POP OUT Festival 2017 by Lincoln Performing Arts Centre

Y R A N I D R O E H T E D I S T U O T R A 11 SEPTEMBER - 1 OCTOBER 2017

WELCOME TO POP OUT

POP OUT at the WATERSIDE POP OUT Festival ‘pops-up’ with a three-week residency at Waterside Shopping Centre from Monday 11 September to Sunday 1 October. We met up with the POP OUT Festival team to find out more about what we can expect from this exciting partnership and how it came about.

Welcome to POP OUT Festival 2017 — Lincoln’s micro-festival of art outside the ordinary. At POP OUT you can expect the best new plays, family shows, music, comedy and site-specific performance, all taking place in spaces outside of our venue. The festival is a great opportunity to uncover hidden gems and try something different, you can even experience a little slice of the Edinburgh Festival with the return of the wonderful Roundabout, Paines Plough’s touring amphitheatre, visiting Lincoln fresh from the Fringe. This year, as well as popping out of our building, we’re also popping up at Waterside Shopping Centre. This exciting partnership with one of the city’s major retail destinations will see a three-week residency leading up to the main festival, with a programme crammed full of performances and participatory activities suitable for the whole family (see pages 3-5). It’s an exciting new development for the festival and one that we hope to build on in the future as Lincoln Performing Arts Centre looks ahead to its tenth

anniversary year in 2018 and beyond. We’re all very excited about this year’s programme and if you speak to anyone in the team at Lincoln Performing Arts Centre they’ll be able to tell you about their personal pick-of-the-pop-out. We hope to see you there!

“We’ve been wanting to take work out into the city for some time now.” Says Craig Morrow, Artistic Director of Lincoln Performing Arts Centre. “Unfortunately, in Lincoln it’s really difficult to get access to vacant retail spaces and it was only through a chance meeting with Dean Cross, the manager of Waterside, about something completely different that the seeds of this adventure were first sown.” So how have your ideas developed? “Well they started out small and then sort of grew pretty big!” laughs Phoebe Wall-Palmer, Associate Producer of POP OUT and coordinator of the Waterside residency. “We were initially hoping to pitch for the same few days as the main POP OUT Festival but once we knew that the Waterside team were fully on board and wanted to make this work we really went to town and started talking about a longer residency. By staying somewhere for an extended period of time we’re really hoping the residency can reach more people and help to develop Waterside as a social space.” So what can we expect? Will there be things for people to do? “Yes! There will be drop-in craft activities, street

theatre, workshops, community group take-overs and small-scale studio performance - it will be so much more than just an information desk,” says Phoebe, “although you will actually be able to buy tickets for POP OUT Festival shows and find out more about cultural activities at Lincoln Performing Arts Centre and across the city as well.” “And it’s all free,” adds Craig. “We wanted to make sure these Waterside events were accessible and encourage people to try things and find out more. It’s one of the reason that we’re working with community groups, so that they also have a chance to literally present a shop window onto what they do. It’s all risk free. So come on down. The price is right!” And is this the start of a new way of working for Lincoln Performing Arts Centre? “We really hope so,” says Phoebe, “POP OUT was always envisaged as a strand that would spread its wings across the city and become a year-round programme of activity.” “And 2018 is Lincoln Performing Arts Centre’s 10th Birthday,” adds Craig, “so we hope to follow this up in a big way! But right now we’re so grateful to Waterside as this year’s programme wouldn’t be possible without their help.”

COME AND FIND OUT MORE The Waterside Pop-Up is open daily 11 Sept - 1 Oct from 9am-5.30pm Monday to Saturday and 10.30am-4.30pm on Sundays. Come and say hi to our friendly pop-up box office and information team and find out the latest listings of what’s on at Waterside, Pop Out Festival and Lincoln Performing Arts Centre. We’ve a busy programme full of drop-ins, workshops and performance all completely free (see overleaf). For full up-to-date listings visit our website. HOW TO BOOK: All events are free. You can just turn up but tickets are issued on a first-come-first serve and some events have limited capacity so try to book in advance if you can via the box office.

Box Office: 01522 837600 // www.lpac.co.uk

Waterside POP-UP

A programme of free events popping up at Waterside Shopping Centre

NOISE ACADEMY DJ & BEAT-BOXING WORKSHOP A walk-in workshop where you can interact with industry standard DJ equipment, music tech toys, and meet UK Beat-box contestant ‘Mikey Beats’ who will be performing demo’s throughout the day.

STORYTELLING SESSIONS

CREATIVE CRAFT SESSIONS

Join the cast of Lincoln Performing Arts Centre’s studio Christmas show The Winter Whale and last year’s Brrr! The Lost Polar Bear for some midmorning storytelling fun for ages three and up.

Pop into the Waterside Pop-Up for creative craft sessions for ages three plus. Each session is based around a theme and you can take your creations home with you.

