The Kurdish Garden @ the Lyric

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For ages 4+

Join Italy's leading children's theatre company on their magical carpet for a mesmerising journey far away to the lush and vivid world of The Kurdish Garden. Running for two weeks, the Lyric Hammersmith has programmed a week of schools performances followed by a week of family performances during Autumn Half Term.

The audience is led into a digitally created world of astonishing sounds and images. The story unfolds as dance, sumptuous paintings and the latest computer technology take children on a unique exploration of another culture. This amazing new technology, created by TPO, allows children to explore and discover for themselves. As they move around the sensitive carpet their touch alters the pictures and sounds that surround them.

The Kurdish Garden brings together the talents of one of Europe’s most innovative award-winning companies Teatro di Piazza o d’Occasione (TPO) from Italy and Rebwar Saeed, a visual artist from Kurdistan. Working in partnership with these two artists Lyric Hammersmith have developed a multimedia show for children and their families that combines music, dance and visual arts.

The Kurdish Garden uses revolutionary new technology pioneered by TPO and called the Children’s Cheering Carpet (CCC). The CCC is an interactive carpet made up of highly sophisticated sensors connected to computers that trigger images and sounds as you walk across it. As each person moves around the carpet, their movement, rhythm and speed activate the images and sounds. For example, a child might find themselves chasing uncatchable stars across a dark blue sky that appears to float beneath them. The computer programming is so complex that everyone’s experience is completely unique. Being on the CCC is like being inside a virtual world and children are very quick to understand the rules.

The Lyric encouraged TPO to introduce a new element to their work by working with a painter, rather than rely purely on computer generated imagery. They chose Rebwar because of his vibrant colours, the richness of his painting style and his experience of working with children.

TPO and Rebwar Saeed met through their work during THE CATCH - the Lyric’s international celebration of theatre, music, dance and multimedia performance for adults and children. TPO presented two shows at THE CATCH - The Ugly Duckling in 2002 and The Japanese Garden in 2004. As well as Rebwar Saeed’s work on THE CATCH he also worked with the Lyric on their Refugee and Exiled Artists training programme and ran a number of education projects for their Education Department.

The Lyric Hammersmith are also touring The Kurdish Garden to Croydon, Brighton, Liverpool, Salford, Woking, Derby and Bath.

Performance Schedule:
Wed 19 Oct 1.30pm & 7pm
Thurs 20 Oct 10am & 1.30pm
Fri 21 Oct 10am & 11.30am
Sat 22 Oct 11am, 1.30pm & 3.30pm
Mon 24 Oct 10am, 12 noon & 2pm
Tues 25 Oct 10am, 12 noon & 2pm
Wed 26 Oct 10am, 12 noon & 2pm
Thurs 27 Oct 10am, 12 noon & 2pm
Fri 28 Oct 10am, 12 noon & 2pm
Sat 29 Oct 11am, 1.30pm & 3.30pm

Ticket Prices:
adults £8, children and concessions £6, family ticket £24 for 4 seats (min 1 adult)

October 16, 2005