Slung Low Wins The Oxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust Award
Founded to help the development of emerging practitioners in the field of experimental theatre, The Oxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust Award 2008 has been awarded to Slung Low for their new show ‘Helium’. The winner was chosen from four finalists who were given the opportunity to research and develop their productions. The results of this research and development were presented to a panel of judges last Friday at the Barbican. Slung Low will receive a total grant of £29,500 for the production of ‘Helium’ which will run at the Barbican Pit as part of the BITE season for three weeks next Autumn.
Directed by Slung Low Artistic Director Alan Lane, ‘Helium’ exposes the ingenuity of the company’s theatre-making to its full extent. ‘Helium’ tells the story of a girl, Bella and her quest to discover her Grandfather’s hidden past and unfold the mysteries concealed by a helium balloon. Famed for their innovative story-telling, Slung Low have created a production staged in a series of 6 enclosed performance boxes, allowing each audience member to experience the show individually as they journey through the boxes, from the inside of a Lancaster Bomber, to a children’s birthday party in Victorian London and finally to high up in Dresden Cathedral. Despite the originality of the presentation, the story, Bella’s story, by Matthew David Scott and J C Marshall is central to the production. Designed by Marie Blunck, ‘Helium’ incorporates digital video by Ben Eaton with live performance, puppetry and radio drama techniques and features music by Heather Fenoughty and performance by Richard Warburton. ‘Helium’ is produced by Ben Pugh.
First launched in 2003, The Oxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust (OSBTT) Award is an annual award which aims to encourage a new generation of creative artists working on bold, innovative and challenging projects. This year’s judging panel comprised Louise Jeffrey (Head of Theatre, Barbican), Felix Barrett (Artistic Director, Punch Drunk), Jasmin Vardimon (Artistic Director, Jasmin Vardimon Dance Company), Romilly Walton Masters (Director, OSBTT) and Graham Whybrow (former Literary Manager, Royal Court). The BITE season at the Barbican presents fresh new work that hovers on the very edges of classification, presenting cross-discipline work that fuses different artforms in unexpected ways and explores the possibilities of theatre to their full extent. 2008 sees the second year of a partnership between The Oxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust and BITE.
Romilly Walton Masters, Director of OSBTT comments:
“The Oxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust Award 2008 had a particularly strong short list which made choosing a final winner difficult. However, Slung Low with Helium, stood out as a production that was able to be innovative in its use of theatrical form while having at its heart a story which is both engaging and ambitious.”
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London Fashion Week’s “Biggest” And Best Kept Secret
Jacob Kimmie, the self-proclaimed saviour of British fashion, has been cited as the ‘hot ticket’ at London Fashion Week by Creative Head magazine, after successfully launching his Spring/Summer 2009 collection off schedule in September 2008.
The catwalk show for ‘La Nuit Érotique’ welcomed an audience of an eclectic mix of Jacob’s fans including jazz singer Victoria Hart, classical group All Angels, BBC News presenter Simon McCoy and his news presenter wife Victoria Graham plus shoe designer extraordinaire Oliver Sweeney. WGSN comment that the ‘La Nuit Érotique’ collection is “exquisitely crafted and highly covetable – Kimmie is certainly one to keep an eye on”.
Jacob also made his presence known for the first time in Paris at the Vendôme luxury trade show at the beginning of October 2008. For the past two seasons Jacob has been bubbling under the surface having registered on the radar of the fashion industry after his Autumn/Winter catwalk debut during London Fashion Week in February 2008.
South African born and British and French influenced, Jacob has used his experiences and frustrations as inspiration for the signature look that has become known as the fashion label Jacob Kimmie. Jacob is a designer that sketches and sews. As a self-taught designer he can be found in his Birmingham studio hand stitching delicate chiffons and silks. Jacob prides himself on intricate craftsmanship, his latest collection features a dress which is hand stitched with 1.4 kilometres of ribbon and retails at £11,000 aimed at his growing private client list. His passion for forward fashion thinking and his ability to envisage aesthetically pleasing garments only makes Jacob’s pieces more appealing.
From the fluorescent yellow plastic meat packer’s suit which was used to make his first garment at the age of eleven, to the bubble wrap and shower curtain clothing he made for the underground rave scene, Jacob has always been aware of his talent. At the age of 34, Jacob may appear to be a newcomer in the eyes of the industry, but he certainly does not lack industry experience. Now, on the verge of 2008 Jacob Kimmie is the label that is setting the standard and raising the bar. Setting himself aside from his peers that are currently the ‘face’ of Britain’s newest designers, Jacob’s own self-assurance only adds to his ability to offer a fresh alternative to the world of fashion.
As the fashion industry currently suffers from “The Emperor’s New Clothes Syndrome” it is refreshing to see Jacob Kimmie bucking the trend with his designs and attitude. At 6’2” and weighing twenty two stone, Jacob’s physical stature matches his talent and his collections. As an individual Jacob is controversial, a person who is driven by anger and injustice. As a designer he is breaking the mould and rattling the cage, a British couturier building a British brand whilst wearing combat shorts and trainers.
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