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beautiful burnoutby Frantic Assembly and the National Theatre of ScotlandViolence, balance, grace and power with a soundtrack courtesy of Underworld. See page 3.

autumn 12

sign up to find out moreSign up to our email list at www.warwickartscentre.co.uk between 21 June and 31 July 2012 and all new joiners will be entered into a draw to win 2 FREE TICKETS for an event of their choice at Warwick Arts Centre between 1 October and 31 December 2012.

comedy favourites in coventryWarwick Arts Centre attracts all the big names in comedy from Jimmy Carr to Al Murray and Micky Flanagan, as well as some of the brightest upcoming talents of biting wit and repartee, like critically acclaimed comedian Tim Key, and cult favourites Festival of the Spoken Nerd.

Autumn brings the affable intellectual Alan Davies to Coventry with his Life Is Pain stand-up show, his first UK tour in 12 years, following a stint at the Edinburgh Festival. Comedian, writer and actor Alan is best known for starring in the TV mystery series Jonathan Creek and as the permanent panellist on the TV panel show QI. But he had a well-established career in stand-up comedy before making the crossover to television, and now he’s returning to his roots.

Welcome to Experience, a new

magazine from the team at Warwick

Arts Centre. Perhaps you know and

visit us regularly, perhaps you haven’t

been in a while, perhaps you haven’t

had a chance yet or think what we

do isn’t for you?

Whoever you are I know we’ve got something you’d love.

From big name comedians to great gigs from national and

international musicians, from world-class theatre and

dance to fabulous films, from shows for all the family

to stunning sculptures and paintings... there’s a world of

new experiences just around the corner from you.

On a personal note, I’m new to Coventry, though my

father was born here and my granddad was a freeman of

the city. I’ve come to Warwick Arts Centre with a passion

for connecting art and audiences and I’m thrilled about

the exciting journeys of experience we will be able to go

on together. I’m really looking forward to meeting and

talking with you about art and life and how we can make

this one of the most vibrant places in the country to

live and work.

We spend the year finding and selecting the very best

artists and companies and think about our audience

in everything we pick. What will make you laugh, cry,

see the world in different ways. I believe that there is

something sublimely beautiful in seeing, hearing and

feeling new things together with family and friends in

theatres and concert halls, galleries and cinemas.

At Warwick Arts Centre you can get closer to the arts

than ever before.

Have a look at Warwick Arts Centre again, come round

our place, try something new and tell us what you think.

Matt Burman

Head of Programme

& Audiences

Warwick Arts Centre

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Alan Davies

This Autumn, experience theatre as never before. Step into the ring and immerse yourself in an award-winning collaboration between Frantic Assembly and the National Theatre of Scotland: a thrilling piece of physical theatre about the explosive world of boxing.

Following on from last year’s delicately poignant Lovesong, Frantic Assembly will pack an unforgettable punch once again with Beautiful Burnout. A heart-wrenching and deeply human story where every jab, hook and uppercut feels flinchingly realistic. This show has real pedigree and backing from the critics, it boasts a ream of four and five star reviews, and this is your only chance to catch it in the Midlands.

Warwick Arts Centre’s 550 seat theatre will come alive with a backdrop of glittering video screens, a pulsating soundtrack by electronic heavyweights Underworld and five mesmerising and highly physical young actors. So sit comfortably and enjoy the action without breaking a sweat.

“This is stunning. Literally and metaphorically” Independent on Sunday ★★★★★

choose theatre:

The film industry’s idea of forward planning is ‘the week after next’, so previewing the autumn film programme is a bit like trying to work out the plot of Inception – i.e. very difficult. What I do know is that we will have Keira Knightly partnering up again with Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride and Prejudice) as Anna Karenina and David ‘One Day’ Nicholls’ adaptation of Great Expectations, starring Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes.

The highlight of the London Sundance screenings, the indie hit Liberal Arts, starring woman of the moment Elizabeth Olsen, is due to land in October, and Coventry director Debbie Isitt’s sequel to Nativity, imaginatively entitled Nativity 2, which was once again filmed in our fair city, should be with us in time for Christmas.

Plans are also well progressed to bring you another series of inspiring film talks, including a Shakespeare on Screen discussion in November, and a survey of crime fiction and films from rather closer to home than our previous Scandinavian venture.

If it is worth watching, it will be here.

