Dartington Performance Programme, May - August 2010

PerformanceProgrammeMay-August2010

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I’m writing on a beautiful spring day after a lively discussion on how best to use Dartington’s courtyard and gardens for the first ever Home (p.11), a special festival featuring acoustic music fromaround the world. We’re also hoping our grounds and ethos will inspire the visiting artists we’re working with more intensively thisseason: Ayanna Witter-Johnson visits for a week to develop new work for her national tour (p.09), staff from Battersea Arts Centre join us on a creative exchange and we’re working closely with composerHugh Nankivell on several projects, including GeoQuest (p.07).It’s a great time for me to join the team, while Lara takes time out for her first child; I’m looking forward to meeting you soon!Matthew LinleyLive Art Producer

designed with ❤ at biz-R01803 868989 / www.biz-r.co.uk

Dartington is a pioneering charity nurturing ideas to address pressing problems. We work together foradvancement of the arts, sustainability and social justice.

Contact The Barn / Dartington Hall / Totnes / Devon / TQ9 6DEbox office 01803 847070 / administration 01803 847074

www.dartington.org/arts

With thanks With grateful thanks to the members of the Arts Societyfor their invaluable support of The Arts at Dartington ina multitude of ways

The Arts at Dartington is a department of The Dartington Hall Trust, a company limited by Guarantee, registered in England as a charity.Company No.1485560. Charity No.279756. VAT No.402196875, Registeredoffice: The Elmhirst Centre, Dartington Hall, Totnes, Devon TQ9 6EL.

Access info p.14How to find us p.13Booking info p.13Keep in touch p.14Diary back page

Info

Sign up for updates at www.dartington.org/signup or find us on:


Box office: 01803 847070www.dartington.org/arts

Like this? See p.03

Tickets £10.00Concessions £9.00Students & U16s £5.00

Three works share a common playful interest in the act of storytelling. Touching,comic and resolutely hopeful, this is a uniquecollection of works by an ever-surprisinginternational ensemble.

Alice Bell 2.30pm - a fictional character born into a fictional conflict, Alice seekshappiness in a divided land, finding love and companionship but at a terrible cost. Part DIY musical, part fairy-tale, Alice Belloffers a portrait of life as an act of hope, life as something to sing and dance about.

Daniel Hit by A Train 5.00pm - inspired by a Victorian collection of 53 true stories aboutpeople losing their lives in the act of savinganother, this work tells each tragedy in turn, in all their comedic, vaudevillian glory.Sincere but unafraid to raise a smile to thesemost selfless of souls, Daniel Hit by A Trainstands as a testimony to our abiding need to help each other.

The Festival 7.30pm - this work continues the company's playful approach to storytelling,narrative and song, presenting an episode inthe life of a character where chance andcoincidence leave an indelible mark.

The running time for each show is 75 mins.

dartington.org/arts/lonetwin

“A wonderful body of work”The Guardian

£27.00*£24.00*£12.00*

*Trilogy ticket

01|02

Saturday 1 May2.30pm, 5.00pm, 7.30pm Studio 1

Lone Twin Theatrepresents The Catastrophe Trilogy


Box office: 01803 847070


Like this? See Orchestra South West p.06


Sunday 9 May3.00pm Great Hall


Like this? See 5 Soliders p.04

£2O

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£2O

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William Howardwith Benjamin Comeau

Thursday 6 May7.30pm Studio 1

Interior TracesImagine a world where a single test can determine your future.

Catie has been told that she risks developingcancer, whilst Mike is treated as a psychopathalthough he hasn't committed any crime.Interior Traces is a powerful multi-mediaperformance telling the stories of two peoplestruggling to regain control over their lives, in a future when scans and genetic tests arepart of everyday life.

New ways of seeing the brain andunderstanding its relationship to our actionshave raised many questions: should we beheld responsible for behaviour caused by a brain condition? How should the Statebalance personal privacy and its citizens'safety? Should we be free to decide our own treatments?

Duration 40 mins.Followed by a panel discussion.

