Spectrum Listings Brochure

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Welcome SPECTRUM 2013 is our annual festival of third year performance projects that celebrates the huge range of imagination and talent of our final year students between 29th April and 24th May. The festival opening night on Thursday 25th April is a free event showcasing a selection of dance, music and theatre performances, both live and on film, offering a taste of what will be happening in the weeks to come.

The festival is a diverse collection of performances, all sharing the same ethos of creative freedom, imagination and collaboration. Contemporary scripted plays stand alongside original dance pieces on contemporary themes. Orchestras and rock bands co-exist with community dance projects. Soulful sounds combine with comedy and tragedy.

This prodigious range of work is derived from the balance between individual creativity and collaboration that is fostered within Performing Arts at Coventry. It is also a tribute to the commitment of students and staff to their art forms.

Performances in the Ellen Terry Building utilise the high quality performance spaces on offer, others engage with the building as an artistic site and some take place in venues throughout Coventry and beyond. All benefit from the skills and expertise of our dedicated technical staff and music technology students.

Geoff Willcocks Head of Department, Performing Arts Coventry School of Art and Design

Theatre

IndieGarden Theatre

(500) Days of Summer In this anti-romantic comedy about fate and love, a young greetings card writer is hopelessly, searching for the girl of his dreams...and his new co-worker, Sumer Finn may just be “the one”. But the 500 days of their offbeat relationship reveal (in no particular order) that the road to happiness can be unpredictable, uncontrollable--and

unbelievably funny!

“This is not a love story, this is a story about love.”

From the award winning Fox Searchlight, film written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber comes this exciting WORLD PREMIERE stage adaptation brought to you by IndieGarden Theatre.

3rd April 2013 7.30pm The Crescent Theatre, Sheepcote St, Birmingham, B16 8AE £10 / £7 concession ben@500dos.co.uk www.500dos.co.uk

Theatre

Gift Wrapped Theatre Company

Smoke Through a Keyhole Every life is both ordinary and extraordinary. Every life is unique.

Smoke Through a Keyhole follows one person’s journey through life. Portrayed through puppetry, experience Raymond’s unique story as he, now an elderly man, reminisces about key chapters from his past - from a nine-yearold boy, to his days in the war, to his first encounter with love.

“Isn’t it funny how the past can just jump out at you when you least expect it?”

Using live music, puppetry and swift scene changes, Smoke Through a Keyhole displays how inspiring, comical, moving and disheartening one journey through life can be.

Every choice we make moulds our future.

29th April 2013 7.30pm Ellen Terry Building, Theatre Room 233, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5RW £5 / £3 concession giftwrappedtc@live.co.uk

Dance

Tripswitch Dance

Tripswitch Dance presents an evening of work in which the performers and audience members are invited to explore the moving body as a means of communication. This piece journeys through a map of tasks, explorations and improvisations highlighting the themes of behaviour, identity and personality within performance. This work

investigates the possibilities of movement development using the methods of accumulation and repetition. Through the means of installation, speech and sound, Tripswitch Dance explore the relationship between spectator and performer and aim to convey the vulnerability of this exchange by dissolving the barriers between them.

29th April 2013 6.00pm Ellen Terry Building, Room 221, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5RW ÂŁ5 / ÂŁ4 concession tripswitchdance@hotmail.co.uk

Dance

Just Be Dance Company

This piece will be exploring, specific areas of the Body-Mind Centering technique. A high-energy piece where the dancers are exploring how their individual bodies move.

With a combination of scores and contact improvisation, the piece allows the dancers to push their bodies to their limit and allow them to investigate, how it is for them to move within their own bodies, through the Body-Mind Centering technique.

30th April 2013 6.00pm Ellen Terry Building, Room 221, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5RW ÂŁ4 / ÂŁ3 concession 07504 974858 / jsgriffin0711@gmail.com

Theatre

Tavo Theatre

Stars Never Abandon Their Orbit An Astronomy teacher A winsome coquette ...it’s complicated.

What happens when wild passions erupt in the midst of a secluded provincial town, where water doesn’t run and high-speed trains don’t stop? Can people overcome their anxieties and succumb to their dreams?

Tavo Theatre brings you a brand new comedy about 1930s Eastern European glamour, petty preoccupations and a romance out of reach.

‘You can’t be neutral on a moving train, you can’t be innocent even if you are just along for the ride.’