John Gore Film Programmer

Warwick Arts Centre Cinema was recently featured in The Guardian’s Film Blog. The paper invited users to make comments. Here’s what readers said:

@DhuggaDhugga @guardianfilm @warwickarts The best arts centre outside London. Great facilities + passionate staff who curate exciting diverse prog. ★★★★★

what’s com

ing up in cinema

– a few w

ords from our film

programm

er, John Gore

comedy favourites in coventry

Becky Statham, 18: There’s a lot of variety, and a lot of cool people perform here. I come here with my friends, or sometimes with my family. There’s so much choice for everyone, and it’s a big selling point for me.

Anniki Devine and Beatrice, aged 22 months: We come here lots. We’ve seen Charlie and Lola, White, The Tiger Who came to Tea... what I love about Warwick as a venue is that it’s OK for Bea to run around and be independent, and nobody minds if she’s chatting or going up to people – it’s a very relaxed family friendly atmosphere.

Lynn Taylor: It’s very comfortable, convenient, and it’s easy to book. The ambience is good too.

Rosie Ayton: There’s always something on we want to see. I’ve seen eight films here already this year!

Aizah Khan, 17: I come here all the time, it’s brilliant. I’ve seen lots of things here this year, including Top Girls and Mogadishu.

The Fishleighs: We’ve been coming for about 30 years. We used to go to the Town Hall to see the CBSO, but then we decided that we could come here and see them AND see other orchestras too. And when you come here you then get involved in the cinema, the theatre - we’ll definitely come back and see some more of that this year!

Caroline Pickwell: Plus I like the company! *laughs

at warwick arts centre

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Frantic Assembly, Beautiful Burnout

Motherland is a funny, moving show about what it means to be a woman. Vincent Dance Theatre’s brilliant multi-talented ensemble of 11 men, women and children, aged from 10-78, dismantle the dream that we can ‘have it all’ as they call into question the price they are paying for it.

www.motherland.org.uk.

Charlotte Vincent, interviewed here by Matt Burman, is the Artistic Director and Choreographer for Vincent Dance Theatre.

How do you begin when making a new piece?

I have been making work with Vincent Dance Theatre for 18 years, and the end of one piece of work usually forms the starting point for the next. Making new work somehow readdresses what was neglected or forgotten in the making of the last production. There is always a strong conceptual starting point for a new work, that generates new material, but this sits alongside a parallel process where we may also revisit fragments of material we have researched and not ‘used’ from the last show.

How is dance theatre different to ballet?

My view is that ballet is a set of learnt codes: a known vocabulary of gestures and positions attached to a particular technique that is used to make dances. Classical ballet usually tells a story – is bound up in narrative – we use the known codes but are more interested in using the body to form abstract shapes in space. In Ballet, the dancers rarely acknowledge the audience, however we are aware that we are performing to you as the audience and that you are part of the reason they are doing what they are doing. Dance Theatre usually has many more gags in it than Ballet!

If someone’s never seen any dance theatre, why start now, with this piece? How might an audience feel having seen the piece?

Vincent Dance Theatre’s aim is to move people and make them think. We work across music, movement, theatre and live art, so there is something for everyone. We are performers at the top of our game. Vincent Dance Theatre’s work is cut through with a very dark, British sense of humour and you feel like you know the people on stage by the end of the show.

Motherland is thought provoking and entertaining – an emotional rollercoaster that revisits the battle of the sexes in a contemporary context. You might feel energized, angry, moved to tears and moved to laughter and more politically motivated after seeing it. It will definitely have some gags in it.

Why don’t you come and see Motherland and tell us what you think?

save money

Use the online code experience10 – this will entitle you to 10% off up to 4 full price tickets for the following events featured in this magazine: Frantic Assembly: Beautiful Burnout / Kneehigh: Steptoe & Son / Headlong: Medea / VDT: Motherland.

To use this code, just book online, and add this discount code in on the payment page. The discounts will be deducted from your final payment.

Offer cannot be used with Performance Package. Ts& Cs apply.

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Vincent Dance Theatre, Motherland

9.30am: The Box Office opens for business, and the phones immediately start ringing. Box Office Assistant Manager Emma takes the call as she consults the seating plan for the event.

10.15am: The first of today’s shows is about to start in the theatre, and our wonderful stewards are ready to open the doors and guide people to their seats.

11.30am - Nikki, our Events Manager is ‘pinking’ a forthcoming show. Once the performance has been booked, all the details of the event are printed onto a pink info sheet for everyone in the office (hence the name!) It contains on-sale dates, support act info, stage set up and running time – a very important piece of paper!

1pm – One of our free lunchtime concerts is in full swing – people pop by on their break to get away from their computer screens, and relax to some music.

