Theatre Greats

22 May 2003

There are over 1,000 performers and 1,000 shows lined up in the Theatre and Circus Fields of the festival this year, ranging from serious theatre, mime, dance, cabaret and stand-up to the most wonderul and weird of street theatre, as well as almost every possible form of circus skill.

We asked organiser Arabella Churchill to pick out her top ten tips to give Glastonbury first-timers a flavour of the fabulous things on offer.

10 VERY SPECIAL ACTS TO LOOK OUT FOR
IN THE THEATRE AND CIRCUS FIELDS

  1. blackSKYwhite, from Moscow, are SIMPLY STUNNING! "Bertrand's Toys" is a dark, disturbing, beautiful and truly indescribable show - the eye is entranced and constantly deceived by these wonderful performers and their extraordinarily fantastic costumes and effects. Unmissable! Catch it in the Theatre Marquee in Glebe Land at 11.00 p.m. each night.

  2. Jonathan Kay's "Fool" appears at around 3.00 p.m. each day in the Theatre Marquee in Glebeland. This Master of Foolery and "be- here-nowness" will take you out onto the Festival site for an adventure to remember - come and be part of a Glastonbury legend!

  3. K-dnk's Glass Cube in the Circus Field will have 3 of Britain's best jugglers inside it (Sean and Kati of the Gandinis, plus John Blanchard of Ultravision) juggling, throwing and bouncing balls in every which direction. Catch it each afternoon, or lit up at night at 11.10 p.m. near the Outside Circus Stage in the Circus Field.

  4. The Fire Shows. at midnight each night, are all going to be great, but don't miss the biggest and the best, on Saturday night at 12.00 midnight, when External Combustion present "The Garden of Delights" - a lyrical and theatrical performance of great scale and emotional impact - a series of interacting moving images and tableaux, brought to life through the dynamic merging of lighting effects, pyrotechnic special effects, mechanical structures, performers, fire, fireworks, held together by a specially commissioned sound track.

  5. Tumble Circus from Belfast have one of the very best trapeze acts around - sheer excitement and beauty - sublime! Every night in the Circus Big Top in East Holts around 11.00 p.m. each night.

  6. There are so many fantastic comedians in the Cabaret Marquee in East Holts each day, but I suppose my absolute favourite must be Bill Bailey, who will appear at 9.05p.m. on Saturday.

  7. The Madagascar Institute come from Brooklyn, New York, and are the incredibly inventive creators of large, innovative "happenings". At the time of going to press, we have not decided whether to have them produce "Thunderball", "The Rocket" or "The Sky and Air Colouring Book" - whatever it is they land up creating will be wild and fantastic, and you should definitely visit it in East Holts Theatre Field.

  8. There will be so much exciting "street" theatre taking place in the three Theatre and Circus Fields - robots, Elvises, sharks, sirens, swimmers, Evel Kneivels, lobsters and lunatics will abound, too many to mention - if I can mention only one, it must be Natural Theatre Company, the "Royal Family" of street theatre, whose hilarious performances at Glastonbury (including the "tripping" and amorous policemen and policewomen) are legendary.

  9. Pan Optikum from Germany bring this year's biggest and most exciting show "Il Corso", which will take place in the Circus Field at 12.40 a.m. each night. Pan Optikum have developed their own artistic language and are considered throughout Europe to be one of the forerunners of large-scale performance. "Il Corso" tells the story of a human being in search of fulfilment and happiness, based on the "Book of Questions" by Pablo Neruda. The erformance combines dramatic movement, installations, music, text, huge expressive images and pyrotechnics in unified artistic expression. The audience is in the middle of the performance and is a participant. Giant waterfalls of fireworks highlight the most extraordinary of images - come and be thrilled!

  10. One of the best things about the Circus and Theatre Fields, I feel, is the way one falls upon something bizarre around every corner. So many extraordinary installations will surprise and delight you at every turn- look out particularly for The Confessional, the 2nd Joke Stall, Bramble FM, the wonderful Gorillas and a trio of :minutery" - the Minuscule of Sound's Smallest Nightclub in the World, Black Box's Smallest Theatre in the World - and be sure to behave very well when you meet the Draconian Head Librarian who guards the Smallest Library in the World!

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