book tickets
There are no scheduled instances of River Tours: The Thames.
View similar events.
River Tours: The Thames
Presented by Stan's Cafe.
What makes a river special is what happens along it, on it and in it.
Stan's Cafe survey rivers, noting down the positions of all bridges, dams, major settlements and confluences along their lengths, then commission textile artists to turn this data ribbon maps.
To compliment these maps they commission guided tours. Some start at the river’s source, others at the river’s mouth. They cover thousands of years of history, beautiful natural history, famous sights and fascinating facts.
Spend a relaxing hour with Craig Stephens, from the theatre company Stan’s Cafe, as he takes us on a trip down the river Thames. Our journey, brimming with nature, history, inspiring art and design, tales of sewerage and ceaseless human invention is illustrated by a beautiful 1.7m long textile ribbon map made by the artist Vicky Roden. Beautifully written, engagingly performed, witty and educational.
Stan’s Cafe have been making and touring original theatre from their base in Birmingham for over 30 years. Their playful, inventive performances have toured the world.
'Wonderful, an Inspirational performance full of charm and humour, brilliant, mind expanding writing and stunning needlework.' Audience Member
Studio
£15
Stan's Cafe Theatre Company website
@stanscafe
@nordenfarm
other events you may be interested in
Draining the Swamp
Presented by DRH Arts.
Draining the Swamp is a provocative new play developed by The Company. It Explores the character, activities, and legacy of Sir Oswald Mosley, who was given a short, sharp portrait in the BBC Peaky Blinders series.
From the perspective of the 1960s, and the emergence of the European Union, Sir Oswald Mosley looks back on his experiences in the 1930s.
The play brings to life the meteoric political rise of Mosley as a potential Labour Prime Minister, and the subsequent founding and development of the British Union of Fascists. We see Mosley and Diana Mitford on their wedding day at Joseph Goebbels’s house in Berlin, and witness the events leading up to the infamous Battle of Cable St before the Mosley’s are incarcerated in Holloway Prison.
Reflecting from the perspective of his silver and ruby wedding anniversaries, Mosley ponders on his legacy and the opportunities for future political leaders to communicate with and stir the masses.
Finally, that legacy is given substance in events taking place in 2019.
'This is a first-class piece of biographical theatre and a very enjoyable 80 minutes which I would recommend catching' ★★★★ One4Review
'Rowland D Hill gives an assured performance, portraying the oily charm and charisma of Mosley' North West End UK
'An entertaining and informative play' British Theatre Review
Studio
£15 | £13 (conc)
Conception: Mary Shelley - The Making of a Monster
Presented by CLAIR/OBSCUR Theatre.
This event marks the 200th anniversary of the first publication of Frankenstein to bear Mary Shelley’s name.
Conception charts a profound voyage of self -discovery for this exceptional writer in her maturity. A journey that trips through the Romantic poetry of Mary Shelley’s contemporaries – P B Shelley, Byron, Keats - soaring like the Skylark and pummelling the depths of Darkness to a final, bare and brutal confrontation with her creation on the Mer de Glace.
October 1840: Gothic writer, Mary Shelley’s first pilgrimage back to Europe in twenty years in defiance of her father - in - law’s express wishes.
Does Mary have the courage to confront the past as she returns to Lake Geneva, her birthplace as a writer and of her most famous novel Frankenstein? Will she find the solace she seeks among Villa Diodati’s rooms, terraces and vineyards where herself, Percy Shelley and Byron spent that unforgettable summer…
Was she the same person who had lived there, the companion of the dead?
More powerful and essential storytelling from Clair Obscur (S.O.E, a necessary woman) celebrating another glorious female icon…
Studio
£16
Candlelit Macbeth
Presented by Bart Lee Theatre.
In the darkness something stirs
Visceral
Witches gather and spin their words
Soundscapes clatter
Screams are heard
Whispers of murder
Lurk in the shade
Ambition
Power
Love betrayed
Something wicked this way comes set in the 11th century and faithful to Shakespeare’s text this retelling centres on the witches and their thirst for revenge. They choose a champion to challenge the Christian kings and Macbeth answers the call.
Is this a dagger I see before me Murder, poetry and sword fighting combine as the tale unfolds using candle light to ignite the imagination and chill the soul. Things are about to get very dark indeed.
Macbeth is brought to life by this talented and enthralling story-telling company, igniting the imagination with poetry, sound-scapes, shadows and movement. Faithful to the text and famous Shakespeare characters. Suitable for those studying the play at GCSE as well as lovers of the Bard. Not to be missed.
Creatives
Ann Ogden, movement director, graduate of The Dance School of Scotland and London Studio Centre. Trained in classical ballet, contemporary dance and pilates.
Patsy Fraser, costume and set designer, graduate of Epsom School of Art and Design, Birmingham City University and The Slade School, London. Trained in theatre design and PGCE.
Bart Lee, writer and director, graduate of Rose Bruford Drama School, NYMT, Welfare State Theatre and Community placement, ACE NPO company director, Drama HOD and Art Centre Management. Trained in acting and QTS.
Courtyard Theatre
£16 I £14 Supporters
Hauntings
Performed by Gerard Logan | Directed by Gareth Armstrong | Music by Simon Slater
Hauntings is a spellbinding evening of three tales of the supernatural from two of the world’s greatest writers of ghost stories, E.F. Benson and M.R. James.
