News

Noble, who advocates and incorporates sustainable practises into his wider work, will source materials to create costumes and props from TRAID (Textile Reuse and International Development), a charity working to stop clothes from being thrown away. TRAID collects unwanted clothing and distributes them to a network of over 1,500 clothes banks, home collections and charity shops in turn diverting tonnes of clothes from landfill and incineration every year.

In addition, the production will be supported by Katharine Hamnett a designer committed to making clothes as ethically and environmentally friendly as possible.

Alex Noble said today,

“A collective effort towards sustainable design can drastically reduce cost and protect our planet from excessive waste. We feel it vital to reflect and encourage the conversation around climate change, that runs through the production, in the design and make positive steps towards reducing waste, and also hopefully showing people how easy it is to rely on second, third and even fourth-hand clothing.”

Parakeet is a musical about finding your flock and ruffling feathers. In Margate, an isolated teenager forms a band and finds her voice with the help of a gang of exotic birds. Parakeet is a feast for the ears, eyes and heart told through irresistible song, poetry and electronic sounds.

Alex Noble designs. As Director of Alex Noble Studios, Noble has worked on fashion, costume, styling, set installation and graphic designs for a broad range of high-profile clients. These clients include Lady Gaga, Azalea Banks, Paloma Faith, Kylie Minogue, Florence and The Machine, Dazed and Confused, Elle, Vogue Homme Japan, Balmain, MTV, Glastonbury, Bestival, and TRAID. Noble was Founder and Director of EMG Initiative (2013-2017), where he raised awareness and funds for charities such as Childhope and TRAID by creating design projects from repurposed high-end waste. As Curator at Dalston Superstore (2009-2012), he selected, produced, and managed artists for shows at the east London LGBTQI cultural hub.

PARAKEET                                   Listings

Paines Plough’s Roundabout @ Summerhall

1 Summerhall, Edinburgh EH9 1PL – Venue 26

31 July – 25 August 2019

Previews: 31 July & 2 August

Press Performance: Sunday 4 August, 5.05pm

Box Office: https://painesplough.com/project/roundabout

@boundlessabound

#ParakeetLive

Notes to Editors

BOUNDLESS THEATRE

Boundless Theatre creates exhilarating, relevant and shareable theatre with and for teenagers, young adults and curious others, responding to a vibrant and diverse global culture. They promote conversation, collaboration and exchange across the UK, Europe and internationally.

The company has continued to push the boundaries of work for this audience since it was established fifteen years ago.  Under Rob Drummer’s artistic direction the company has a bold new brand that celebrates the unlimited potential of our young adult audience.

Beyond their work on stage they empower and inspire teenagers and young adults through a range of opportunities across the UK. Through the Associates programme and artistic development initiatives they invest in future artists now, and empower a new generation of artists to be extraordinary.

boundlesstheatre.org.uk

@boundlessabound

BOOM SHAKALAKA PRODUCTIONS

Boom Shakalaka is the brainchild of Gemma Cairney, known for cultivating a dynamic and wide reaching career across broadcast and arts (BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, BBC Radio 4, BBC 6Music, World Service). She most recently published, Open: A Toolkit for How Magic and Messed Up Life Can Be, a book for Young Adults.

Boom was born from an appetite for connecting people, and telling unexpected stories. The company brings together some of the best and most creative individuals from across the arts and beyond and as a result, makes memorable work.

For further information please contact: Freya Cowdry freya@katemorleypr.com / 07944 539 508

In Margate, an isolated teenager forms a band and finds her voice with the help of a gang of exotic birds. A musical about finding your flock and ruffling feathers, Parakeet is a feast for the ears, eyes and heart told through irresistible song, poetry and electronic sounds. It’s time to discover the new spirit of punk: punk with empathy.

The production sees Brigitte Aphrodite, Quiet Boy and Laura Keefe renew their collaboration following My Beautiful Black Dog, which toured the UK following a sold-out run at Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2015.

