2016 Archives - Page 3 of 9

Life in Lockdown

1st April 2020/in 2016/by Crayfish

Whilst moving some archive boxes in the office to investigate a damp patch I came across these photographs. I am guessing they are from the eighties and feature myself, Stuart Mitchell and Julie Ward. We had a street theatre company, the predecessor to Avanti, called Street level and were commissioned by North West Arts to create scenarios advertising their arts newspaper ‘The Artful Reporter’. The shtick was the girl was ‘in the know’ reading the fascinating paper whilst various ‘characters’ peered over her shoulder to get a peek. We hoofed around Manchester for a morning and improvised these shots. Interestingly they were taken by Martin Parr now photography royalty. Julie also did OK and was until 2020 an MEP for the North West.

Somewhere in France – Let’s Make the Water Turn Black

27th September 2019/in 2016/by Crayfish

The final gig of the summer and it could not be in a more lovely place we are in the Loire valley for five days, its unseasonably warm and the crowds are out. The festival is well organised both in terms of production and artist support, let’s not even mention the catering least it sounds like we were on holiday. There is also a lot to see including Cie Bivouac show – À corps perdus which is a spectacular piece of acrobatic story telling with a brilliant musical score, some triggered stems and some live cello, played on an amazing two tier mechanical rig with a full sized trampoline built high above the revolving stage! My personal highlight was probably Farfare Jo Bitume playing an impromptu version of Frank Zappa’s ‘Let’s Make the Water Turn Black’ in the dressing room. Here’s a link if you don’t know it.

Spoffin

28th August 2019/in 2016/by Crayfish

We were at the Spoffin festival in Amersfoort in August making a version of the Spurting Man. For the duration of the festival we became a new town fountain, covering the existing one with a stage.

Mr M’s Glamour Case

28th March 2019/in 2016/by Crayfish

Another in the occasional series from my slight obsession with artists cases. This one is Eric Morecambe’s makeup case. I like the fact its on old cigar case, presumably one owned by the man himself and that he never felt the need to replace it with some swanky bit of kit. Seems to speak of the post war sense of ‘make do and mend’. “A touch of carmine on the nose to de-note comedy” as an actor friend would quote into the mirror just before going on.

People Show 137

1st January 2019/in 2016/by Crayfish

During October, along with Dave Southall, we designed and built a bandstand/royal box, which revolves to become a train carriage. This along with some other interesting objects was for People Show 137 ‘Back in Ten Minutes’. Dave’s structure took on board the need for lightness and ease of assembly and one of it’s remarkable features is that it can be assembled without tools and splits in such a way as it will go through a standard door. Other bits of creative shed work were remote controlled tennis ball drops and deluge (120) and a mysterious smoking croissant. Maureen our animatronic ventriloquist doll also made her London debut. (As her agent I had been looking for an opportunity for her all last year!) She became a kind of narrator and opened the show with this wonderful line from Mark. ‘and so the audience experiences that wonderful feeling that this might just be the best theatrical experience of their entire lives, cue lights, cue sound…..’

It was a treat for me to work with Emil Wolk again (For those not familiar with Avanti history Emil directed The Spurting Man and co-devised Crash Cabaret with us, back in the nineties.) and to meet and work with Mark Long and George Khan both legendary figures in the history of this company, which has more than fifty years of experimental theatre work. We were together for a month rehearsing and devising then played three preview performances at Toynbee Hall in December. People Show 137 will be touring in 2019.