Session Times: Tues 12 & Tues 19 September 11am - 12pm

Session Times: Weds 13 & Weds 20 September 11am - 12pm

If you like this check out the POP OUT Urban Arts workshops on Sun 1 Oct (see p.21). Session Times: Sat 16 September 12pm-2pm

THE BIG DIPPERS

FAMILY FALLOUT

DISTANT SKY

Sun, sand, seagulls and a magical beach hut? This is no ordinary day at the seaside… Grab your bucket and spade and hold onto your swim-hats as Rhubarb Theatre present a splendid seaside adventure!

A work-in-progress of a funny and touching new show about family life on an ordinary street by Dreamland Drama Club - a theatre group for adults with learning difficulties. We create original pieces for theatre to share with everyone. Come and join us.

Will and Cass live on the Moon. They have a job to do. Perhaps, beyond the memories, the accident, the world left behind, the distant sky can be a new beginning or a perfect end. New theatre company Chameleon53 present a preview of their first play.

Start Time: Sun 17 Sept 10.30am & 12pm Running Time: 30 minutes

Start Time: Tues 26 Sept 11am Running Time: 45 minutes

Start Time: Sun 24 Sept 3pm Running Time: 45 minutes

LITTLE CITY CREATES TAKEOVER DAY STAR CITY WORKSHOPS

HARTBEEPS

STREET THEATRE SHOWS

LUNCHTIME MUSIC SESSIONS

THE TORTOISE & THE HARE

Workshops for ages sixteen up led by General Practice [gp], an artist collective based in Lincoln.

Free taster sessions of Hartbeeps’ sensory events.

Rhubarb Theatre set-up shop with some anarchic street theatre. Meet the Admirable Admirals and other characters as they walk around the shopping centre or watch the scheduled performances below.

Join us at the Waterside Pop-Up for some live music. A mixture of classical and contemporary, these sessions are an ideal way to spend a lunchtime.

Meet Hatty Heronica Hare the First and Topple the Tortoise as they embark on a woodland adventure; to see who really is the fastest animal in the forest....

Session Times: Weds 20 - Fri 22 September 1pm1.45pm

Set in a busy post office, Curly Tales bring Aesop’s traditional fable to life with new songs, live music and bundles of audience interaction.

Tues 12 Sept - Alternate Photography Use experimental techniques, salvaged lenses and modern day equipment to create unique images. Tues 19 Sept - Video Experimentation with the moving image.. Tues 26 Sept - Foley A workshop dedicated to the art of reproducing everyday sounds from everyday objects a skill crucial to all film production. Session Time: 4pm - 5.15pm

Baby Bells session for babies from birth to sitting independently or crawling. Incorporating baby yoga, massage and calming techniques. Baby Beeps sessions for sitting babies to toddlers focused on developing early language skills. Happy House is for toddlers and pre-schoolers combining storytelling with sensory play, dress-up, wacky puppet characters and more. Session Time: Thursdays 14, 21 & 28 September Happy House 10am-11am // Baby Beeps 11am12pm // Baby Bells 12.15pm-1pm

Sat 16 Sept 10.45am - Explorers Galorers! Three intrepid travellers set off on a wild race around the world, armed only with a hot-air balloon and lots of baggage. Sat 16 Sept 2.30pm - The Three Suitcases Waiting at a station three accidental companions pass the time in amusing, joyful and increasingly silly ways. Running Time: 30 mins

FISHTANK YOUTH THEATRE Join Fishtank Youth Theatre for a free taster session. Fishtank are a drama group of young people who create and perform their own original theatre. Session Times: Sat 23 Sept 10am-11am Juniors (ages 6-11) // 11.45am-1pm Seniors (ages 12-16).

The show has been specifically designed for ages 3-6. After the show there will be a chance to meet the characters and an opportunity to take photos. Start Time: Sun 24 Sept 11am Running Time: 45 minutes

Hello there, we’re Little City Creates. What started as an Instagram project has become much more, from tiny origins into a network for celebrating and giving recognition to the artists of our little city. This is our takeover day full of making, learning and networking opportunities. Session Time: Weds 27 Sept 9.30am - 4.30pm

HOW TO BE A KID WORKSHOP Come and create a world full of play and dance at our Family Fun-day Workshop inspired by Paines Plough’s play How To Be A Kid being performed at Roundabout (see. p.18). Session Times: Sat 30 Sept 11am-12.30pm

Box Office: 01522 837600 // www.lpac.co.uk

“ROUNDABOUT

- A DIFFERENT KIND OF THEATRE.” POP OUT Festival 2017 sees the third visit to Lincoln of Paines Plough’s touring amphitheatre, Roundabout. We took a look at what’s in store for this year. “We are always delighted when Roundabout comes to town,” says Craig Morrow, Artistic Director of Lincoln Performing Arts Centre, “we’re so lucky to have the venue come to the city, as it only visits a few select places in the UK each year. It’s a real focal point of POP OUT Festival, around which we build the entire programme, and it always creates a bit of a buzz”. Certainly, that ability to generate excitement simply through its presence was a big motivator behind Roundabout’s inception. As Paines Plough Co-Artistic Director James Grieve says, “we built Roundabout because we’re really passionate about new plays and we wanted more people to see them. We thought more people would come if we created a context and environment for plays that felt as exciting as when the circus came to town as a kid. A different kind of theatre. A new kind of theatre. And here we are back for 2017.” So what sort of shows can we expect? “A little bit of everything,” says Craig, “we try to make the programme reflect the diversity of what’s possible in live entertainment, so there are plays, comedy, music,

slam poetry, kids shows and cuttingedge theatre. And running through the whole thing are the shows that Paines Plough tour with Roundabout.”