Brigitte Aphrodite is a punk poet, musician, writer, theatre maker and feminist showgirl. During her formative years Aphrodite toured extensively as a musician, alongside artists such as Kate Nash and Josie Long. She is best known for her critically acclaimed show and album My Beautiful Black Dog; a part gig, part theatre, punk musical exploring depression. It sold out at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and toured nationally. Through the Wellcome Trust a workshop based around the show was developed and carried out in schools across the country.

Gaz Tomlinson also known as Quiet Boy, is an alternative electronic, singer songwriter, theatre composer, performer and workshop facilitator. With over a decade’s experience of playing in bands,  Tomlinson has toured the UK extensively and appeared at many major UK music festivals. His debut piece was composing, musically directing and performing in critically acclaimed gig theatre My Beautiful Black Dog. He is an Associate Artist at Hackney Showrooms.

Lula Mebrahtu is an Eritrean-born actress, DJ and presenter. She performs regularly as lula.xyz at festivals and events worldwide. As a presenter, she regularly fronts shows for the BBC and hosts jazz festivals. Her acting credits include Concrete Jungle, The Lucumi Choir and Death of a Pebble Dancing (Edinburgh Festival Fringe).

Isabel Oliver is an actor, singer, songwriter and musician. Her acting credits include Titus Andronicus (Teatro Dei Borgia, Italy). She also performs as a singer musician in a variety of venues and at festivals, including regularly at Spinning Yarns Theatre.

Michelle Tiwo is an actor, poet, poet educator and founder of Sistren podcast. Their acting credits for theatre include And the Rest of Me Floats (Bush Theatre). For television, Ackee & Saltfish; and for film, Faces.

Laura Keefe’s directing credits include My Beautiful Black Dog (Edinburgh Fringe Festival/
UK tour), One Million Tiny Plays About Britain (The Watermill Theatre), Turning a Little Further, The Lost (Young Vic), Used Blood Junkyard (Arcola Theatre), I Know Where the Dead are Buried (24/7 Theatre Festival), Guilt and Shame (Edinburgh Festival Fringe/Latitude Festival/Bestival/Soho Theatre). As Associate Director her credits include Mad About the Boy and Is Everyone OK? (UK tour). As Assistant Director her credits include Romantics Anonymous, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare’s Globe), As You Like It (National Theatre), Feast (Young Vic), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Salt, Root and Roe (Donmar Warehouse/Trafalgar Studios) and Roaring Trade (Paines Plough/Soho Theatre).

PARAKEET

Paines Plough’s Roundabout @ Summerhall

1 Summerhall, Edinburgh EH9 1PL – Venue 26

31 July – 25 August 2019

Previews: 31 July & 2 August

Press Performance: Sunday 4 August, 5.05pm

Box Office: https://painesplough.com/project/roundabout

@boundlessabound

#ParakeetLive

Notes to Editors

BOUNDLESS THEATRE

Boundless Theatre creates exhilarating, relevant and shareable theatre with and for teenagers, young adults and curious others, responding to a vibrant and diverse global culture. They promote conversation, collaboration and exchange across the UK, Europe and internationally.

The company has continued to push the boundaries of work for this audience since it was established fifteen years ago.  Under Rob Drummer’s artistic direction the company has a bold new brand that celebrates the unlimited potential of our young adult audience.

Beyond their work on stage they empower and inspire teenagers and young adults through a range of opportunities across the UK. Through the Associates programme and artistic development initiatives they invest in future artists now, and empower a new generation of artists to be extraordinary.

boundlesstheatre.org.uk

@boundlessabound

BOOM SHAKALAKA PRODUCTIONS

Boom Shakalaka is the brainchild of Gemma Cairney, known for cultivating a dynamic and wide reaching career across broadcast and arts (BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, BBC Radio 4, BBC 6Music, World Service). She most recently published, Open: A Toolkit for How Magic and Messed Up Life Can Be, a book for Young Adults.

Boom was born from an appetite for connecting people, and telling unexpected stories. The company brings together some of the best and most creative individuals from across the arts and beyond and as a result, makes memorable work.

