Saturday 6 August 2016

Hannah Davies Recommends...

We asked Hannah Davies what she was doing up in Edinburgh, and what she's most excited about seeing...



- Who are you and what do you do / what have you done

I'm a theatre maker, writer, and performer based in Yorkshire. I trained as an actor at Mountview, and studied playwriting at the Royal Court Theatre. I've worked as a writer with companies including Ice&Fire, Trestle, Company of Angels, York Theatre Royal. I am a co-director of Common Ground Theatre. More recently I have started performing as a spoken word poet. I am the winner of the Newcastle Northern Stage Great Northern Slam 2016, and the Say Owt Anti-Slam Winner 2016.

- What are you doing with The Flanagan Collective this year?
I've directed Snakes & Giants currently at Summerhall, every day (apart from 15th) at 7pm

- What would you say the show(s) are about
Snakes & Giants is a piece about the landscapes of our lives, our selves, and our relationships. It tells two very different stories - one mythic and one urban -  which are brought together by a sense of place; we meet the two main characters on the edge of a cliff. The play is an atmospheric piece that asks questions about how we create a sense of belonging, and about where and how we create and nurture a sense of home. It is a fusion of spoken word, choreography and song. 

- What's your favourite secret bit which other people might not notice?
There are some incredibly beautiful turns of phrase in this play. One of the characters in the piece is a one time giantess who has shrunk herself over the years, and is now 'roaming and heartless.' One of my favourite lines in the play is where she is described as being made up of 'old love and dinosaur parts.' 

- Favourite place to hang out at the Fringe
I can't resist a charity shop. Edinburgh has loads. This makes me happy. And always in need of a bigger suitcase to get all my bargains home.

- Why or how is the fringe good / important
I love the opportunity to see things that challenge, provoke and inspire me. Getting the chance to see shows and performances in a huge variety of styles and genres is exciting and important for artists. Art is important. Expression is important. Sharing ideas is important. 

- 3 tips for having the best time
See your mates. See shows. Drink fancy gin. I had one with basil in it last night. Well tasty. 

Can you please recommend 5 shows other people should see at the festival?

Really looking forward to catching Animal: Are You a Proper Person at the Gilded Balloon Teviot 17:30. The Tongue Fu team are exceptionally good spoken worders and I can't wait to see this. https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/animal-are-you-a-proper-person

Another poetry gig that deserves a look in is the Say Owt Slam. Awesome hosts Henry Raby and Stu Freestone promise a feast of wordery on the free fringe. http://edinburgh.carpediem.cd/events/581761-say-owt-slam-at-edfringe-2016-17-08-16-at-opium-alternative-club-bar/

My great mate Peter Darney has an incredibly urgent piece on at C Too: 5 Guys Chillin' every night at  11pm, which is an urgent and confrontational piece about the emergence of the chemsex scene. 

Other things I'd like to catch are Rash Dash Two Man Show at Summerhall

And Adler & Gibb also at Summerhall. https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/adler-gibb

Also don't miss the other Flanagan Collective shows. Obvs. From the Mouths of the Gods and the exceptional Dominic Allen's one man show A Common Man.

Thursday 4 August 2016

SNAKES & GIANTS / A COMMON MAN / FROM THE MOUTHS OF THE GODS - Edinburgh Fringe 2016

The Flanagan Collective 

with Greenwich Theatre and Joanne Hartstone

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2016

‘Ruddy gorgeous’ The Guardian / ‘Stratospheric’ The Herald

***** The Scotsman / ***** The Skinny / ***** ThreeWeeks / ***** A Younger Theatre
***** Broadway Baby / ***** Public Reviews

Following last summer's premier of FABLE - which transferred to Adelaide, London and New York - we return to Edinburgh with three shows: SNAKES & GIANTS, A COMMON MAN and FROM THE MOUTHS OF THE GODS


SNAKES & GIANTS 
A young woman dances wildly on the edge of cliff. 
A lady older than the hills stands outside a closed, dark pavilion. 
Both are looking out to the horizon. There is a storm coming.
SNAKES & GIANTS is a show about where we belong, about loss and about loneliness. But it’s also a show full of love and longing and a lot of soul. Created by a stellar team of theatre makers, the show pushes the form we’ve been developing with BEULAH, BABYLON and FABLE. SNAKES & GIANTS winds together storytelling, movement and a heavy, soulful soundtrack. 
Written by Alexander Wright (Fable, The Boy James)
Directed by Hannah Davies (Githa, The Lumberjills)
Devised & Performed by Holly Beasley-Garrigan (Dumbstruck) and Veronica Hare (Fable)
Music & Sound by Jim Harbourne (Feral, Leaper)
Lighting Design by Alex Brown (Bob)
SNAKES & GIANTS is performed at Summerhall at 7pm, 3rd - 27th August (not 4th or 15th) 






A COMMON MAN: THE BRIDGE THAT TOM BUILT


Tom Paine is angry. Dominic Allen is angry too. 
Dominic Allen revives his remarkable solo show about Thomas Paine - who changed the world twice, built the first ever iron bridge, and died with only 6 people at his funeral. A show about one of the forgotten founding fathers of the USA, told entirely without hip-hop.
We premiered A COMMON MAN: THE BRIDGE THAT TOM BUILT in 2013 to critical acclaim. Since then the show has gone on to tour and play at festivals across the UK - including in Tom Paines’ home town of Thetford. 
However, as the political climate in both the UK and USA gets darker, Tom Paines’ remarkable story of belief and revolution becomes more relevant than ever. 
Written and Performed by Dominic Allen (Outland, Lorca Is Dead)
Directed by Joe Hufton (Scarlet, The Collector)
A COMMON MAN: THE BRIDGE THAT TOM BUILT is performed at C NOVA at 8.15pm from 3rd-29th Aug (not 6-7th, 20-21st, 25th, 27th)




FROM THE MOUTHS OF THE GODS 

Performed by 26 different actors and 26 members of the audience, this is a show about freewill, determinism and kissing. Inspired by a probabilistic theory of freewill, as imagined by the Australian mathematician Tom Smith, the show will have have a wildly different and random pairing of performers each day. 26 actors have responded to a call out to perform the show and, at the start of each show, an audience member will volunteer. It’s a show about how unlikely it is that we’re all here, and about how we turn something fictional in to something real. 
Written by Alexander Wright
Devised by The Company
FROM THE MOUTHS OF THE GODS is performed at 4.55pm at C NOVA from 3rd-29th Aug (not 15th)


THE FLANAGAN COLLECTIVE is led by artistic director Alexander Wright (Belt Up Theatre, York Theatre Royal) and works with a wide range of artists, producers, makers and performers. Since we started the company in 2011 we have created folks musicals, installations, festivals and happenings across the UK. In 2015 we transferred FABLE to New York for our first Off-Broadway run, before heading to an award-winning season at Adelaide Fringe Festival with Producer Joanne Hartstone. We have been working with Greenwich Theatre for a number of years to create and share new work.

For more information on us, our work, or what we’re up to then do get in touch. 
For press requests or or tickets please get in touch. 
For industry tickets or for more information on the shows then please get in touch.

Equally, if you fancy a beer or a coffee for any reason, then get in touch too. 

We hope you all have a cracking festival.

@FlanCol


www.theflanagancollective.com