Zest Theatre

Lincoln stage company

FIRST PERSON

script this

2 players. 30 minutes. 1 Ultimate Prize. Two players enter the labyrinth of a virtual world and compete for the ultimate prize: happiness.

“This year we’ve three cracking new plays, which we’ve produced in collaboration with Orange Tree Theatre and Theatr Clwyd: Out of Love, Black Mountain and How To Be A Kid,” says James, “they’ve been written by three of the country’s best new playwrights, Elinor Cook; Brad Birch and Sarah McDonald-Hughes and will be performed in rep by just three actors: Hasan Dixon; Katie ElinSalt and Sally Messham - they’re all fantastic and you’re in for a real treat.”

Created for public spaces and influenced by video games and reality TV; First Person is a quirky fusion of fast paced narrative, physical theatre and silent disco technology. Grab your headphones, predict your winner and cheer them on to the finish line.

lil’ pacs: roundabout special

A selection of script-in-hand rehearsed readings of new plays by local emerging playwrights given the professional treatment by a director and team of actors, followed by a discussion with the audience.

Come along and boogie away with Beth beneath the multi-coloured LED lights of Roundabout in this free dance and movement session, perfect for under 5s.

Start Time: Thursday 28 September 6.30pm

Start Time: Friday 29 September 10am

Tickets: Free

Tickets: Free (limited capacity refundable deposit of

Running Time: 1 hour (no interval) Location: Roundabout Theatre

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£5 required for advanced booking) Running Time: 1 hour (no interval) Location: Roundabout Theatre

Start Time: Saturday 9 September 11am, 1pm & 3pm (Waterside Shopping Centre) // Thursday 28 September 11am, 1.30pm & 4pm (Lincoln Performing Arts Centre)

“It’s always a pleasure watching these shows,” says Craig, “you get a real sense of the craft of storytelling and undoubtedly the space is a big influence - Roundabout is my kind of theatre.”

Tickets: Free Running Time: 30 minutes (no interval) Location: Site specific promenade performance, meet at venue and look out for the Zest Theatre First Person Starting Zone.

THEATRE BUILDING OF THE YEAR 2015

A beautifully designed masterpiece. THE STAGE AWARDS

Roundabout Company 2017 from left to right: Katie Elin-Salt, Sally Messham, Hasan Dixon, James Grieve, Elinor Cook, Sarah McDonald-Hughes, Brad Birch. Photo: Matt Humphrey

Box Office: 01522 837600 // www.lpac.co.uk

Paines Plough, Theatr Clwyd & Orange Tree Theatre

out of love

Can friendship Meet The last forever? Playwright Lorna and Grace do everything together. They share crisps, cigarettes and crushes. That’s what happens when you’re best friends forever. But when Lorna gets a place at University, and Grace gets pregnant, they suddenly find themselves in starkly different worlds. Can anything bridge the gap between them? A tale of friendship, love and rivalry over thirty years from award-winning playwright Elinor Cook.

Intelligent and savagely funny.

THE TIMES on Elinor Cook Start Time: Thursday 28 September 8pm // Friday 29 September 3pm // Sunday 1 October 8.30pm (post-show discussion Thurs 28 Sept) Tickets: £12.50 Full // £10.50 Concessions // £5 LIVE PASS (Students & Under 26s) Running Time: 1 hour 10 minutes (no interval) Location: Roundabout Theatre

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CAPTIONED PERFORMANCE In our captioned performances, the actors’ words appear on captioning tablets at the same time as they are spoken or sung. We have ten captioning tablets available per performance so please contact via booking@ lpac.co.uk or 01522 837600 to book your tablet, at least 24 hours in advance of the show. When it gets to show time, our captioner and Front of House team will be on hand to show you the best place to sit – just head to the front of the queue.

Out Of Love was written by the playwright Elinor Cook, winner of the prestigious George Devine Award for Most Promising Playwright in 2013. Elinor has had her plays staged across the UK including the Gate and Orange Tree theatres in London, the annual HighTide Festival and as part of the National Theatre Connections programme. Although Elinor has worked with Paines Plough on previous occasions this is the first time the company has toured one of her plays. In this interview Elinor reveals what POP OUT theatregoers can expect when Out of Love visits Lincoln this autumn.

What made you want to tell this story? I was interested in the idea that a friendship between two women can prove to be the most formative, challenging and ultimately rewarding relationship in your life, and how devastating it can feel when it’s shaken. Although the play jumps back and forth over roughly thirty years, it’s not accidental that the fissures start to emerge in the characters’ adolescence. It’s a time of such electric extremes - a restless thirst to know everything and the terror that comes with that knowledge.

