Mintfest 2011
Downloads
Mintfest Schedule 2011.pdf
Garden of Delights & Strolling Acts Schedule 2011.pdf
Mintfest Map 2011.pdf
Mintfest Programme 2011.pdf
Artists & Companies performing at Mintfest 2011
Avanti Display - The Water Seller
The Water Seller and Madelyn his pet monkey offer aqueous solutions to all life’s problems, selling waters collected from around the world including: holy water, healing water, fire water and waters natural. www.avantidisplay.co.uk
Avanti Display - Mystic Monty
The boffins at Avanti Display H.Q. have devised a wonderful apparatus which may truly be said to revolutionise the science of superstition as they explore the ancient art of astrology with all its wonderful myths and folklore.
Axial Dance - The Bo Sisters
Inspired by Little Bo Peep, these 21st century shepherdesses, both carrying their essential crooks, engage the public with dialogue and choreographed physical vignettes as they look for their missing sheep.
Bad Taste Cru - Tribal Assembly
This is a dance work which explore individuals’ choice and circumstance, the groups we finds ourselves attached to, the hierarchies associated to these groups and the ways in which we view one another. Ultimately this piece is an observation of the social, cultural and stereotypical gaps that exists within our modern day lives. Do we broaden this gap each day as we pass each other in the street, when we stare or simply ignore? What would happen if we stopped? www.badtastecru.co.uk
Beautiful Creatures - AirQuarium
The AirQuarium is a charming, visually imaginative, deep sea adventure. An immersive theatre experience featuring a pop-up aquarium tunnel, curious mechanical creatures, and beautiful electronic music. Inspiring, magical and funny. Supported by South Hill Park Arts Centre. www.beautifulcreatures.org.uk
Bernard Massuir
Bob and Bob Jobbins - The Lighthouse
The lighthouse keeper invites you to step into his cosy cabin as he rambles through his vast arsenal of comic stories and anecdotes. In between shows, audience members can peer through the cabin’s portholes and watch animations.www.foolsparadise.co.uk
The Boom Bike Big Band - Blaze with More Music and Dan Fox
Bootworks - Babyboxes
Canopy - The Preeners
A raucous peahen and her new-romantic son are doing a spot of “subtle” self-promotion. Mrs. Preener is desperate to find Graham a mate and engineers elaborate ways of introducing him and his talents to the general public. Think Spring Watch meets Blind Date.www.canopyintheorchard.com
Cat in the Vacuum Theatre Company - Macbeth
This vibrant textual interpretation of Shakespeare’s classic tale of ambition is created and performed by Chloe Johnston, Rachel Smith, Catherine Favret and Emily Watts. Their ensemble work heavily trims the original text, producing an evocative visual performance.
The Chipolatas - Gentlemen of the Road
A high energy performance presenting unparalleled physical feats with live squeezebox & breakbeats. 3 musical clowns in a fresh theatrical package, referencing folk culture worldwide. Tapping into themes which are both traditional and contemporary, the old and the new united. A unique and universally-acclaimed show, suitable for those who embrace life. www.chipolatas.com
Cirkatomik - Le Photoflamme des Ets Chaudfroid
Cocoloco - The Tom Jones ExperienceIt’s worth queuing for the portable Karaoke experience that will leave you panting. Bring your panties (or we will provide them for you). Take them off. Throw them at Tom while you sing along. Approximately 16 in the box. The audience outside the box have just as much fun observing the box roxking and the underwear flying. www.cocoloco.co.uk
Cocoloco - The Best Thing
One person at a time is led into the box blindfolded to experience of the ‘best thing ever’. www.cocoloco.co.uk
Compagnie Ecart - Chin-Chilla (France)
Compagnie Ecart, are a group world renowned for dance in unusual spaces. Chin-Chilla is an astonishing cinematographic dance performance which will be performed in the Kendal Drill Hall. Merging real and virtual video images to create visual illusions, it tells ofan incident in the little town of Chin-Chilla where an appointmentis missed and a story upset…One of the guaranteed highlights of Mintfest this year. www.cieecart.fr
Copperdollar - Spidora
A timeless sideshow that lures you into a dark and magical visual feast. Choose your path through this labyrinthine experience of digital guile and trickery. www.copperdollar.co.uk
Copperdollar - The Stimulators
The Stimulators are two curious Carney characters from a vanished world. Playfully these spirited characters will win the intrigue of their audience and entice them to explore the unknown world of “Spidora” later that night. www.copperdollar.co.uk
Curious Cargo - The Temperance Society
De Stilje Want - Bellevue (Netherlands)
This is theatre from granny’s days. Outside the small circus tent De Stijle, Want entertains the waiting audience. Inside, in groups of 4, you choose your own star. Less than a minute later you leave the tent with a souvenir for life. And you don’t say a thing. De Stijle, Want is a secret pleasure. Those who want to know, have to go inside. De Stijle, Want produces the greatest show for the smallest public. www.destijlewant.nl
Dj Dj Dj Djembe
Encore - Guido & Laverne
Enter the World of Guido & Laverne. Equipped with a camera, a flatulent monkey and acerbic banter, these two characters will provide you with a memory of your visit you can treasure forever.
