SPRING SEASON 2015 Arts & Cultural events at Bath Spa University
Theatre / Dance / Comedy / Poetry / Public Lectures / Exhibitions www.bathspalive.com
ABOUT BATH SPA LIVE Bath Spa Live is the production company for public cultural events at Bath Spa University. We produce over 100 events each year at the University’s three venues: the Michael Tippett Centre, University Theatre and Burdall’s Yard, as well as venues in Bath and the surrounding area. We also promote creativity and enable innovation by engaging students in the professional arts world. Bath Spa University Newton St. Loe Bath BA2 9BN Tel: 01225 875508 | email: info@bathspalive.com www.bathspalive.com | @bathspalive
www.bathspalive.com or 01225 463362
Cover Image Zoe Manders - Like Rabbits 22 January
HIGHLIGHTS FROM AUTUMN 2014 - DONT MISS OUT JOIN OUR MAILING LIST AT WWW.BATHSPALIVE.COM
www.bathspalive.com or 01225 463362 3 - 10 JANUARY 5 - 8PM NIGHTLY BATH CITY CENTRE
Illuminate 2015 Eight nights of projection, performance, installation and illumination in Bath. Join us and explore contemporary art at night as we light up the City. Presented by Bath Spa University in partnership with Bath & North East Somerset Council and supported using public funding by Arts Council England. Visit illuminate2015.org for more details FREE
FRIDAY 16 JANUARY 8PM BURDALL’S YARD
Jazz: Tom Green Septet Winner of the 2013 Dankworth Prize for Jazz Composition, trombonist Tom Green’s septet weaves together influences as diverse as flamenco, traditional folk and New Orleans second line, to form tunes with striking melodies, colourful harmony and propulsive grooves. Bringing together some of the most talented young musicians in the London jazz scene, the group creates a melodic, warm and distinct sound world using the full range of textures available in the seven-piece ensemble. “Some of the most exciting original new music I have heard for a long time” Dame Cleo Laine FULL PRICE £7 | CONC £5 | BSU STUDENTS £4
www.bathspalive.com or 01225 463362 SATURDAY 17 JANUARY 2PM & 7:30PM BURDALL’S YARD
WordPlay OnSet presents a series of rehearsed play readings of scripts from new and established writers. WordPlay brings together young actors, new writing and professional directors to develop new work and talent. FULL PRICE £3| STUDENTS FREE
THURSDAY 22 JANUARY 8PM UNIVERSITY THEATRE Lost Dog & Lucy Kirkwood
Like Rabbits Inspired by Virginia Woolf’s short story Lappin and Lapinova. On a night in a city a man and a woman meet and have sex and fall deeply in love. Each night the lovers slip away from their real lives and disappear into a world that exists only in their shared imagination. A world that belongs to them, in which tax returns and shopping lists and commuting do not exist. A world in which they are not their normal selves, but King of the Rabbits and Queen of the Hares. But what begins as a game soon becomes a battleground, and the couple hurtle towards a tragedy of the quietest, saddest and most ordinary type.
Picture - Benedict Johnson
FULL PRICE £10 | CONC £8 | BSU STUDENTS £5
www.bathspalive.com or 01225 463362 FRIDAY 23 JANUARY 7:30PM UNIVERSITY THEATRE Apples & Snakes
Architects of Our Republic Apples and Snakes marks the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr’s ‘I have a Dream’ speech with an exciting National Tour. Experience an explosion of poetry, music and film inspired by the message of the speech and its resonance today with a live event featuring headline performances from some of the best spoken word artists around, plus special guests and local talent. Featuring Dizreali and Cate Ferris, Vanessa Kisuule, Steven Duncan and many more. FULL PRICE £10 | CONC £8 | BSU STUDENTS £5
FRIDAY 30TH JANUARY 7:30PM MICHAEL TIPPETT CENTRE
For John Cage
Morton Feldman (1926-1987) Darragh Morgan - violin John Tilbury - piano
‘This was a remarkable performance, one that seemed shrouded in the aura of John Tilbury’s experience in this music. Tilbury is rightly seen as a foremost interpreter of Feldman. He was joined by young Belfast-born violinist Darragh Morgan (b. 1974), who seemed to think little of being in a very exposed spotlight for just under 90 minutes.’ Seen and Heard International FULL PRICE £10 | CONC £8 | BSU STUDENTS £5
www.bathspalive.com or 01225 463362 4 & 5 FEBRUARY 10AM-5PM THE HOLBURNE MUSEUM
The Moving Exhibition Dancers and composers from Bath Spa University present a series of performance works in response to the exhibits and spaces of the museum. Be prepared to be surprised and delighted by dance and music that appears in different locations, as if from nowhere, and then vanishes as if it had never happened.
