Spring 2014 News
Posted by Kate Morrison in 
2014 kicks off with funding success for Slapstick & Slaughter and an Articulture commission opportunity for the Wye Valley River Festival!
The weather may be stuck in winter but we’re frisky as Spring onions and ready for anything, so let us know if you have a project we can help with: office@desperatemen.com or 0117 939 3902.
SLAPSTICK AND SLAUGHTER
A First World War concert party at Central Stores, Tank Corps (Imperial War Museum copyright).
We are delighted to have gained Arts Council funding for our new small-scale show SLAPSTICK & SLAUGHTER, which will explore the impact of World War One on culture and the arts. Currently in development, the show will examine how the war’s barbaric chaos manifested itself in the sometimes surreal, sometimes nihilistic art that grew from it.
The show is designed to work indoors and outdoors and we are taking bookings from April 2014 onwards – get in touch now to find out more or go to the website for more information. We will be developing further partnerships for it through the Imperial War Museum’s World War One centenary memorial programme.
- Performers – Richard Headon, Jon Beedell
- Director – Angus Barr
- Choreographer – Helen Parlor
- Music – Shirley Pegna
WYE VALLEY RIVER FESTIVAL – ARTICULTURE COMMISSION
Articulture is seeking proposals for a small-scale outdoor arts commission to be part of the Wye Valley River Festival, for which we are artistic directors. The application deadline is February 21st and you can find out more on this link.
The Wye Valley River Festival is a new initiative by the Wye Valley AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) which takes place in May 2014, with a series of events running along the river from Hereford to Chepstow. Our draft programme follows a narrative of ‘the river on trial’, as Ratty the water-vole and other Wye Valley animals are arrested and accused, with a Grand Assizes in Monmouth’s 16th century courthouse leading to a spectacular showdown at Chepstow Bridge. The festival is funded by Arts Council Wales and the National Parks and AONB Sustainable Development Fund and partners include National Theatre Wales, Articulture and Adventa.
PERFORMANCE MASTERCLASS
There’s still a handful of spaces left on a performance masterclass with Jon Beedell and Gerry Flanagan (Shifting Sands Theatre) in the Desperate Men Studio, March 14-16. Discover how to turn stories into theatre, bringing words alive using movement, action and simple props. Book now – places are limited.
GREAT EASTON PANCAKE RACE
WIth the theme of ‘Pantomime Dames’ this is sure to be a vintage year, get your apron on and your frying pan out and prepare to flip like you’ve never flipped before. Henrietta Street, Easton, March 4, 7pm start for races and audience. Prizes include Best Dressed and Best Freestyle Toss. Get involved!
AN EVENING WITH PARLOR DANCE
Richard performed in ‘An Evening with Parlor Dance’ at the Bridport Arts Centre in January as part of the R&D for a new piece called ‘Home from Home’ that looks at the nature of care in its various connotations. Helen Parlor will be choreographing Slapstick and Slaughter and was Assistant Choreographer for the London 2012 opening of the Paralympic Games.
FACTOR E
Here’s a lovely video of PIA Artistic Intervention Projects show ‘Factor E’ which Jon directed for Ciencia na Rua (Science in the Streets) festival in Estremoz, Portugal. ‘Factor E’ explored harnessing human energy for love, electricity and power showers.
STUDIO
A Ship Of Fools theatre company, Ramshacklicious, PIckled Image and Hobbit have all been in the studio.
Yoga classes are ongoing on Tuesdays.
Slots are still available for rehearsal so get in touch if you’re looking for space.
Wye Valley River Festival 2014
The arts have been spectacularly effective in communicating the key messages of the AONB.
Wye Valley River Festival evaluation report
It has demonstrated to us how the arts can be used to help deliver our messages to a wider audience.
Andrew Nixon
AONB Development Officer
We came for an hour and stayed all day
Audience member at Ross on Wye event
The first ever Wye Valley River Festival encompassed two weeks of spectacular events from May 3 – 18th celebrating nature, culture, landscape and life along the River Wye in the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
With a total audience of 18,500 and a boost of at least £400,000 to the local economy, the festival was an unqualified success, spearheaded by the Wye Valley AONB Partnership with support from Arts Council England, Arts Council Wales and the AONB Sustainable Development Fund.
