The arts
The UK premiere of Mao’s Last Dancer will be shown at Salisbury Arts Centre on 2 June
See the Chinese Acrobats at Stonehenge on 2 June. Photo © Adrian Harris Photography
and we will have performers placed round the Cathedral and the choirs will move through the Cathedral during the performance. It’s an event that’s been a long time coming and responded to the themes of last year’s festival, stone and words, because Rumi (who was the initial poet that we focused on) was an Eastern poet writing when the Cathedral was being built, so there’s this lovely idea of this amazing cathedral going up in the West and a fantastic cathedral of poetry being built in the East. We’re bringing those two things together with this piece.
Child’s play Is there plenty to keep the kids entertained, too? “There’s lots; there’s a free play day, so
we’re bringing back this wonderful company, Brocante Sonore, that opened the festival last year with an indoor performance. This is great fun because there are 10 performers and they build this wonderful set on stage with all sorts of bells and whistles; it’s got saucepans and all sorts of paraphernalia and they make a fantastic musical and entertaining spectacle out of it which is great for all ages. We’re running that towards the end of the festival and it’s lovely to be able to show a great company that do great outdoor work in a different setting, indoors. “We see all of the work that we present
before we bring it here. The one thing that people consistently feed back to me about, for example, with the family programme, is that the quality of it is very very high, and that’s important because when people open their brochures, we want them to know that these things have been carefully selected. Nothing gets into the programme that we
don’t passionately believe will be wonderful for audiences here, and there’s a lot that goes to the cutting room floor, because it’s not right or we don’t feel the quality is where it needs to be, so we’re really careful and thoughtful about what to put in.
Out with a bang So what is Maria most excited about? “I really love that sense of it all beginning
and the audience arriving and it’s off, and the wonderful moment within that is the opening. It’s just before those performers take the stage and it begins – so the opening does occupy a special moment, as does the closing. For that, we have three great bands; we’ve actually drawn in a great local Salisbury band, Caught in the Cross Fire who will take centre stage first, it’s a real coup to have them, so we’re
really pleased, and then we go to Kanda Bongo Man, one of John Peel’s favourite live performers and then to the Soothsayers who will close the festival down before the fireworks. But there’s so much in between, and they’re all in there for very good reasons.” SL
• The Salisbury International Arts Festival runs from 20 May – 4 June 2011 and full details of the programme can be found at
www.salisburyfestival.
co.uk. Tickets for the festival can be purchased in person from the Salisbury Playhouse Box Office (01722 320333) or from the Salisbury International Arts Festival Box Office (01722 332977). Tickets can also be purchased by phone 0845 241 9651 or online at
www.salisburyfestival.co.uk
www.mediaclash.co.uk Salisbury Life 15
Australian company Circa will transform your vision of circus. 21 May at City Hall
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