For further information please contact: Freya Cowdry freya@katemorleypr.com / 07944 539 508

Rob Drummer, Artistic Director of Boundless, said today:

The Accelerator Bursary is our way of getting extraordinary artists and teenagers together to co-create with a theme set by our Advisory Group, meaning the whole process is led by young adults.  We had almost 50 applications from across the UK and could have awarded many more bursaries, the quality was that high.  We can’t wait to share the first stage of development later this year and hope that many more young adults will be inspired by what is created.

The Boundless Accelerator artists are:

Produced Moon’s

RUN CODE

Inspired by Games for Change, the movement that uses digital games as a tool for social change, Produced Moon will collaborate with young people in Bermondsey to create games exploring aspects of mental health. Experimenting with the emerging genre of game theatre, alongside video and board games, game mechanics will be used to explore strategies for building resilience and self-care. Through collective game-play, Produced Moon aims to find honest and open ways of talking about what we can do together to change conversations around mental health.

Produced Moon are an interactive, digital theatre company working at the intersection of theatre and gaming, based between London and Glasgow. Recent work includes Switchboard, The Inventors Squad and Electric.

Natalya Martin’s

CARNIVAL

Carnival is created for young people with disabilities, collaboratively developed by actor and theatre-maker Natalya Martin. The piece will creatively explore how issues around mental health and emotional wellbeing affect the lives of teenagers and young adults with disabilities today.

Set on a fictional island surrounded by a body of water, Carnival explores live music, dance and a multitude of multi-sensory experiences.

Natalya Martin is an actor, multi-sensory practitioner and theatre-maker. Her goal is to make work that is fully accessible, relatable and of quality, for and with people with disabilities. She is the co-founder of theatre company FEEL Theatre, which specialises in creating sensory stories, shows and experiences.

Nouveau Riché’s

FOR BLACK BOYS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE WHEN THE HUE WAS TOO HEAVY

For Black Boys… articulates the heartache, confusion, rage, and desires of young black men. The play explores how the pressures placed on black men contribute to emotional and mental trauma, and the threat of additional black suicides.

The affirmative resolution of For Black Boys… is to signify the collective community of Brotherhood, that calls for men to first love themselves, then learn to love one another.

Winners of the 2018 Edinburgh Stage Award and The Untapped Award, Nouveau Riché is a multi – disciplinary arts production company. Previous theatre credits include Queens of Sheba, Chateau Marmont and Book of Actions. Their objective is to discover, nurture and produce unique stories that are culturally inclusive, with a keen scope on work that is both educational and entertaining.

Ryan Gilmartin’s

BARBARIANS

Developed by Ryan Gilmartin and James Monaghan, Barbarians queries the experiential differences between rural and urban living.

Barbarians: a member of a people not belonging to one of the greats (Ancient Rome, Modern London).

The common myths and stories that we tell each other are breaking up locally and digitally.

In a world getting smaller yet further apart, Ryan will return to his hometown in Spalding, Lincolnshire with James to investigate the differences between living ‘in the sticks’ and cities.

Is there a link between physical isolation and the mental health of young people?

We don’t know what we’ll find or what we’ll do; but whatever it is, we’ll bring it to London.

Ryan Gilmartin is a multi-disciplinary actor, theatre maker and video DJ. He has made work for the National Theatre, Royal Exchange Theatre and Sheffield Theatres.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Boundless Theatre produces exhilarating new theatre in the UK in conversation with Europe. For fifteen years, they have produced and toured new plays nationally and internationally, and created projects and experiences that young adult audiences share in. They nurture and empower the next

generation of visionary artists, bring plays, diverse perspectives and ideas from Europe, and engage with a range of artistic forms beyond theatre-making.

Garfield Weston Foundation

Established over 60 years ago in 1958, the Garfield Weston Foundation is a family-founded, grant-making charity which supports causes across the UK with grants around £70million annually. It has donated over £1billion to charities since it was established.

One of the most respected charitable institutions in the UK, the Weston Family Trustees are descendants of the founder and take a highly active and hands-on approach. the Foundation’s funding comes from an endowment of shares in the family business which includes Twinings, Primark, Kingsmill (all part of Associated British Foods Plc) and Fortnum & Mason, amongst others – a successful model that still endures today; as the business have grown so too have the charitable donations.

