PERFORMANCE

- THEATRE -

13 Jan 09
THE IDIOT COLONY, Exeter Phoenix, Bradninch Place, Gandy Street, Exeter, Devon EX4 3LS, 01392 667598, www.exeterphoenix.org.uk
8pm, £9/£7
RedCape Theatre present a play created after two years of research and interviews with former patients, mental health workers, hairdressers and others that lived and worked at St. Margaret's Hospital, Great Barr - known locally as The Idiot Colony… The performance follows the stories of Joy, Mary and Victoria as they try to remember their past and forget their present. Locked away as young women in a 1940's asylum they seek solace and friendship inside its hairdressing salon. As the radio plays the latest 80's hits, they re-live war-time affairs, illicit trysts and childhood secrets. With their recollections come strains of Glen Miller tunes and Rita Hayworth movies. The discord of the asylum tells a different tale; ritual humiliation, forced drug experimentation and long, lonely nights. The story of each woman's struggle to survive incarceration results in three starkly contrasting endings.

RedCape use highly visual, physical theatre and nostalgic comedy to entertain and challenge their audiences.

COMEDY

- COMEDY -
22 Jan 09
ROBIN INCE, Exeter Phoenix, Bradninch Place, Gandy Street, Exeter, Devon EX4 3LS, 01392 667598, www.exeterphoenix.org.uk
8pm, £12/£10
Robin Ince presents his brand new stand up show – Bleeding Heart Liberal – mixing up stories of childbirth, astronomy, evolutionary conundrums, a to-do with Vanessa Feltz and a crazed preacher plus readings from his new favourite charity shop finds.
In the last few months you may have heard Robin on The News Quiz, Just A Minute, Loose Ends, The Now Show or Armando Ianucci’s Charm Offensive. His TV credits include everything from Mock the Week and Never Mind the Buzzcocks to Richard and Judy and Strictly Come Dancing It takes Two. His two tours supporting Ricky Gervais have led to two bizarre documentaries on Fame and Politics.

EVENT

- MUSIC and ART -

31 Oct
TATE SOCIAL, Tate St Ives, Porthmeor Beach, St Ives, Cornwall, 01736 796226 www.tate.org.uk/stives
7pm – 11pm, £free
The Tate Social tonight features DJ Squirrelhead – feast your ears and move your body to a swirling gumbo of mountain banjos, Mississippi blues, hot jazz, and uplifting Crescent City bounce. The bar will be open and food will be served. Also today, join Sarah Hughes, the gallery’s curator, for a walk and talk through the current exhibition, exploring the territories of artist and curator. This is also a free event (between 7.30pm and 9pm) but advance booking is required.

THEATRE

- PERFORMANCE -

25 – 29 Nov
MILE END at Drum Theatre, Plymouth, 01752 267222, www.theatreroyal.com
7.45pm, £12
Mile End is a frantic, contemporary mix of arresting visual performance, puppetry and multi-media. Presented by Analogue, a young Surrey based company, this performance is inspired by the devastating true story of the murder of Christophe Duclos, who was pushed in front of a train at Mile End station in 2002 by Stephen Soans-Wade.

Michael lives alone and is entrenched in his daily routine. When a minor occurrence threatens the fragile order he so desperately relies upon, he struggles to keep one foot in the door of reality. Alex is having dreams; snapshots of the future which disturbingly appear to come true. Kate is very much awake, but before long even her reality is threatened by her husband's nightmares, as he attempts to prevent the inevitable. A startling sequence of events culminates in a “chance” encounter on the platform of Mile End Station.

This innovative piece was a major success at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where it won two awards and was nominated for five more. There will be a post show talk at The Drum on Thursday 27 Nov.

THEATRE

- PERFORMANCE -

29 Nov
SHADES OF BROWN at The Barbican Theatre, Castle St, Plymouth
7:30pm, £10/£8

Written and performed by Rani Moorthy, this thought provoking one woman show asks: can one person's healthy glow be another's social stigma? Comic, bold and moving, the show looks at cultures of tanning and bleaching skin around the globe. From a South African albino to a skin-bleaching Indian bride, Rani Moorthy, with her celebrated mix of warmth and powerful story telling, transforms into funny and poignant characters who share an ironic kinship through the one thing they cannot hide or hide from - their skin. This show is presented by Asian Arts Agency as part of a new Cultural initiative sin partnership with Barbican Theatre to support Asian Arts in Plymouth.

ART

- PRINTS & ILLUSTRATION -

28 Oct - 24 Nov
COLOURZILLA at Babahogs Art Cafe, 19b Well Lane, Church St, Falmouth, Cornwall

Yee Ting Kuit graduated from University College Falmouth in 2006 with a first class degree and has been working as a freelance illustrator ever since. Here, she showcases some of her limited edition prints and illustrations in her individual, funky, colourful style. We like!

ART

- CONTEMPORARY JEWELLERY -

20 Nov – 5 Jan
SUSTAINABLE STYLE at Victoria Sewart Contemporary Jewellery Gallery

Go eco with this showcase of beautiful, inspiring jewellery from local and international designers, created from natural, found or recycled materials. For more info visit www.victoriasewart.com or call 01752 220011