Interview opportunities for Slung Low world premiere
Interview opportunities for world première of Beyond the Front Line
Slung Low Artistic Director Alan Lane and performer Dave Toole
are available for interviews during rehearsals
on Tuesday 22 September 2009, 1 – 2pm
Please confirm attendance and/or interest with
Francesca Waite on 0161 876 2044.
"And officials from the Ministry of Defence have assured the public today that the recent troop surge will have no major impact on day to day life. Salford is open for business."
World Première of Slung Low and The Lowry’s Co-production
Beyond the Front Line
The Lowry, Tue 6 – Sat 17 October 2009
Press Night: Thu 8 October, 7.30pm drinks reception for 8.15pm
As part of The Lowry’s commitment to generating new work and supporting new and emerging artists, their co-production with Slung Low, Beyond the Front Line, will receive its world première as part of the No Boundaries season. Generously funded by Arts Council England Grants for the Arts, this powerful piece explores the friction and ties between the civilian population and the armed forces that serve us.
Salford is under attack from the enemy and the British Army have taken up positions to defend it. That’s where the audience take centre stage. Utterly compelling, Beyond the Front Line is a promenade piece which creates a sensory theatrical experience for the audience. The fiction created is reflective of the current times in which we live and writers Matthew David Scott, Joel Horwood, Chris Thorpe and John Hunter were commissioned to write monologues for the production.
The production takes place in a number of public spaces around The Lowry building. This thought-provoking production features a new specially written requiem, composed by Heather Fenoughty. Sung in Latin and recorded by the choir, it will pay tribute to those members of the armed services that have lost their lives in the course of their duty.
Artistic Director of Slung Low, Alan Lane said, “Beyond the Front Line is a production that puts a theatrical landscape on top of the real world- an army installation on top of the pleasant surrounds of the Lowry Plaza. It's a project that creates a world in which the audience can experience the characters close up. The aim is for this to increase the power and relevance of the stories told”
Over 200 students from Salford University have contributed to Beyond the Front Line, appearing in the two week run of performances, playing soldiers and nurses. Slung Low led lectures at the university, asking students to think about their own personal relationship with the British Army, the results having influenced the final production.
Slung Low is well known for their imaginative, immersive and interactive theatre installations. Their ethos is to allow the particular demands of each story to inform the choice of venue and performance style, meaning their next show is as likely to be caught on an iPod as it is in a city centre car-park. Their intention is to use all of the technology and resources available to an artist in the 21st Century to achieve the oldest of artistic aims – a good story well told!
They recently performed They Only Come at Night : Resurrection at The Lowry, the first of their two installments in the No Boundaries season. Described by The Manchester Evening News as “undoubtedly one of this country’s most determinedly forward-looking and exciting of new theatre companies.”
Images: l-r Slung Low Artistic Director Alan Lane and images of Beyond the Front Line © Ben Blackall
Posted on Wednesday, 16 September 2009 under Press Theatre Press