te POOKa Festival Programme 2009: August 5th-September 1st
What lies behind the Big Red Door?
You wont find it in the festival program. You won't find our flyers in the street. You wont find our posters peeling from the back of the toilet door.
But you might hear the whispers in dark corners, you might see Lady Lawson and her theatrical household parading the streets on their green feet advert biplane, and if you're very, very lucky (or very, very cute)... you might even merit a personal invitation!
For those who dare to open their eyes to the magical, the glorious and the downright peculiar, The Big Red Door will open on a shimmering world of fantastical, decadent, otherworldly, and even spiritual revelry.
Within its shadowy hall of broken-mirror dreams and carnival-mask emotions, we invite you to drink gooseberry wine, fine ales, and welcome performances from Theatre Paradok, KiN, The Otesha Project, Steam Punks and more as part of our festival of mischievous magical fun.
This is your passport to the Big Red Door. Keep your eyes open, and enter our universe. Be transformed, entertained, and experience the festival as you dreamed it would be.
Timetable
Download the Big Red Door festival programme (PDF format, requires Adobe Reader)
- Wed 5th Members Warm-up Party 9pm-late *
- Thurs 6th Do the Dodo 1-2.30pm Neighbours Night 5.30-8.30pm
Duffelboy 3-5pm and 9-11pm * - Fri 7th Do the Dodo 1-2.30pm Duffelboy 3-5pm and 8-10pm *
- Sat 8th Do the Dodo 1-2.30pm Duffelboy 3-5pm
te POOKa: In Bed with Lady Lawson 9pm-late * - Sun 9th Do the Dodo 1-2.30pm Duffelboy 3-5pm
- Mon 10th HUH! 5.30-7pm Members Night 8pm-late *
- Tues 11th HUH! 5.30-7pm Aireoke 10pm-late
- Wed 12th HUH! 5.30-7pm KiN 9pm-late
- Thurs 13th The BAY 7pm Coyote Bard 9-11pm
- Fri 14th Primary School Musical 7-8.30pm The BAY 10pm
- Sat 15th Primary School Musical 2.30-3.30pm The BAY 7pm
te POOKa: In Bed with Lady Lawson 11pm-late * - Sun 16th Primary School Musical 7-8.30pm The BAY 10pm
- Mon 17th Otesha 5-7pm Members Night 8pm-late *
- Tues 18th Otesha 5-7pm
- Wed 19th te POOKa Workshops 12-5pm Otesha 5-7pm
- Thur 20th te POOKa Workshops 12-5pm Coyote Bard 8-10pm
- Fri 21st Duffelboy 1-3pm The Arrival of Airship R1001 - A Steampunk Night 8.30pm-late
- Sat 22nd Duffelboy 3-5pm te POOKa: In Bed with Lady Lawson 9pm-late *
- Sun 23rd Duffelboy 3-5pm te POOKa: In Bed with Lady Lawson 9pm-late *
- Mon 24th Members Night 8pm-late *
- Tues 25th Venus Carmichael 6.30-8pm
- Wed 26th te POOKa Workshops 12-5pm Nights at the Circus 7-9.30pm
- Thur 27th te POOKa Workshops 12-5pm Nights at the Circus 7-9.30pm
- Fri 28th Duffelboy 3-5pm Nights at the Circus 7-9.30pm
- Sat 29th Duffelboy 3-5pm Nights at the Circus 7-9.30pm
te POOKa: In Bed with Lady Lawson 11pm-late - Sun 30th Duffelboy 3-5pm Nights at the Circus 7.30-9.30pm
- Mon 31st Members Night FINAL FLING!
te POOKa presents The Whole Festival Programme in One Night! 8pm-late - Throughout Exhibitions
- Selected nights Monastery of Sound *
Tickets
Tickets are available from the Big Red Door box office 12pm-5pm, call 0131 229 1480 or come in or try your luck on the door on the night.
te POOKa: In Bed with Lady Lawson
Sat 8th, Sat 15th, Sat 22nd, Sun 23rd, Sat 29th
9pm-late or 11pm-late, please check timetable for each date
£ roll the dice
Lady Lawson invites only the daring into her magical boudoir.
