Nationally-renowned theatre companies will help Coventry celebrate spring through thrilling, nature-inspired performances when a free two-day festival heads to the city centre.
Magical outdoor theatre, live music and crafts workshops will be on show at Spring Up, a new free-to-attend festival celebrating the arrival of springtime at FarGo Village on Saturday, March 26 and Sunday, March 27.
Acclaimed Coventry-based theatre companies and performers including Talking Birds, The Fabularium, and The Wild Man of the Woods will be joined by other artists from across the West Midlands and beyond, bringing together a range of innovative and accessible shows across the site and inside the market hall and Factory at FarGo Village.
Talking Birds will bring back their acclaimed story The Whale, a short tale that engages all ages in environmental issues, for its first tour in over two years.
The Fabularium will tell the story of Leapa the Arctic Hare, who attempts to save the Siberian Tundra from a villainous beast after the Sun disappears from the sky.
Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days will be given a modern twist by RoguePlay, in the form of an acrobatic adventure designed to introduce young audiences to environmental issues. It follows feminist heroine Philly Fogg and her activist friends as an all-female cast ventures around the world to learn how to save the planet.
Performances from RoguePlay and Fabularium will have one accessible performance per day, including captioning and BSL interpretation.
Talking Birds will support performance captioning at the festival through The Difference Engine, which makes performances accessible to D/deaf, hard-of-hearing, blind or partially-sighted audience members by delivering captioning or audio description to their mobile devices.
Other hands-on activities are set to include micro-animation workshops from FarGo’s own Let’s Animate, woodland shadow puppet workshops delivered by creative theatre company Babbling Vagabonds, and sustainable fashion pop ups from Coventry City of Culture’s Haus of Kraft programme and FabLab.
Live music, curated by local favourite Levi Washington, will take place throughout the weekend, with exclusive performances on the Saturday from 6pm at Factory, Commonground, and Twisted Barrel Brewery and Tap House.
Organisers have created the festival to give artists the platform to share stories that celebrate springtime and the natural world while encouraging sustainability and the appreciation of wildlife. It is aimed at visitors of all ages.
Lucy Thompstone, Events Manager at FarGo Village, said: “We are extremely excited to bring together some of the UK’s most renowned outdoor theatre acts, performers and artists in one space at FarGo Village for a unique event inspired by nature and the arrival of spring.
“People will get to see some truly exciting and original performances from pioneering outdoor theatre groups for free as all of the events, with the exception of some of the workshops, will be free to attend.
“We’d like to thank all of the fantastic artists, performers and producers who have come together to help us put on this brand-new event, and want to extend an invite to the people of Coventry to celebrate the world we live in in one of the city’s most creative spaces.”
The Spring Up Festival has been made possible through grant funding from the National Lottery and Arts Council England.
For more information visit https://www.fargovillage.co.uk/events/spring-up-festival
ENDS
Confirmed performances include:
The Hare & The Moon – The Fabularium
Morning and afternoon shows on Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th March
https://fabularium.co.uk/the-hare-and-the-moon/
Around the World in 80 Days – RoguePlay
Morning and afternoon shows on Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th March
https://www.rogueplay.co.uk/around-the-world-in-80-days
The Whale – Talking Birds
Morning and afternoon shows on Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th March
https://talkingbirds.co.uk/2020/01/06/the-whale-2/
The Ugly Bugs Wingding – Enter Edem
Morning and afternoon shows on Saturday 26th only
https://www.enteredem.co.uk/touring-shows-and-experiences/#uglybugs
Bee-ology – Bumble Movement Arts
Morning and Afternoon show on Saturday 26th only
https://www.bumblemovementarts.com/shows
The Wild Man of the Wood – Barry Patterson
Shows throughout the day on Sunday 27th only