Why did you choose to make the narrative non-linear? It just felt right! The play works like a piece of music - you hear a note in one scene and then notice it cropping up again in a later one. Slowly it builds and builds and

you can hear the whole tune. Each scene is a distillation of a moment. The audience doesn’t need to worry about what happened when. It’s more about the emotional truth of those moments and how they add up to a whole life.

Is Lorna and Grace’s relationship inspired by a real friendship? My oldest and closest friend is someone I’ve known since I was two years old. We see each other all the time and communicate in one form or another most days. I wouldn’t say that the personalities in the play are necessarily reflective of me and her, but I certainly know what it’s like to have that one person who knows you better than you even know yourself. I’m really lucky in that Katie and Sally, who are playing Grace and Lorna, have a really natural chemistry. The complexity of their relationship is already so believable.” Out Of Love is on at POP OUT Festival on Thursday 28 September 8pm, Friday 29 September 3pm and Sunday 1 October 8.30pm.

Box Office: 01522 837600 // www.lpac.co.uk

UNLIMITED Theatre

how i hacked my way into space

This show tells the frankly, bizarre inspirational story of a 43 year old man’s mid-life crisis creative adventure to hack his way into space from his garden shed in St Albans, England, via the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne and a rocket launch at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Performed in a custom-designed Heath Robinsonesque Space Shed, this is a show about technology and art coming together, the power of stories to create new realities and the thin lines between obsession and madness. It’s about the glorious possibilities for scientists and artists to work together and how even the smallest person can make a difference and achieve their seemingly impossible dreams. Start Time: Friday 29 September 12pm & 5.45pm // Saturday 30 September 11am & 12.30pm (plus popup science chats T.B.C) Tickets: Free Running Time: 30 minutes (no Interval) Location: Space Shed outside Lincoln Performing Arts Centre

Think Dave Gormanmeets-Professor Brian Cox, in a Space Shed. Ever since I was seven years old and watched NASA launch its first Space Shuttle mission and I saw how beautiful the Earth looked from all the way above it, up there looking down… since then, it has been my dream to go there too.

the lincoln company

tom adams

pornography

apollo 11 den

Four explosions, 52 casualties, an hour that changed Britain.

It’s July 1969. 350,000 people are packing for Woodstock, David Bowie has just released Space Oddity and three men are on their way to the moon.

In this tenth anniversary staging, Simon Stephen’s modern classic Pornography offers a kaleidoscopic portrait of a London that went from the euphoria of Live 8 and the Olympics 2012 announcement to the devastation of the July 7 bombings.

Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins are on board the Apollo 11 spacecraft. Two of them are destined to be the most famous men on the planet.

An amateur performance by The Lincoln Company, the students and alumni from University of Lincoln’s School of Fine & Performing, returning to POP OUT fresh from their visit to Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

You are about to meet the third. Michael Collins is on a mission all of his own. Whilst Neil and Buzz muck about moonwalking, Michael has a serious job to do. For 60 minutes, he will visit the dark side of the moon, out of radio contact with the rest of humanity. 60 minutes of utter solitude. 60 minutes to think about home. 60 minutes to examine the nature of existence. And all through the medium of some really catchy tunes. And a bit of puppetry. Mike’s Apollo 11 Den is a rocket-fuelled display of musicianship, theatreand comedy. The space capsule TeePee is a beat-making, bass-shaking, electro-funk-machine and countdown is about to commence.

Start Time: Friday 29 September 1.30pm Tickets: £8 Full // £5 LIVE PASS (Students & Under 26s) Running Time: 1 hour (no interval) Location: Roundabout Theatre

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Start Time: Friday 29 September 2pm, 4.30pm & 7.30pm // Saturday 30 September 2pm, 4pm & 6.30pm Tickets: £5 all tickets Running Time: 1 hour (no interval) Location: Apollo 11 Den outside Lincoln Performing Arts Centre

Co-commissioned by Without Walls; The Civic, Barnsley and Lincoln Performing Arts Centre

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A totally unique comedy experience. TIME OUT on Howl At The Moon the predecessor to Apollo 11 Den

Box Office: 01522 837600 // www.lpac.co.uk

AULA & OSBORNE THEATRE

MAISIE SAYS SHE LOVES ME

Big boys don’t cry. Maisie says she loves me. When she tells me this she has a look on her face like she’s at peace with the world. Connected to the planet and the people and the air and every damn atom of this Earth. We all want to love and be loved, but what if you just can’t let the feelings out? After all, big boys don’t cry. And what if you’re worried about what else might be released? Do you still take your chance? A play with heart that explores ideas of love and inheritance and asks, “Does being strong mean keeping it all in?” Maisie Says She Loves Me by Lincolnshire playwright Jimmy Osborne returns to Lincoln Performing Arts Centre and the Roundabout theatre in a new extended version, after its awardwinning run at London’s VAULT Festival 2017.