Tickets can be booked direct with the
www.holburne.org
FREE - BOOKING REQUIRED
MONDAY 9 FEBRUARY 7:30PM BURDALL’S YARD
Rhyme & Reason Creative Writing students from Bath Spa University return with their popular evening of raw, new poetry and uncensored, young performance poets.
FULL PRICE £3
www.bathspalive.com or 01225 463362 WEDNESDAY 11 FEBRUARY 8PM BURDALL’S YARD
Count Me In Will it be your lucky night? Maureen and Judi hope it will be. Every week, they place their trust in Don, the glamorous Bingo Master, to make their dreams come true. A spoken word theatre show set around the game of bingo. Free creative writing pre-show workshop. FULL PRICE £8 | CONC £6 | BSU STUDENTS £5
WEDNESDAY 11 FEBRUARY 7:30PM UNIVERSITY THEATRE
Pilot PILOT is an informal choreographic sharing for graduate Dance Artists to platform their creative ideas in progress before a live audience. The project is a joint venture between Bath Spa, Bath Dance and Theatre Bristol and is specifically targeted towards artists who have a connection to the South West region. The perfomance will be followed by a feedback session with the audience. FREE - BOOKING REQUIRED
THURSDAY 12 FEBRUARY 8PM BURDALL’S YARD
These Beautiful Things Featuring Bath Spa Commercial Music student Ellie James. Ellie has been Artist of the Week and playlisted on BBC Radio Wales, as well as played on Amazing Radio, BBC Radio 2, BBC6 Music, Nation Radio and many more. Also featuring Anna O’Mally, Chiara Braggion and Doug Evans. FULL PRICE £3 | BSU STUDENTS FREE
www.bathspalive.com or 01225 463362 12 - 14 FEBRUARY the egg at THE THEATRE ROYAL BATH
Arabian Nights Arabian Nights adapted by Dominic Cooke. Royal Shakespeare Company version. Directed by Ian Nicholson. One thousand and one nights, and a different story on every one. These are the Arabian Nights. King Shahrayar has decreed that whenever he marries the following morning his new wife must die. On her wedding night, Shahrazad‘s only hope is to enchant the King with her tales of magic and adventure! Captivated by dazzling characters like Ali Baba, Es-Sindibad the Sailor, giants, beasts, menacing ghouls, scheming thieves and birds that can talk, the King listens enraptured as Shahrazad tells her stories to save her life. But for how long...? Bath Spa University’s OnSet Productions presents this colourful and inventive adaptation by Dominic Cooke. A vivid reimagining of the world’s most magical and spellbinding tales. Amateur production by arrangement with Nick Hern Books. Thursday 12 Feb 7pm Friday 13 Feb 7pm Saturday 14 Feb 10am, 2pm & 7pm Theatre Royal Bath is a cultural partner of Bath Spa University. FULL PRICE £7:50 | CONC £6:50
BOOK THROUGH THE EGG BOX OFFICE 01225 448844 WWW.THEATREROYAL.ORG.UK
www.bathspalive.com or 01225 463362 FRIDAY 13 FEBRUARY 8PM BURDALL’S YARD
Jazz: Mercury Quartet The musical world Mercury inhabits lies in the murky edges between genres. Always attempting to find new interpretations of the jazz quartet format, Mercury makes improvised jazz music which reaches into the worlds of grunge, dub-step, folk and ambient house. Seeking new and subversive textures from the classical avant-garde and blending them with the jazz voices of the greats of ECM and the feel and gestures of electronic music.