From E.F. BENSON comes:
Naboth’s Vineyard - in which just desserts are meted out to an unscrupulous lawyer,
and The Hanging of Alfred Wadham - in which the forces of the devil test a man of faith to his limits.
From the acknowledged master of the ghost story genre, M.R. JAMES, comes:
Oh, Whistle and I’ll Come to You, My Lad - in which a medieval spirit strikes terrorizes an arrogant professor.
With masterful storytelling from the award-winning actor Gerard Logan, Hauntings will transport you to a world of invisible, but terrifyingly present, spirits.
'Logan is astounding....He takes a strong script and flies it to the stars' Edinburgh Festival 2016 ★★★★★
'Watching Logan work is like being privy to a wonder of nature and remains with you... A true masterpiece of solo performance' The Edinburgh Guide - Edinburgh Festival 2015 ★★★★★
Gerard Logan won The Stage Best Solo Performer of the 2011 Edinburgh Festival Award for his acclaimed performance in Gareth Armstrong’s production of Shakespeare’s The Rape of Lucrece.
He won the Best Actor award at the 2014 Buxton Fringe Festival and was nominated for the Michael MacLiammoir Award for Best Male Performance at the 2016 International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival for his performance in Wilde Without the Boy.
Gareth Armstrong has developed and directed many successful solo shows, including his own award-winning Shylock.
Hauntings is also underscored by a beautiful, original and specially commissioned score by the award-winning RSC composer, Simon Slater.
Studio
£16 I £14 conc
The Paper Cinema
Short tales of other worlds; ghosts, dreams and the supernatural.
Fascinating and imaginative storytellers, The Paper Cinema, create extraordinary, magical worlds with vivid pen and ink drawings, puppetry, and a treasure trove of acoustic and electronic sounds.
This show gathers favourite short stories, including the dream-like Night Flyer, humorous Devil in Cornwall, spooky Wanderer and Edgar Allan Poe’s King Pest.
Performed by two puppeteers and a multi-instrumentalist, The Paper Cinema return to their 'out-of-a suitcase’ origins to delight you with atmospheric tales of ghosts, dreams and the supernatural.
‘The pleasure here is not just that the animations are both sinister and enchanting, or that the wonderful music gives the whole thing the feel of a quirky silent movie, but also that you can see how the show is being made right before your eyes.’ The Guardian
'Bound to delight' The Telegraph
‘Any production by this small British company is bound to be something special’ The Times
60 minute show suitable for age 8 upwards (who don’t mind being a tiny bit scared!)
Credit: Some stories originally commissioned by Sound UK. Night Flyer and King Pest commissioned by Battersea Arts Centre.
Studio
£16
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
Presented by Dan Colley and Riverbank Arts Centre.
In a kitchen, in a theatre, two storytellers and their audience find something remarkable - a very old man with enormous wings. After consulting with the neighbour – who’s an expert on all things magic – the couple decide to shelter him in the chicken coop and feed him with food scraps. A wise woman says he’s an angel. The priest says he’s an imposter. Pilgrims flock to see him.
Inspired by Gabriel García Márquez's darkly comic tale, the show taps into both the best and worst of mankind, wryly examining the human response to those who are weak, dependent, and different.
Using a combination of music, puppetry and live video projection this magic-realist gem is brought to the stage with beautiful, strange, emotional richness.
'Brilliantly, wittily, inventively told' ★★★★The Wee Review
Studio
£16
ShakeItUp Shakespeare
ShakeItUp Theatre present.
Shakespeare hasn't written anything new for an age, so we thought we'd give him a hand...
Using his language, your audience suggestions, and our overactive imaginations, we create a brand-new Shakespeare play live on stage, complete with live music, songs and plenty of laughs. Join ShakeItUp for an evening of bard-based bedlam!
‘Quick witted, inexhaustible and absolutely hysterical' ★★★★★ London Theatre Reviews
'Laugh out-loud hilarious... a great night out' ★★★★ Broadway World
‘An authentic, if strange, work of Shakespeare' ★★★★ Upper-Circle
Studio
£16
Dom Joly - Conspiracy Tourist
Dom Joly has been off travelling the globe again. This time, he’s been looking into some of the strangest and weirdest conspiracy theories in existence.
'Just because your paranoid doesn’t mean you’re not being followed!'
Now, he’s now set to embark on a rather unique theatre tour, where Dom will be providing a hilarious, fascinating, and slightly anarchic guide to the wacky world of conspiracies.
1. Is the earth flat?
2. Does Finland exist?
3. Did JFK commit suicide?
4. Are Q Anon mentally ill?
5. Is Bill Gates using vaccines to take control of your mind?
6. Is Denver Airport a massive panic room for the Illuminati?
7. Are UFO’s piloted by lizards?
In the spirt of fairness, Dom will also be inviting a well-known and highly respected conspiracy theorist, Dr Julian Northcote, to take the stage and defend the alternate view.
Due to the extremely controversial views aired in the show, security will be at an optimum and audiences are warned that angry demonstrations are very likely – or is that just another conspiracy?!
Courtyard Theatre
£25
have your say