Scriabin Prelude no. 5 in D major and Preludeno. 8 in F sharp minor from 24 PreludesMessiaen Regarde de la ViergeStravinsky Tango

Janácek In the Mists Fauré Nocturne No.4 in E flat Op.36 Chopin Ballade No.1 in G minor Martin Butler Funerailles Schumann Humoreske Op.20

Described by The Independent as “a pianist oflustrousness and versatility”, William Howardenjoys a career that has taken him to over 40different countries. He has performed regularlyin the Great Hall with the Schubert Ensemble inrecent years and we’re delighted to presenthim in this special solo recital.

William’s performance is preceded byBenjamin Comeau, an outstanding youngpianist supported by Dartington through South West Music School.




Like this? See StopGap p.10

£2O

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Rosie Kaypresents 5 Soldiers - The Body is the Frontline

5 SOLDIERS is a timely, controversial,thought provoking and moving exploration of war in modern times. A dance theatrework with five dancers, four male and onefemale, it looks at how the human body isessential to, and used in, warfare andexplores the physical preparation and themental and physical effects of war.

Featuring Kay's trademark physicality and athleticism, 5 Soldiers weaves a story of physical transformation, helping us understand how soldiers are made and how war affects them.

This performance is a unique collaborationbetween award-winning choreographerRosie Kay, visual artist David Cotterrell and theatre director Walter Meierjohann. It follows a period of intense research,where Rosie learnt battle training with The 4th Battalion The Rifles and David spent time in Helmand Province with theJoint Forces Medical Group. The piece hasan original sound score by Annie Mahtani and dramaturgy by Petra Tauscher.

N.B. This show contains partial nudity.See more at dartington.org/arts/rosiekay

03|04

Friday 14 May8.00pm Studio 31




Like this? See the Summer School brochure


Thursday 20 May8.00pm Great Hall

Eliza Carthy TrioDartingtonCommunityChoirpresentsMendelssohn’s Elijah

Conductor Jonathan Watts

“This is where it all started”

Inspired by the dramatic expression of the Christian message in J.S. Bach's largechoral works, Felix Mendelssohn wroteElijah, re-telling the epic Old Testamentstory of the eponymous prophet. Thecomposer conducted its first performance at Birmingham’s Town Hall in 1846 and itsimmediate success in this country heraldedthe birth of the amateur choral society, a particularly British phenomenon. Withindecades towns and cities across the country had a chorus of singers keen both to perform large scale choral works and also commission new works that havecontributed greatly to the musicallandscape of the U.K.

The Choir's performance of Elijah (sung inEnglish) is supported by four soloists and a thirty-six piece orchestra.

Iconic folk singer Eliza is winner of two Mercury Prize nominations andinnumerable other accolades over a 16 yearcareer. She has performed and recorded witha diverse array of artists from Paul Weller toThe Wainwrights, Billy Bragg, Nick Cave andJoan Baez. For this performance, and albumDreams of Breathing Underwater, Eliza isaccompanied by Willie Molleson on drums,Emma Smith on double bass, Barney Morse-Brown (Imagined Village) and Phil Alexander(Salsa Celtica) on keyboards and pianoaccordion.

A truly inventive and innovative singer and fiddle-player, Eliza holds an unrivalledseven BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and ispossibly the most impressive and engagingperformer of her generation. In 2003 shebecame the first traditional Englishmusician to be nominated a BBC Radio 3Award for World Music (for Anglicana).

Powerful, vital and exuberant rhythmsabsorbed from her travels around the globe, characterise this highly original, self-penned music.

N.B. This is a standing gig with limiteddownstairs and balcony seating.


Box office: 01803 847070


Like this? See William Howard p.03



Like this? See Home p.12


OrchestraSouth West &South WestMusic School

r o

Orchestra South West performs chamberclassical and new repertoire under theartistic direction of Tim Boulton, a regularmember of the Academy of St Martin in theFields, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe andthe Domus ensemble.

Supported by Dartington through South West Music School (SWMS), this concertshowcases three emerging young musicaltalents from SWMS in new work that includesa specially commissioned piece by acclaimedjazz composer and pianist Keith Tippett.