FULL PRICE £7 | CONC £5 | BSU STUDENTS £4
WEDNESDAY 25 FEBRUARY 7:30PM MICHAEL TIPPETT CENTRE
Gamelan Gamelan performers from Bath and Bristol join forces to present a concert performance of traditional Javanese shadow puppets, dance, and instrumental and vocal pieces. The concert will include traditional pieces for Gamelan with dancer Gill Roberts, performed by the Bristol Community Gamelan and pieces played by Bath Spa Gamelan First Year Group. In the second half, Dave McKenny (Puppeteer) and Pete Smith (Musician) will lead the Bath Spa Gamelan Group in a Wayang performance including story telling, song, music and drama in a unique fusion of elements that are traditional and new. FULL PRICE £5 | CONC £3 | BSU STUDENTS £3
www.bathspalive.com or 01225 463362 THURSDAY 26 FEBRUARY 8PM BURDALL’S YARD
Poetry Centre: Continuing with our poetry series at Burdall’s Yard, Ash Dickinson and Laurie Bolger headline this evening of spoken word.
FULL PRICE £3 | BSU STUDENTS FREE
FRIDAY 27 FEBRUARY 7:30PM MICHAEL TIPPETT CENTRE
Sitcom Showcase Come and join the cast and crew at the world premier screening of four sitcoms devised and filmed as part of the Level 6 Situation Comedy. The project aims to introduce students to the contemporary ‘real world’ creative & management processes of studio-based situation comedy development and production in the UK. FREE - (16+ age guidance)
TUESDAY 3 MARCH 7:30PM MICHAEL TIPPETT CENTRE
Poetry Slam Expect barbed-wire wit and raucous word play as we celebrate the skills that are taught and nurtured in the UK’s only performance poetry module, and the soonto-commence Spoken Word MA. This is an event that promises to bring the glorious variety of spoken word talent in Bath together for an evening of poetry not to be missed. FULL PRICE £3 | BSU STUDENTS FREE
www.bathspalive.com or 01225 463362 WEDNESDAY 4 MARCH 6PM MICHAEL TIPPETT CENTRE
Quartet for the End of Time Olivier Messiaen Written while Messiaen was a prisoner of war at the Nazi’s Stalag VIII-A camp. It displays his particular musical concerns, including the mysticism and transcendence of his Catholic faith, and also with nature, in the form of birdsong. A deeply involving and profound piece. Alexandra Wood - violin Robin Michael - cello Roger Heaton - clarinet Charles Wiffen - piano FREE - BOOKING REQUIRED
SATURDAY 7 MARCH 2PM & 7:30PM BURDALL’S YARD
WordPlay OnSet presents a series of rehearsed play readings of scripts from new and established writers. WordPlay brings together young actors, new writing and professional directors to develop new work and talent. FULL PRICE £3 | BSU STUDENTS FREE
MONDAY 9TH MARCH 7:30PM BURDALL’S YARD
Rhyme & Reason Creative Writing students from Bath Spa University return with their popular evening of raw, new poetry and uncensored, young performance poets.
FULL PRICE £3
www.bathspalive.com or 01225 463362 12 - 14 MARCH UNIVERSITY THEATRE (For times see below)
The Baker’s Wife By Stephen Schwartz & Joseph Stein From Oscar winner and Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz (Wicked) and Tony Award winner Joseph Stein (Fiddler on the Roof) comes a witty, bittersweet, romantic musical that explores the themes of love, hope, conflict and belonging. After seven weeks with no bread, the arrival of a new baker brings hope and vitality to a provincial French village. Meanwhile, his beautiful young wife stirs up unexpected passions in a community where usually “nothing much happens.” Set in a picturesque village in 1930’s Provence, this charming Broadway musical features a stirring and heart-warming score played by a live 14 piece band and performed by graduating Music and Drama students in conjunction with Theatre Production students of Bath Spa University.
This production is performed by kind permission of Josef Weinberger Ltd.