At her request, te POOKa have opened their (Big Red) Door to the public! If you step inside, Maid Marion will show you to your seat and tickle your fancy (how is your posterior feeling this evening, sir?), while members of the household invite you to play with them in a whirlwind of circus strangeness and cabaret mayhem. We promise you acrobatics, trapeze, music, storytelling, poetry, parlour games... and anything else you can think of!
Who knows - the lady might even invite you into her bed...
This is the ball you never went to, the surprise party that wasn't thrown for you, the adventure you always wanted. If you dare to play with us in the flickering shadows of our home, you will open your heart to the enchantment and remember that life is beautiful...
The Big Red Door is te POOKa's home, renovated with no funding and serious amounts of hard work. te POOKa are a family of mischievous sprites in the form of artists, circus performers, musicians and magicians. They excel in creating spontaneous, interactive theatre, and they connect us to the natural world by reminding us of the importance of storytelling and play, the need to create, teach, love, laugh... and not take life too seriously.
Photos from Festival 2008
2008 Festival Retrospective
Do the Dodo
Thurs 6th, Fri 7th, Sat 8th and Sun 9th
1pm-2.30pm (30 minute show, 1 hour workshop)
£8 (show and workshop) £6/4 (show only)
Lisette Boxman graduated this year from the Utrecht School of Art in the Netherlands. For her final play she made and directed 'Do the Dodo!'. The play tells the story about the dodo bird which became extinct in 1598. You will be taken away from the museum, in which the dodos have been stuffed, into the real life of the dodos hundreds of years ago. The dodo is a friendly bird and lives in groups on the island Mauritius. But since men have arrived in boats on the island everything has changed...
Besides being an actor in her own play, Boxman has designed and made puppets and masks especially for this play. Together with Maaike Kres she puts down a lovely historical story in which the dodo will become alive!
Dodo would like to meet you, are you curious enough? Would you like to meet this shy and naive bird? Come and see and join our puppetry/masks workshop afterwards - you are more than welcome!
Duffelboy
By Steve Webb, directed by Leslie Dunbar
Thurs 6th-Sun 9th: 3pm-5pm and 8pm-10pm
Fri 21st-Sun 23rd: 3pm-5pm
Fri 28th-Sun 30th: 3pm-5pm
(please check timetable for each day)
£7.50/£5 or dice roll
A spellbinding, butt clenching, bungy jump through insanity's walls.
A theatrical tale from the dark side of contemporary Scottish storytelling, delivered in verse. A cracked actor loses the plot but follows the limelight home with angels and faeries lighting the way on a search and rescue mission for his 'lost boy' trapped in Hell.
NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN
HUH!
By Fritz
Mon 10th, Tues 11th, Wed 12th 5.30pm
£6
Dutch magician Fritz with a Z will charm you with his comedy, improvisation and of course magic. At the end of the show you'll think 'HUH?!??!!!'
Aireoke
Tues 11th, 10pm-late
£4
What is Aireoke? Simple, it's karaoke, but without the singing: just pick a song, grab your air guitar, and indulge yourself in an invisible riff riot! Air guitar isn't just for your bedroom anymore, it's a worldwide phenomenon, and for the first time ever Edinburgh is getting its very own Air Guitar Karaoke night, hosted by the current Air Guitar UK Champion, The Midnight Moses, accompanied by his air guitar band extraordinaire The Air O'Smiths, who'll be kicking the night off with a bang! Come dressed up, bring your friends, even form your own air band, the only limit is your imagination, and an Aireoke night is always a night to remember!
"Where karaoke gets its small furry butt kicked!" - Zac 'The Magnet' Monro, 2-time World Air Guitar Champion.
KiN
Wed August 12th, 9pm-late
£2 on the door - performers get their shiny tokens back after
Performer sign-up at 8.30pm - KiN begins at 9pm
Edinburgh's one and only purveyor of acoustic soup relocates to the Big Red Door for a Festival one-off, open-stage extravaganza. Laying on amplification-free, attitude-free, good times since 2000, KiN is renowned for its eclectic performances and open-minded, open-hearted audience.
Simple recipe:
stir together a list of performers from the meddly of souls gathered at 8.30pm
combine with warmly-welcoming, open-lugged audience
serve piping hot at 9pm
full bellies for all!