An incredible script. SAVAGE ONLINE

Start Time: Fri 29 September 6.30pm // Sat 30 September 7pm (post-show discussion Sun 1 Oct) Tickets: £12.50 Full // £10.50 Concessions // £5 LIVE PASS (Students & Under 26s) Running Time: 55 minutes (no interval) Location: Roundabout Theatre

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Meet The Playwright Maisie Says She Loves Me is written by Lincolnshire playwright Jimmy Osborne. His adaptation of Ian McEwan’s The Cement Garden was performed at London’s VAULT Festival 2014. Jimmy is also part of the 4Screenwriting scheme, Channel Four’s writer development initiative and the BBC Drama Room. We asked Jimmy about his career and approach to writing.

What made you become a playwright? I started and continue to write, because I frequently don’t understand the world and what goes on in it. Most of my work comes from a voice in my head asking, “Why is that happening?” Maisie happened because of the experiences of people I‘ve known over the years, and how that’s affected their behaviour. Those experiences were completely different to my own life. I wrote Maisie because I wanted to understand - writing is my attempt to try and work out at least a small part of the world.

How do you develop ideas for the play? Plays are not one idea, they’re a multitude of ideas that have stuck together: people you’ve known, things you’ve heard on the bus, dreams, songs. Over time they connect, and they can connect without you realising until

David Aula as Sheldon

one day it all has to come out. The writing of Maisie was initially very quick, but the ideas had been bubbling away quietly in my mind for a long time

How does this version differ to what’s been here before? Maisie’s been supported by Lincoln Performing Arts Centre from the start and we’ve used that time to develop its experimental form, however, I always felt that there was more in this story. This led us to expand the piece by diving deeper into Sheldon’s world for VAULT Festival, before returning to Lincoln. I live in the county so it’s really important to me to have my work developed and performed here. We also feel it’s important to work with other local artists, like the band Corasandel who created original music for the play. It’s brilliant to bring Maisie home. Maisie Says She Loves Me is on at POP OUT Festival on Friday 29 September 6.30pm and Saturday 30 September 7pm.

Box Office: 01522 837600 // www.lpac.co.uk

Paines Plough, Theatr Clwyd & Orange Tree Theatre

black mountain

You can’t run forever. Rebecca and Paul are running away. Away from memories and mistakes. They’re trying to save their relationship. They need time and space. An isolated house in the country is the perfect place to work things out. They set themselves rules: they have to be honest, they have to listen and they have to be fair. But you can’t run forever. Especially when you’re being followed. Black Mountain is a tense psychological thriller about betrayal and forgiveness by winner of the Harold Pinter Commission Brad Birch.

Shockingly entertaining.

THE GUARDIAN on Brad’s previous play The Brink Start Time: Friday 29 September 8pm // Sunday 1 October 4.30pm (post-show discussion Sun 1 Oct) Tickets: £12.50 Full // £10.50 Concessions // £5 LIVE PASS (Students & Under 26s) Running Time: 1 hour 10 minutes (no interval) Location: Roundabout Theatre

14+

CAPTIONED PERFORMANCE In our captioned performances, the actors’ words appear on captioning tablets at the same time as they are spoken or sung. We have ten captioning tablets available per performance so please contact via booking@lpac.co.uk or 01522 837600 to book your tablet, at least 24 hours in advance of the show. When it gets to show time, our captioner and Front of House team will be on hand to show you the best place to sit – just head to the front of the queue.

Meet The Playwright Black Mountain was written by Brad Birch, the 2016 recipient of the Royal Court theatre’s highly sought-after Harold Pinter Commission. Previously, Brad has had his work performed in Russia, the USA, Italy, Germany, Spain and, more closer to home, at venues including Manchester Royal Exchange, Sherman Cymru and Theatre503 in London. We caught up with him to find out what terrors are lurking in the hills. According to Brad, he had always wanted to write a genre piece and particularly a thriller, so the opportunity to create Black Mountain for Roundabout was the perfect chance to explore how such a style might work for the stage. We asked Brad why he was so attracted to the idea: “I’m really interested in how form and tone and symbol are shared across different stories within different genres. I think working within a genre means working with a shared palette and that means that, in a way, Black Mountain is in conversation with other stories in this genre.”

people in an extraordinary situation. They’re normal people finding themselves making strange decisions.” So, whom do you relate to the most? Which one of the characters would you play if you could? “The axe,” he responds. So apart from sharp implements, what other aspects of staging a thriller are you most excited about? “Probably the technical aspects; I wanted to build a show and an experience out of sound and light. I hugely admire the craft side of theatre-making and I wanted to exploit the power of these more sensory elements of theatre. The Roundabout is the perfect venue to try this kind of thing out.”

