Conflux will be holding festivals in 2010 and 2012. The 2010 festival, SURGE, will be hosted by The Arches and will present performances and masterclasses both inside the venue and at nearby outdoor locations . The 2012 festival will involve collaborations with venues, both indoor and out, across the whole of Scotland.
These festivals will:
- Showcase work created through Conflux projects.
- Provide Scottish artists with a chance to showcase new performances.
- Host shows and masterclasses from internationally acclaimed companies.
- Provide workshops in street arts, physical theatre and circus for all levels of ability.
SURGE AT THE MERCHANT CITY FESTIVAL
All events included in SURGE at the Merchant City Festival are free and unticketed. With the exception of Peepshow all shows are suitable for children.
CONFLUX takes to the streets! As part of The Merchant City Festival, we will be presenting performances that are alien, aquatic, and, er... Roman...
CONFLUX MAXIMUS
Emperor Conflux-Maximus invites all citizens of imperial Glasgow to join him in a spectacular grand parade involving over 60 performers, as it weaves its way down Buchanan Street. The parade will feature the very finest gladiatorial combatants from around the world: Truth, Beauty, Brain, Brawn, Honesty and Deceit. Applaud, heckle and follow us to ‘The Arches Arena’ for a final showdown, and then - oh yes! - SURGE Highlights... (See SURGE at Home for details).
A CONFLUX commission from Mischief La Bas and in collaboration with Promote-YT.
DATE: Fri 23rd July 5pm - 6pm.
LOCATION: Meet at the top of Buchanan Street outside The Royal Concert Hall at 5pm.
THE TIDE MACHINE
Twice a day, the tide ebbs and flows, carrying with it an irrepressible energy... This show celebrates the phenomena of the world's tides through music, costume, kinetic sculpture and live physical performance. CONFLUX is proud to present this vibrant and colourful event that will delight young and old alike.
Supported by a CONFLUX residency, Scottish Arts Council and The Dumfries and Galloway Arts Association. “DGAA initiates and supports arts development at all levels, from grassroots to national and international projects and develops and co-ordinates creative partnerships with other agencies.” www.dgaa.net
DATES: Performances on... Sat 24th & Sun 25th July, 6.30pm – 7.30pm.
The ‘Machine’ can be viewed on... Fri 23rd July, 6pm - 9pm / Sat 24th-Sun 25th July, 12pm – 5pm.
LOCATION: Broomielaw Quay pontoon & Broomielaw walkway off York Street.
USED TO BE SLIME...
An extraordinary series of large-scale street performances brought to you by internationally acclaimed director Hilary Westlake and involving a cast of 16 acrobatic and musical performers from across Scotland.
A procession of out-of-towners snake though the Glasgow streets, a bewildering even sinister presence, as they study everyone and everything around them. Who are they...? Moving in perfect unison but emitting grisly, mystifying noises, these agile and athletic aliens eventually split into groups to find ways of delighting and enticing the locals. These visitors are in George Square all day; you can’t miss them!
Director –Hilary Westlake / Designer – Ewan Hunter / Music – Frank Millward
A CONFLUX commission.
DATES: Sat 24th & Sun 25th July 12 noon – 6pm with Finale at 5.15pm on Sun 25th July
LOCATION: George Square
HEAD TO TOE MAKEOVER: PROUDEXPOSURE
Own art? Nah... Be art! Ever wanted to be transformed into your favourite piece of modern art - Warhol’s Marilyn, a Mondrian masterpiece, or even a Jackson Pollock? With the aid of make-up, hair-dos and costuming the Makeover team can turn any casual passer-by into a stunning icon, and in less than 20 minutes flat!...
A CONFLUX commission.
DATES: Sat 24th & Sun 25th July, 12pm – 2pm & 3.15pm- 5.15pm
LOCATION: George Square
PEEPSHOW: DRAMATEN
Everyone knows what goes on in a peepshow, or do they? Come in, sit down, relax - open your eyes and your ears. Voices are whispering, lights are shimmering and somebody is waiting on the other side of that little peephole – just for you... Dramaten are also performing Freakshow at SURGE Cabaret.
All puppets/characters designed and played by Heiki Ikkola and Sabine Köhler.
DATES: Sat 24th & Sun 25th July, 1pm - 4pm
LOCATION: PLEASE NOTE THAT PEEPSHOW WILL NOW TAKE PLACE IN THE ARCHES AS PART OF THE SURGE CABARET CLUB NIGHT
Free (over 18’s only)
HELL & WEALTH BEING: TROPICAL MEDECINE
DATES: Sat 24th & Sun 25th July, 2.30pm - 4pm
LOCATION: George Square
HELL & WEALTH BEING: THE MATRON
DATES: Sat 24th & Sun 25th July, 2.30pm - 4pm
LOCATION: George Square
HELL & WEALTH BEING: RADIO THERAPY
DATES: Sat 24th & Sun 25th July, 2.30pm - 4pm
LOCATION: George Square
FENG SHUI: SUSPENDED MOTION
''What is a chair if it is never sat upon? Arranging, meeting, parting, stacking, flipping and launching - each other, as well as a set of specially crafted 'acrobatic furniture' - Suspended Motion take the usual and ordinary and do nothing at all usual or ordinary with it! Scotland's leading acrobalance duo will stun and amaze in this new piece of circus-theatre.