From small community organisations to large national institutions, the Foundation supports a broad range of charities and activities that make a positive impact in the communities in which they work. More than 1,800 charities across the UK benefit each year from the Foundation’s grants.

For further information please contact:

Freya Cowdry / freya@katemorleypr.com / 07944 539508

All photos by Adama Jalloh, shot in Bermondsey, London the home of Boundless Theatre

Ine Van Riet said today,

“Boundless Theatre’s work is always dynamic and fearless, and I’m thrilled to get started as we look for new ways to best serve and speak up for young artists and audiences. I am excited to join Rob in leading a new chapter in which the company will be inventive, representative, bold and boundless.”

Artistic Director Rob Drummer commented,

“I am absolutely delighted to welcome Ine to the team at Boundless and am really looking forward to working with her on creating even more relevant and innovative productions and projects for young adult audiences and artists.  Ine already has big ideas for the company and taking Boundless in bold new directions.”

Charles Glanville, Chair of the Boundless Theatre said today,

“Boundless and its unique vision and work attracted a great list of applicants for the Executive Director post. Throughout the process Ine’s skills and vision really stood out.  The Board knows that Ine, Rob and their team will lead Boundless to the next stage in providing relevant, exciting theatre for young adults.”

Ine Van Riet joins Boundless from the Bush Theatre where she is currently Development Manager and jointly responsible for creating and implementing the fundraising and talent development strategies. During her time, the Bush fundraised for and completed the largest capital project in the organisation’s history, reopening the venue’s refurbished Shepherd’s Bush home in 2017. The Bush Theatre was recently awarded London Theatre of the Year by The Stage.

Prior to this Ine was General Manager for Iris Theatre and Development Officer & Associate Producer at Tara Arts. As a freelance producer she has presented UK premières at Southwark Playhouse, Theatre503 and the Finborough Theatre, and toured work both nationally and internationally.

BOUNDLESS THEATRE

Boundless Theatre creates exhilarating, relevant and shareable theatre with and for teenagers, young adults and curious others, responding to a vibrant and diverse global culture. They promote conversation, collaboration and exchange across the UK, Europe and internationally. The company has continued to push the boundaries of work for this audience since it was established fifteen years ago. Under Rob Drummer’s artistic direction the company has a bold new brand that celebrates the unlimited potential of our young adult audience. Beyond their work on stage they empower and inspire teenagers and young adults through a range of opportunities across the UK. Through the Associates programme and artistic development initiatives they invest in future artists now, and empower a new generation of artists to be extraordinary.

www.boundlesstheatre.org.uk                                                                    @boundlessabound

For further information please contact:

Freya Cowdry         07944 539 508 / freya@katemorleypr.com

Artistic Director of Boundless, Rob Drummer said today, “Our new programme of work allows us to directly connect the most exciting artists and our teenage and young adult audiences.  The Parakeet Experience pushes the form of our work, Boundless Accelerator will unlock daring new work and our Advisory Group puts teenagers and young adults at the heart of everything we do”

THE PARAKEET EXPERIENCE

Boundless Theatre and Boom Shakalaka Productions today announce the first dates for The Parakeet Experience, the latest show from Brigitte Aphrodite and Quiet Boy (My Beautiful Black Dog) will play to its first audiences in March (as the Closing event of POW festival in Margate on Sunday 17th March) and in May (at the Canada Water Theatre) with further dates to be announced.

The Parakeet Experience is developing on-the-road, it’s a gig-storytelling show and coming of age fantastical tale about a teenage girl and the urban ring-necked Parakeets of South East England.

Follow our girl’s journey from moving to Margate with her mother under difficult circumstances, to overcoming hardship, making new friends and celebrating the alien bird phenomenon of Parakeets.  A sensory musical for the eyes, ears and heart. A cacophony of words and progressive beats, twisting the musical form.