Working in such a rich tradition must have presented challenges though? Actually, he says, “Making it feel real was the biggest challenge.” He goes on to elaborate, “I think that’s the biggest hurdle all theatre has. Theatre is a very ‘unnatural’ gesture and so theatre that feels natural and true is golden.” So how does one achieve that sense of reality? By making the characters relatable says Brad. “I found a question that Black Mountain is on at POP OUT Festival on fitted the genre and I found a story that fitted Friday 29 September 8pm & Sun 1 October 4.30pm. the question. Rebecca and Paul are ordinary

Box Office: 01522 837600 // www.lpac.co.uk

“FRIENDSHIP, FAMILY AND THE POWER OF IMAGINATION” POP OUT Festival celebrates new, fun and surprising theatre for children and younger audiences. Young Audiences Associate Michael Woodhall takes a closer look. “Right from the start we wanted to make sure that POP OUT’s programme was family friendly and suitable for children,” says Artistic Director Craig Morrow, “and so, alongside all the new plays and pop-up theatre for adults, there is a strong strand of work running through for younger audiences. But we wanted to stay true to the spirit of POP OUT, and so these shows are often a little bit adventurous or unexpected.”

audiences James goes on to say how “Mollie’s story is important because it shows that even when life is hard, there is plenty of fun to be found in childhood, and joy in life.” Sarah agrees, “I wanted to write a play that explores how children cope when they are in extremely difficult situations, but I also wanted the play to celebrate friendship, family and the power of imagination, to help us navigate the most difficult times in our lives.”

Certainly, the range of performances during POP OUT is expansive, including How To Be A Kid (p.18), a piece of new writing for seven-year-olds up - an age range often neglected by mainstream theatre. I caught up with Paines Plough’s CoArtistic Director James Grieve and playwright Sarah McDonald-Hughes to ask them about the show and its exploration of the role of child carers told through the adventures of lead character, Mollie. “Unbelievably, there are around 75,000 children

Indeed, the power of the imagination is a bit of a thematic link across the festival. The exceptional Slot Machine Theatre, for example, embrace ideas of creative play in their heart-warming show Your Toys (p.20), which sees the company inviting people to bring their cuddly toys to the performance so that they can become part of the story. It’s something audiences really identify with: “We all spend our childhood going Your Toys Photo: Cammie Toloui on adventures with our special toys,” says Craig, “travelling in our imagination to far off lands, and the genius of this show is that we can all share in that adventure, both adults and children alike. Through the simple art of engaging storytelling and object manipulation this sort of theatre can take us anywhere - it’s a home to imagination.”

How To Be A Kid writer Sarah McDonald-Hughes (left) and director James Grieve (right). Photo: Matt Humphrey

aged 10-14 who are carers in the UK, “ says James, “and so we wanted to tell a story that explored the lives of these young people because these are voices and characters we don’t come across often enough in the theatre.” Although this may seem pretty hard-hitting in a show for young

Imaginative play is also at the heart of festival favourites Egg Box Theatre’s show The Moon And Me (p.17), which is making a welcome return to POP OUT. Created for ages two plus, this intimate performance takes place in a special domed structure, a bit like a mini-Roundabout and is full of sights sounds, tastes, smells and lots of play. It’s coming back as part of a festival strand celebrating sixty years since the start of the space race and the launch of Sputnik in October 1957 - perhaps it will inspire Lincolnshire’s next astronaut!

ATG Spoken Word: Roundabout Special Join BBC Slam Poetry Champion Scott Tyrrell (plus support) in an evening of hilarious razor sharp punch lines and powerfully poignant poetry and spoken work.

Outside the Egg Box Dome after a performance of The Moon And Me.

Alongside the main festival shows, there is an entire programme of free performance and activities taking place during the POP OUT residency at Waterside Shopping Centre (p.3-5). Associate Producer Phoebe Wall-Palmer, overseeing the pop-up venue, is particularly excited about the programme she’s lined up. “We’ve a real mix of family activities at Waterside, some of which you can just drop in on, alongside street theatre that will just happen around you. We’ve also programmed more intimate studio shows for pre-school children, which make an ideal first visit to the theatre. By popping out of the building into spaces where families naturally congregate we’re really hoping to reach new people and excite the next generation of audiences with the power of theatre to stir the imagination.”

A former member of the Poetry Vandals, Scott has performed his work around the UK and Europe, and at festivals from WOMAD to Glastonbury. He is author of two collections of poetry; most recently, the warmly received Grown Up published by Red Squirrel Press.

Egg Box Theatre Company

the moon and me Hello! My name’s Roux and I’ve built a rocket in my garden to take me to the moon and I’m looking for some new friends to come with me… What do you think it will be like? Do you think anyone lives there? And is it really made of cheese? Please say you’ll come! The Moon & Me is an interactive, intimate theatre experience about friendship & sharing for 2-5 year olds and their families, which takes place inside a special dome, with sights, sounds, tastes, smells, touch and lots of play.

Supported by The Dave Mahoney Poetry Experience. Start Time: Friday 29 September 9.30pm

Start Time: Saturday 30 September 11am, 12.30pm & 2pm

Tickets: £8 Full // £5 LIVE PASS (Students & Under 26s)

Tickets: £5 all tickets

Running Time: 1 hour 20 mins (no interval)

Running Time: 45 minutes (no interval)

Location: Roundabout Theatre

Location: Egg Box Dome, Lincoln Performing Arts Centre

14+

Box Office: 01522 837600 // www.lpac.co.uk

Paines Plough, Theatr Clwyd & Orange Tree Theatre

how to be a kid Warm-hearted, insightful drama about children growing up too young. THE STAGE

Photo: Alex Brenner

singin’ in the round

Molly cooks. Molly does the dishes. Molly gets her little brother Joe ready for school. Molly is only 12, but she doesn’t feel much like a kid anymore. Now Molly’s Mum is feeling better, maybe things will get back to normal. Can you help Molly learn how to be a kid again? Join Molly, Joe and her Nan for a larger than life story of family, friends and fitting in from Sarah McDonald-Hughes. Start Time: Saturday 30 September 2.30pm // Sunday 1 October 2.30pm (Family Workshop Saturday 30 Sept before performance see p.5)

WARNING: Contains dancing, chocolate cake and an epic car chase.