Thursday 12 March 7:30pm Friday 13 March 7:30pm Saturday 14 March 2pm & 7:30pm
FULL PRICE £12 | CONC £10 | BSU STUDENTS £6
www.bathspalive.com or 01225 463362 TUESDAY 17 MARCH 7:30PM BURDALL’S YARD ADA
The Debt The story begins with a family-run hotel. A seedy boutique hotel, whose proprietor like all small business owners in the world today, is in DEBT to the bank… to the man. When the money suddenly runs out a mysterious visitor appears to collect on the debt and they are forced to reinvent the business. Boss daddy, the patriarch and petty loan shark, his daughter Lala, addicted to playing the lottery, and their sole employee, Bogdan, an ex-boxer refugee from Bogdanistan, embark on a precarious journey and mission to transform the hotel into a house of ill repute. In the process they risk their dignity and even their lives as the clock ticks towards the demise of their beloved hotel. What ensues is a hilarious and frighteningly surreal struggle to prevent a foreclosing disaster and destitution! FULL PRICE £7 | CONC £5 | BSU STUDENTS £4
WEDNESDAY 18 MARCH 8PM BURDALL’S YARD
Poetry Centre Jennifer Militello and Sean Borodale headline this regular poetry slot at Burdall’s. “Militello is one of our richest younger poets” G.C. Waldrep
Sean is one of 20 poets selected as the Next Generation Next Generation Poets 2014 FULL PRICE £3 | BSU STUDENTS FREE
www.bathspalive.com or 01225 463362 23 - 26 MARCH 7:30PM UNIVERSITY THEATRE
Third Space Bath Spa University Dance Degree Shows Third Space is an opportunity to see the creative work of this year’s graduating dance students. The dance programme at BSU offers students a training programme that is both physically and intellectually stimulating. There is a strong focus on creativity and performance and the degree shows offer a wonderful opportunity to see the creative environment that these exciting new artists have been immersed in. The 2015 programme includes a range of performances and presentations ranging from solo and group choreography, short dance films and site-specific work. All the events are free to attend and programme details and times will be available on the Bath Spa Live website in March.
FREE - BOOKING REQUIRED
www.bathspalive.com or 01225 463362 25 - 28 MARCH BURDALL’S YARD (For times see below)
Blood Wedding By Federico García Lorca Directed by Matt Ball Lorca’s Blood Wedding is a classic of twentieth-century theatre. Inspired by a true story, it’s a haunting tale of forbidden love & blood feuds. In a small rural community, where everyone knows your business, and reputation is all, a bride runs away with her true love on her wedding day. The couple are chased by the bridegroom and the woodcutters with tragic results - all overseen by the moon and death. Bath Spa University’s OnSet Productions presents this retelling of the Lorca’s classic. Blood Wedding was written in 1932 and first performed in Madrid in March 1933, and later that year in Buenos Aires. Theatre critics often group it with Yerma and The House of Bernarda Alba as the Rural Trilogy. Lorca’s plan for a “trilogy of the Spanish earth” remained unfinished at the time of his death (he did not include The House of Bernarda Alba in it).
Wednesday 25 March 7:30pm Thursday 26 March 7:30pm Friday 27 March 7:30pm Saturday 28 March 2pm & 7:30pm
FULL PRICE £10 | CONC £8 | BSU STUDENT £5
www.bathspalive.com or 01225 463362 FRIDAY 27 MARCH 7:30PM ST SWITHIN’S CHURCH BATH
Easter Concert Chorus and Orchestra, Wind Band, Chamber Choir and Georgian Band. Leonard Bernstein’s ‘Chichester Psalms’ for choir, soloist and orchestra is conducted by third year BA Music student James Thomas. Commissioned in 1965 by Chichester Cathedral, it is one of his most Jewish works using settings of ‘Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands’ and ‘The Lord is my Shepherd.’ The orchestra will also play Tchaikovsky’s Fantasy Overture ‘Romeo and Juliet’ conducted by second year student Elliott Black. Symphonic Wind Band conducted by Jeff Boehm Crown Imperial March - William Walton. Crown Imperial - an orchestral march first performed at the coronation of King George VI in 1937, and also played at the coronation of Elizabeth II. Resting in the Peace of His Hands - John Gibson. John Gibson’s piece is particularly poignant because it is inspired by a sculpture of the same name by German artist Käthe Kollwitz. She lost her youngest son in the First World War and never really recovered. Venue: St Swithin’s, The Paragon, Bath BA1 5LY FULL PRICE £10 | CONC £8 | BSU STUDENTS £5
www.bathspalive.com or 01225 463362
FREE PUBLIC LECTURE SERIES - COMMONS, ROOM G23 WEDNESDAY 14 JANUARY 6PM LYNDAL JONES (GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP) Rehearsing Catastrophe
Lyndal is an Australian multi-media artist whose art practice addresses art, place and climate change through installation, performance and collaboration. In this lecture she will talk about Rehearsing Catastrophe, which ran as part of Illuminate Bath 2015.