Supported by a CONFLUX residency and presented in collaboration with Merchant City Festival.
DATES: Sat 24th July & Sun 25th July, 2.15pm and 4.45pm
LOCATION: Merchant Square
YOUKALI: MORITZ LINKMANN
Youkali is a Chinese pole piece in which nothing is what it appears to be. The audience is taken back in time to the lost utopian world of pre-war Berlin where anything was possible. The piece is an allegory for freedom of (self-) expression, in which the lines of gender are blurred... Spokes, by All or Nothing & Strangebird Zirkus will begin immediately following this performance.
Written, directed and performed by Moritz Linkmann / Co-direction from Lucy Deacon.
Presented by Merchant City Festival.
DATES: Sat 24th July & Sun 25th July 8pm - 8.10pm
VENUE: The Briggait
SPOKES: ALL OR NOTHING & STRANGEBIRD ZIRKUS
A contemporary circus-theatre adventure: with only a Chinese pole and aerial silks, two women embark upon a playful yet poignant journey across the seas. Blown into the air, pathways emerge between rays of fabric and orbiting bodies.... "Charm, energy, originality & style..." The Scotsman.
Performed/ devised by Lucy Deacon and Jennifer Paterson/ Directed by Christine Devaney
Supported by a CONFLUX residency and presented in collaboration with Merchant City Festival..
DATES: Sat 24th July & Sun 25th July 8.15pm – 8.55pm
VENUE: The Briggait
SURGE STARTERS AT THE MERCHANT CITY FESTIVAL
As part of the SURGE at the Merchant City Festival CONFLUX is delighted to be offering a series of free workshops over the weekend of the 24thand 25th July. (Open to any age from 4 upwards).
The workshops are taking place at the bottom of Brunswick Street (just left of the Hotel) throughout the Saturday and the Sunday. The workshops work on a drop in basis so feel free to come along and do as much as you like!
Saturday workshops: STREET DANCE
Working with experienced performers and tutors, participants will be given the chance to learn some new moves and routines quickly under the guidance of some brilliant dancers.
TIMES: 12.30 – 1.30pm; 2- 3pm; 4- 5pm
Sunday workshops: ACROBATICS
If you have ever fancied learning some spectacular acrobatic moves then this is your chance. This is an opportunity to learn from artists who specialise in aero-balance and acrobatics.
TIMES: 2-3pm; 4.30- 5.30
You can now download the complete SURGE programme as a PDF from our homepage.
SURGE
19th-25th July 2010
Welcome to CONFLUX’s first festival, SURGE: it’s in Glasgow, on the stage, on the streets, on the water and even in the air... While our programme of indoor events SURGE at Home is being presented at CONFLUX’s base, The Arches, we have a wealth of outdoor events too. If you like your performances al fresco then don’t miss SURGE at The Merchant City Festival.
Festival enquiries:
email: karenveitch@conflux.co.uk
tel: 0141 559 4928.
SURGE AT HOME
All indoor performances at SURGE at Home will be held at The Arches, 253 Argyle St, Glasgow G2 8LD. Box Office Telephone: 0141 565 1000 www.thearches.co.uk
TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE VIA THE ARCHES BOX OFFICE (please note special arrangements for The Venus Labyrinth detailed below).
THE VENUS LABYRINTH
The restaging of this hugely acclaimed Danish performance event features a collaboration between the company’s core team and 11 Scottish performers. The Venus Labyrinth is a remarkable interactive journey in which each audience member spends an hour venturing alone through the maze of The Arches. Corresponding to the 28 known areas of the brain the labyrinth contains 28 installation rooms, each inhabited by a solo female performer.
Concept & Director: Nullo Facchini / Scenographer: Catia Hauberg Engel / Producer: Susanne Danig
The restaging of this show is a CONFLUX residency. It is sponsored by the Danish Arts Council Committee for the Performing Arts and supported by the community of Vordingborg.
DATES: Tues 20th July – Sun 25th July
Tues, Thurs 6pm–midnight/ Wed 5.30pm-10pm/ Sat & Sun 12noon-6pm
TICKETS: £11/£9 (over 18s only). Please inform us when booking if you have any accessibility/mobility issues.
With single audience members entering the labyrinth at five minute intervals this show has a limited capacity: Book early to avoid disappointment!
Please note - To see The Venus Labyrinth you must enter from our Midland Street entrance. From 5pm onwards (or 11am on Sat/Sun) on performance days we will be operating the box office for The Venus Labyrinth from our Midland Street entrance. All pre-paid and unallocated tickets will be sent to our Midland Street at 5pm on the evening of the show (or 11am on Sat and Sun).
Prior to 5pm (or 11am on Sat and Sun), normal box office services will be in operation at our Argyle Street entrance.
