Tuesday 5 May 2015

Mess announced as headliner for Imaginate Festival

Caroline Horton’s multi award-winning show, based on her own experiences of anorexia, will feature as part of Scotland’s international festival of performing arts for children and young people.


Olivier Award nominee, Caroline Horton, will revive her 2012 hit Mess for audiences of children and young people on the main stage of the Traverse Theatre as part of Scotland’s Imaginate Festival before a UK tour. Following its award-winning debut at Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2012 (The Stage Award for Best Ensemble), Mess has toured throughout the UK, visiting theatres, arts centres, schools and colleges, also providing workshops for young people to help open up a conversation on the subject matter. Based on Caroline’s own experiences of anorexia, this funny and poignant play with songs is a three hander about obsession, addiction and letting go.

Mess offers an authentic insight that confronts big issues and challenges popular misconceptions. It was developed with the help of experts from King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry and BEAT, the UK’s leading charity supporting people affected by eating disorders.

“I saw Mess in a school which had a theatre attached to it, and there were lots of kids there. Afterwards I said to a teacher that it was great they managed to get so many kids to come out in the evening. She explained that half of them had already seen it that morning, and came back to see it again. I really enjoyed it, but to get the endorsement that it meant so much to those kids, I knew something really interesting was going on with that production.” 
Imaginate Director, Tony Reekie on programming Mess for his final Festival.

Josephine is putting on a play - Boris and Sistahl help. It's about anorexia. But don’t let that put you off. Unflinchingly they confront big issues (and extremely tiny ones). Today they will tackle a particularly thin elephant in the room. Obsession, addiction and not wanting to get out of bed: a play with songs from 2013 Olivier Award nominated Caroline Horton (You’re Not Like Other Girls Chrissy).

Caroline was nominated for a 2013 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre for You’re Not Like The Other Girls Chrissy, won Best Solo Performer at The Stage Awards 2010 (and The Stage Award for Best Ensemble for Mess) and was nominated for Best Theatre Performer 2011 at Adelaide Fringe. Chrissy was shortlisted for the Holden Street Theatres Award 2010 and New Writing South Best New Play Award 2011 and the show continues to tour nationally and internationally. Her latest work, Islands, premiered at the Bush Theatre in January and will return later in 2015.

Producers China Plate are an independent theatre studio that works with artists, venues, festivals and funders to make original, exciting theatre that plays with form and has narrative at its heart. The company is currently collaborating with Chris Thorpe, Contender Charlie, Dan Jones, Inspector Sands and Caroline Horton (as co-producers of Islands,Chrissy and Mess). China Plate are Associate Producers at Warwick Arts Centre where they develop and commission new work, Artistic Associates at the New Wolsey Theatre where they are Directors of PULSE Festival, Programmers of New Directions (the NRTF showcase) and producers of innovative development programmes including The Darkroom, The Optimists (producer training) and The First Bite and Bite Size Festivals.

The Imaginate Festival is Scotland’s international festival of performing arts for children and young people and runs from Monday 11 to Sunday 17 May 2015 at venues across Edinburgh.

Every year the Festival presents the finest selection of shows from Scotland and across the world; each and every one adding their own wonderful character and zest to a programme of exciting and stimulating shows to suit children and adults of every age. This year we are delighted to welcome companies from Denmark, England, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Scotland, Spain and Switzerland.

“Caroline Horton's play about anorexia, confronts this ‘uncomfortable’ illness to breathtaking effect… an exuberant, engaging and above all, honest portrayal of anorexia and recovery”

Emma Woolf, The Times, author of The Ministry of Thin

www.carolinehorton.net | @carolineplays | www.chinaplatetheatre.com | @youroldchina | #messtheatre |http://vimeo.com/54451916

Running Time: 70 mins | Suitable for ages 13+
Company Information

Created and written by Caroline Horton Produced by China Plate

Directed by Alex Swift Music by Seiriol Davies

Design by Fiammetta Horvat Lighting Design by Andy Purves
Cast

Hannah Boyde, Caroline Horton and Seiriol Davies


Imaginate Festival

Traverse Theatre, 10 Cambridge Street, Edinburgh EH1 2ED


14 – 16 May, Thurs 7.30pm, Fri 10.15am, Sat 3.30pm & 7pm

£12 (£8 concs, Family tickets £48-£16) | www.imaginate.org.uk | 0131 228 1404

Tour listings



19 & 20 May The Albany, London

Douglas Way, Deptford, London SE8 4AG

7.30pm, Tues matinee 1pm | £12 (£10 concs)

www.thealbany.org.uk | 020 8692 4446



21 May The North Wall, Oxford

South Parade, Oxford OX2 7JN

8pm | £13 (£11 concs, £5 students)

www.thenorthwall.com | 01865 319450



22 May The Brewhouse, Burton on Trent

Duke St, Burton upon Trent DE14 1EB

7.30pm | £12 (£10 concs, £8 students)

Brewhouse.co.uk | 01283 508100



24 May Salisbury International Arts Festival

Salisbury Playhouse

Malthouse Lane, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP2 7RA

7.30pm | £10

www.salisburyfestival.co.uk | 0845 241 9651



Developed in association with BEAT (the UK’s leading charity supporting people affected by eating disorders) and with the help of experts from King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry. triggered@warwick Arts Centre. Commissioned by BAC & Parabola Arts Centre. Funded by Arts Council England. Original production funded by the Wellcome Trust and supported by Ovalhouse, London.

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