Co:Lab
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A FESTIVAL OF WORKS IN PROGRESS AND EMBRYONIC IDEAS FROM THE NEXT GENERATION OF THEATRE-MAKERS IN THE NORTH WEST
CO:LAB FESTIVAL 2018 | FRIDAY 20 - SUNDAY 22 JULY
Co:LAB is back!
After a fantastic inaugural festival in 2017, Co:LAB returns this July with 11 brand new commissions from local artists, to showcase embryonic ideas from the next generation of theatre-makers in the North West.
Co:LAB - or the Collision Laboratory - is a response to local artists who say that they need time, space and money to begin to explore ideas and collaborations, and a chance to test the work on a live audience. The Festival aims to showcase theatre made in non-traditional ways with unexpected creative collisions and collaborations.
CO:LAB FESTIVAL LINE-UP | FRIDAY 20 JULY
ATOM:SMASH – FESTIVAL LAUNCH
6.30pm, Studio
There will be music! There will be drinks! Celebrate the launch of Co:LAB with the artists and staff of the Open Exchange.
TUCH
by Amy Lawrence | 7.30pm, Studio
BAAL
By Knaïve Theatre & Impermanence Dance Theatre | 8.30pm, Studio
PRINCE GORGE
by Sophie Coward, Eliyana Evans and James Varney | 10.00pm, Studio
CO:LAB FESTIVAL LINE-UP | SATURDAY 21 JULY
COMMIT.
By Big Liars | 7.00pm, Front Room
OVER MY DEAD BODY
Devised by Ali Wilson and James Monaghan | 8.30pm, Studio
ETA CARINA
By Violet Blonde, The Kommanderrr, Clare McNulty | 10.00pm, Studio
CO:LAB FESTIVAL LINE-UP - SUNDAY 22 JULY
A PART OF ME
By New Vision Theatre Company | 3.00pm / 4.00pm / 5.00pm, The Great Hall
AFTER BIRTH
By Highlight Collective
Performance Times: 3.00pm / 4.00pm / 5.00pm, The Lounge
Installation Dates/Times: Friday 20 – Sunday 21 July, 10.00am - 10.00pm (except during show times in the main Theatre)
ALTAR/ALTER
By Lydia Cottrell & Michael-Jon Mizra | 3.00pm / 4.00pm / 5.00pm, Exchange Suite
CATCHING COMETS
By Ransack Theatre and written by Piers Black | 6.00pm, Studio
THE WITCHING WAY
By Ali Matthews, Leo Burtin & company | 7.00pm, Studio
- WHAT IS CO:LAB FESTIVAL?
Co:LAB is a response to local artists who say that they need time, space and money to begin to explore ideas and collaborations. Open Exchange artists can apply for a small amount of funding (between £300-£2,000) to develop a scratch performance for a public audience. Whereas REACT is about exploring process risk-free, Co:LAB – or the Collision Laboratory – is a chance to test the work on a live audience.
The Festival aims to showcase theatre made in non-traditional ways with unexpected creative collisions and collaborations. As with all of our opportunities the festival has been curated via an open call out to Open Exchange members. In some cases, Co:LAB will further develop ideas which had their origin in REACT.
Survival
by Elmi Ali and Nuala Maguire
Citizen
by James Monaghan and Christine FitzGerald
Love Letters from Blackpool
Written and performed by Ruth E. Cockburn - with Claire Walmsley Griffiths, Phil Ellis, Daniel Wallace & Will Lenton
Shooting the Messenger
by Take Back Theatre Collective
Two Fat Gentlemen
by Charlotte Maxwell and Marcela Hervia
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by YesYesNoNo and Conan the Librarian
Woke
Written and performed by Testament
Vent
Directed by Collette Murray, Composed by Michael Betteridge and created by The Ensemble (Alex McCoy, Andy Pilkington, Barney Cooper, Charlotte Ashton, Elka Lee-Green, Katherine McDermott, Leni Murphy, Nicola O'Keeffe, Ryan Clayton, Sarah Coyne and Steff Riches)
Power to the North
by Knaïve Theatre and Tim Foley
So Fey
by Amy Lawrence with Joe Whitmore, Vitaljia Glovackyte, Henrietta Phoebe Dunn, Nisa Cole & Lucie Browne Research Assistance: Tilda O’Grady & Jade Montserrat
“It was special - a game changer for the artists and a shift in the landscape of the city.” Piers Black-Hawkins, Ransack Theatre, Minus Touch
“Co:LAB is unquestionably one of the most exciting platforms for emerging artists in the UK and it is very exciting to be part of it. For us it is an opportunity to develop the immersive, game-based, science fiction ideas that we scratched for the REACT commission with Tim Foley. With the new title Power To The North we will be focusing on addressing the issues we found in our experiments last time, building on the successes, responding to the feedback we received and pushing ourselves further to create a wild, engaging, live and genuinely empowering theatrical experience. For us, it is incredible simply to have the opportunity to develop the idea, but to have the Royal Exchange guiding and seeing the development both times is invaluable!” Knaïve Theatre, Power to the North
“And thank you again for the opportunity to play and experiment. The tech team were just amazing as were you all. We felt so supported and encouraged and in a unique position of being able to experiment and fail quite dramatically without any concern. It really helped push our practice and we love what you are doing with Open Exchange!” Take Back Theatre, Shooting the Messenger
Open Exchange provides a series of developmental opportunities for emerging artists of all disciplines, rooted in the belief that collaboration creates great art and brilliant theatre doesn't always begin with a script. Sign up here for opportunities.
