1,000 Suns

For a teenager what’s worse? Growing up in America? Or growing up after America? Five young people face the struggles of their post-nuclear lives, in a wasteland that was once America, after the Cold War turned hot. They strive to overcome the oppressive authority of their parents and teachers, the hopelessness of the crater that they call home, and a dark sickness that threatens everything they hold dear.

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 All roads lead to Rome

Chris has lovingly repaired his family Triumph Herald Estate so that he can drive it from his home in Colchester to Rome. Part investigation into his father’s account of his time as a Polish soldier in the Italian Campaign and part muse on consumerism, this show brings together car mechanics, classical civilisation and the fetishisation of possessions in a solo performance using old photos, new film and surprising mechanical objects. A feast of razor-sharp observations and bizarre confessions extending beyond the immediate subject matter to grasp at universal truths. Total Theatre, Poland 3, Iran 2.

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The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer

Seas have risen, billions have died. Alvin Sputnik is our only hope. He must venture to the bottom of the ocean to find his wife’s lost soul and save humanity. Direct from sell-out seasons in New York, Sydney and Auckland, this multi award-winning piece of heart-warming ‘theatrical magic’ (Sunday Mail) is a one-man micro epic about enduring love and the end of the world. ‘Akin to a theatrical Wall-E’ (New York Times). Winner, Outstanding Solo Show, New York International Fringe Festival. Winner, Best Theatre Production, Auckland Fringe. Winner, Best Puppetry, Adelaide Fringe.

Angus – Weaver of Grass

Angus MacPhee’s life is a tale of illness, lost traditions and magical hats of grass, stunning like sunbursts. Raised on South Uist, and traumatised by WWII, Angus spent 50 years in a psychiatric hospital. He did not speak; instead he wove remarkable costumes from grass which feature in the Collection de l’Art Brut, Switzerland. Featuring beautiful Gaelic singing and grass replicas by Joanne B Kaar. Using sounds, songs and images of the Outer Hebrides, this is his tale. ‘Physical, emotional and aural beauty… their collective artistry is awesome.’ (Stage). www.horseandbamboo.org

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Faustus the Musical

Even the best and wisest amongst us do things we later regret… Under the bleak skyline of the industrial revolution, a company assembles to pass judgement on the greatest of a generation. In this gritty, steampunk-inspired retelling of the classic, an ensemble of actor-musicians and puppets bring to life the fall of John Faustus. In the bowels of the industrial revolution, change is brewing. A particular kind of hunger is bubbling inside one of the world’s most powerful minds, and when an offer is made that promises to satisfy that hunger, he makes a choice. A bargain. With the devil.

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Flown

Flying drum kits, levitating ironing boards and swinging divas. Welcome to the world of the unexpected! Irreverent and silly, bold and breathtaking, take flight with Flown for a captivating afternoon at the circus. A stunning troupe of masterful acrobats, aerialists, dancers, musicians and stuntmen are putting on a show for you. The problem is, the show has already started and no one is prepared. Taking you to dizzying heights and beyond, Pirates of the Carabina invite you to share in the thrills, fear and physical feats that define the life of a 21st-century circus artist.

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The Garden

The Garden tells the tale of a couple living on the 10th floor of a high rise block, at a time when humanity has run out of resources, who discover hope in the form of a strange tree that grows through the floor of their kitchen. ‘Compelling performances … astonishingly expressive vocal lines’ **** (Scotsman). ‘An astonishingly moving portrait of a loving couple at the end of their tether’ (Joyce McMillan, Scotsman, for the original play). Cast: Pauline Knowles, Alan McHugh, Libretto/Direction: Zinnie Harris, Composer: John Harris. Commissioned by Sound Festival. First sell-out performances in Aberdeen, 2012. www.patersonsland.co.uk

Garden O’ Delight

Journey back in time and join magical creatures who live in this beautiful world. But someone wants to destroy it forever. Outside, promenading, interactive family fun with an ecological theme. Music by John Sampson.

The Gypsybird Speaks

Dark times have befallen the forest clearing where a journalist, a director, a painter, and a witch lament the lost Philena. Devoured by the gypsy moths, the forest crumbles slowly as the mysterious prophet Asphodel draws near. Entwined in the forest mythology the characters delve deep into one another’s psyche, a magnetism they are powerless to avoid. Fresh new writing in the spirit of the Brothers Grimm, for grown-ups.

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How to Occupy an Oil Rig

There are all sorts of lessons to be learned in life. How to get served at the bar. How to crash a boardroom meeting. How to avoid becoming romantically attached to an undercover police officer. That sort of thing. In this playful and provocative show about protest, you’ll learn how to do all of this and more. Funny, surprising, and not a little sad, How to Occupy an Oil Rig is for everyone who ever wanted to change anything. And that’s everyone. You get to play with plasticine, too. Produced by ARC Stockton.

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Hunt and Darton Cafe

The award-winning interactive performance/installation and fully-functioning cafe returns! Expect a playful exploration into customer expectation, where food, service and business are the art. Festival staples, includes the sensational signature dish, the roast dinner sandwich which can be found on the menu alongside Coco-Pops, Battenberg and beans on toast. With guest waiters, themed days and activities such as their much loved Not Great Bake-off. We are here to serve. Prepare for appetites to be satisfied in more ways than one. ‘A must-visit Fringe experience’ **** (Scotsman). ‘Holly Darton and Jenny Hunt are wowing the Fringe’ (Observer).

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Island State

2046. Great Britain is underwater, except for one tiny island with a population of two: Marilyn (28, ruthless survivalist) and Josie (17, childlike). They don’t get on. A new darkly comic play about national identity, friendship and tennis, Island State is the story of two women’s struggle to keep going in the face of environmental catastrophe. ‘Quirky, dark and ultimately surprising … a striking portrayal of human nature and all its intricacies’ **** (DurhamTheatreReview.com). Winner: Best New Writing and Best Actress, Durham Drama Festival 2013.