All acts considered. Expect to laugh, cry and be so excited you might even let slip a little drip of pee.
Past KiNs have favoured singers, players, poets, story-sayers, bubble-blowers, dancers, percussives, actors. Bring your thing and share it with your KiN. Audience participation actively encouraged.
Puttin the Unity in your commUnity / / / Come together / / / Unplug
The BAY
Thurs 13th, Fri 14th, Sat 15th and Sun 16th
Thurs and Sat 7pm, Fri and Sun 10pm
£7/5
Fragments presents The BAY by Hannah Burke, directed by Shane Dempsey.
Picture a quiet beach, fresh and undisturbed by human kind, for the most part that is. This idyllic bay is a real place in County Cork, Ireland and this frenetic play based on real events that turned a beautiful bay into a murder scene. The Bay charts the demise of a loosely developed community of New Age Travellers. Though the aim of all is to live peacefully the territorial nature of human kind makes this difficult and eventually impossible. The BAY is a whirlwind of action which employs the skills of actors with a strong physical language, lending it a truly unforgettable style.
Download the BAY press pack (PDF format, requires Adobe Reader)
Coyote Bard
Thurs 13th: 9pm-11pm, Thurs 20th: 8pm-10pm
£6/4
Don't know your Loki from your Eshu or your Coyote from your Monkey? Don't know a Trickster from a Liar or Trickery from Idiocy?
Don't despair! Help is at hand in the Trickster's metaphysical surgery between the worlds.
Tom Hirons will enlighten and confuse in unequal measure with the help of Trickster-tales old and new (but cannot be held responsible for psychological, mythological or philosophical damage to anyone attending...)
WORLD PREMIERE of PRIMARY SCHOOL MUSICAL!
Fri 14th: 7pm, Sat 15th: 2.30pm Sun 16th: 7pm
£6 or play the game
The new musical for ALL primary schools EVERYWHERE!
When an evil mastermind decides to close Sunnyside Primary, only the kids can SAVE THEIR SCHOOL!
Featuring the songs Smoke and Mirrors, Anty Song, Girls Are So Weird, Yer Gran, Primary Lovesong, Oh Boy!... and many more!
Book, Music and Lyrics by Angus Reid
Musical Director: Philip O'Meara
Band Leader: Jamie Craighead
Choir Master: Alicia Devine
Choreography: Alice Cockburn
Genius & Mischief: te POOKa
Otesha Project - Morning Choices
Mon 17th-Wed 19th: 5pm-7pm
Roll the dice and pay your price!
The Otesha Project UK, is a youth-run charity that mobilizes young people to create local and global change through their everyday consumer choices, such as what they eat, what they wear or how they get around.
This summer, 14 young volunteers will be cycling around Scotland, visiting schools, youth clubs, festivals and communities to perform Otesha's award-winning Morning Choices play.
The Otesha Morning Choices play explores the themes of fashion, food, media, trade, transport and money. The main character, Gilly, goes on an adventure through the back of her wardrobe, meeting everyone from Cilla Black to Jamie Oliver and a very handsome credit card, and making connections between global issues and her own lifestyle along the way. In each scene, the team presents loads of ideas for simple actions that we can take in our everyday lives to contribute to a better world.
Since tour members have the freedom to take the play and make it their own, it's continually changing and evolving so that each member can bring their own unique skills into the performance. So don't ever expect two performances to be the same!
Dreams of Steam presents
The Arrival of Airship R1001
A Steampunk Night
Fri 21st: 8.30pm-late
£10
After the R1001's recent tour of the borders of Her Majesty's empire and colonies the airship and her crew will be joining Lady Lawson for their quarterly Rest and Recreation.
We cordially invite all Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Realm to adorn their finery and join us aboard the R1001 when it docks behind tePOOKa's Big Red Door on the 21st of August 2009 at 20:30hrs for Edinburgh's first Steampunk extravaganza. Entertainment will be provided from our New York colony by Mr Thomas Truax.
A stall of curious & creations by Inkzoo.
Dress to impress: Steampunk, Victoriana, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, HG Wells, Jules Verne, Lords, Ladies, Adventurers and Explorers.
God Save the Queen.
