Theatre / SKINT Theatre Festival
Preview: SKINT Theatre Festival
This weekend The Island hosts this three-day micro-theatre festival. Taking inspiration from its Spanish progenitor Microteatro, the festival will feature 11 of the UK’s top emerging performers, bringing a selection of bite-sized (15-minute, £4) ‘Stranger Tales’: eccentric stories of the odd, uncanny and surreal.
Performers include Babble Theatre, I Am Nincompoop, Lucy Grace, Setesdal Collective, Doug Francisco, Sharp Teeth Theatre, Unforced Errors, Ben Crowden, Peter Baker and Will Seaward. In four former police cells, with 11 artists each performing six times a night over three days, the festival will stage 190+ micro-performances, with a new show starting every five minutes.
Alongside this menu of strange and astonishing shows, you’ll find a bustling jailhouse bar, serving cocktails and locally brewed ales. The Island’s open-air courtyard, meanwhile, will feature games and music throughout the night.
is needed now More than ever
“Originating in Madrid as a direct reaction to aggressive funding cuts, the artist collective Microteatro built a functioning venue within a disused brothel,” explains SKINT’s co-founder Liam Harrison. “Mounting short, sharp, affordable performances in the intimate rooms for just €4/show. The platform has become a lifeline for artists as well as an exciting and accessible nightlife event for an increasingly diverse audience.”
An alumnus of the Royal Court Theatre’s Playwriting Programme, Harrison has worked with Soho Theatre, Theatre503, New Diorama Theatre and Shakespeare Schools Festival, the largest youth drama festival in the UK. He co-founded SKINT Theatre with Alex Murphy, a UWE Theatre graduate who has produced performances at some of the UK’s top arts venues including Soho Theatre, Battersea Arts Centre, Pleasance, Summerhall and Oxford Playhouse.
Here’s the 2017 festival trailer:
SKINT THEATRE FESTIVAL 2017 The Island, April 28-30, 3.30pm-1am, all tickets available on door. Festival entry free. Tickets: £4/Show. For more info, visit www.skinttheatre.com and www.facebook.com/events/279500162480877
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