Encore - Miss Fortune
Marvel at the mystical powers of Miss Fortune as she attempts to predict your future. She gazes into her crystal ball and hopefully the mists will clear and reveal all. Or not.
Fittings Multimedia Arts - Master Juba
Following in the footsteps of Master Juba’s successful 18 month tour of Britain, Stickman will drum and dance his way from town to town in search of Master Juba, his life, his performances and moments in history. Building a monument in each stopping place celebrating a pivotal though largely forgotten figure in Black History, shouting the achievements of Master Juba: The Wonder of the World. www.fittings.org.uk
Gasden and Smith with Deaf Men Dancing - Alive!
Choreographer Mark Smith, who fuses dance with sign language, collaborates with visual artist Rachel Gadsden for a performance which expresses the corporeal joy and spirit of being human, performed by Deaf Men Dancing.
Grand Theatre of Lemmings - The Mini-cini Blockbuster
Watch a crazed director create a new star for his movie “Bride of Kong’. All is well till the special effects take over and a giant Kong springs on the stage. www.lemmingstheatre.co.uk
Grand Theatre of Lemmings - The Illusionarium
Greenbanks Productions - Silent Movie
Lots of laughter and audience participation when an exasperated Director tries to film scenes for his latest Silent Movie, with an incompetent crew and impromptu cast. Featuring remarkable makes and an instant wardrobe full of incredible costumes.
Gumbley and Tweddle - The Museum of Ice Cream
Two amateur historians defrost an old ice cream van and discover a surprising collection of ice cream relics and curiosities.
Headzup - Vagabonding
Following a successful tramping tour of rural Cumbria, the Vagabonds are pleased to return to the bright lights of Kendal to present their charming brand of puppetry, songs and storytelling. www.vagabonding.biz
Hens Teeth - Artist’s Models
Hens Teeth offer a rare opportunity to create a masterpiece. The artists models bare all for your entertainment and observation leaving you free to draw your breath or draw whatever else takes your fancy.
Jilted Pig - Poste de Resistance
Vive le Poste de Resistance! Armed with a belief in the magic of post, two revolutionary postal workers have been forced underground in a desperate bid to keep the post office alive.http://jiltedpig.com
Jilted Pig - The Postal Workers
The underground postal workers from the Poste de Resistance have left their van to encourage people to write postcards and fight the PAP (People Against Post).
Jilted Pig - Pest Control
Two pesky insects, a snail and a greenfly, have been exiled from their garden and are on the hunt for food. Watch out!
Joe Sature & Ses Joyeux Osselets - Only You (France)
The micros are on, the note is true and 4 singers launch into interpretation of their favourite piece, Only You, from the Platters. But it’s kind of difficult to compete with the legendary quartet and the unexpected events of live performance bring our 4 star learners into a crazy and atypical singing roundabout. Singing without sound, sound without singing, showing off, going off the track, burlesque in concert; the tune is given to this repertoire, in rhythm with imaginative chords of this rickety quartet. www.joesature.com
Joe Sature & Ses Joyeux Osselets - Out of Service (France)
Three waiters and one waitress, dressed up to the nines, have been waiting in vain for clients to arrive. Screwball situations and double whammies, off cue songs and improbable choreography – everything becomes a pretext to kick boredom into touch and keep it there. From Sticky moments to moments unstuck, you will no longer wonder why this bunch of lunatic waiters have been declared “out of service”. www.joesature.com
Kanda Bongo Man
The legendary Kanda Bongo Man, has introduced his unique interpretation of Congolese Rumba, Kwassa Kwassa, to Uk audiences at the first Womad back in 1982. He reguarly tours internationally. Be prepared to dance.
Kendal Brewery Arts - Piaf The Songs
Edith Piaf has become synonymous with French Cabaret of the 1940′s & 50′s and remains Frances most popular singer. Piaf’s life was the stuff of legend from her dramatic rise from paris street urchin to star of international renown. Her life was however anything but ‘La Vie en Rose’. Piaf turned to drugs to find comfort and solace. This powerful celebration comes from a company whose credentials include Kneehigh Theatre and Canteve Vocale.
