Arches Packs Bags for Fringe Residency

Glasgow arts venue The Arches packs its theatre programming bags this August to set up home at St Stephen’s, Edinburgh and bring to this year’s bursting Edinburgh Fringe Festival a selection of highly engaging and enriching performances.

The Arches at St Stephen’s continues at the Fringe the venue’s bold, risk-taking statement, now firmly stamped into the Victorian brickwork in Glasgow. The venue will present unique work by both established and emergent artists as well as programmed and organically generated performance and a gathering space for collaborative ventures. The centrepiece of the programme features three thrilling shows, Trilogy by Nic Green, Foot Washing for the Sole by Adrian Howells and Spaceman by Dudendance.

Trilogy will feature up to 100 female volunteer dancers. Brimming with relentless, raw energy and spanning three striking parts, the show takes its shape as a celebratory venture into modern-day feminism. This performance triptych examines and interrogates the joys and complexities of being a young woman today, whilst driving steadfast into the future with commitment and hope.

Foot Washing for the Sole, is a one-to-one, conversational encounter, Adrian allows you to take the weight off your feet and mind, by tenderly and lovingly washing and massaging your feet.

Spaceman features stark and compelling contemporary dance that uses a haunting, physical language to question the evolutionary process and what it is that makes us human. In the show, a lone other-worldly survivor undergoes a series of sculptural mutations, from prowling animal and robotic machine to alien shape-shifting force. Devised by performer Paul Rous, the movement and title of Spaceman were inspired by astronautical simulation exercises and the psychological aspect of space travel.

The Arches at St Stephen’s is aimed at providing a supportive platform for emergent artists. Alongside scheduled performances, The Arches will host performative post shows, mutual ‘Scratching’, café bar activities, BYOB and plan to animate the streets of the city with experimental responses to the space between St Stephen’s and the Forest Fringe venue. Ad hoc performance opportunities will also be created in the shape of late night unprogrammed slots to assist the emergence of spontaneous work, new collaborations and challenging ideas.<p>

Links:

www.edfringe.com

www.thearches.co.uk