We are thrilled to announce the seven creative directors of the IdeasTap Old Vic Tunnels takeover, Coming Up...
Update 8/11/10: Unfortunately Jack McNamara has been forced by unforeseen circumstances to drop out.
They’ll be commissioning, scheduling and developing performances for the festival in February 2011, under the guidance of company manager Tim Wilson, who has previously worked for Punchdrunk and Shunt.
So without further ado, here’s our collective, with the projects that got them through…
Daisy Evans: Silent Opera
Director Daisy is staging the world's first Silent Opera with audience members hearing the orchestra on headphones whilst following the frantic singers around the space. Performing Strauss' Salome in an exciting and invigorating new setting. The head of Jockannan is presented to the demented Princess within centimeters of the audience.
Jamie Lewis Hadley: Brit Wrest-Fest
Jamie started wrestling at the tender age of 15. In 2006 he set up his own wrestling company, the East Devon Wrestling Federation. He quit wrestling for the third time in 2009 due to injury and started looking into creating live art performances. Wrestling: Underground will be a glamorous bonanza, with Jamie bringing his, erm, own ring. In his words, “Think spandex, think suplex, think super-villain.”
Cherry Franklin: Old Roots/New Routes
Cherry is bringing the unlikely mix of a hip hop/folk sound-clash to The Old Vic Tunnels. But scratch the surface and you’ll find similarities, as Cherry explains – “Hip hop and spoken word comes from the same source; the need to speak, the importance of sharing life experiences.” She’ll be running slam sessions, jam sessions, workshops and performances with artists from the folk and hip hop worlds.
Spike Laurie: Civil Unrest
From doing porridge to eating dirt, Spike’s project will bring together the unlikely dishes of political unrest and sumptuous pre-theatre dining. Centred around the staging of Ben Ellis’ newly-commissioned play about the death of Ian Tomlinson during the G20 riots, Spike’s vision will turn The Old Vic Tunnels in to a melée of food, film, photography and political fervour. While visual artists such as Marc Vallée, Brain David Stephens and Jonathan Warren will provide a feast for the eyes, chef Mark Jankel and the creatives-in-residence at The Hopital Club, House of Jonn, will be serving up haute cuisine slammer food. So, in an era of fine dining, will we find our civil unrest a little hard to swallow?
Nina Smith: Eat Your Heart Out
Nina’s project by Kindle Theatre and collaborating artists is, quite simply a live banquet – an audience participatory food fight. Inspired by the Baroque world, select masterpieces of Caravaggio, and the contemporary obsession with Armageddon, this show will be an utter treat. In Nina’s own, “Eat Your Heart Out mixes the leftovers of disaster with the ceremony of the dining room in an edible performance which invites the audience to literally eat the story.”
Preethi Mavahalli: Underground
Ideas Fund Shorts winner Preethi has proposed an innovative evening of new short films. In her role as a talent scout for the commissioning team at Film4, Preethi is best placed to programme a truly exciting selection of shorts from young filmmakers.
Go to the Coming Up hub.