CURVE’S INSIDE OUT FESTIVAL RETURNS TO CELEBRATE THE ARTISTIC TALENT OF THE EAST MIDLANDS

Leicester’s Curve theatre will be celebrating the work of leading and emerging East Midlands’ artists this May for the third annual Inside Out Festival. With over 10,000 people visiting and taking part in Inside Out over the past two years, this year’s Festival promises to be even bigger and better. Running from the 5th to the 15th May, and taking over unusual spaces in and around the Curve building, the Inside Out Festival features a diverse range of performances, workshops and events that showcases leading theatre makers, performers and writers from the region.

Inside Out Festival will feature work developed by Curve’s Breakthrough Artists, Affiliate Community Groups and Young Company and other independent local artists.

In addition to previews of new work, this year’s festival will include collaborations with the National Theatre’s Connections whilst the award-winning theatre company Common Wealth will work with dozens of local artists to create a once-in-a-lifetime theatrical experience taking over the top floor of the NCP car park next door to Curve.

Mercury Musicals Development and Musical Theatre Network will also present a bespoke regional version of BEAM 16, celebrating the very best upcoming musical theatre talent with a focus on new musical work being made outside of London. This exclusive East Midlands event follows on from the international success of the first BEAM showcase at London’s Park Theatre earlier this year.

Selected highlights of this year’s Festival will transfer to Battersea Arts Centre in London as part of the A Nation’s Theatre celebration, marking the best new live performance being created across the country, supported by The Guardian. This project and the meaning of theatre itself to the city will also be explored in a one-off, entirely free “A Nation’s Theatre Conversation” event, chaired by The Guardian’s critic Lyn Gardner at the end of the Festival.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL INCLUDE:
All Out, 15 May, will see the festival take over the top floor of the neighbouring NCP car park on Rutland Street for a thrilling, unpredictable and beautiful look at the world through the eyes of the people of Leicester. A Curve commission from award-winning theatre company Common Wealth, All Out will be made over just five days during the festival by Curve Affiliate Groups including Nupur Arts, Moving Together, 2Funky Arts, Kainé Management, Next Wave and Little Movers.

NT Connections, 7- 8 MAY is a celebration of new writing for the stage, written by leading playwrights for young theatre companies and commissioned by the National Theatre. Curve will host four plays shown as double bills. Each play will be performed by a different East Midlands theatre groups including Curve Young Company performing I’m Spilling My Heart Out Here by Stacy Gregg, Lincoln Young Company performing Eclipse by Simon Armitage, North Kesteven School performing Take Away by Jackie Kay and Lutterworth College performing It Snows by Bryony Lavery & Frantic Assembly.

WRONG, 5- 6 MAY Following on from the critically acclaimed SHAME and developed with support from Arts Council England, poet John Berkavitch and a group of dancers and illustrators return to Inside Out Festival with a brand new work of spoken-word-dance theatre. WRONG combines poetry, dance and live illustration to tell a story of fatherhood.

2016’s festival will present even more free performances than ever before on the Inside Out Park stage, nestled in the heart of Curve’s fully transformed foyer and for the first time visitors will be able to experience some of Leicester’s incredible independent trade scene at the new Inside Out Night Market located on the theatre’s mezzanine.

Curve Artistic Director, Nikolai Foster commented:
“Last year was my first taste of the mighty Inside Out Festival and I was blown away by the scale and ambition of Suba and Maddie’s vision for the event. This year promises to build on the great success of the last, offering a vivid snapshot of the diversity of talent in the East Midlands. We are proud to collaborate with such a dynamic group of artists and audiences throughout the year, Inside Out providing the perfect opportunity to showcase all of this industry, celebrating the powerful and original voices emerging from our region.”

Suba Das, Curve’s Associate Director and curator of the festival commented:

“After the unbelievable success of our first two festivals, Inside Out really grows up this year, with some of the most significant names in talent development in the UK – the National Theatre, Mercury Musicals Development and Musical Theatre Network, and Battersea Arts Centre – all joining us to celebrate the talent of our city and region. I’m especially thrilled we are able to bring the brave, bolshy, political dynamos that are Common Wealth, one of the UK’s most hotly sought after companies, to Leicester to devise a brand new piece with artists and participants drawn from our community groups – these are the kinds of once-in-a-lifetime cross-overs that are only made possible when a regional city has a resource like Curve. But that’s only one facet of the festival! From building an entire marketplace for independent traders across our epic Mezzanine, to welcoming hundreds of East Midlands youth theatre performers for the National Theatre Connections Festival, Curve will be bursting at its seams with talent over an unmissable ten days.”

The full programme of workshops and performances is available at www.curveonline.co.uk/get-involved/inside-out-festival/

ENDS

For further information, interview or images please contact Nicola Allen or Jonathan Fraser on 0116 242 3574 or email press@curvetheatre.co.uk.

LOCAL LISTINGS

Venue: Curve, Leicester

Dates: Thursday 5- Sunday 15th May

Tickets: dependent on show, please visit http://www.curveonline.co.uk/get-involved/inside-out-festival/

Ticket office: 0116 242 3595

www.curveonline.co.uk

@CurveLeicester