After singing together at the 133rd Lincolnshire Show in the summer, members of Lincoln Choral Society join with singers from University of Lincoln Choir to present a short concert of songs - from folk to funk and classical to pop, plus everything in between. And if the mood takes you, you’re welcome to join in on the day as both choirs are looking to meet new students and singers that are keen to become involved in singing in Lincoln.

Tickets: £8 All Seats // £25 Family Ticket Offer (4 people) Running Time: 45 minutes (no interval) Location: Roundabout Theatre

CAPTIONED PERFORMANCE (see p.23)

seth kriebel

A HOUSE REPEATED Come in. Sit down. Explore. Imagination and memory collide to reveal that the everyday world is not as solid as it might seem… A House Repeated is an interactive performancegame combining the simplicity of bare-bones storytelling with the limitless possibilities of contemporary open-world computer games.

Turns the concept of immersive theatre on its head... stunning in both its simplicity and power. LONDONIST

Two performers stand on a bare stage and describe another, imaginary place. By giving instructions like “Go North” or “Pick up the lamp”, the audience works together to navigate through the described space, overcoming obstacles and exploring this other world without leaving their seats.

Start Time: Saturday 30 September 1pm

Start Time: Saturday 30 September 5.30pm

Tickets: £8 Full // £5 LIVE PASS (Students & Under 26s)

Running Time: 1 hour (no interval)

Location: Roundabout Theatre

12+

Box Office: 01522 837600 // www.lpac.co.uk

urban arts workshops

Coney

A monstrous force rules the land. On this epic journey only the toys can save us – your toys.

Are you a future Superstar DJ, Beat Boxer, B-Boy/BGirl or Graffiti Artist?

Grown ups and children alike are invited to bring your favourite toy to the theatre and watch them take part in a gigantic adventure.

Come down to Roundabout on Sunday and try your hand at a mix of urban arts.

Imagine you’re in a theatre of the future, powered by an algorithm. REMOTE is an interactive live game interrogating the politics of choice, and decisionmaking in an immaterial world, saturated with technology.

In this charming show Slot Machine Theatre bring your real toys to life on stage using their unique style of puppetry, original live music and quirky humour.

Whether its mastering DJ techniques or laying down your own loops as a human beat-box with the team from Noise Academy, popping and locking with our Break Dance professional, or perhaps trying out tags and murals are more your thing with our resident graffiti artist, there’s plenty to do at Pop Out’s urban arts sessions.

This is a piece of game-theatre that you play sitting down, and it’s entirely led by you, the audience.

Lincoln Comedy Festival

slot machine theatre & turtle key arts

jonny & the baptists: the best of 2012-2017

your toys

A barn-storming mix of comedy and rock-gig, from the multi-award-nominated musical comedians. Direct from Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Jonny & The Baptists celebrate five years of silly songs and satirical anthems that have won them five major award nominations and dedicated fans across the country. Expect a riotous hour from the iTunes Comedy Chart-toppers and stars of Radio 4’s The Now Show and the BBC’s Live at Television Centre.

THE GUARDIAN

THE TIMES

THE STAGE

We need your toys to be the stars of the show!

Magical, an ideal introduction to the theatre for children. THE STAGE

REMOTE

Fusing an interactive script with a live and responsive sound design – REMOTE is a mechanical theatre game. It’s 2017, and we’re a room full of mostly strangers, imagining the future.

Start Time: Saturday 30 September 9pm

Start Time: Sunday 1 October 11am & 1pm

Sessions: Sunday 1 October 10.30am to 2pm

Start Time: Sunday 1 October 2pm

Tickets: £12.50 Full // £10.50 Concessions // £5 LIVE PASS (Students & Under 26s)

Tickets: £8 all seats // £25 Family Ticket Offer (4 people)

Tickets: Free (just drop in)

Tickets: Free (Advance Booking Recommended)

Running Time: 1 hour (no interval)

Location: Roundabout Theatre and Outside

Running Time: 1 hour (no interval)

Running Time: 1 hour (no interval) Location: Roundabout Theatre

14+

Location: Lincoln Performing Arts Centre Main Auditorium

Location: Waterside Shopping Centre

Clever and intriguing interactive fiction exploring small politics, big algorithms and thwarted consensus. THE STAGE