Brigitte Aphrodite commented, “The Parakeet Experience is all about a new kind of punk, a kinder punk, rebellious, anti-establishment, thoughtful and caring at the same time. Punk with empathy!”

Gemma Cairney, from Boom Shakalaka Productions added, “Collaboration and team building are at the heart of fantastical multifaceted artistic pursuits. The meeting of minds and expertise between Boom Shakalaka Productions, who got Brigitte’s show ‘My Beautiful Black Dog’ off the ground, & Boundless, who are making tidal waves in the art of theatre for young people, makes me very excited about the future of the Parakeet project.”

BOUNDLESS ACCELERATOR

Boundless are looking for 4 artists or artistic ideas to support on the theme of mental health and wellbeing for a new Artist Support programme called Boundless Accelerator.  Providing a Bursary of £2500 per artist or artistic idea alongside a package of in-kind producing support, Boundless will mentor and encourage co-creation and development with young adults culminating in sharings and a public event at the end of 2019.

Boundless Accelerator aims to connect artists and young adults through artistic exploration of urgent ideas.  The theme has been identified by the young adults Boundless works with on a regular basis, and the application process will take in to account bold ways to respond to the brief.

Artistic Director of Boundless, Rob Drummer said today “Boundless Accelerator is our way of investing in artists and new ideas that impact on and start conversations with the teenage and young adult audience we are developing. These bursaries aim to unlock meaningful and perhaps daring new work around mental health and wellbeing which so many young adults cite as the most important issue of our time.”

Boundless is committed to supporting the most talented artists of the future, now and is seeking proposals from around the UK, from artists under the age of 30

For details on how to apply, see the Artists section of the Boundless website and follow @boundlessabound. Applications can be submitted until 8 March 2019.

BOUNDLESS ADVISORY GROUP

Now in its third year, Boundless is expanding its Advisory Group of young adults aged 15-25 who provoke, support and interrogate all of the company’s work through full access to the organisation.  Following a successful fundraising campaign as part of The Big Give in 2018, Boundless are looking to expand the current Advisory Group.

The Advisory Group at Boundless Theatre is a purposefully evolving group of young adults, who meet with team members regularly, and work together on ways to connect the company’s work more widely with teenagers and young adults around the UK.  In return, they receive mentorship and support, as well as paying for culture trips, providing creative opportunities and facilitating ideas for projects around the year.

In 2019/20 the Advisory Group will work with Boundless on Extended Universe, a narrative podcast, created by Nina Segal and connect with young people in Denmark, Spain and Greece (co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union).  They will also help the group create and deliver a project or event in late 2019/20 with a budget and producing support from the Boundless team.

For details on how to apply, see the 15-25? section of the Boundless website and follow @boundlessabound. The window for applications closes on 11 May 2019.

BOUNDLESS THEATRE

Boundless Theatre creates exhilarating, relevant and shareable theatre with and for teenagers, young adults and curious others, responding to a vibrant and diverse global culture. They promote conversation, collaboration and exchange across the UK, Europe and internationally. The company has continued to push the boundaries of work for this audience since it was established fifteen years ago. Under Rob Drummer’s artistic direction the company has a bold new brand that celebrates the unlimited potential of our young adult audience. Beyond their work on stage they empower and inspire teenagers and young adults through a range of opportunities across the UK. Through the Associates programme and artistic development initiatives they invest in future artists now, and empower a new generation of artists to be extraordinary.

www.boundlesstheatre.org.uk                                                                               @boundlessabound

BOOM SHAKALAKA PRODUCTIONS

Boom Shakalaka is the brainchild of Gemma Cairney, known for cultivating a dynamic and wide reaching career across broadcast and arts (BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, BBC Radio 4, BBC 6Music, World Service). Having won multiple awards for self-pitched shows, such as an intimate dinner with Grace Jones broadcast on 6Music, to a SONY Gold Award for her honest and visceral investigation of abusive relationships among young people on BBC Radio 1, she is no stranger to upping the ante when it comes to telling stories – pushing boundaries with the BBC and beyond.