Keith Tippett New work for jazz drum kit & chamber orchestra Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue for piano &chamber orchestra Vivaldi Four Seasons concertos for violinand orchestra arranged for electric guitar

SoloistsNathan Bawden (drum kit; Tippett)Ben Comeau (piano; Gershwin) Ross Pike (guitar; Vivaldi)

05|06

“Bewitching and original”★★★★ Q




Like this? See HOME p.12

Tuesday 25 - Monday 31 MayVenues across the English Riviera

GeoQuestA journey of exploration around Torbay,featuring a week of walking, workshops and performances to celebrate the EnglishRiviera Global GeoPark, a UNESCO area ofoutstanding scientific interest in Torbay.

What more appropriate way to highlight our geological history than a journeythrough our GeoPark? A performance walkfrom the Valley of the Rocks at Watcombeto Berry Head in Brixham, during which thelandscape will be re-examined throughhistorical research and artistic creativity.

Three 'Questors' - musician Hugh Nankivell,Dartington's featured composer of the year,writer Phil Smith and performer TonyLiddington - will travel Torbay by foot,creating, finding and telling new ideas,stories and songs about the land and thecommunities they pass, and inventing a newgeocultural map. In a series of events alongthe way the artists will animate the greattransformations that have formed ourlandscape and our lives.

A GeoQuest evening starts at 6pm when youcan join the Questors for a short, exploratorywalk, followed by a 8pm performance, a talkfrom a GeoPark expert and a simple sharedmeal (included in the ticket price).

www.dartington.org/geoquest for walk start points and details of expert talks.

STARTWalks start at 6pm; performance/talksuppers at 8pm (advance tickets only).Performance/talk only tickets will beavailable on the door subject to availability.

VENUESKents Cavern, TorquayTorre Abbey, TorquayOccombe Farm, PaigntonPalace Theatre, PaigntonPaignton YMCA, GoodringtonBerry Head Café, BrixhamTorquay Museum, Torquay



Tickets £8.00U16s £6.50Family [2+2] £24.00 Fam

ily£2

Off

£2O

ffSaturday 5 June11.30am & 2.00pm Barn Theatre

PuppetCraftpresents The Selfish Giantby Oscar Wilde

Saturday 29 May11.30am & 2.00pm Studio 31

Funny Bones

Tickets £6.50U16s £5.00Family [2+2] £22.00

Funny Bones is a brand new double bill of contemporary dance, created to enticechildren aged 5+ and their families into a new world of dance and movement. The show is a 50 minute interactive andsensory in-the-round performance by acompany of outstanding dancers.

Start in style with DanSense, a beautiful and stimulating interactive dance experienceto tantalise the senses, featuring music,plastic spoons and a very wet stage!

The show continues with Go!, an energeticdance theatre exploring different sports,facing victories and defeats, competitions andchallenges. The audience is called to supportand take sides, but who will be the winner?

Choreographed by Enrique Cabrera & LucaSilvestrini; presented by DanceXchange and two’s company dance management.

For everyone aged 5+, duration 50 mins.

The Selfish Giant built a high wall all round his lovely garden to keep the children out. But it also kept Springaway, so that it was always Winter in the garden, and the North Wind and the Frost and the Snow danced about the trees. One morning the Giant lookedout and saw a most wonderful sight...” This much loved fairy tale by Oscar Wildehas been adapted and is performed andpresented by PuppetCraft, a masterful South West based company noted for their combination of beautifully craftedpuppets and original music. For everyone aged 4+, duration 45 mins.

07|08

Family

“


Thursday 10 June8.00pm Studio 31


Like this? See Interior Traces p.03

£2O

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StopGap Dance Co.presents Trespass

A double-bill by two internationally renownedmale choreographers. Thomas Noone’s Within uses forceful dance and frenziedhuman contact to create a journey into an imaginary fiery female world.

Lord of the Rings’ musical choreographer, Rob Tannion (Stan Won’t Dance), takes us on a journey to Asia. Influenced by samuraiethics of honour, the dancers share timelessstories of rites of passage and challengesbetween personal integrity and group loyalty.

StopGAP is a contemporary dance companymade up of five professional dancers with andwithout disabilities, whose performances haveinspired audiences across Europe. Withdazzling moves and exciting story-lines,audiences will be thrilled by the drama thatwill unfold.