Lakeland Arts Trust - Kitaj: Portraits and Reflections
We will create a fun, informal, drop in activity based around the Kitaj exhibition. Kitaj: Portraits and Reflections at Abbot Hall Gallery. The workshop will explore Kitaj’s style to create an exciting and engaging workshop for all the family. www.lakelandartstrust.org.uk
La Malette - Bloodbath in the Grass (France)
A puppet show with a completely impolite moral. An hilarious, modern and devilish version of the tale the wolf and the sheep. This show is the remedy that you need! The one that will satisfy your destructive ideas and will ease your scaring fantasy. A true outlet for your mind. www.lamalette.org
Les Goulus - The Yellow Hand (France)
Les Goulus - Horsemen
Los Kaos - Meet the Dinosaur
A lively and informative natural history show starring a juvenile Stegosaurus called Tiny. This is an amazing opportunity to get up close & personal with a “real live” dinosaur- for the first time in 65 million years! www.loskaos.co.uk
Lucid Productions - Sink Dancing
MarkMark - Zigmund and Froyd, The Crystal Gaze
Mechanical Menagerie - The Element Tree
The Element Tree is an interactive fire and sound installation that encourages the public to take possession of street art by playing with jets of fire and flaming air horns. www.mechanicalmenagerie.com
Mechanical Menagerie - Alfonso Milanos Mechanical Marvels
Alfonso Milanos Mechanical Marvels is a travelling circus of mechanical oddities. Touring since time forgotten, the shrunken remains of Alfonso Milano, now skeletal and all but wasted away, continue to wander the land, driving on his circus of freaks and pulled by his long suffering, penny-farthing riding assistant. www.mechanicalmenagerie.com
Original Mixture - Pulcinella
Commedia dell’Arte featuring Pulcinella, the ancestor of Mr Punch, and his ancient grandmother! An inter-active and visual, walkabout. www.originalmixture.co.uk
pa-BOOM
PasParTouT - Kul-Gong (Germany)
Get ready for the latest chinese import from Germany: Kul-Gong. The man from the rising sun presents his globe balancing performance. Exuberantly comical mask and physical theater. www.paspartout.de
The Pressure Company - The Semi-Automatic Bandstand
Taking their cue from the former fantasies of fairground dance engines and public entertainments, ?The Pressure Company? bring the past bang up to date with thier collection of surreal, ingenious and marvellous musical machines. Throughout the evening the Bandstand will be open for the public to play with the machines, which will also perform at regular intervals as an ensemble – think Acid Brass meets Fairground Fantasia via dubstep,dancehall and mash-up…http://thepressurecompany.org
Ramshacklicious - The Small Time
Reckless Invention - Turbo Jonez and the Temple of Boom
Turbo Jonez is a Beats Archeologist. He’s in search of the ultimate phat beat to scratch. His quest takes the audience on a musical journey through time. The perilous road takes us through some of the most dangerous and hideous tracks of the 90′s 80′s 70′s 60′s, all the way back to that fool Mozart and his crew. It’s an endorphin rich soundtrack that assaults, teases, embraces, transforms and transports the audience through their own deep, secret memories of tunes that rock. www.recklessinvention.co.uk
Red Herring - That’s the way to do it!
A life sized and alternative version of the much loved Victorian seaside entertainment; Punch and Judy return as a vehicle for hilarious satire in our anxious, credit crunched world. With new puppets, music and knockabout choreography they have no prospect of selling their hut, their child is a voracious eater of dodgy sausages and Mr. Punch’s thieving is getting them into trouble and making Judy mad? www.redherringproductions.co.uk
Responsible Fishing - Stone Busking
Stone Busking combines the art of Stone Balancing and Street Theatre to create a seemingly impossible installation of stacked and balanced rocks. No gimmicks are used in the creation just patience and the art of finding the balancing point. www.responsiblefishinguk.co.uk
Richard Dedomenici - DaDa Dedominici Tada!
Safetycatch - Watch the Birdie
A photographer from the silent movie era poses volunteers for old-fashioned portraits in a paper moon. His magical dark room develops instant prints for participants to keep.
Safetycatch - Mariachoo
A hopeful romantic on Guitar with a giant amigo on Ukulele, this couple of unlikely mariachi wild things serenade el general publico, while competing for lead songster… in MariachoO!
Scopitone et Cie - Ze Patrecathodics
Take your Grandfather’s television. Empty it but take care not to shatter the glass. Listen to a fairy story on an old 45RPM and make a scene. Invite an agile performer and his peculiar and special puppets. Put the whole lot together in a second hand shop style. ABRACADABRA. Ze Patrecathodics are waiting for you in their vintage caravans to help you rediscover your grandad’s old TV and whisk you back to childhood. Let yourself be led into the day dreams of Scopitone et Cie into the hearts of fairy tales, broadcast to you live.