30th April 2013 7.30pm Ellen Terry Building, Theatre Room 233, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5RW £5 / £3 concession tavo.theatre@gmail.com www.tavotheatre.com

Theatre

Blank Canvas - In association with Rumchum Theatre

Shelagh Stephenson’s The Long Road When eighteen-year-old Danny is fatally stabbed in a random attack, his family struggles to find meaning and forgiveness.

His mother’s determination to understand the atrocity brings her face to face with his killer and forces the family to confront the

bitter senselessness of their loss.

The play explores the long road to healing and forgiveness in the midst of the most appalling hurt.

Powerful drama Warning: This play contains strong language.

1st May 2013 7.30pm Ellen Terry Building, Theatre Room 233, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5RW £6 / £4 concession 07513 564004 / bolgerj3@uni.coventry.ac.uk to reserve tickets

Dance

Comfy Stage

Something, anything, nothing An insight into the way I work.

Exploring different tasks, different people and different interests.

An installation piece that displays behind the scene ideas, tasks and movement.

A performance that holds a casual approach to itself and the idea of

performance.

An attempt to try and catch all the things that are left behind in rehearsals and share with an audience.

Do the audience create the idea of performance?

2nd May 2013 Installation 2-3pm and 4-5pm Performance starts at 6.00pm Ellen Terry Building, Room 221, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5RW £7 (two for £10 for both Comfy Stage & Rubix Dance performances) £4 concession (two for £6 for both Comfy Stage & Rubix Dance performances) ComfyStage@hotmail.co.uk www.facebook.com/ComfyStage

Theatre

Scorpio-Estate Theatre

Herons “This is the final entry into this journal. It is Friday. Today the sky is more purely blue than I can remember.”

On a rough estate, a terrible crime is committed, the result of which leaves a young boy to suffer for his father’s involvement. Billy is a quiet boy, preferring fishing with his dad

and writing in his journal. Watch as innocence is snatched away from Billy and he is forced to deal with those who wish him harm. Scorpio Estate Theatre Company present’s “Herons” by Simon Stevens, and it is a gritty drama that takes the audience through a tale of violence until the gripping dénouement.

2nd May 2013 7.30pm Ellen Terry Building, Theatre Room 233, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5RW £6 / £4 concession (Recommended age: 16+) Christian Gray: 07596 134201 / gracy4@uni.coventry.ac.uk

Theatre

Arrow to the Knee Theatre

Double bill - Land of Caves Arrow to the Knee Theatre in association with Pistol Whip presents Land of Caves. Land of Caves tells the story of John Walker, a man who has spent his life running, when suddenly he finds himself before a mysterious supernatural stranger, known only as the enlightened one. The enlightened one begins to use

history as a tool to delve deep into John’s psyche. Through this John contests his own sanity and the seemingly benevolent motives of the enlightened one. Whether his situation is real or not is irrelevant.

John soon realises that he must confront his demons lest The Land of Caves devours him whole.

3rd May 2013 - Land of Caves 4th May 2013 - Pistol Whip (see next page) 7.30pm Ellen Terry Building, Theatre Room 233, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5RW £4 (joint deal £6 for both Land of Caves & Pistol Whip performances) £3 concession (joint deal £5 for both Land of Caves & Pistol Whip performances) sagari@uni.coventry.ac.uk

Theatre

Arrow to the Knee Theatre

Double bill - Pistol Whip “We can take no prisoners, because they took no prisoners.”

Set in a dystopian future Pistol Whip explores the nature of oppression and the ethics of rebellion. Inspired by the Sonderkommando revolt in Auschwitz, the story looks at a group of women who for reasons unknown have been removed from society.

Featuring live music and an original score this play is one of a double feature of new writing with Land of Caves, as part of the Arrow to the Knee theatre company. Age and trigger warning-Pistol Whip is a 14+ performance and includes the themes of sexual assault and violence.

4th May 2013 7.30pm Ellen Terry Building, Theatre Room 233, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5RW £4 (joint deal £6 for both Land of Caves & Pistol Whip performances) £3 concession (joint deal £5 for both Land of Caves & Pistol Whip performances) 07769 219604 www.facebook.com/events/505205022870442/

Dance

Exposure Dance Company

Process and Motion Exposure Dance Company presents a movement exploration based around the processes of photography. The piece probes into the role of both subject and photographer and the relationship between the two, inviting the audience to enter into the relationship through the use of their

own photography. Process and Motion derives its movement from the physicality of taking, developing and ‘posing’ for a photograph.