12+

Box Office: 01522 837600 // www.lpac.co.uk

ACCESS

Lincoln stage company

CAPTIONED PERFORMANCES

everything we are

We’re delighted to announce that this year three performances during POP OUT are captioned: Out Of Love; Black Mountain and How To Be A Kid. In our captioned performances, the actors’ words appear on captioning tablets at the same time as they are spoken or sung. We have ten captioning tablets available per performance of the above shows so please contact bookings@lpac.co.uk or call 01522 837600 to book your tablet, at least 24 hours in advance of the show. When it gets to show time, our captioner and Front of House team will be on hand to show you the best place to sit – just head to the front of the queue. HEARING LOOPS Lincoln Performing Arts Centre’s auditorium and the Roundabout theatre are hearing loop enabled. Please speak to our FOH or Box Office Team for assistance. Unfortunately, there is currently no hearing loop system available in other POP OUT venues. WHEELCHAIR ACCESS All of our spaces are wheelchair accessible although there is limited capacity for some shows and Roundabout tickets should be booked 24 hours in advance. Please contact the box office to check availability.

Welcome, everyone, to Roundabout We’ve made a show - just for you. For here, for now, and for one night only. It’s about everything we know, everywhere we’ve been and everywhere we’re going. It’s Everything We Are.

Lincoln Performing Arts Centre invites you to join them in making a brand-new theatre performance to be shown in Paines Plough’s award-winning touring amphitheatre Roundabout. Everything We Are will be an original piece of theatre – created over the course of just one month – by a unique ‘pop-up’ theatre company that you can be a part of. How the final piece comes together will be shaped by you and everyone who volunteers to form the company. By taking part in this project, you’ll attend a series of inspiring workshops, designed to get you thinking, creating and performing. The sessions will be led by theatre maker and performer, Rachel Baynton – co-artistic director of the critically acclaimed

Proto-type Theater. These workshops will result in a one-off show, to be performed in Roundabout as part of Pop Out Festival 2017. You can find out more or get involved by contacting Phoebe Wall-Palmer via: pwall-palmer@lincoln.ac.uk

Start Time: Sunday 1 October 7pm Tickets: £10 Full // £8 Concessions // £5 LIVE PASS (Students & Under 26s) Running Time: 1 hour (no Interval) Location: Roundabout Theatre

12+

booking information

adult seat – these must be booked in advance over the phone or in person.

HOW TO BOOK

COMPANIONS: For those who require the assistance of a companion, you can claim one free companion seat, please book at the box office in advance.

ONLINE: lpac.co.uk (up to 9 tickets per person) AT LINCOLN PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE BY PHONE: 01522 837600 Mon to Fri 10-6pm IN PERSON: Monday to Friday 10-6pm and 1 hour prior to the performance. The Box Office is situated in the foyer. AT WATERSIDE SHOPPING CENTRE There is also a pop-up Box Office at Waterside 11 Sept-1 Oct. Mon-Sat 9am-5.30pm & Sundays 10.30am-4.30pm TRANSACTION CHARGES There are no booking fees when booking directly with us. A postage-handling fee of £1 applies if you would like to receive your tickets through the post (2nd Class). TICKET PRICES CONCESSIONS: Over 60s; Children Under 16; JSA; ESA (formerly the Incapacity Benefit); Universal Credit; students. Valid proof of social security/age/ student status must be shown at time of collection. BABES-IN-ARMS: For certain performances children under 18 months may qualify for a complimentary Babes In Arms ticket if they share an

age guidance

LIVE PASS

Look out for logos like this to give you an indication of age suitability. Very often for ages 12 or below the age guidance is an indication of complexity, whilst for ages 14 or above the guidance is likely to indicate more adult themes or stronger language.

LIVE PASS is our FREE for Students & Under 26s that entitles you to fantastic offers on tickets across our POP OUT Festival (and the wider season) as well as other exclusive perks including tailored updates and news about upcoming shows.

The age guidance is only ever a suggestion, however, and often depend on the individual. If you would like to talk through the content of a particular show before booking please contact the box office.

You’ll need to sign up for your membership over the phone or at Box Office first but then you can take advantage of exclusive £5 and reduced rate tickets.

14+

This logo indicates family friendly. Suitable for all.

SCHOOL//GROUP BOOKINGS Schools rates of £5 per ticket alongside group discounts are available for most performances. For all school groups and general group bookings of 10 or more please email bookings@lpac.co.uk or contact the Box Office on 01522 837600 HOW TO FIND US This year POP OUT Festival takes place in and around Lincoln Performing Arts Centre on the Brayford Campus of University of Lincoln (SAT NAV users enter LN6 7DQ) and at Waterside Shopping Centre in the city centre. PARKING You can now buy car parking for the main University of Lincoln Pay & Display car park for the exclusive rate of £2 when booking in advance. The car park is open to the public from 4.30pm on weekdays and all day on weekends. Parking options for Waterside Shopping Centre can be found on the Visit Lincoln website: www.visitlincoln.com/travel-tools/parking-in-lincoln

Look out for the LIVE PASS logo to see which shows and events apply.

Box Office: 01522 837600 // www.lpac.co.uk

POP OUT Festival is organised by Lincoln Performing Arts Centre

Waterside Pop-Up is made possible by

Roundabout is presented by

the kind support of and supported by

BOX OFFICE: 01522 837600 // www.lpac.co.uk