The season includes the return of Elevate Festival, celebrating new work from South-West artists.
Along with the Made by Exeter Northcott productions which have already been announced (Exe Men, Jack and the Beanstalk, and The Jolly Christmas Postman), the season is headlined by Elevate Festival. This week-long, annual celebration of new work by South-West artists is the centrepiece of our year-round artist development programme, Elevate. It will take place at the city-centre Barnfield Theatre Sun 12 – Sat 18 Oct.
“Elevate Festival is a vibrant celebration that brings together artists and audiences from across the South West” says Sam Parker, our Artist Development Producer, “An energising space to connect, create, discover fresh talent, unlock new skills and spark inspiration through performance, workshops and meet-ups.”
Photo by Ralph Whitehead
The festival will open with Philosophy of the World from South-West theatre company In Bed with My Brother. The show is currently enjoying a Fringe First Award-winning run at Edinburgh Fringe (★★★★★ The Stage, ★★★★★ British Theatre Guide, ★★★★★ WhatsOnStage). Philosophy of the World was developed at the Barnfield Theatre as part of Elevate R&D, a rolling opportunity giving local artists time, space and support to develop their work.
Devon-based Stowaway Theatre are also bringing a show which they developed on Elevate R&D; CLUCK!, an original musical inspired by the true story of a chicken who lived for 18 months without a head, will be the first family show to be part of Elevate Festival.
Other festival highlights include Elevate Shorts, an evening of short plays written by South-West writers Charlie Coldfield, Hattie Collins, Nash Colundalur, and Michael Ramus, who were commissioned after submitting their work to our open script submission window.
“We are also collaborating with Exeter Phoenix on their Scratch Night for the first time,” adds Parker, “An event that has been an essential part of the local theatre ecology for years, we are thrilled to have it as part of the programme.”
Our commitment to supporting South-West artists is reflected elsewhere in our Autumn/Winter season. The Encompass community group is presenting Roots of Us, a fun day of storytelling, dance, arts & crafts, and food sampling, curated by members of Devon’s Caribbean, Hindu, and Polish communities.
Another Devon-based company, internationally renowned Richard Chappell Dance are bringing BLOOM, a dynamic evening of transformative dance. BLOOM includes Challacombe Chronicled, a dance piece accompanied by original poetry by Saili Katebe which celebrates the landscape of Dartmoor.
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