As artistic directors, we co-ordinated the overarching outdoor arts programme, with considerable input from local partners. We also looked at themes of invasive and indigenous wildlife species by creating the story of ‘Ratty on the Run’. Audiences from Hereford to Chepstow followed the story of a Water Vole and his exploits along the river as he tried to evade capture and execution. The tale was told on a grand scale, with events unfolding over 3 weekends and at multiple sites along 50 miles of river.
The evaluation report for the first Wye Valley River Festival concluded that ‘The arts have been spectacularly effective in communicating the key messages of the AONB’, with audience surveys revealing that 65% of respondents had learned something more about the area because of the events and 99% said they would attend another, similar event.
With night time torch processions, a wire walk over the river, a show trial in Monmouth’s Shire Hall and a grand finale with massed choir, flame and illuminations on Chepstow Bridge, Ratty’s journey lit up the Wye Valley and gave scope for important discussions about the future of the countryside. The programme also included the Articulture Exploring Partnerships to Create Outdoor Arts meeting.
We aim to build on the success of 2014 with a second Festival in 2016, this time with a global theme. Our starting point is a bottle of water collected from the source of the Ganges.
We want to thank everyone who contributed and the whole festival team and will be posting up a full report in due course. In the meantime here are just a small selection of images from the WVRF programme and comments from those who enjoyed the events:
Photos by Jim Ozanne
Thank you for what was the best piece of environmental interpretation I have ever seen.
Andrew Nixon
Development Officer
Wye Valley AONB
Just to say that the work you did surpassed anything we even dreamed of right at the beginning … It got a message out to thousands that we would never have been able to do and bonkers it may have been but brilliant bonkers nevertheless.
Cheers.
Nikki Moore
Information Officer
Wye Valley AONB
Hello Richard and Jon,
Just writing to say a huge thank you for everything you contributed to the Articulture day in Monmouth ,you have been the most fantastic partners. Thank you for making space for yourselves and your team to be able to participate on your busy day. Your entrance was great and you really set the scene for us on the day … The courtroom scenes were excellent.. a great combination of the engaging animal characters and story and the ‘expert’ witnesses who all spoke so sincerely … it was quite emotional as a watcher.All in all we love you guys … good job – well done.
Big thanks!
Julie Ann Heskin
Founder / Director
Articulture
Puts the river back into the heart of the community, unique focal point, great space for lots of activities on and off the water.
Ross
audience member
It has been enormously encouraging to tap into a rich seam of enthusiasm and excitement about the river, its history and its amazing potential as a socially cohesive influence.
Rob Strawson
The Music Pool
One moment in particular that stood out was hearing several families discussing the challenging topics of the changing environments and invasive species as they were walking along the riverside. To have engaged locals of all ages in discussing these topics as well as entertaining them is an absolute credit to the work of Desperate Men.
Chloe Loftus
Ensemble performer
Principally, it has raised our profile with a much broader sector of the local population and made us more relevant to communities within and adjoining the AONB. It has also raised our profile with existing partner organisations, especially those with within the nature conservation sector (it has also given them ideas on how to communicate their work).
Andrew Nixon
AONB Development Officer
I think that it has had a positive effect in binding together a society that was fragmenting. It has also helped to bring together different generations within the community through the sharing of a common experience.
Peter Redding
Hereford River Carnival
If I go back to 2009 and the Severn (Project) where I first saw the Desperate Men and wanted to do something similar on the Wye, I think we/you surpassed that.
Sarah Sawyer
Wye Valley AONB
I haven’t done anything like this since school. It’s fantastic to immerse myself in something creative when I sit at a desk most of the time
Vey Straker
aged 35-49 (face-mask workshop participant)
The Festival has had a very positive impact on the local economy. Not just with the spend of audiences at event, but the majority of the expenditure was on local or regional contractors, artists and suppliers. The potential of economic impact to increase at future festivals is very good.
Quote from evaluation report
A boost to the local economy. Ross had a great day and the tills were ringing.
Caroline Utting
Ross Council
Llandogo footage:
Slapstick & Slaughter
– “Anarchic but consummately crafted sketches” – The Stage
– “A perfectly formed and darkly comic epic” – Bristol 24/7
We’ve had a fantastic response to our WW1-inspired show Slapstick & Slaughter!
Check out the full length film here!