Then there is Beth, the thoughtful, pragmatic and robust partner in crime to Gemma’s publicly known enthusiasm. An English lit graduate of Oxford University, she worked in marketing and project management in independent music for 9 years before discovering a passion for radio making which she developed with indie radio production company Cast Iron. She has also project managed a diverse number of arts and music projects, and more recently works with Nick Cave’s management team across music and film projects.

As business partners Gem and Beth have access to talent across a huge breadth of specialisms. Boom works with an impressive pool of makers, writers, producers and collectives and is committed to finding new ways to tell stories. They are particularly well connected to music, visual arts and acting talent as well as more traditional broadcasters and presenters. Boom’s structure is rooted in eclecticism.

Boom was born from an appetite for connecting people, and telling stories. They bring some of the best and most creative individuals together and as a result, make memorable work.

www.boomshakalakaproductions.com

@BoomShakaProd

Tom Wells is a playwright. His theatre credits include Me, As A Penguin (Arcola Theatre/UK tour), The Kitchen Sink – which won the Critics Circle Award for Most Promising Playwright and the George Devine Award (Bush Theatre), Jumpers For Goalposts (Watford Palace Theatre/UK tour), Cosmic (Hull Truck Theatre), Folk and Broken Biscuits (UK tour). He has also written Ben & Lump (Channel 4) and Jonesy (BBC Radio 4). He is currently under commission to the Royal Court Theatre and National Theatre.

Matthew Robins composes the music following his previous collaboration with Tom Wells on Broken Biscuits in 2016. His writing and performing credits include Flyboy is alone again this Christmas and Lullaby (Barbican). As a designer and puppet maker his credits include Something Very Far Away (Unicorn Theatre), A Most Peculiar Wintry Thing (The Ark, Dublin) and Laila (Watford Palace Theatre). He also recently directed and designed an adaption of Ted Hughes’ The Iron Man (Unicorn Theatre). A collection of Matthew’s animations, songs and mechanical puppet installations is on permanent display at the Science Museum in London in the Information Age gallery.

Josh Tucker plays Liam. His theatre credits include The Dip (Bunker Theatre/Edinburgh Festival Fringe), Five:Eight (Bernie Grant Arts Centre) and Witch, Witch, Witch (Camden People’s Theatre).

Jane Fallowfield directs. Her credits include Germ Free Adolescent, Bird (Derby Theatre), Fingertips (Clean Break), Cosmic, Spacewang (Hull Truck), The Only Way is Chelsea’s (York Theatre Royal/Soho Theatre) and Lagan (Ovalhouse). She is the Literary Associate at Talawa Theatre Company.  Previously, Jane was Director on Attachment at Clean Break, Director on Attachment at Birmingham Rep (John Fernald Award) and Senior Reader at Paines Plough.  She is a mentor for Graeae Theatre Company and she has been on the script panel for the George Devine Award panel, BBC Writersroom and Channel 4 Screenwriting Course.

NOTES TO EDITORS

BOUNDLESS THEATRE

Boundless Theatre creates exhilarating, relevant and shareable theatre with and for teenagers, young adults and curious others, responding to a vibrant and diverse global culture. They promote conversation, collaboration and exchange across the UK, Europe and internationally. The company has continued to push the boundaries of work for this audience since it was established fifteen years ago. Under Rob Drummer’s artistic direction the company has a bold new brand that celebrates the unlimited potential of our young adult audience. Beyond their work on stage they empower and inspire teenagers and young adults through a range of opportunities across the UK. Through the Associates programme and artistic development initiatives they invest in future artists now, and empower a new generation of artists to be extraordinary.

SCRIPT CLUB

We are Script Club (the new name for Root Theatre). We discover, develop and make new work. Work that combines theatre and activism. Work that is political in the stories it tells and the way it is made. That’s what gets us out of bed in the morning.

Our flagship project is Script Club. We take a writer back to their hometown to create a new play with and for the local community.  The first Script Club play was ‘Cosmic’ by Tom Wells (Hull and East Riding); the second was ‘Germ Free Adolescent’ by Natalie Mitchell (Medway); and the third ‘Drip’, our first musical, with Tom Wells and musician Matthew Robins which premièred as part of the Hull UK City of Culture in Hull.

http://www.roottheatre.co.uk/

@ScriptClubPlays

The original Drip production was supported by Hull City Council and Hull UK City of Culture.