WEDNESDAY 28 JANUARY 6PM PETER JENKINS (GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP) The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Regime: Past and Future
Peter Jenkins joined the British Diplomatic Service in 1973, having graduated from Cambridge with a degree in Classical Philosophy, and having spent two years at the Harvard Graduate School for Arts and Sciences as a Harkness Fellow. His 33-year diplomatic career took him to Vienna (twice), Washington, Paris, Brasilia and Geneva.
THURSDAY 29 JANUARY 5:30PM GEOFF WHITTY Universities and Teacher Education in a New Era After decades of tight national regulation, different local, national and even global ‘brands’ of teacher professionalism are beginning to compete or co-exist with each other in the ‘messy’ world of postmodernity. What implications might these developments have for universities? (VENUE: STANTON LECTURE THEATRE)
WEDNESDAY 11 MARCH 3PM JOANNA MONCRIEFF Myths and realities of drug treatment for mental disorders Joanna Moncrieff, author of The Bitterest Pills, argues against the use and overuse of psychiatric drugs, such as antidepressants. She explains how these drugs actually produce adverse, mind-altering symptoms.
WEDNESDAY 11 MARCH 6PM AMINATTA FORNA (GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP) Writing Trauma: The Case of Agnes Aminatta Forna will discuss her research into trauma and the creation of the case history of Agnes from her award-winning novel The Memory of Love. The lecture formed part of the The Muriel Gardiner Program in Psychoanalysis and the Humanities at Yale University.
WEDNESDAY 25 MARCH 6PM SALIMA HASHMI (GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP) ‘A Song for This Day’ – Art, poetry and activism in Pakistan. Prof. Salima Hashmi is the Dean at the School of Visual Art and Design at Beaconhouse National University, Lahore. She taught at the National College of Arts, Lahore, for 31 years serving as Principal for 4 years, and held the post of Professor of Fine Arts. Salima is a member of our alumna community.
TO BOOK YOUR FREE TICKET www.bathspalive.com
EXHIBITIONS 3 - 28 FEBRUARY BRIDGWATER ARTS CENTRE www.bridgwaterartscentre.co.uk Reflections: Somerset Floods, One Year On A photographic exhibition that documents the landscapes and communities of the Somerset Levels affected by the traumatic floods of early 2014 using the stunning photography of Matilda Temperley and the reflections of families visited by Bath Spa researchers whose lives, homes and businesses were devastated by the waters. Preview Showing in Bath - BRLSI, 21-31st Jan 2015
15 - 22 FEBRUARY SION HILL GALLERY www.artdesignbath.org International Exhibition of Contemporary Student Printmaking The Printmaking programme presents an exhibition of work from fifteen leading institutions, from nine countries across the world: The result of a collaboration launched at the International Printmaking Workshop 2013 in China at the Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts.
8 - 27 MARCH SION HILL GALLERY Bob Barron His current work makes extraordinary use of old, worn roof slates and throwaway packaging card, which he transforms into collages that are elegant and alluring. Relatively simple in content, they resonate an understated beauty.
email: info@bathspalive.com | www.bathspalive.com | @bathspalive
INFORMATION www.bathspalive.com (no booking fees)
Audience members who book in advance through www.bathspalive.com can also book free parking permits for Newton Park campus at the same time.