2pm – The Berlin Symphony Orchestra arrive in a massive truck for this evening’s performance. Soon the ‘get-in’ begins, which is exactly what it sounds like: getting everyone and every bit of kit into the performance space, set up and ready to go. There’s a lot of heavy lifting involved.

3.30pm – Steve is in the Press and Marketing Office, tweeting about one of the upcoming shows. We have over 10,000 followers, and it’s one of the best ways to find out about new events and share your thoughts. Follow us @warwickarts and say hello!

4.30pm – Over in the Education Office, Education Director Brian is discussing costumes with Education Officer Cathryn for the Boys Dancing project they are currently filming. Six dance films with 50 young lads from local schools – fun but demanding work.

5.30pm – One of this evening’s performances in the Studio is having a last minute run-through. Lighting and prop issues need to be sorted before the paying audiences arrive.

6.30pm There’s a real buzz in the foyer. With up to four shows happening at once, it can be a busy job making sure everyone has what they need, and it’s all hands on deck as the start times approach.

7.30pm And we’re off! All the evening’s events are underway, and there’s a moment of calm in the foyer. But the respite will be brief, because we’ll do it all again tomorrow!

11pm All the events are finished, the Café has closed. Time to lock up. At least until about 7am tomorrow.

Wonder what the folks backstage at Warwick Arts Centre do all day? Here’s a run-down of a typical day.

Kneehigh Theatre have given long-running BBC sitcom Steptoe and Son some spit and polish. This darkly comic story of the misfortunes of two rag-and-bone men has come up a real gem, and is ready for our stage.

“I’ve tried to enable and reveal the heartbreaking and perfectly observed characters that had generations glued to their TVs for over a decade. I am so lucky. I feel I am walking through history – my parents’, my grandparents’ and my own. It has been the chance of a lifetime to dive into such an iconic and important body of work.” Emma Rice, director

Bound together by birth, business and bloody bad luck Albert and Harold Steptoe bother, bicker and banter their way through life. Join these stubborn old workhorses in October.

cornwall’s finest theatre company returns

Follow us on Twitter: @warwickartsLike us on Facebook: /warwickartscentre

follow us, friend us,

Here at Warwick Arts Centre we love to hear what you think of our events, facilities, service – we’re all ears! Leave comments on our website, tweet us @warwickarts, post messages on our Facebook Page or complete a comment card at Box Office. We

read all your messages and we love to chat – always responding to questions as soon as we can.

Utterly outstanding, I came out shellshocked and ecstatic. Comment on Twitter for A Game of You - May 2011

Thank God for @warwickarts – a month of quality film viewing! Comment on Twitter – Aug 2011

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a day in the life of warwick arts centre

Kneehigh Theatre, Steptoe and Son

music the way it’s supposed to be: live and loud Looking up above your head in Warwick Arts Centre’s flagship space, the Butterworth Hall, you might observe a vast canopy of beams and lanterns, wires, cables and speakers. It’s here that you’ll find what makes the Butterworth Hall in Warwick Arts Centre one of the finest and most versatile music venues in the UK.

Following an £8 million re-fit in 2009, including the installation of comfortable new retractable seats, improved wheelchair access and a hydraulic stage, this year we invested an additional half a million in technical equipment for the Hall, including a brand new PA system, and any music aficionado will tell you that this is the lifeblood of any successful music venue.

The new equipment is environmentally-conscious and utilises cutting-edge technology to ensure that what you hear on stage – whether it be a standing gig by Spiritualized, an arena-style seated concert with a chanteuse such as Camille O’Sullivan, or a full blown, surround-sound international symphony orchestra – delivers a sound-scape that is first-rate.

Plus, it’s close by – no need to travel to Birmingham or beyond. The Hall has all the technical benefits of the big arenas, with added intimacy. So if you haven’t visited us in a while, or ever, look local. Check out our music listings on the back page.

student Emily Tatlow asks,

classical music - why so serious?The range of emotion that can be conveyed in an opera or a symphony is never-ending. From hilarious comedy to tragic desperation, classical music has it all. Unfortunately, in today’s society, classical music is attributed adjectives such as ‘boring’ and ‘uncool’, and people may have pre-conceptions that stop them from experiencing its magic.

Studying History full time at Warwick, I don’t have a lot of time to go and watch long operas or symphonic concerts. Luckily I live close to Warwick Arts Centre. In the space of a week, I watched two operas and a magnificent orchestral concert. The journey of emotions that one is taken on during these performances is truly spectacular. From crying with laughter at Rossini’s Barber of Seville to heartbroken floods of tears at Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, one would be hard pushed to find a more touching form of art.