At Boundless we believe in the limitless potential of all young people and seek to encourage and enable creativity in teenagers and young adults.  All donations will directly fund young people, supporting development of skills and demystifying jobs within the arts that are suited to young people of diverse backgrounds.

Boundless Theatre is a charity and we simply couldn’t do our work without the generous support of individuals.  The donations received during the Create The Future Now campaign are going to have real impact.

You can read more about the Future Now project here. 

Boundless Theatre will lead the project partnering with four politically-engaged, outward-looking theatres from across Europe, Teater Grob (Denmark), Entropia (Greece) and Sala Beckett (Spain) with the shared aim of connecting more with young audiences and maximizing digital developments for storytelling. The partners have connected through conversations about recent social, cultural and political shifts in each country; together they will explore ideas around power, utopia and youth culture offering a platform to young adults and their perspectives.

The four companies will each work with a theatre-maker (to be announced shortly) and 15-25 year olds over the next two years to co-create a narrative for multiple platforms (including live theatre), adopting a transmedia approach to storytelling. Work will be presented in Copenhagen, Barcelona, Athens and online (created in London) in May 2020.

Rob Drummer, Artistic Director of Boundless Theatre, said today,

“This is an extraordinary and exciting time to be working with three inspiring and innovative companies across Europe.  Extended Universe will honour the conversations we’ve all had with teenagers and young people and will reflect a changing Europe through the eyes of a generation living with the impact of recent upheavals in the UK, Denmark, Greece and Spain.  Creative Europe funding is a real endorsement of an outward looking collaboration across Europe and an investment in Boundless Theatre’s audience-first approach, for which we are incredibly grateful.”

@boundlessabound

#ExtendedUniverse

NOTES TO EDITORS

Creative Europe Co-Operation Projects support the delivery of cultural and creative transnational cooperation projects across any art form for a maximum duration of four years.  The 2018 results for Creative Europe’s Cooperation Projects have been announced with 40 awards to UK lead and partner organisations in European projects. Overall, 37 of the 101 selected projects involve the UK, which means that the UK continues to be one of the most partnered countries in what is the principal funding opportunity in Creative Europe’s Culture sub-programme.

#CreativeEurope

#CooperationProjects

Boundless Theatre creates exhilarating, relevant and shareable theatre with and for young people. We empower, inspire and invest in future audiences and artists, promoting conversation and exchange across the UK and Europe.  Since 1991 the company has pushed the boundaries of work made for and with young people, producing over 25 high quality productions.

We have worked with partners across Europe for 15 years delivering Pan-European partnership projects including Theatre Café (lead partner, Creative Europe funded) and Boundless Dialogue (Erasmus+ funded), to empower and inspire young adults through contact with high quality theatre artists across Europe.

Following a rebrand, the company is now audience-centric, with a focus on independent theatregoers aged 15-25.  An advisory group of teenagers and young adults informs artists’ decisions to make new work relevant, and we support the best young artists through our Associates programme now in its tenth year.

Teater Grob was established in 1993. Since 2009 Grob has had its home in a black box theatre in Copenhagen. We focus exclusively on new works. We encourage the artistic exploration of what it means to be human in contemporary society. A society that it global and interconnected, for good or worse. International co–creation is a necessity for any artist who wants to dig deeper into society and the human condition of today.  We seek to support young talent that will define the future of the theatre landscape. Not only in the themes and stories that will be put on the stage, but also in the way it is created and presented. Extending the local stage beyond its immediate framework, represents a new potential that we are very excited to investigate.