Bath Box Office: 01225 463362
Visitors to Newton Park campus who book tickets through Bath Box Office must collect a visitor parking permit at the campus security gate and pay £1 to park. The following groups are eligible for concession tickets: BSU Students & Staff, Full time students,Under 16’s, benefit recipients, Over 65’s, Registered diasabled, (Carers and assistants to disabled patrons entitled to free tickets) Proof required. Bath Spa Live’s bar opens at our venues from 30 minutes before each performance starts. We serve a range of soft and alcoholic drinks, all at student-friendly prices. TRAVELLING TO OUR VENUES Commons, Michael Tippet Centre and University Theatre: ADDRESS: Bath Spa University, Newton Park Campus, Bath BA2 9BN Buses from Bath Service 15 runs every 15 minutes between Bath city centre and Newton Park via Oldfield Park, Windsor Bridge and Newbridge Road. Buses from Bristol 37, 38, 39, 39X from Bristol Temple Meads with stops at Brislington, Keynsham and Saltford. The 15 bus to Newton Park departs from the bus station next door. Train Exit Bath Spa train station via the main ticket office and turn left. The 15 bus to Newton Park departs from the bus station next door. The car park is at the far end of campus, about an 8-minute walk from the venues. Burdall’s Yard: ADDRESS: Burdall’s Yard, 7A Anglo Terrace, London Road, Bath. BA1 5NH Buses 6, 7, 13, 231, 271, 272 bus services stop at Snow Hill (3 minutes’ walk from Burdall’s Yard). See www.firstgroup.com for further bus information. Parking The nearest free parking is available in the streets off Snow Hill. Free parking is also available after 8pm in the Cattle Market car park on Walcot Street (6 minutes’ walk from Burdall’s Yard). Passengers can be dropped off in the loading parking area opposite Burdall’s Yard. Train Burdall’s Yard is about 20 minutes’ walk from Bath Spa Train Station. Bus services 231 and 271 run from the bus station next to the train station. Access: All our venues are accessible to wheelchair users. Please inform the ticket office if you would like to book a wheelchair space. Guide dogs and assistance dogs are welcome at all our venues. If you have any questions regarding access please contact us on 01225 875508 or email s.harris1@bathspa.ac.uk
DIARY FOR JANUARY - MARCH 2015 Booking on www.bathspalive.com / 01225 463362 JANUARY UT - University Theatre / MTC - Michael Tippett Centre / BY - Burdall’s Yard Illuminate 2015 Bath Centre 3 - 10 Jan 5pm-8pm Lecture - Lyndal Jones Commons 14 Jan 6pm Jazz: Tom Green Septet BY Fri 16 Jan 8pm Wordplay BY Sat 17 Jan 2 & 7:30pm Like Rabbits UT Thur 22 Jan 8pm Architects of Our Republic UT Fri 23 Jan 7:30pm Lecture - Peter Jenkins Commons Wed 28 Jan 6pm Lecture - Geoff Whitty Stanton Thurs 29 Jan 5:30pm For John Cage (Feldman) MTC Fri 30 Jan 7:30pm FEBRUARY Somerset Flood Exhibition Bridgwater AC 3 - 28 Feb Times vary The Moving Exhibition Holburne 4 - 5 Feb 10am-5pm Rhyme & Reason BY Mon 9 Feb 7:30pm Count Me In BY Wed 11 Feb 8pm Pilot UT Wed 11 Feb 7:30pm These Beautiful Things BY Thurs 12 Feb 8pm Arabian Nights the egg 12 -14 Feb Times vary Jazz: Mercury Quartet BY Fri 13 Feb 8pm Print Making Exhibition Sion Hill 15 - 22 Feb Daytime Gamelan MTC Wed 25 Feb 7:30pm Poetry Centre BY Thurs 26 Feb 8pm Sitcom Showcase MTC Fri 27 Feb 7:30pm MARCH Poetry Slam MTC Tues 3 Mar 7:30pm Quartet for the End of Time MTC Wed 4 Mar 6pm Wordplay BY Sat 7 Mar 2 & 7:30pm Bob Barron Exhibition Sion Hill 8 - 27 Mar Daytime Rhyme & Reason BY Mon 9 Mar 7:30pm Lecture - Joanna Moncrieff Commons Wed 11 Mar 3pm Lecture - Aminatta Forna Commons Wed 11 Mar 6pm The Baker’s Wife UT 12 -14 Mar Times vary The Debt BY Tues 17 Mar 7:30pm Poetry Centre BY Wed 18 Mar 8pm Third Space UT 23 - 26 Mar Times vary Blood Wedding BY 25 - 28 Mar Times vary Lecture - Salima Hashmi Commons Wed 25 Mar 6pm Easter Concert St Swithin’s Fri 27 Mar 7:30pm