What's On 16th - 22nd September

Whilst the theatres took the summer off to refresh and refurb, I also had a break and took the chance to bask in the slightly surprising Exeter sunshine.

So with a extended-summer break, lets get back to the culture vulture-ing

Flood - The Bike Shed Theatre

Exploring the great floods of 1960 and 2012 through anecdotes, skits, animation and lessons. As the confluence of three rivers Exeter is ideally suited for flooding. This play looks at both the geographic reasons for flooding and its impact on the population. 

Thursday - Saturday, 7.30pm, with a matinee on Saturday 2pm

Tickets £8-12

(I've seen this and hope to have a review up tomorrow)

This Citys Centre, Part 3, Here, Now - St. Stephens House

An ongoing new arts project exploring our city from a different perspective. Part 1 is a video installation shown at RAMM, part 2 is a explorable map. This part 3 is a live participatory video piece, bring along something from your windowsill. 

Tuesday - Saturday, 7pm

Tickets £8-10

Unexpected Exeter Festival - all over the city

Exeters new arts festival (how many do we have now?) placing art and performance in unexpected places. 

There is a mixture of circus acts, visual art, performances and sporting events happening in odd places like the Pyramids swimming pool, bus shelters, and the Guildhall. 

Friday - Sunday

Complete programme of events

What's On 22nd - 28th July

New Blood, Bare Bones - The Bike Shed Theatre
Following on from the themes stirred up by the performance of Oxygen earlier this month these three short plays will cast modern eyes on democracy, voting, equality and suffrage.
Tuesday - Saturday  7.30pm
Tickets £5
(I'm looking forward to seeing this)


Back to Broadway - The Barnfield Theatre
A celebration of classic musicals from Broadway and the West End.
Saturday  7.30pm
Tickets £14-15
(I was going to see this, up until I read the price of a ticket!)

What's On 15th - 21st July

dream//life at the Bike Shed Theatre
A beautiful little play exploring dreams and contrasting life before and after MND - I've already given it five stars
Tuesday - Saturday, 7.30pm
Tickets £7-10

The Importance of Being Earnest, Poltimore House
A musical of Oscar Wilde's play of mistaken identities, criss-crossed romances and foolish men, performed by students from Cygnet New Theatre
Thursday and Saturday, 7pm
Tickets £5-10

Dancing at Lughnasa, Poltimore House
Brian Friels play of poverty, music and family in 1930s Ireland, performed by students from Cygnet New Theatre
Wednesday and Friday, 7pm
Tickets £5-10

dream//life

'dream//life' by tidy carnage, The Bike Shed Theatre

A lover's embrace turns into the muscular spasms, a playful performance of 'Feeling Good' turns chilling and a strong couple dream of the life they had before motor neurone disease took its toll.

tidy carnage are a new collective of theatre makers who specialise in physical performances with lots of dance and movement - so of course I was very interested to see how they would portray a story about MND which, at its simplest, is characterised by the loss of movement. The result is a tear-wrenching juxtaposition of two lives before and after MND strikes using music, singing, dance and mime.

I know it's lovely and hot outside at the moment, but come 7.30 it's definitely worth heading down in to the Bike Shed theatre to catch this bijoux performance. It's only on one more week.

*****
dream//life is on Tuesday - Saturday, 7.30pm. There is also screening of 'I Am Breathing', a film about MND on Wednesday at 6pm right before the play.
Tickets £7-10

What's On 8th - 14th July 2013

Sorry for the delay in getting this week's listings up

Some Like It Hotter - Exeter Phoenix
A musical comedy where Jack Lemmon, Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis reunite in the afterlife.
Thursday - Saturday, 7.30pm with an extra matinee on Saturday at 2.30pm.
Tickets £10.50 - 20.50

dream//life - The Bike Shed Theatre
This amazing short play about a couple affected by motor neurone disease continues for this week and next. There are also screenings of the film 'I Am Breathing' on Wednesdays at 6pm.
Tuesday - Saturday, 7.30pm
Tickets £5-10

Whistle - The Bike Shed Theatre
A multi-media poetry performance about post-war British childhood.
Sunday only, 7.30pm
Tickets from £7

Anything Goes - The Barnfield Theatre
The SS America sails from New York to England, giving plenty of time for the eccentric passengers to fool around with love and mistaken identities.
Saturday only, 7.30pm and 3pm
Tickets £7.50-8.50
(I love a good musical, and I hope to catch this one)

The Importance of Being Earnest - Cygnet New Theatre
Oscar Wilde's classic comedic play about love and wit converted in to a musical.
Tuesday - Saturday 7.30pm, with a matinee on Saturday at 2pm
Tickets £8-10
(I'm not sure about the idea of a musical version of Wilde's play, but I might check it out)

What's On 1st - 7th July

Much Ado About Nothing - Exeter Phoenix
Match-making and trouble-making in Shakespeare's classic.
Friday 7.30pm
Tickets £5-7

As You Like It - Exeter Phoenix
Lovers bumble around a lot and evenutally unite in the Forest of Arden
Friday 2pm
Tickets £5-7
(surely I can't be the only one who gets sick of seeing the same half a dozen Shakespeare plays billed year after year)


Oxygen - Barnfield Theatre and Rougemont Gardens (tickets through Exeter Phoenix)
A new play to commemorate the centenary of the Great Suffrage Pilgrimage, the march for women's rights from Lands End to Hyde Park.
You can read more about the tour of the play and its development at http://dreadnoughtsouthwest.org.uk/
Rougemont - Thursday 3pm and 7.30pm   Tickets £7.50 - 10.50
Barnfield - Friday 7.30pm   Tickets £8-12
(I'm hoping the weather holds out so I can see this outdoors on Thursday)


A Doll's House - Cygnet New Theatre
Buried secrets begin to shake up the Helmers' marriage so Nora must begin to make her own mind up.
Tuesday - Saturday 7.30pm, matinee on Saturday at 2pm
Tickets £6-10


dream//life - The Bike Shed Theatre
Motor neurone disease traps you inside your body, so Ian decides to retreat to his dreams and imagination.
Tuesday - Saturday 7.30pm
Tickets £5-10
(This is on for three weeks as part of the tidy carnage residency at the Bike Shed. I'll be seeing it on Friday)

What's On 24th - 30th June

Birdhouse - Exeter Northcott Theatre
Minor characters from Hitchcock's 'The Birds' are given centre-stage in this new play that explores madness,  post-traumatic stress and fear as they are the only survivors of the bird attack on Bodega Bay.
Tuesday 7.30pm
Tickets £10.50-12.50


Chris Goode and company continue their residence at The Bike Shed Theatre. There is a different show every night (Tuesday - Saturday), so check out the full listing to make your choice.
Tickets £6-10


Monkey & Crocodile - a free unticketed performance in Belmont Park
An acrobatic musical re-telling of a traditional Indian fable.
Wednesday - Friday, 11am and 3pm each day


Double Dickens - The Barnfield Theatre
Two excerpts from the works of Dickens. Doctor Marigold deals with the life of a Victorian travelling salesman, and Mr Pickwick tries to survive The Trial of Pickwick.
Friday and Saturday 7.30pm
Tickets £7-8


Get To The Future - The Barnfield Theatre
An adaptation of a classic time travel movie.
Friday and Saturday 7pm
Tickets £4-7