GIFT, the Gateshead International Festival of Theatre, has secured funding from the Jerwood Charitable Foundation for a series of professional development workshops.
These include sessions from award-winner and Barbican sell-out artist Nic Green; company Athletes of the Heart; choreographers Henrietta Hale & Charlotte Derbyshire, as well as local companies, the recently established Small Items and Unfolding Theatre.
This year there will also be a special one day GIFTed workshop for students and recent graduates led by York based duo 70/30 Split in which a short performance will be created for the main festival launch event on Friday 2nd May, at 7pm inthe Caedmon Hall at Gateshead Central Library.
Participation in all the workshops is included in the price of the Festival Pass.
There are also a number of free events including Superdream Windmill Hills, on Friday 2nd May at 8.30pm, where artists will create a series of interventions for audiences to experience Windmill Hills Park in new and dynamic ways, in a collaboration between artists working with Swallows Foundation UK, ISIS Arts and The Trinity Session from South Africa.
Local artists working on the project are Martin Hylton, Lindsay Duncanson, Mariam Rezaei, Wideyed Collective, Sean Cotterrill, Marek Gabrysch along with Stephen Hobbs from The Trinity Session Johannesburg. In the week running up to GIFT the artists are creating artworks in the park. Video projection, dance performance, voice, audio and photographs will transform the it and pose questions about the use of public space.
There is also Martin Sharry’s film installation Without You I Am Nothing, at the Shipley Art Gallery, where there will also be performances by Henrietta Hale & Charlotte Darbyshire who are presenting a choreographed piece in response to Matthew Darbyshire’s installation OAK EFFECT.
Then to top it off, there’s the opportunity to discuss what makes you happy over a cup of tea in PositiviTea by Megan Gault at Gateshead Central Library on Saturday 3rd May.
GIFT runs from Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th May. Full price Festival Passes are £30, £20 (concs) and
Individual Evening Passes £10.
Full details can be found at www.giftfestival.co.uk and Advance Tickets can be bought from gift14.brownpapertickets.com.