Duration 60 mins + interval

For more seewww.dartington.org/arts/stopgap




Like this? See Home p.11

£2O

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Friday 11 June 8.00pm Ship Studio

Ayanna Witter-JohnsonAyanna Witter-Johnson vocals and celloFraser Fifield pipes, whistles, bagpipes and soprano saxophoneRobert Mitchell piano

Unique and captivating, Ayanna Witter-Johnson is a composer, vocalist and cellistwho has developed musically from a diversebackground of mixed cultures. Following an Emerging Artist Residency at London'sSouthbank Centre, extensive collaborationswith two of the UK's most groundbreakingartists - Nitin Sawhney and Courtney Pine -and a year spent developing new work inNew York, Ayanna has composed newmaterial for her trio which comprises Fraser Fifield, the astonishing piper and low whistle player who is equally conversanton soprano saxophone and the amazinglyinventive pianist Robert Mitchell..

The music that you hear tonight has been developed as part of a DartingtonResidency in collaboration with SERIOUS.

See/hear Ayanna atwww.dartington.org/arts/ayanna

“One of our rising stars of the future”Courtney Pine

Box office: 01803 847070www.dartington.org/arts 09|10


An acoustic festival ofmusic, voice, language & roots


Saturday 26 JuneGreat Hall & Courtyard

Tickets £35.00Concessions £20.00U16s £10.00

Like this? Also pick up a Summer School brochure

Family

HOME is a one-day festival focusing onacoustic music, voices and song fromaround the world. A celebration andexploration of different cultures andlanguages, at a time when we’re losingglobal cultural, biological and linguisticdiversity, HOME features unplugged setsfrom a wide range of outstandinginternational artists.

The event takes place in and around theGreat Hall and courtyard from midday onSaturday to 1am Sunday morning and alsofeatures film screenings, family activities,workshops, talks & discussions, crafts,market stalls and great food.

Find out more and book tickets atwww.dartington.org/home

FEATURINGBassekou Kouyaté & Amy Sacko Mali

Rizwan Muazzam Qawwali Ensemble Pakistan

Eddi Reader Scotland

Asere Cuba

Mor Karbasi Israel

Chartwell Dutiro Zimbabwe

Patrick Duff England

9Bach Wales




*Great Hall if wet, excl. 9 & 10 July

Friday 2 - Saturday 10 July7.30pm Private Garden*Matineé Saturday 3 July, 2.30pm

PlaygoersSociety ofDartington Hall

Directed by Richard Clark

Oliver Goldsmith's classic comedy ofmanners, tells of the clever schemes and comic ruses that unfold one night at a country house. An ambitious step-mother,impassioned sweethearts, a pragmaticfather and a pair of star-crossed suitors are sent spinning through a hilariouscomedy of errors by one of the greatcharacters of the stage, Tony Lumpkin.

The play is a celebrated story of class,courtship and dysfunctional families with mistaken identities and rich humour.She Stoops to Conquer promises to be a flirtatious summer extravaganza.

Picnicking is available in designated areas to ticket holders from 6pm.

Proceeds from Monday night’s show will go to Macmillan Cancer Support.

Please note there will be no performance on Sunday 4 July.

Sense of Place exhibition:Jilly Edwards & Nigel Morgan4 May - 29 OctoberHigh Cross House

Course: Creativity, Perceptionand the Modern Mind17 - 28 MaySchumacher CollegeMahali exhibition 26 - 28 May The GalleryWays With Words9 July - 19 JulyDartington Hall

Dartington InternationalSummer School24 July - 28 AugustDartington Hall

Dartington Summer Youth Programme1 - 13 AugustUniversity of Exeter

Check our website for details ofthese events & film programme

11|12

Other events

Throughout July & AugustVarious venues

presentsShe Stoops to Conquer



Buy a ticket

By carFree parking is available on-site. Seewww.dartington.org/arts for directions to Dartington or call us on 01803 847074.

By busCatch the 165 bus from Totnes - info on on 0870 6082608 orwww.countrybusdevon.co.uk.

By trainTotnes train station is 1.5 miles from us,which equals roughly a 30 min walk or a 5-10 minute taxi ride.

On footA level footpath travels from Totnes stationalong the river before turning right onto theDartington Hall drive for the last 3/4 mile.

