BoonDog Theatre presents _PISKIE*_, a brand new beautiful story about
the tug of war between fantasy and reality. Written and performed by
Lucy Roslyn and directed by Jamie Firth, _PISKIE_ is a show for all
those who believe there is still a little magic to be found in the
world.
Ouida Burt was raised on the fantasy stories of her hometown - where
the piskies of Dartmoor are waiting to lead dreamers astray. The
family joked that her father - a somnambulist - was at risk. He would
sleepwalk, “piskie-led” - so he said - by Ouida’s cherished
imaginary friend “Bert”. But, one night, he sleepwalked out of
their family home and onto the moors… never to return.
After the search was called off, the family was forced to accept that
he had most likely abandoned them; agreeing, from that point on, to
give up all notion of fantastical things.
Years later, Ouida is now a respected psychologist, an academic, and a
realist. In _PISKIE_, the audience joins her as she leads a talk on
fear. As usual, she’s here to debunk the irrational and fantastic -
to explain away the inexplicable with cold, hard evidence_. _It is
time to turn a light on all those things that go bump in the night.
But one of the things that keeps Ouida up at night cannot be
explained. Something that followed her back from the moors all those
years ago. _Could “Bert” really be… back?_
_PISKIE _interrogates the entrenchment of ideas, showing that even the
most rational people have irrational beliefs, and asks why it is so
easy to give advice that you do not take. A beautiful story about
magic versus cynicism that sends the audience away charmed, and just a
little bit spooked.
*Piskie is a Devonian word for Pixie.
ABOUT BOONDOG THEATRE
BoonDog Theatre IS A COLLABORATIVE THEATRE COMPANY, CREATING EXCITING
NEW STORIES FOR THE STAGE.
Founded in 2011 by Creative Director Lucy Roslyn and Productions
Director Jamie Firth, BoonDog are passionate about new work and
starting conversations that hopefully last long beyond the time the
audience are in the theatre.
Their first show was "_The State vs John Hayes_" in 2013, which gained
great critical acclaim: It was described in one review as "Beautifully
brutal", and that has almost become their goal to be achieved with
each and every show. Next, a suite of interweaving stories set
backstage at the "_Boon and Doggett Circus_" - an ongoing project with
3 different shows produced so far: "_Showmanship_" (Theatre503 Best of
the Fest), "_The Stooge_" and "_Goody_" (LET Award winner 2017).
Working with Jesse Anand Productions and director Josh Roche, they
have also created "_Orlando_" ("Brits Off Broadway" 2023) and
"_Pennyroyal_". They also help to develop other peoples shows - In
2022 they worked with Colin Hoult on his Edinburgh Comedy Award
nominated show "_The Death of Anna Mann_"
In the Auditorium and Bar
27th July from 19:30 to 21:00
Quiz Night - Summer quiz league - week one
In the Bar
2nd August from 20:00 to 23:00
Coffee Morning - Criterion coffee morning
In the Bar and Foyer
3rd August from 10:30 to 12:30
Quiz Night - Summer quiz league - week two
In the Bar
9th August from 20:00 to 23:00
Quiz Night - Summer quiz league - week three
In the Bar
16th August from 20:00 to 23:00
In the Bar
23rd August from 19:00 to 20:00
Quiz Night - Summer quiz league - week four
In the Bar
23rd August from 20:30 to 23:00
News
Hi all,
Well, it’s all hands on Deck at the moment! As usual, there is a lot
going on, so I thought it a good time to give a quick overview of all
that is happening.
A couple of weeks ago I was delighted to welcome the Deputy Mayor to
the theatre for the official launch of ‘Who turned out the
lights?’, the new audio book from the creative writing team at the
Resource Centre for the Blind. I am very proud of the Theatres
relationship and work with the Resource Centre, and this was a
wonderful evening to launch this important collaboration that has
taken a lot of hard work, creative talent, and effort to achieve.
The pieces, written by the creative writing team at the centre led by
the lovely Jessica Eastman, voiced by three experienced Criterion
actors under the direction of our own Richard Warren, and recorded by
Media Mania, is the first of what we hope will be several
collaborations between us all. Further details are on the Criterion
website under ‘News’ or on the Resource centre website: Who
Turned Out The Lights | Coventry Resource Centre For The Blind
(bandcamp.com)
[http://email.criteriontheatre.co.uk/c/eJwUzT2ShCAQQOHTYKYFLaITEEziPfhphVqEqbbZrb39lNGrF33RGo1qQKtWpWe1bkYPyUYwWzz89pIQIJpl2Zw5gjTu8IdHmIdsQYKWGja1gIZ5UhJVXNWqYZEvVCi0DJQZKbfKCR0TTqFN_WcoNjF_bjG_BewC9tB-sTL9E96tU8DwHB6NOKEvucbJuxqDuz5TaJeA3RXfn_6lNnKninFsnUdOOJZ8Jr4Hsu_rFFqeuRR3jSch1oe_vgEAAP__N0JNNw]
Our fantastic Customer Experience team and volunteers are busy
preparing for May Day, with which we have timed the Springboard
Festival week. May Day is always a good day for the theatre, and we
will have all the usual events happening around the building, as well
as showcasing and activities for Springboard. Obviously, this means a
lot of work for all our members but especially the Customer experience
team. There has never been a better opportunity to get involved and be
a part of something special. Please do come along and support us or
volunteer to help staff in what will be a very busy week.
This is the second Springboard festival, building on last year’s
groundbreaking event, a week of one act plays, poetry, music, and art,
bringing together amateur and professionals in one space, with in
house company performances and community/Criterion collaborations
alongside external artists, musicians and theatre companies, poetry
workshops and art exhibitions, it looks to be a truly exciting and
interesting week. The hard work and effort that goes into the
planning, scheduling and delivery of this event is immense and I would
like to say a huge thank you to everybody who has worked so hard. I
would ask you all to support us by coming to see us one evening (or
them all!) It promises to be very special. Tickets are available
online now, along with details of each evening’s events.
Talking of our hard-working Customer experience team, they have gone
through some changes just recently, with Natalie Harrat having to step
down from running the box office, as she and her family are relocating
out of Coventry. Natalie has been a longstanding member of the
theatre, previously sitting on the board as Finance Director,
appearing in several shows and being a valued member of the Customer
Experience team. On behalf of the board and the entire theatre I would
like to say thank you to Natalie, you will be sorely missed. I would
also like to thank Emma Padfield for stepping into Natalie's role and
Helen McGowan for picking up the cleaning rota.
I’ll mention it again…The Customer experience team are always
looking for willing volunteers to help, many hands make light work, if
you think you could support us now or in the future please do get in
touch.
You may have noticed our theatre looking a little better after some
work to the frontage. This is the first stage, timed for May Day and
the Springboard Festival, to improve the look of our theatre. You will
see the original brickwork to the front has been revealed, repointed,
and the woodwork repaired and painted. This has been completed in
record time to hit our target and I must give a big thanks to Barabara
Sowerby for being the driving force and to everyone involved with this
achievement. This is not only the start of the work on the frontage,
we are not finished yet, but also some other major improvements
around the place and is a small part of what has and is going on
behind the scenes. I will be updating in detail on development, on a
more regular basis, as we move forward.
Finally, I would like to say thank you to everyone who is working so
hard in and around the theatre in so many areas. It really is
impossible to mention by name everyone who is going above and beyond
to keep our wonderful theatre moving forward. You make the theatre the
place it is. You know who you are, thank you all.
I hope to see you all soon, and please do not hesitate to get in touch
with any questions or suggestions, chair@criteriontheatre.co.uk
Regards,
Jon, April 28th 2024
29th April
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