CELEBRATION
performance for theatres, 55 mins, 2016
'Let's all celebrate and have a good time’ - Kool and the Gang
Amidst global crises and 24-hour rolling news, CELEBRATION was made in response to a provocation: create an hour of joy. Taking the form of a sort-of-variety-show of games, song, dream-like images and clumsy dance, the piece explores joy and optimism as political tools. A blind dog becomes a prophet, Donald Trump is reborn as a deity in drag, and two performers with golden faces sing a folk-dirge to the words of Kool and the Gang. The show is exuberant and melancholy in equal measure, a catalogue of the hopes and fears of youth.
"A small but glorious remedy for despair... a touching and thought-provoking theatrical gift." - The Stage
“A unique and mesmerising cocktail of stand-up, dance, poetry and song" - The Sunday Times
CELEBRATION was developed with support from the Institute of Advanced Teaching and Learning (IATL)
Created and performed by Clara Potter-Sweet and Ben Kulvichit
Lighting design and technical management Ciara Shrager
Original song Nat Norland
'All Downhill from Here' choreographed by Elisabeth Stowell
Producer Emily Davis
Photos Aenne Pallasca, Richard Lakos, Giulia Delprato, Ang Kia Yee
Previous dates:
1 July 2018 / LyricFest, Lyric Hammersmith, London
5 November 2017 / Emerge Festival, Warwick Arts Centre
3-5 September 2017 / New Diorama, London
15-28 August 2017 / ZOO Venues, Edinburgh
23-24 July 2017 / Theatr Clwyd, Mold
23 June 2017 / Warwick Fringe, Warwick Arts Centre
11 June 2017 / Incoming Festival, New Diorama, London
10 April 2017 / National Student Drama Festival, Donald Roy Theatre, University of Hull
2-3 December 2016 / Warwick University