Sheelanagig
Shiva Grings - The Pigeon Chaser (Ireland)
A man on a mission to entertain. A singing, improvising, lovable clown, he takes every situation and melts it into something unique and wonderful. www.shivagrings.com
Skavolution
You Hum it, we’ll Ska it’ – That’s the motto helf firmly in the grasp of this eccentricand anarchic troup! Skavolution is a meeting of huge talent that makes a new sound out of an old style. Checked overcoats, shades checked trousers, flying hats; all this might create a crtoon effect, but this is serious stuff, thery open with a seriously pounding groove. From the opening bar the crowd instantly know a night with Skavolution is going to involve some serious dancing. Don’t forget your dancing shoes! www.myspace.com/skavolution
Soundwave (Gamelan) - Dwi Gambira Sari
Squashbox Theatre - The Sea Show
A quirky and hilarious mix of puppet show, street theatre and comedy cabaret. Meet crazy characters like Morwenna the beautiful mermaid, Ruan the reformed seagull and salty seadog Captain Pemburthy, as well as a cast of mischievous sea-squirts, anemones, limpets, crabs and pilchards. Come and celebrate the sea with tall tales, silly slapstick, fantastic facts, live music and songs – unmissable fun for children and adults of all ages! www.squashboxtheatre.co.uk
Squashbox Theatre - Skillywidden
A celebration of the wildlife and faery myths of Cornwall, using a distinctive mix of puppets, music and comedy cabaret. Meet Skillywidden the Pisky and all of his faery friends! Watch the dance of the beautiful faery Queen! Marvel at the incredible Book of Nature as it literally comes to life before your eyes! Gasp at the antics of Brian, the amazing mind-reading pig! Learn about bees, bats, birds and butterflies, and discover the secrets of the Cornish countryside!
Stickleback Plasticus - Cat’s Choir
A comedy, puppetry, song and improvisation these furry felines will bring catnip joy to all audiences. From oversized rubbish bins, our mischievous cats reflect on their lives, food and the death of Fat Bob. Nothing, and no-one, passes by without comment.
Strangelings - The Museum
Join your curators for a guided tour around the travelling Museum and discover the stories behind the exhibits in this unique archive of the ordinary made extraordinary.
Swank - Sputknicker Sisters
Hard times have forced two former Soviet circus stars out of retirement to once again perform the Russian barr. Time has taken its toll, however, and they are as graceless as geese and weak as kittens. Their comic attempts to throw and catch one of Russia’s foremost young gymnasts are a tour de force of clowning, combined in this show with Russian music and breathtaking acrobatics.
Taffy Thomas
Talking Birds - The Whale
Enter the jaws of a giant silver whale to be serenaded by a lovesick submariner, and you might leave with a gift from the sea. A three-minute journey for one adventurer at a time (or two if you’re shy).
Teatro Metamorfoso (Netherlands) 
Right before your eyes the incredibly beautiful Ludmilla transforms into an alarmingly frightful gorilla. The best ancient fairground amusement you can get!
Whalley Range All Stars - Imaginary Friends
Using large-scale choreography, large-scale improvisation, singing, puppet manipulation and theatrical set-pieces the Whalley Range All Stars and Babok will lead the audience through the twisting and turning streets of identity.
Willdings - Lenny Stobart
Be prepared to be mocked, because Lenny will draw you warts and all even if you don’t have warts. As Lenny draws his subject he also tells them what he thinks about the way they look, mocking them out loud to the amusement to everyone watching. No one is left in any doubt as to how ugly they are and they get to keep the drawing to prove it. Lenny comes with a pencil, a wicked tongue, and an Artistic Licence.
Wired Aerial Theatre - As the World Tipped
This ambitious and extraordinary piece of aerial theatre tells a powerful tale of ecological crisis. Combining dramatic video visuals with breath-taking aerial performance, As The World Tipped confronts one of the most pressing issues for the planet with spectacle, humour and emotion.
Ziya Azazi - Ember: Trapped in Fire (Turkey)
As most of the choreographical work of Ziya Azazi, Ember: Trapped in Fire is a work in progress based on repetition and experimental whirling. It is particularly concerned with self destruction, the pain of the awareness of mortality, and inevitable ending within the continuous cycle of existence. The piece represents the lifelong battle with individual boundaries, depicting life as an irreversible circle, an unavoidable trap. Ember, by consisting fire, intensifies the complexity of witnessing the dualities of living: joy and pain, beginning and end, presence and absence, life and death…
Ziya Azazi - Dervish in Progress (Turkey)
This solo is a contemporary interpretation of traditional Sufi dances, reflecting Ziya Azazi?s personal, artistic, conceptual and motional analysis. It represents the moment of an imaginary dervish when s/he starts to enjoy his/her achievement through the joyful and ecstatic repetition of whirling: the looping of spinning which lead to trance. The three skirt costumes intensify this joy with their illuminated and diverse colours and forms. This dynamic, metamorphic solo transforms the classical Sufi dance into a spectacular form as it suggest possibilities for joy to become ritual, without needing boundaries of existing belief systems.