The company was founded by third year dancers Alexandra NoelJohnson, Shannon O’Dowd and Rebecca Curtis.

7th May 2013 6.00pm Ellen Terry Building, Room 221, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5RW £5 / £3 concession exposuredance@hotmail.com Blog: exposuredance.blogspot.com

Theatre

Visualize Theatre Company

Polly Teale’s “Mine” In an ideal world ‘Man’ and ‘Woman’ had everything they could ever ask for, perfect jobs, a perfect home except the one thing that they wanted the most... A baby.

“Mine” takes the audience on a journey through the “frantic world” of ‘Man’ and ‘Woman’. We watch

Woman’s “perfect” world begin to unravel from the moment that she gets the call telling her that her dreams are about to come true. Woman gets what she wants but at what cost? Is her exquisite, architect-designed house actually a refuge or a prison? What is woman trying to shut out?

7th May 2013 7.30pm Ellen Terry Building, Theatre Room 233, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5RW £6 / £4 concession visualizetheatrecompany@gmail.com

Cross-discipline

fromscratch

fromscatch subfest fromscratch is a week-long microfest that runs adjacent to the main undergraduate festival. We are a collective of dance, dance with theatre and music students working from the premise that the culmination of our undergraduate experience should not be a final major project but rather a furthering major process. As part of the festival we intend to share

scribbles, sketches and beginnings that bear the ingredients of our individual artistic interests and passions. Witness the excavations of our artistic identities that are informed by autobiography, sound possibilities and sensorial explorations. Enjoy evenings, afternoons or whole days of live performances, film works and discussions.

8th - 12th May 2013 3.00pm and 7.30pm Coventry Artspace, 16 Lower Holyhead Road, Coventry, CV1 3AU Day pass ÂŁ2 / Week pass ÂŁ5 fromscratchfest@hotmail.co.uk www.fromsratch-subfest.tumblr.com

Theatre

Red Ribbon Theatre Company

Taking Care of Baby by Dennis Kelly The story of a woman’s journey into peril. Red Ribbon Theatre Company present a gripping tale of murder, judgement, justice and grief.

“Whether you are lying to yourself or to another human being, we sort

of know the truth.”

One story.

Eight views.

One truth.

Which will you choose?

8th May 2013 7.30pm Ellen Terry Building, Theatre Room 233, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5RW £5 / £3 concession (Recommended age: 16+ due to strong language) redribbontheatrecompany@ymail.com

Theatre

BlackWhite Theatre

The Chairs a one-act play by Eugene Ionesco Ever wanted to know the meaning of life...?

This classic piece of surrealist theatre concerns two ancient characters, who are frantically placing chairs around their home for the arrival of numerous guests (who may be invisible),

all desperately waiting to hear an orator deliver the important message that the OLD MAN has spent his whole life composing.

Will the message change your life?

A rare chance to see a surrealist classic.

9th - 10th May 2013 7.30pm The Custard Factory – Gibb Street Birmingham B9 4AA £7 / £4 concession Ami Wilkins : 07871 677081 / blackwhitetheatre@gmail.com

Theatre

Chilly Fingers Theatre

Claire Dowie’s ‘Why is John Lennon Wearing a Skirt?’ ‘…sometimes I’m Paul, but mostly I’m John and I continue to brainwash and I continue to subvert because I don’t want to be laughed at, I don’t want to be derided, I don’t want to stand on the sidelines humiliated and degraded and reduced to watching. I want to join in, I’ve got energy.’

But in a society formalised by patriarchal systems, can the derision of the female sex be overcome?

With ferocious vivacity and gusto John most definitely aspires for such, but will the denial of her biological sex ever change the perception of her preconceived gender identity?

9th May 2013 7.30pm Ellen Terry Building, Theatre Room 233, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5RW £4 / £3 concession queries.johnlennon@live.com

Cross-discipline (Dance/Music)

Damhsa Dance Company

Tracking Steps ‘Tracking Steps’ explores traditional Irish dance movements within a contemporary setting by placing a focus on rhythm and patterns. Accompanied by live traditional music, the duet will challenge familiar chorographic elements associated with Irish

dance including timing and right leg lead, with a strong emphasis on the hands and feet throughout.

A Questioning of the creation and witnessing of rhythms through the human body will challenge existing perceptions on traditional Irish dance.