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L’après-midi d’un Foehn – Version 1

This is the moment that the real life of the plastic bag begins its own life without us. An ethereal and magical performance art piece, accompanied by the classic Debussy music. A ballet mistress has created a piece of choreography performed by plastic dancers, propelled by currents of air on the lyrical music. The piece transports the viewers, sitting on the stage, to a world where the laws of gravity no longer exist and boundless adventures await. A beautiful journey that ignites the imagination.

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Last Land

Last Land is inspired by frozen plains and dusty desert majesty. Maria Nilsson Waller reconstructs the vast scale and unpredictability of these contrasting landscapes in a highly physical, poetic work that invites us to consider the urgency of tectonic movement and the accelerating rhythms of nature and climate change. In award-winning Fabrizio Favale’s solo, Il gioco del gregge di capre, the dynamics of goats flocking are seen and re-imagined with the clashing of horns and the crashing of hooves.

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One Giant Leap

An impossible attempt to bring the whole universe into a theatre and into our understanding, using a tennis ball, a wastepaper basket and a dash of theatrical invention. Iain Johnstone’s passionate solo performance about the relationship between humanity and the heavens is full of facts and awkward questions. Funny and serious, intelligent and silly, theatre and lecture, cosmic and personal, One Giant Leap asks us to think – about what we take for granted and about what we choose to ignore. www.madeinscotlandshowcase.com

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Ours Was the Fen Country

For the past two years Dan Canham (DV8 / Kneehigh / Punchdrunk) has been capturing conversations with people of the Fens, East Anglia. Eel-catchers, farmers, parish councillors, conservationists have all been interviewed. In this ethereal piece of documentary dance/theatre, Dan and his ensemble fuse movement and sound with words and memories from their native collaborators to get to the heart of this mysterious expanse of flat land, celebrating universal stories of rural communities fading from view. Exhilarating, poetic look at the inevitability of change from the voices of those who still know the old words.

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Pigmalion Zoo

In a decrepit and bankrupt city, God’s body was found dead in a Sainsbury’s car park. Since then, the annual Holy PG Tips competition has been held allowing citizens to audition to become the new God. Pigmalion is training his daughter to seduce God, believing He will come back from the dead and marry her. The play descends into the distorted perversion of building a family when all external structures have failed. Harrowing, dauntless, and deeply moving – Pigmalion Zoo doesn’t hesitate to expose the dangerous side of desire as it slowly corrupts nature itself.

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The Price of everything

How much is beauty worth? What will people pay for an air guitar on eBay? Can I have a glass of milk? These urgent questions and others are answered in this performance lecture about value. Daniel Bye’s whistle-stop tour of bizarre facts and impassioned arguments is occasionally shambolic and often misleading but always a joy to watch. Comic, provocative and possibly a tiny bit sad, this show is a must if you’ve ever wondered about the difference between the price of an object and its value. And you get a free glass of milk.

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Sacred Earth

Ragamala’s Artistic Directors Ranee and Aparna Ramaswamy create visceral, universal experiences that use Indian dance (Bharatanatyam) to express their contemporary point of view. Sacred Earth explores the interconnectedness between human emotions and the environments that shape them. Inspired by the philosophies behind the ephemeral arts of Kolam and Warli and the Tamil Sangam literature of India, Sacred Earth is Ranee and Aparna Ramaswamy’s singular vision of the beautiful, fragile relationship between nature and man. Performed with live music; featuring guest Warli artist Anil Vangad. ‘Rapturous and profound … an excellent company’ (New York Times).

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The Smallest Light

What makes something worth standing up for? Can I change the world from my living room? What if I’m protesting, my costume rips and a picture of me naked ends up going viral? Inspired by courageous protesters who risk everything for what they believe in, four women find quirky ways to effect change in the world around them. Charting the performers attempts to stand up for what they believe in, The Smallest Light uses exciting visual storytelling to tell four explosive stories about what it is that makes us act.

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Somnambules & the 7 Deadly Sins

Are you ready for the experiment? Who’s next? Internationally renowned multiple award-winning performers Tanya Khabarova (Derevo) and Yael Karavan (Karavan Ensemble) invite you on an epic voyage into the mysteries of what we are made of, transporting us through archetypes, icons and the ancestors within us. Step into the laboratory for a spectacular journey through astonishing imagery, time and art – a feast for the eyes and mind. ‘Beautiful, extraordinary – a match made in heaven … an intoxicating play between two magnetic performers’. Total Theatre. ‘A dynamic performance that blew everyone away.’ Latest 7 ****

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Sweater Curse: A Yarn about Love

From Dallas, Texas, comes this smart solo comedy about love, old movies, great literature and unfinished jumpers. Like craft night with more laughs! Nora Ephron with needles! `Don’t talk to me about acrylic yarn,’ says writer/performer Elaine Liner, ‘it’s cheap and loud, like the Real Housewives of Atlanta.’ Knit and crochet during a show (yes, bring your stuff!) that’ll have you in stitches. Come early to the knit-in and add rows to the travelling scarf. Afternoon performance in air-conditioned venue. Suitable for all ages. `Elaine’s hilarious stories add up to a well-spun yarn’ (TheaterJones.com).

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Total Hero Team

New two-man musical from the people behind Dinosaur Planet, Hey Hey 16K and Moon Horse, featuring superheroes, robots, pirates, kittens and a free badge. ‘Like two drunk dads getting up and singing at a barbecue’ (BBC Radio 1).