Leading contemporary dance troupe from Barcelona present a world of
emotion and experiments, a new kind of dance full of striking contrasts
and fierce sensuality. (Spain)
1 August
Albert and Friends' Instant Circus 1.15pm & 6.15pm
London's premier children's circus. Ordinary young people with rather
extraordinary talents. Weaving story telling with music, circus with
mime, they have delighted and astounded audiences from Edinburgh to
Adelaide, New York to Hamburg.
Plus: Free circus skills workshop 2.30pm - 4.30pm
(UK)
2 August
Batchata 1.15pm - The Angel & 6.15pm - The Devil
Two unique and beautiful shows playing with good and evil from this
inventive physical and mime theatre company. (France)
7 August
Les Grooms - La Baronnade 1.15pm & 6.15pm
A madcap mélange of music, comedy and surreal improvisation with
the Frenchmen who go walkabout. Having seen this French street opera
company, bellboys and brass bands will never seem the same again! (France)
8 August
The Chipolatas 1.15pm & 6.15pm
NT favourites return - the 3 multi-talented musical clowns, deliver
seamless performances featuring a sensory overload of vibrant, colourful
and dazzling routines, blending flavours of music hall, comedy and street
theatre. (UK)
9 August
The Chipolatas - Retox 1.15pm & 6.15pm
The Chipolatas magically extend their range of sausage shenanigans with
a few special guests using routines, scratches, samples and graffiti
graphics, exclusively devised for Watch This Space 2003.
8 & 9 August
Whalley Range All Stars - Pig 8th & 9th: 12pm-2pm; 8th: 5pm-7pm;
9th: 3pm-5pm
A short show full of surprises that takes place inside a surprisingly
long pig! Pig features a 30-foot long sleeping sow in a pen. See her
snuffles, hear her snores, then take a peek and see the show inside!
(UK)
14 August
Leandre - Street Tease 1.15pm & 6.15pm
Who is Leandre? He is something like an extra from silent movies lost
in a news bulletin. A perplexed and spontaneous clown who wanders through
the audience: a character to be laughed at and loved at the same time.
(Spain)
14 & 15 August
Commedia Works with The Roundhouse - Forked Spoon 2pm & 5.30pm
An explosion of intrigue with miserable menials, amorous trysts and
dangerous liaisons between masters and servants at the crossroads of
comedy and tragedy. (UK)
15 & 16 August
Strangelings - Gaiety Engine 1.15pm & 6.15pm
A Victorian sideshow where an ordinary looking gypsy caravan is transformed
into an extravagant stage. A host of human oddities! A menagerie of
misfits! Introduced by Isaiah Crank and his mute assistant Tolley-boy.
(UK)
21 August
Black Eagles 1.15pm and 6.15pm
The awe-inspiring kings of balance return. Astonishing acrobatic and
balancing feats combined with energetic dance, set to an uplifting musical
soundtrack. (Tanzania)
22 & 23 August
World premiere Avanti - Mr Lucky's Birthday Party 22nd: 1.15pm &
6.15pm; 23rd: 1.15pm & 5.00pm
Mr Lucky is celebrating his birthday, but the rain pouring from his
umbrella really isn't helping the party. Believe in magic with Avanti's
inventive story, guaranteed to charm and even disarm the English summer
weather.
>>
Music on the Square
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