At the Arts Centre, we are not only lucky to have a fantastic range of classical music concerts at our fingertips, we also have a vibrant and active Music Centre. Keeping the Music Centre’s profile at the forefront is its Director Paul McGrath who has recently

been seen as a Mentor on the BBC hit show Maestro at the Opera. I spoke to Paul about Warwick and his fast rising celebrity status.

ET: Since being on primetime television, have you started to be noticed on the street?

PMcG: Yes, it has happened. It was a bit bizarre!

ET: Awesome! Why do you think Warwick is such a great centre for the arts?

PMcG: The Arts Centre is remarkable because ever since the early days of the University the founders had the vision to put creativity in the middle of the campus. The vision was such that there was no possibility for it to become culturally arid. Music was put in the building for people to participate in and that is the thing that no other University in the world has managed to do so successfully. It is unique.

I strongly advise you all to take full advantage of the wonderful programme of events at your fingertips at Warwick Arts Centre. The future of classical music is in your hands!

Emily Tatlow and Paul McGrath

Audiences in the Butterworth Hall at Warwick Arts Centre

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This autumn, the Gallery will be transformed through the intervention of artist Aeneas Wilder, who develops complex, extraordinarily beautiful structures in response to any environment in which he’s working. Constructed only in wood using no fixings,

joining or additional materials, Wilder relies upon balance, gravity, his own experience and an intuitive understanding of his chosen

material in the creation of structures which alter the way we understand and navigate space.

Wilder lives in Japan and the devastating effects of the earthquake and tsunami there in 2011 affected him, bringing into sharp focus the precariousness of human existence when faced with the full destructive force of nature.

Challenging the value we place upon permanence

6 Oct – 1 Dec 2012

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It really couldn’t be simpler: Drive into the flower-lined campus and park your car for free. Or if you prefer, hop on a bus and get door-to-door delivery.

Browse the Mead Gallery, open to the public six days a week, see fantastic exhibitions and challenging contemporary art for free. Interact with our regular foyer installations or dip into our free lunchtime concerts. Drop in to our weekly knit and stitch club and up-cycle something tired, turning it into a hand-spun work of art.

Enjoy the cultured surroundings while sipping slowly on a cappuccino, thumb through our brochures and engage with what’s on offer. Then take a leisurely stroll around the University grounds; the sculpture trail, pond and woods.

Take advantage of the catering that is available for students on campus, from cheap and cheerful eateries and bars for burger, chips and a pint, to fine dining on site. Stay on for a show; many have pre and post-show events and performances for added value. Or watch a free curtain-raiser. It’s yours for the taking and the making, so visit our website and find out more.

www.warwickartscentre.co.uk

Then look no further than your friendly local Arts Centre...

There’s always plenty going on at Warwick Arts Centre for discerning young people and their grown-ups. An array of activities for young people who just love to join in, for those who like to get their hands dirty, create masterpieces, catch up on the latest award-winning theatre, learn to appreciate the joys of opera or chill in our cinema.

Christmas productions are a must-see and this year ‘we’re going on a bear hunt’ with catchy songs, interactive scenes and plenty of hands-on adventure – plus a few special surprises! Adapted from the picture book

written by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury this will be swishy swashy, splashy splashy, oozy, squelchy fun.

Warwick Arts Centre’s Education Department works with and for young people, stimulating their creativity, sparking their imaginations and broadening their horizons with a range of exciting projects. The Education team work with local schools, youth orchestras and performance groups to keep this place buzzing with young voices, talent and creative learning. Check out what they have been up to in the Education Blog on the Warwick Arts Centre website.

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We’re going on a bear hunt

saving the pennies and

looking for frugal things to do?

Thu 06 Sep 6.45pm NT Live: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Thu 20 Sep 7.30pm Ginger Baker’s Jazz ConfusionSun 30 Sep 7.30pmMark Watson

Tue 04 & Wed 05 Oct 7.45pm ★Chris Goode & Company: Monkey BarsSun 7 Oct 7.30pmDanny Bhoy

Tue 9 Oct - Sat 13 Oct 7.30pm + 2 matinees ★Frantic Assembly: Beautiful BurnoutWed 10 Oct 8pmCity of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

Thu 11 Oct 6.45pmNT Live: The Last of The HaussmansThu 11 Oct 8pmSeth Lakeman

Fri 12 Oct 8pm Jason Byrne

Sat 13 Oct 5.55pm Met Opera Live: L’Elisir d’Amore (Donizetti)