Getting here

*

Call01803 847070 between 12.30-7pm*Onlinewww.dartington.org/artsPre-show / In PersonBox office opening times exclude the hourprior to an event or film for ‘on the door’ sales.Totnes bookshop box office is open Mon- Sat9.30am - 5pm.

In advance by postSend your order & cheque (payable to TheDartington Hall Trust) to the above address,with an SAE if you’d like your tickets sent to you.

Credit & debit cardsWe accept most cards.

Group bookingsBuy ten tickets and get one free.

ReservationsReserved tickets must be paid for 24 hoursprior to the event. We will release ticketsthat have not been paid for by this time.

ReturnsRefunds are not available unless an event isnot able to go ahead. Exchanges/credit maybe offered at the discretion of the Box Officewith 24 hours notice.

ConcessionsArts Society; over 60s; full time students;U16s; unemployed; disability benefit; DHTstaff. Please provide proof of eligibility.

Family ticketsare for 2 adults & 2 children.

Early Bird £2 off a limited no. of tickets on a first come, first served basis

Family

£2 O

ff



MembershipSupport Dartington’s performing artsprogramme and enjoy a range of benefitsby joining the Arts Society.

Arts Society members receive our brochuresfree, concessionary ticket prices, discountsand exclusive invites.

For more information about the Arts Society please visit our website, ask at the box office or call 01803 847082.

For info on membership of Dartington-related community arts companies seewww.dartington-community-choir.co.ukwww.playgoers.co.uk

Join our free emailing list to receive listings and updates -www.dartington.org/signup

Email listings

Address The Barn, Dartington Hall, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 6DE

Box-office 01803 847070Administration 01803 847074Email [email protected]

Be involved

Large print brochure available.Please phone 01803 847074

Wheelchair access is available at the Barn,Great Hall and Studios 1, 3 & 31. There are accessible toilet facilities adjacent tothese venues. For patrons with a hearingimpairment, The Barn and Great Hall offer an infra-red system.Assistance dogs are welcome. Please advise box office in advance of your accessrequirements and any assistance needed.Our staff will be pleased to help you.

Access Food & drinkThe Roundhouse CaféSituated next to the Barn Theatre, is awelcoming, family friendly space open from12pm to 8pm every day to serve hot and colddrinks, wine and beer, a selection of locally made cakes and ice creams. Wifi is available.

The White Hart bar & restaurantOpen from 12pm to late offering main meals and a wide selection of wines, spirits,beers & ales. Booking is recommended on01803 847111.

13|14

Meal DealLook out for Movie Meal Deals inour cinema brochure.Café DealCake and a hot drink for £2.50when you attend a Thu matineé.


Boxoffice 01803 847070www.dartington.org/artsDiarySave the date

May01 Saturday 2.30pm, 5.00pm, 7.30pm Studio 1

Lone Twin Theatre: The Catastrophe Trilogy

06 Thursday 7.30pm Studio 1Interior Traces

09 Sunday 3.00pm Great HallWilliam Howard: Piano Recital

14 Friday 8.00pm Studio 31Rosie Kay: 5 Soldiers - The Body is the Frontline

16 SSunday 7.30pm Great HallDartington Community Choir: Mendelssohn’s Elijah

20 Thursday 8.00pm Great HallEliza Carthy Trio

23 Sunday 7.30pm Great HallOrchestra South West & SWMS: Crossing the Blue - Classical meets Jazz

25- Tuesday - Monday English Riviera GeoPark31 GeoQuest29 Saturday 11.30pm & 2.00pm Studio 31

Funny Bones

June05 Saturday 11.30am & 2.00pm The Barn

PuppetCraft: The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde

10 Thursday 8.00pm Studio 31StopGap Dance Co: Trespass

11 Friday 8.00pm Ship StudioAyanna Witter-Johnson

26 Saturday Great Hall & CourtyardHome: World Music Festival

July02- Friday & Saturday 7.30pm Private Garden10 Playgoers: She Stoops to

Conquer

The Arts at Dartington gratefully acknowledges the generous support received for this programme from:


Documents

Dartington Performance Programme, May - August 2010