Tag: performance in the pub

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Performance in the Pub 2


Tassos with Jimmy Stewart...
Image by Natalie Walter/Exposure Live, reproduced with her kind permission

SO. Performance in the Pub 1 happened, it was brilliant, Tassos and Ira were ace, it got a lovely review, it broke EXACTLY EVEN, and I learnt through a slightly disappointing audience size that you apparently can’t build a community IRL overnight. So, onwards! Upwards!

First, here are some of the lovely tweets about event 1:

@peterwyeth: @performancepub 1 was cool last night! Felt challenged, moved, awkward and all sorts of stuff. Intimate pieces with intimate performances.

@frivolousshrig: Just got back from @performancepub after having no idea what to expect. Very accessible small plays by very talented performers, it seems =D

@discoverbrevity: Heart meltingly beautiful story by @tassosstevens at @performancepub Who’s coming with me on 22 March for event 2?

@churlishmeg: Back from brilliant night watching @irabrand & @tassosstevens at the 1st @performancepub. Next one 22nd March! You’re a twat if you miss it.

And now, introducing something that is guaranteed to be an amazing thing to bring unsure mates to: Dan Bye and Laura Mugridge will be doing Performance in the Pub 2! Enter: copy.

Happening on the 22nd of March 2012, at the Crumblin’ Cookie at the heart of the city of Leicester.

The second show will be a double bill of solo story-telling theatre. We put these two shows together because they both play with the idea of being ‘true stories about made up things’; value, and a man who journeyed to the bottom of the sea. They’re also ace.

TICKET LINK

Laura MugridgeLaura Mugridge will be performing The Watery Journey of Nereus Pike accompanied by live music from the brilliant Tom Adams. This is a half an hour work-in-progress show, but is guaranteed to be lovely and transporting, with the witty delivery of a theatre-maker whose began her career in stand-up comedy. Here’s how Laura describes the piece: “It is about an old man who begins the show floating on the surface of the water, and makes it to the bottom of the ocean. It’s a true story that I made up.”

“Mugridge is endearingly sweet, quietly witty and knows exactly how to take an audience into her world”. – WHATSONSTAGE.COM

Laura is a comedian, improviser, theatre maker and writer. She is originally from Lancashire, which means that she likes Eccles Cakes and that when she went to America, people didn’t understand her accent at all. Laura’s Running On Air – a story for an audience of 5 told from the inside of her VW campervan ‘Joni’ – won a Fringe First award at Edinburgh in 2010.

Daniel Bye imageDaniel Bye will bring us The Price of Everything. A comedy-come-performance lecture about value. How much is beauty worth? What would you get for an air guitar on eBay? These important questions (and others) are answered in Daniel Bye’s hilarious and provocative stand-up/powerpoint presentation/storytelling show. Daniel has been described as “The future of British theatre” by The Times, though he points out that “this is from a review that’s now several years old, so by by rights I ought to be the present of British theatre”.

“With some genuinely fascinating sciencey stuff at the beginning and several hilarious and well-told stories interspersed, The Price of Everything is a warm and welcome piece of theatre” – The Leeds Guide.

Dan is a writer, director and performer of immediate, playful, surprising theatre. His work plays with with comedy and tragedy, roughness and polish, truth and astonishment. His work has been described as “almost perfect” by the Scotsman; “near perfect” and “genius” by the Stage; “Fantastic” and “excellent” by the Herald; and “stylish”, “terrific” and even “intelligent” by the Guardian.

Doors will open at 7pm, and the shows will start just after 7:30, the first show is 45 minutes long, and the second approximately 55, there’ll be a 25 minute break in between for people to get more drinks.

TICKET LINK

Stupidly happy and excited to welcome Dan and Laura to Leciester. Please do tell EVERYONE you know about it – I especially need help inviting East Midlands folk to the facebook event. It’s pay-what-you-can, it will be funny and lovely, and in an incredibly relaxed atmosphere. COME!

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Introducing… Performance in the Pub

I’m stupidly excited to be able to announce a thing I’ve been working on since just before Christmas, the first in a series of DIY performance shows in Leicester, called ‘Performance in the Pub’.

if something isn’t happening where you are, make it happen wherever.

Performance in the Pub began as an idea in my head as I was writing this article for my mate’s punk webzine about what DIY theatre and music can learn from one another. I realised that I’d been complaining about the lack of innovative programming in Leicester’s theatres, but doing nothing about it – and also while sort of knowing that the kind of stuff I thought it was missing don’t really suit massive venues like Curve etc. So, money/mouth is; here I am. Putting on small-scale, DIY and storytelling performance on in a pub.

The first event will be taking place in The Cookie Jar, The Crumblin’ Cookie’s brand new venue in the centre of Leicester. It will be a double bill of solo performance; Tassos Stevens with Jimmy Stewart, and Ira Brand with Keine Angst. BOTH OF WHICH ARE AMAZING. You can find lots more about this first show and the two performances on the Eventbrite where coincidentally, you can also get tickets.

WHY A PUB?

Because I’m so bored of all these divisions between art forms. And big shiny buildings that act like cathedrals to art/theatre/etc. They have their place, but the problem is it’s not a place that’s a part of most people’s lives. The pub, on the other hand, is. That’s why a pub. Single-form buildings only work heavily subsidised by either government (arts council) or large-scale commercialism (cinemas, large music venues), or alcohol (small venues). The latter is way more fun, so let’s fill nooks and crannies of these buildings with theatre, performance, dance, exhibitions, craft, music and more. Make our cities exciting, varied places to be. This is my contribution.

WHAT KIND OF PERFORMANCE?

Just stories really. I mean, that’s what most theatre and performance is. I’m saying ‘performance’ here, because most of it won’t be like a ‘proper play’. It’ll be stuff people made with their actual bodies in a room – trying ideas and stuff out until they found something that worked. Think of how bands put music together compared to how composers do – that’s the difference between ‘performance’ and ‘theatre’ for me. The performance I put on will be small-scale, DIY, and/or storytelling theatre. By turns loud, funny, heart racing, lovely, musical, spectacular, touching, and transporting. I can promise you it will be from some of the most exciting, innovative and brilliant acts in the UK, and as the UK is well good at performance, PROBABLY THE WORLD. Totes.

HOW MUCH DOES THIS COST?

How much does it cost me, or how much does it cost you? Well, basically I, and everyone involved in putting on PitP shows are working for free, I pay for the travel, food and accommodation of the performers, I give myself a pat on the back if I’m lucky. All the promotion, printing, deposit for the venue, website building, and everything is upfronted by me, and hopefully paid back by the money people donate for tickets. That leads us to:

How much does it cost you? Well actually that’s another important thing to me, that you can ‘trial’ this stuff, that if you really don’t want to spend a 5ver or whatever on it, that you can just walk in, and sit down, and see what you think, and maybe pay afterwards if you liked it. Or pay next time. That’s why it’s ‘donation based’ ticketing. If you’re looking for a guide price, though, it costs me roughly £350-£400 to put on each show. If I sell out the venue at £5 each ticket then I break even. More is more to roll forward into more print/acts/etc. So if you want to help more happen £5 or over is ACE, you’re effectively only paying £2.50 per nationally or internationally known performance at that price ;) also; buy drinks. More drinks bought = I get the venue deposit back.

And while you’re still reading, why not follow @performancepub on Twitter, Like it on Facebook, and invite EVERYONE IN THE WORLD to the Facebook event. You can also go onto performanceinthepub.co.uk and check out where I’m horrifically self-plagiarising. Oh yes, and Tickets. Go forth!