9th May 2013 7.30pm Ellen Terry Building, Room 221, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5RW £5 / £4 concession mcgradyc@uni.coventry.ac.uk damhsa.tumblr.com

Cross-discipline

Pumpkin Pie Productions

Factory Folk Pumpkin Pie Productions present Factory Folk, a collection of memories from past industrial workers. The narratives of Factory Folk are stories collected from real people around the country and gives an insight into the lives of past factory workers and their

families. Blending their words with live music, performance and multimedia and set in metal pressing factory/theatre A.E Harris, the heart-warming tales will take you on a journey through the hardship of twentieth century factory life.

9th - 11th May 2013 7.30pm A.E Harris, 110 Northwood Street, Birmingham B3 1SZ ÂŁ5 / ÂŁ3 concession pumpkinpieproductions@hotmail.com

Dance

Rubix Dance Company

State of the Art By using simple technology devices, a dance performance is created through the idea of placing a video camera in a particular space, where the piece can be interpreted from more than one angle, dancing alongside projections and creating movement initiated through spoken

words and sound. Through this high energy piece, the audience are invited to take insight into the ever developing world of technology, concerning the performing arts sector. We ask the question...

Are we becoming too reliant on technology?

9th May 2013 6.30pm Ellen Terry Building, Room 221, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5RW £7 (two for £10 for both Rubix Dance & Comfy Stage performances) £4 concession (two for £6 for both Rubix Dance & Comfy Stage performances) bircher_nicola@yahoo.co.uk www.twitter.com/rubixdance

Cross-discipline

Enigmatic Theatre

The Winter Forest Experience a tale as juicy as a red apple and as thorny as a single white rose. Enigmatic Theatre’s debut show, ‘The Winter Forest’, is a perfect blend of storytelling and live music.

As the trees whisper and the forest encloses, the three magical and witty witches, will guide you

through a sad story of a young girl’s perilous journey. This original story explores love, revenge and grief, leaving it to the audience to decide who is good and who is evil.

Inspired by Angela Carter’s celebrated stories from ‘The Bloody Chambers’, Enigmatic Theatre produce a twisted fairy tale.

10th May 2013 - Ellen Terry Building, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5RW 7.30pm £5 / £3 concession (Recommended age 14+ / reserve tickets via email ) 16 - 18th May 2013 - Creed Street Theatre, Wolverton, Milton Keynes 7.30pm £7 / £5 concession (Recommended age 14+) Tickets available at www.creedstreet.com Kimberly Jo Spicer: enigmatictheatre@live.co.uk

Theatre

Little Pudding Theatre Company

Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman Paulina, a former political prisoner, still suffers in silence and despite her husband; Gerardo’s involvement in investigations into the crimes of the old regime, Paulina feels that justice will not be done. However when Gerardo, gets a flat tyre a kind stranger, Roberto, helps. However Paulina believes that she’s met him before.

Undeterred by Gerardo’s pleas,

Paulina intends to put Roberto on trial because no one else will…

Ariel Dorfman’s ‘Death and the Maiden’ is a moral, political and psychological thriller exploring the disturbing consequences of repression and asks to what extent can, or should, someone go to achieve justice?

13th May 2013 7.30pm Ellen Terry Building, Theatre Room 233, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5RW £6 / £3 concession (100% of the ticket sales will be donated to Marie Curie Cancer Care) 07821 665229 / littlepuddingtheatre@yahoo.co.uk Facebook: Little Pudding TC

Theatre

Stray Theatre

Edward Gant’s Amazing Feats of Loneliness With the help of his players, audiences all over the world have gasped and marvelled at the unbelievable and astonishing theatrical magnificence that has been spewed upon them.

With a dash of live music, a pinch of black comedy, a sprinkling of expert stagecraft and a spoonful

of Victorian storytelling, Edward Gant believes he has created the perfect recipe for a night of blissful entertainment.

Edward Gant’s Amazing Feats of Loneliness will be stopping off for three nights at Coventry, before continuing their world tour.

13th - 14th May 2013 - 7.30pm Taylor Johns House, Coal Vaults, Canal Basin, Coventry, CV1 4LY 16th May 2013 - 7.30pm Ellen Terry Building, Theatre Room 233, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5RW £6 / £4 concession stray2theatre@gmail.com www.facebook.com/straytheatre / www.twitter.com/theatrestray www.straytheatre.com

Theatre

Low Key Theatre Company

The Tragic Tale of Jane and Megan Strudel Imagine you are a teenager. How would you feel if you lost a parent?