SURGE HIGHLIGHTS
...For the conclusion of Conflux Maximus (See: SURGE at The Merchant City Festival) there will be a dazzling medley of FREE short performances from the artists performing at SURGE. Highlights will include Eric Davis, members of Mischief la Bas, Oceanallover, Proudexposure, Dramaten, dotComedy, and the cast of Used to be Slime. Want a taste of the weekend of treats to come? This is it!
DATES: Fri 23rd July, 6pm - 7pm
TICKETS: Free and unticketed. This event is suitable for children.
RED BASTARD
Please welcome Eric Davis, America’s première bouffon. His mission: to charm, disarm, shock and seduce. His target: you! With exquisite monstrosity, he employs charm and wit to playfully manipulate the audience and uncover ridiculous and disturbing truths. Audiences should be prepared for anything in this interactive show: if ‘clown’ is complete vulnerability, Red Bastard is its antithesis.... - “Very very funny...” The New York Times.
Written by Eric Davis with Sue Morrison and presented by David Berga Management.
DATES: Sat 24th July & Sun 25th July 9.15pm-10.15pm
TICKETS: £9/£7 (over 18s only)
SURGE CABARET CLUB
Hosted by Richard Stamp and Kate Wright, and featuring excerpts from Freakshow by German company, Dramaten, our cabarets will be packed with lewdness, laughter, music and a wealth of quick-fire acts from special guests - just the thing to cap a day out at SURGE! Cabaret performances will be held 11pm – 12.30am on Friday 23rd and 12am-1.30am on Saturday 24th July and Sunday 25th July.
F.T.V (Festival Television): F.T.V's cameraman and roving reporters Nina Fontano and Alan Bazzard will be scouring the festival searching for breaking news and exclusive interviews. Their daily findings will be screened at SURGE Cabaret. There will also be live interviews with festival figures; producers, performers - or even a festival director... don't miss it!
Presented by Richard Stamp (dotComedy), Kate Wright and film maker Paul Bell.
Freakshow: Dramaten: For lovers of masks and puppets and Richard the Third… Celebrating the unusual physicality and ability of those who performed at fairgrounds and marketplaces across Europe in the not too distant past, Freakshow is a hilariously dark homage and a playful examination of being different…
All puppets/characters designed and played by Heiki Ikkola and Sabine Köhler.
DATES: Fri 23rd July, Sat 24th July & Sun 25th July
Fri 10pm til late / Sat & Sun 11pm til late
TICKETS: £5 (over 18s only)
COUNTRY INCARNATE: ANNA HENSON
For the duration of SURGE, The Arches foyer.
An attempt to locate oneself leads to inevitable difficulties. A stream of bodies and buildings begin to blur together. Oh no, I've misplaced the map again... A multi-screen video installation tracking the body through its shifting surroundings. Anna Henson is also the assistant designer for The Venus Labyrinth.
Presented by The Arches.
surge masterclasses
Central to CONFLUX is its year-round programme of masterclasses for emergent and fully professional artists. During SURGE, we will be presenting classes across a huge range of physical performance disciplines, from artists including: Ramesh Meyyappan (Singapore), Eric Davis (Red Bastard, New York), Ewan Downie (Song of the Goat Theatre, Poland), Lucy McGreal (Stella Polaris, Norway) and Elinor Randle (Tmesis Theatre).
There will also be a special presentation and discussion hosted by Daniel Williams - composer and sound designer for Derevo - on Saturday 24th July. This will be open to those interested in the use of sound, music and new technology in the creation of contemporary performance.
DATES: Mon 19th – Sat 24th July, 10am-5pm
For complete details of our masterclass programme at SURGE please refer to the Masterclasses section of the website.
THE CHAIN: RICHARD STAMP - DOTCOMEDY:
Led by Richard Stamp of dotComedy, and developed over the week of SURGE, this professional development residency will provide a group of local artists with the opportunity to explore the creation of a piece of work using six different art forms... Like falling dominoes, a chain of events unfolds – doomed to repeat ad infinitum with both dramatic and humorous results...
DATES: Mon 19th – Fri 23th July, 10am-5pm
SURGE FORUM
During the festival, CONFLUX will be hosting a series of symposium events for a group of specially invited Scottish and international guests including delegates from as far afield as Colombia and Zambia. The purpose of these events will be to explore different approaches to the provision of physical performance training from around the world.
surge starters
A vital part of CONFLUX’s activity is its work with young people. At SURGE, we will be offering a week - long programme of circus workshops at the newly reopened Briggait complex. We will be collaborating with YDance, Theatre Modo and Aerial Edge in the delivery of this programme, a highlight of which will be the SURGE Family Circus Day on Saturday 24th July - an opportunity for families to enjoy their first experiences of circus together. CONFLUX is also excited to be holding acrobatics and street theatre workshops at outdoor locations at The Merchant City Festival.
For complete details of our workshop programme at SURGE please refer to the Creative Learning section of our website.
DATES: Workshops are free and open to 14 years and over: Monday 19th July -Thurs 22nd July, 10am - 5pm. For more information on booking your place on these workshops, contact barryhendersonconflux@hotmail.co.uk or call 0141 559 4928.
Family Circus Day is free and open to all ages, just drop in: Sat 24th July, 10am - 5pm
VENUE: The Briggait
