Big Telly Theatre Company (Northern Ireland) is looking for European partners to collaborate with on its Otherworld (floating water theatre) project.
Big Telly is based in Portstewart on the North Coast of Ireland and it is this stunning coastal environment which is the inspiration behind our pioneering water theatre, and which has led us to develop this unique concept, Otherworld.
Otherworld is a floating theatre with water at its centre forming the stage, which will be anchored in harbours and rivers and reached by a fixed gangway. Inside, it will be used to present spectacular water-theatre, Celtic-inspired but also making connections to other myths with other worlds, such as the Greek Elysium, or the Valhalla of the Norse, and also to present community celebrations described below. Otherworld is a unique context to explore and celebrate our identity as islanders, the symbolic significance of water and our relationship with the coast.
Otherworld will be designed and built by a marine construction specialist, in collaboration with civil engineers, architects, environmental experts, a theatre design team and in consultation with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Otherworld will be a controllable environment, with its own generator for lights and sound, and its own hydraulic system for raising cast and set from the water beneath. The piece works on several levels – from the outside it will attract attention as an interesting and sympathetic installation, and audiences who attend a show will experience a totally innovative water-theatre spectacle.
Otherworld will be launched in harbours/rivers in N. I. during the summer of 2013, as part of Derry’s City of Culture Celebrations. The Otherworld is a concept shared by many cultures, and therefore this structure is a symbol of our internationalism and cultural diversity. It will have a significant impact for the whole community, as well as a deeper resonance for those who see a performance, visit the exhibition or participate in a water workshop. The involvement of local young people in its design is crucial, developing them as cultural ambassadors, furthering community connections through our inter-generational programme. In subsequent years we plan to tour Otherworld to the UK and international destinations.
Otherworld will develop new audiences, assist in the regeneration of harbours/ports, make new connections between harbours/ports and culture and boost tourism. Otherworld will give people pride in their local environment as well as promoting tolerance, respect and understanding of other cultures. Otherworld is a perfect opportunity to highlight environmental issues, and the multi-disciplinary nature of this project presents exciting opportunities for cutting-edge collaborations involving young people, coastal communities, the world of water-sports and artists from all disciplines.
Otherworld will also present community based work such as floating exhibitions, storytelling, choral performances and function as a learning space and a cinema showing water themed work, with interactive effects. Additional activities taking place in and around Otherworld will include water puppetry, displays from water sports clubs such as wake boarding, synchronised kayaking, sailing, projection of images onto sails, floating lantern processions, the decoration of bridges, choirs who sing from opposite shores, messages in bottles, coasteering treasure hunts, other initiatives which celebrate water as the essence of life and raise awareness about the importance of the coastal environment.
The company would welcome any new partner wishing to bring its creative and innovative contribution to the development of the project.
Please send expressions of interest to:
Louise Rossington (General Manager)
Big Telly Theatre Company
E-mail: louise@big-telly.com
Tel/Fax: +44 2870 832588
For more information about the company please see www.big-telly.com