How about losing both of them?

In this freshly devised piece of theatre, Jane and Megan are two teenage sisters devastated after the death of their parents. Their situation worsens when they are

forced to live with a distant relative, Aunt Demona. But the aunt’s initial charm soon wears off, and the tragedy deepens as Megan mysteriously disappears. How far will Jane go to find out the truth about her sister? Put yourself in her shoes. How far would YOU go?

14th May 2013 7.30pm Ellen Terry Building, Theatre Room 233, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5RW £5 / £3 concession lowkeytheatre@hotmail.co.uk

Theatre

Blonde Theatre

The Reunion by Peter Gordon When Nigel arranges a reunion in the back room of a pub, he is optimistic of a good turnout.

Although the numbers disappoint him, he soon has his hands full when a motley middle-aged threesome turn up, bringing with

them assorted wives, girlfriends, prejudices, and resentments that have simmered for the last twentyfive years. Comedy and confusion combine in this hilarious but poignant story of ‘small people’ in a ‘big world’.

15th - 16th May 2013 7.00pm - doors open / 7.30pm - performance starts Coombe Social Club £3.50 / £2.50 concession Katie : 07714 418029

Dance

Drawn Movement Dance Company

Traces Traces is a dance piece combining movement and visual art materials including chalk, markers and paint.

It is a live performance/ installation piece displaying previously created work while the dancers perform using these art supplies to leave behind a visual trace of their movement across canvas and in contact with each other.

17th May 2013 7.30pm Ellen Terry Building, Theatre Room 233, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5RW ÂŁ4 / ÂŁ3 concession / ÂŁ1 third year dance students drawnmovementdance@hotmail.co.uk

Cross-discipline

The Exposure Stories

The Exposure Stories Once upon a time... there was the city of Coventry whose inhabitants told lots of secrets.

They told these secrets to a group of girls who placed them in a cellar for safe keeping.

These treasured tales can only be shared to those who are willing to listen. So step inside and turn the page and prepare to be exposed!

17th May 2013 Gallery viewing 1.00pm onwards Performances at 3.30pm, 4.30pm and 6.30pm Ellen Terry Building, Room 110, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5RW ÂŁ1

Theatre

Tiddly Winks Theatre Company

WeathARGH! Come and join Captain Blackcloud and his crew in a secret adventure to discover the Northern Lights Treasure. We will travel the stormy seas encountering the rain, wind, sun and snow to discover our rainbow of treasure in the North Pole. This 40 minute production

will have children and adults joining in with catchy songs and dance moves in an interactive performance which promises to keep everyone entertained throughout. For children aged 5 to 7 years – don’t forget to bring an adult.

23rd May 2013 4.30pm Ellen Terry Building, Theatre Room 233, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5RW Free 07450 233128

Dance

Flashback Dance Company

The Suitcase Story This piece is a live installation expressing a story through memories and objects in space.

Imitating University to home issues of an upsetting/unsettling life style.

flashback@hotmail.com

Cross-discipline

Space, place and movement Dance Company

7436 steps and counting An installation-based performance centered on the process and practice of active walking and documenting.

This is a practice undertaken and explored simultaneously by two friends, working from both individual and shared experiences

For further information please contact Tel: 07901 335169 Email: jacks126@coventry.ac.uk Website: 7436steps.blogspot.co.uk

to create a multi-media and multisensory installation event.

Gathering objects and documenting memories, we explore the practice of active walking and how this can enhance our overall sensation and perception of place and journey.

The Performing Arts Department at Coventry offers a range of degree courses in music, dance and theatre. For further information on what we offer please visit the following course information web pages: Music Composition BA (Hons) www.coventry.ac.uk/musiccomposition Music Performance BA (Hons) www.coventry.ac.uk/musicperformance Theatre and Professional Practice BA (Hons) www.coventry.ac.uk/theatre Dance Making and Performance BA (Hons) www.coventry.ac.uk/dance Music Technology BSc (Hons) www.coventry.ac.uk/musictechnology

The content of this listings brochure is provided by final year Performing Arts students. Please contact the students concerned for further details about their individual performances.

The University does not warrant or make any representation regarding the reliability or accuracy of the information and materials contained herein.

In no event will the University be liable for any loss or damage that may arise from the use of such information and/or materials.

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