Edinburgh Festival Fringe – BE FESTIVAL

Various locations at Edinburgh Fringe 2013

Following their 4th year, highlights from Birmingham’s innovative festival of European theatre have their sights set on Edinburgh Festival Fringe Out of Balanz | ATRESBANDES | Vladimir Tzekov | Babakas

Following BE FESTIVAL (Birmingham, 2 – 6 July 2013) and prior to autumn’s Best of BE FESTIVAL tour, starting at the Barbican (9-12 Oct 2013), some of the hot new European companies that make up BE FESTIVAL’s stable will be heading to Edinburgh Fringe.

At a time when financial instability dominates public discourse on Europe, BE FESTIVAL aims to build meaningful connections between artists and audiences from a diverse range of backgrounds, bringing people together in unique and imaginative ways. Acknowledging the racial and cultural tensions that are so often associated with periods of economic crisis, the festival hopes to recognize the shared values and experiences that unite people from across Europe, while providing space to debate the existing problems and the potential future of the continent. Prior to this autumn’s Best of BE FESTIVAL tour (beginning at the Barbican in October), BE FESTIVAL favourites are headed to fly the banner for diversity at the world’s largest arts festival.

BE FESTIVAL co-director Mike Tweddle said of the shows representing the festival in Edinburgh:“Solfatara, Fantasy Nº10 and Next Door – which all received their UK premiere at BE FESTIVAL – perfectly represent the spirit of BE, and the diverse range of work we programme. They are audacious, unforgettable shows that transcend linguistic and cultural barriers to speak bold truths about the too-often-divided world in which we live. What’s more they are accessible and downright hilarious, and in addition to awards and plaudits won at BE they have toured widely across Europe to further acclaim.”

ATRESBANDES | Solfatara  Summerhall: 2 – 7, 9 – 14, 16 – 21, 23 – 25 Aug, 8pm –9pm Winner of Joint 1st Prize and Audience Prize at BE 2012

Spanish devising company ATRESBANDES are headed to Summerhall with Solfatara following two years running at BE FESTIVAL. What happens when your fear comes round for dinner and your deepest, darkest thoughts refuse to lie low? “Solfatara” is a term for the openings in volcanic terrain, which emit hot sulphuric gases. We humans are full of these geographical phenomena: gaps that allow our insides to come to the surface. A relentlessly inventive and hilarious play that brought the house down at BE FESTIVAL 2012. Devising company ATRESBANDES was founded five years ago by Albert Pérez Hidalgo, Miquel Segovia and Mónica Almirall in Barcelona. They work to discover and explore the contradictions of everyday life and share them with audiences in surprising ways. Following success at BE FESTIVAL 2012, Solfatara subsequently toured with Best of BE in its original half hour form, and has been since developed into a full length performance.

Supported by IYMT, MAC Birmingham and Birmingham REP 1st Prize and Audience Prize – BE 2012 www.facebook.com/atresbandesteatre | www.atresbandes.com | @ATRESBANDES | Ages 16 +

Out of Balanz | Next Door, Underbelly: 1 – 12, 14 – 25 Aug, 6.45pm – 7.45pm. Winner of BE 2010’s Best Performer Prize for Posthumous Works.

Fresh from BE FESTIVAL 2013, Danish company Out of Balanz perform at the Underbelly with Next Door: a blend of personal memories, shared stories and melodies to remember. When Ivan Hansen’s neighbour passes away, Ivan realizes he doesn’t know anything about him. As he puzzles over this, Ivan begins to wonder what it is that connects us. Out of Balanz is an award-winning, international theatre ensemble based in Copenhagen, recognized for their highly collaborative creative process. The company is led by Katrina Bugaj and Troels Hagen Findsen. Their three primary components are the creation of new multidisciplinary performance, the training of artists and youth, and a commitment to international collaboration and exchange. Vital to this process are the collisions that arise from different cultures, languages and experiences, as well as the interaction with the communities in which the work takes place.

www.outofbalanz.org | @outofbalanz | www.facebook.com/pages/Out-of-Balanz | Suitable for ages 12 +

Vladimir Tzekov | Fantasy No. 10 – The Beauty of Life, Summerhall:  2 – 25 Aug, 4.45pm – 5.35pm, BE 2012 Winner of Best Mise en Scène

Granada-based theatre collective Vladimir Tzekov’s Fantasy No. 10 – The Beauty of Life is a performance about the middle-truths and middle-lies that engulf our whole life. No meaning can maintain its state of fullness when rhythm becomes as important as logic itself to understand normality. No truth can maintain its state of fullness once we realise that rhythm is fundamental to everything we accept as normal.  Middle-characters, middle-interpretations, middle-choreographies, all to explore the intermediate space lying between individuals and their lack of identity. Gorgeous and dramatic, delicate and aggressive, absurd but meaningful, all at the same time. Vladimir Tzekov was founded in 2008, and in 2009 they opened their research centre in Granada. They have produced performances in collaboration with the University of Granada; the University of S. Clement of Ohrid, in Sofia (Bulgaria) and The International Andalusian University (UNIA).

www.vladimirtzekov.com | facebook.com/vladimirtzekov.teatro | @VladimirTzekov | Ages 18+

Babakas | Our Fathers,Summerhall:  2 – 6, 8 – 12, 14 – 19, 21 – 25 Aug, 12.30pm – 1.35pm.Directed by Juan Ayala of DeCollage (BE 2013) | Co-written by BE FESTIVAL co-director Mike Tweddle

Babakas is an international company based in Birmingham, whose founding members have all played a role in developing BE FESTIVAL. Mike’s dead Dad’s friend’s daughter has asked him to father her child. His boyfriend Bert isn’t convinced. Their housemate Sofia has her own fish to fry: she needs to find a man before it’s too late, but her Dad keeps getting in the middle. Our Fathers is a moving and playful portrait of fatherhood. Babakas mix comedy, contemporary dance and cinema to tell a story that crosses borders and decades. Spanish director Juan Ayala collaborated with BE FESTIVAL from 2010-11 as director of youth project BE Next, and from 2011-12 as director of the BE Mix residency week. In 2013 he returns to BE with Madrid-based company DeCollage as writer/performer of Popol se ha ido.

www.babakas.org | @Bab_kas | www.facebook.com/babakastheatre | Suitable for ages 12+

Commissioned by China Plate, Warwick Arts Centre and MAC Birmingham. Supported by Arts Council England and The Wellcome Trust. Winner of the 2012 Bite Size Commission.

Listings Information

ATRESBANDES | Solfatara      Summerhall, 1 Summerhall, Edinburgh EH9 1PL  2 – 7, 9 – 14, 16 – 21, 23 – 25 Aug, 8pm – 9pm Tickets £8 0845 874 3001 | www.summerhall.co.uk

Out of Balanz | Next Door Underbelly, Cowgate, 56 Cowgate, Edinburgh EH1 1EG 1 – 12, 14 – 25 Aug, 6.45pm – 7.45pm Tickets £10.50, £9.50 (concs), £6 (previews) 0844 545 8252 | www.underbelly.co.uk

Vladimir Tzekov | Fantasy No. 10 – The Beauty of Life Summerhall, 1 Summerhall, Edinburgh EH9 1PL 2 – 25 Aug, 4.45pm – 5.35pm Tickets £10 0845 874 3001 | www.summerhall.co.uk

Babakas | Our Fathers Summerhall, 1 Summerhall, Edinburgh EH9 1PL 2 – 6, 8 – 12, 14 – 19, 21 – 25 Aug, 12.30pm – 1.40pm Tickets £12, £10 (concs.) 0845 874 3001 | www.summerhall.co.uk