Sun 14 Oct 7.45pmFestival Of The Spoken Nerd

Tue 16 & Wed 17 Oct 7.30pm ★Random Dance: Entity

Tue 16 Oct 2012, Fri 30 Nov 2012 & Fri 15 Feb 2013 8pm Jimmy Carr

Fri 19 Oct 7.30pm Tim Key

Fri 19 Oct 8pmGreg Davies

Sat 20 Oct 7.30pmField Music

Sun 21 Oct 7.45pmRob Rouse

Sun 21 Oct 8pm Grizzly Bear

Tue 23 Oct – Sat 27 Oct 7.30pm ★Kneehigh: Steptoe & Son

Tue 23 Oct 2012 8pm Joan Armatrading

Wed 24 Oct 8pm Dresden Philharmonic OrchestraThu 25 Oct 8pm Frankie Boyle

Sat 27 Oct 5.55pmMet Opera Live: Otello (Verdi)Sat 27 Oct 8pm Efterklang & Northern Sinfonia: The Piramida Concert

Sun 28 Oct 7.30pmDaniel Sloss

Tue 30 & Wed 31 Oct 7.45pm ★Ridiculusmus: Total Football

Wed 31 Oct & Thu 1 Nov 7.15pm ★Fuel: Ring

Thu 1 Nov 6.45pmNT Live: Timon of Athens

Fri 2 Nov 8pm ★Paco Pena

Sat 3 Nov 7.30pmPandora’s Box

Sat 3 Nov 8pmThe Proclaimers

Sun 4 Nov 7.30pmPaul Chowdhry

Sun 4 Nov 7.45pmPaul Foot

Sun 4 Nov 8pmSpiritualized

Tue 6 & Wed 7 Nov 7.30pm ★Forced Entertainment: The Coming Storm

Tue 6 & Wed 7 Nov 8pmRhod Gilbert

Wed 7 Nov 7.45pmAlex Wilson Trio

Thu 8 Nov 8pmThe Civil Wars †

Sat 10 Nov 5.55pm Met Opera Live: The Tempest (Ades)

Sat 10 Nov 8pmStewart Francis

Sun 11 Nov 7.45pm Pappy’s

Tue 13 - Sat 17 Nov 7.30pm ★Headlong Theatre: Medea

Fri 16 & Sat 17 Nov 7.15pm ★Action Hero: Hoke’s Bluff

Fri 16 & Sat 17 Nov 8pmAlan Davies

Sun 18 Nov 7.30pmLee Nelson

Mon 19 & Tue 20 Nov 7.45pm ★Paper Cinema The Odyssey

Wed 21 & Thu 22 Nov 7.45pm ★Made In China: We Hope That You’re Happy (Why Would We Lie?)Tue 20 & Wed 21 Nov 7.30pm ★Vincent Dance Theatre: MotherlandThu 22 Nov 7.15pmCoull Quartet: Must It Be?

Thu 22 Nov 8pm Fascinating Aida

Fri 23 Nov 8pm Kevin Bridges †

Sun 25 Nov 7.45pmChris Ramsey

Wed 28 Nov 8pm Royal Philharmonic OrchestraThu 29 Nov - Sun 30 Dec 2012We’re Going on a Bear Hunt

Sat 01 Dec 5.55pm Met Opera Live: La Clemenza di Tito (Mozart)

Wed 05 & Thu 06 Dec 7.45pm ★Ursula Martinez: My Stories, Your Emails

Thu 6 Dec 7.30pmAl Murray: Pub Landlord

Sat 8 Dec 5.55pm Met Opera Live: Un Ballo in Maschera (Verdi)

Sat 15 Dec 5.55pmMet Opera Live: Aida (Verdi)Fri 21 Dec 7.30pm I Fagiolini

★ PERFORMANCE PACKAGE† SOLD OUT

Grizzly Bear

Medea

Consider our

PERFORMANCE PACKAGE.

This gives you 15% off each ticket if you

book for 3 events, 20% off if you book

for 4 events and 25% off if you book

for 5 events or more. All eligible events

are marked with a . Ts & Cs apply.

If you’ve already purchased tickets for

any of these events and would like to

book for more in order to qualify for our

performance package, just talk to

our box office team as we’re happy to

honour your existing booking as part

of the package.

Want to book

for a number

of events?

8

box office: 024 7652 4524www.warwickartscentre.co.uk@warwickarts

warwick arts centre

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