Entropia is a non-profit cultural organization (first established in June 1997 and based at the homonymous Theatre space in the centre of Athens until 2014), that presents and produces theatre, live art, site-specific, interdisciplinary and multimedia performances, promoting the creative dialogue amongst different art disciplines, the pioneering approaches in form and content, and the exchanges between Greece and the contemporary international Performing Arts scene. Entropia has been supported by the Greek Ministry of Culture, the European Cultural Foundation, the Ministry of Culture and Education of Cyprus and various cultural institutions nationally and internationally, as well as been sponsored by the private sector.

Sala Beckett/Obrador Internacional de Dramatúrgia is a theatre of Barcelona which, from its very beginning, has been run on two axes. On the one hand, its constant support for home-made playwriting. Since its creation, more than 20 years ago, Sala Beckett has endeavored to introduce new Catalan playwrights and consolidate others. This has been done not only by premiering plays, but by offering playwrights a space where to experiment and test their work. Sala Beckett’s second line of action throughout its history has been premiering works by foreign authors who, despite enjoying deserved and growing recognition in their own countries, were unknown in Catalonia. Apart from these two main goals, Sala Beckett promotes specific work addressed to young audiences. By means of working with secondary schools and having its own young permanent company, Els Malnascuts, Sala Beckett produces 2 shows per year which want to involve young people with creating processes.

For further information please contact:

Freya Cowdry: freya@katemorleypr.com 

Mixtapes, Argos catalogue Christmas lists, VHS. Crop tops, chokers, disposable cameras, Boundless Theatre is bringing the 90s back. As another summer season on the seafront gets underway Ella is turning up the heat in a high stakes game to get as far away as possible. Whilst Ruby keeps the café going and Dean mans the ice cream kiosk, Ella learns there’s no fast track to success.

‘If you’re not interested in earning a new pair of Nikes by the end of the day…complete designer wardrobe by the end of the week…all the beers you can drink…if you don’t want to meet Uma Thurman…then okay, stay here, as King of the Slackers, that’s fine by me.’

Confidence, will explode back on to stage, for a new generation of dreamers.

Anna Crichlow plays Ruby. Her theatre credits include Common (National Theatre), Pride and Prejudice (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre) and The Lost Art of Lost Art (Edinburgh Fringe Festival). For film her credits include Memento Amare.

Tanya Burr makes her professional stage debut as Ella. This year, she has starred in Go90’s Love and Cheese as part of the Love, Daily series. She has appeared in pilot series, Making It, appears in the forthcoming Bulletproof and plays the lead in the forthcoming Disconnect – a short film. Tanya also runs a successful YouTube channel.

Vauxhall Jermaine plays Edwin. Theatre credits include Old Man and Princess (Soho Theatre). For television his credits include The Attack, The Five, Suspects, This is England ’90 and the forthcoming The Virtues. For film, his credits include Peter Rabbit, 90 Minutes, Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation, Svengali and Weekend.

Will Pattle plays Dean. As a recent graduate of The Brit School this will be Pattle’s professional stage debut.

Rhys Yates plays Ben. His theatre credits include Rockstar (Lyric Hammersmith), Table (Stratford Circus). Television credits include Britannia, Stan Lee’s Lucky Man, Plebs; and for film Postcards from London and Common People.

Mixtapes, Argos catalogue Christmas lists, VHS. Crop tops, chokers, disposable cameras, Boundless Theatre is bringing the 90s back.  As another summer season on the seafront gets underway Ella is turning up the heat in a high stakes game to get as far away as possible.  Whilst Ruby has been keeping the café going and Dean mans the ice cream kiosk Ella is about to learn there’s no fast track to success.

‘If you’re not interested in earning a new pair of Nikes by the end of the day…complete designer wardrobe by the end of the week…all the beers you can drink…if you don’t want to meet Uma Thurman…then okay, stay here, as King of the Slackers, that’s fine by me.’

Confidence, will explode back on to stage, for a new generation of dreamers.

Artistic Director of Boundless, Rob Drummer says:

‘Rediscovering Judy’s play in the context of 2018 and looking at the legacy of 90s youth culture is an exciting prospect.  In the hedonism of the 90s and the changing tide of political optimism did young people get what they want? For a new generation now, we want to see what has changed and why instilling confidence in young people to take up space and have a voice matters more than ever.’