Venus Carmichael
Tues 25th: 6.30pm-8.30pm
£3/2
'You're that guitar guy,' he said. Slurred, to be more accurate. 'The duo. I've seen you do a couple of open mic nights.'
'Uh-huh?' I was looking around, seeing how easy it would be for me to make an excuse.
'I knew her, ken, back in the early days. When she was with Lickety Split? It was my band, like. The previous singer left, and we needed someone for a gig quick. She was my pal's wee sister. Back in Arbroath. We're both fae Arbroath, like.'
'Really.' I started to finish my drink but before I knew it he was bringing out a sickly green A4 folder, marked 'THE STORY' in a florid script on the front.
It began when we listened to the records, but that chance encounter late at night in the Cowgate took our interest in Venus Carmichael to a new level. How had she been forgotten so completely by the music industry and, it seemed, by almost everyone else? Back in the day she jammed with Joni, shared a joint with Mama Cass, and had more than a passing acquaintance with the likes of Carole King and Jackson Browne. L.A. was a long way from Arbroath, but somehow there she found her tribe and made music to match some of her more famous contemporaries.
As we pieced together her story from the scribbled fragments she had left with the man from her first band, we also trawled the record shops and bootleg websites for her songs.
Join us on a journey to find the last great lost singer-songwriter. (Spoken word/acoustic music)
Theatre Paradok presents Nights at the Circus
Wed 26th-Sun 30th: Doors 7.30pm, Show 8pm
£5 donation
A dynamic and sparkling burlesque, where the lines between performance and reality, cruelty and kindness are blurred, Theatre Paradok are proud to present 'Nights at the Circus', a performance boasting an eclectic mix of Paradok faces old and new, and an all-original music score, nestled in the magical atmosphere of Edinburgh's Big Red Door.
"Jack Walser, Nordic adventurer and journalist extraordinaire, has come to London to seek out the story of Fevvers, the original Cockney Venus, and her legendary wings. Found in a bag, hatched from an egg and raised in a whore house, the captivating stage star takes Jack under her wing - quite literally. Before long, Jack finds himself enroute to St Petersburg with Colonel Kearney's circus, on a quest for the truth behind the winged woman. Underpinned by a gypsy-inspired live score, the queasy luxury of the circus soon overwhelms him, Andas the circus closes in around him, Jack is caught in a web of intrigue, with Fevvers in its centre. A supporting cast of whores, creatures, clowns and other macabre characters combine to ensure that the audience are no more at ease than the reporter himself. But will Jack escape unscathed?"
te POOKa Workshops
Don't just spend your festival watching - come and learn something a bit different. te POOKa will be offering taster workshops in various circus skills.
Trapeze - Weds 19th & 26th: 12pm-2pm
Circus Skills - Weds 19th & 26th: 3pm-5pm
Fire Eating - Thurs 20th & 27th: 12pm-2pm
Stilt walking - Thurs 20th: 3pm-5pm
Pole Dancing - Thurs 27th: 3pm-5pm
Exhibitions
The Big Red Door Gallery will be open again with a selection of work from Edinburgh Based artists. Entry is free and the gallery is open from 12pm-5pm Monday to Friday or if you come to see a performance you can browse the gallery before you enter the venue.
'Transfigurations' by Anita Barron
Thurs 6th-Tues 1st
A photographic showcase incorporating the weird and wonderful world of carnival and the magical body. (anitawingsATgraffitiDOTnet)
'Manniskor' by Jannica Honey
Thurs 6th-Sun 9th
A collection of "real" images, exposing the raw hidden depths of the subjects' psyche. Jannica's photographs are of authentic people revealing their emotional and physical baggage.
'Paper Angels' by Morag Edwards
Mon 17th-Sun 23rd
A collection of angelic creatures by inkzoo
'Knock' by Jannica Honey
Mon 24th-Tues 1st
Jannica's photo documentary of te POOKa's fire show at Knockengorroch Festival 2009.
The Monastery of Sound
On selected evenings throughout the month our very own mad mashup monks, from the (dis)Order of Magnitude, will be spinning an eclectic mix of tunes at the end of the night: roots, gyp-hop, dubstep, beats'n'bass, middle-eastern flavas, world fusion. Finish the night with a wee bass-driven boogie... Look for the * in the timetable for an idea of of when they might emerge from their silent retreat.
