theMIX Spring 06

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Eclectic and challenging; 2006 sees the second season of theMIX - a groundbreaking programme of new work in the Lyric Studio by some of the sharpest artists and companies making theatre today.

The work featured in theMIX is all at different stages of development. Some are free 'rough' shows for one performance only - giving audiences a 'sneak preview' at an early stage in its development, plus a chance to give their feedback on what they have seen. Other shows are finished pieces ready for an audience.

In spring 06 there are finished pieces from Kushite Theatre Company, Dende Collective and 30 Bird Productions, plus free 'rough' performances for one night only from Asian Theatre School, 30 Bird Productions and The Seefr Project & Shivam Theatre.

22 February - 11 March
Kushite Theatre Company
Sweet Yam Kisses
By Pat Cumper and Courttia Newland, concept by Karena Johnson
The battle of the sexes as told through the eyes of three generations of lovers in Black Britain - Sweet Yam Kisses follows three couples as their relationships evolve from getting together to staying together.

With bling bling culture dominating our media, and the collapse of long-lasting and loving relationships, is modern love in a state of emotional emergency? Kushite explores this question, and asks: What is love and how can we make it last?
For Sweet Yam Kisses director Karena Johnson has invited writers Pat Cumper and Courttia Newland to collaborate to create a positive portrayal of black love and relationships for the stage, to counter the negative images more commonly portrayed through the media. The scriptwriting process has been unique, involving the cast, documentary video and the team of Pat, Courttia and Karena. Woven into the script are video interviews of real people talking about their experiences of love.

Courttia Newland's writing credits include a contemporary version of The Women of Troy and the play Tell Tales, but he is better known as a novelist. His debut novel The Scholar was set in Hammersmith, where he grew up. This and subsequent novels, plays and short stories prompted the Evening Standard to call him 'Britain's brightest black writer'.

Pat Cumper has written for theatre, radio and television for over fifteen years. Her most recent writing includes Elysian Fields for the Royal Court and Doctors for BBC1.

As well as being Acting Artistic Director of Contact Theatre, Manchester, Karena has worked at Oval House Theatre as Head of Programming and directed many plays for the Young Vic, Tricycle Theatre and Theatre Royal Stratford East.
The cast includes Blanche Williams more recently known as one of the 'Lilt ladies' from the soft drink advertising campaign.

Suitable for ages 12+

Performance schedule:
Wed 22 February 8pm
Thu 23 February 8pm
Fri 24 February 8pm
Sat 25 February 8pm
Mon 27 February 8pm
Tue 28 February 8pm
Wed 1 March 3pm
Thu 2 March 8pm
Fri 3 March 8pm
Sat 4 March 8pm
Mon 6 March 8pm
Tue 7 March 8pm
Wed 8 March 8pm (post-show artist talk)
Thu 9 March 8pm
Fri 10 March 8pm
Sat 11 March 8pm

15 March - 1 April
Dende Collective
Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands
By Mark O'Thomas, based on Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos by Jorge Amado
Cookery teacher Dona Flor's philandering yet passionate husband drops dead partying at a carnival. A second marriage with a respectable pharmacist gives her stability but not the sensual love she craves. In answer to Dona Flor's longing, her first husband mysteriously reappears with the help of the Brazilian gods, the Orishas, creating a very unusual ménage à trois.

Written in 1966, Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos by Jorge Amado is one of the most important novels in Brazilian culture. Dende Collective use physical performance, shadow puppetry, samba, capoeira and live music to create the world of Amado's celebrated work of magic realism.

Dende Collective, created in 1999, are a London-based company producing shows with a strong Brazilian flavour. Previous work has included Brazilian classics such as Two Lost Souls on a Dirty Night and Viva Maria! Plus a devised project based on stories by Brazilian magic realist Murilo Rubião, The Piranha Lounge, which played at Lyric Hammersmith in 2004 was Time Out Critic's Choice.

Suitable for ages 16+. Contains nudity, strong language and scenes of a sexual nature.

Performance schedule:
Wed 15 March 8pm
Thu 16 March 8pm
Sat 18 March 8pm
Mon 20 March 8pm
Tue 21 March 8pm (post-show artist talk)
Wed 22 March 8pm
Thu 23 March 8pm
Fri 24 March 8pm
Sat 25 March 8pm
Mon 27 March 8pm
Tue 28 March 8pm
Wed 29 March 8pm
Thu 30 March 8pm
Fri 31 March 8pm
Sat 1 April 8pm

18 - 22 April
30 Bird Productions
Majnoun
By Mehrdad Seyf
No sex, no booze, no techno? Majnoun blasts the popular Western image of Iran through the roof in a surreal and comic collision of classic movie images, popular music and text - exposing the peculiar marriage of modernism and tradition in modern day Iran.

Majnoun presents a new perspective of Iran in a surreal and comic exposé of the role of women and the modernisation that swept this beguiling country during the 20th century. The show unfolds through a montage of visual installations and images with a soundscape of traditional Iranian and underground pop music.

Majnoun premiered in March 2004 to critical acclaim. In June 2005 the show was selected by Arts Council England to appear at the Decibel Showcase in Manchester. theMIX is now bringing 30 Bird's Majnoun to the Lyric before the company begin their first tour of regional venues across the UK.

30 Bird is the UK's only Arts Council funded Anglo-Iranian theatre company. The company produce new writing and classics with a visual approach.

Suitable for ages 12+

Performance schedule:
Tue 18 April 8pm
Wed 19 April 8pm
Thu 20 April 8pm
Fri 21 April 8pm
Sat 22 April 8pm

20 January, 8pm
Asian Theatre School
Landscapes After Exile
by Seamus Finnegan
A FREE 'rough' show for one performance only

Asian Theatre School return to the Lyric following their critically acclaimed Silent Cry, part of theMIX season last year. Widely regarded as one of the most exciting young British Asian Theatre companies, they now team up with renowned playwright Seamus Finnegan to develop his new script exploring the "war on terror". The director, Madani Younis, is Artistic Director of Asian Theatre School.

 

25 January, 8pm
30 Bird Productions
The Persian Revolution
by Mehrdad Seyf
A FREE 'rough' show for one performance only

Mehrdad Seyf, director and writer for Anglo-Iranian company 30 Bird Productions, has taken Edward G Browne's contemporary chronicle The Persian Revolution as inspiration for a try-out of early ideas for this new show; using the company's distinctive visual approach to depict the monumental events of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution in 1906.

28 January, 8pm
The Seefr Project & Shivam Theatre
Lottery! Lottery!
by Kiran Purohit
A FREE 'rough' show for one performance only

If God promised you could win the Lottery Jackpot, but you would have to give something up in return, what would you sacrifice to become a millionaire overnight? Lottery, Lottery is a farcical social comedy from Shivam Theatre's Writer and Director Kiran Purohit.

Lottery, Lottery is performed in Gujarati and English; rarely seen on mainstream stages, this fusion of language and culture creates a unique theatrical experience.

This 'rough' performance will follow a week of research and development at the Lyric, during which the company will be working with Chris O'Connell, Artistic Director of Theatre Absolute; Natasha Chivers, who has previously worked with Frantic Assembly and Paines Plough; and Jatinder Verma, Artistic Director of Tara Arts. This will build upon the company's Gujarati work and Indian traditions, to create a new Asian theatre for all communities.

Tickets:
Adults £12
Concessions and under 16s £7 (senior citizens, unwaged, registered disabled)
16-25s and Students £6* (up to two tickets per booking, does not apply to school/college groups)

'Rough' performances are free

January 23, 2006