Smoking Apples presents IN OUR HANDS
By: A.A. Cristi Sep. 08, 2017
The tale of a humble fisherman as he fights against the tangled nets of legislation, quota and big corporations and finds salvation in sardines. UK TOUR: 13th September to 13th October
Based on the true story of Stefan Glinski, a once struggling fisherman who came to change our fish consumption habits, Smoking Apples weave a story with puppetry and an original score to explain crippling EU legislation in trawler fishing that will be up for debate as Brexit negotiations continue. The quotas featured heavily in Nigel Farage's Leave.EU campaign, and led to frustratEd Fisherman rallying behind him in his much-mocked Thames cruise. In Our Hands now tours to large and rural venues across the country with the story of Alf, a once successful fisherman now being squeezed out of the market by the manipulation of EU quotas by large corporations.
Alf is a trawler fisherman whose experience, camaraderie and loyalty have put him and his boat at the top of the game. But times are changing and so is the industry. How will Alf adapt in order to survive? Following the journey of a fish from sea to plate, a seagull's ridiculous attempt to find food and a father and son's reunion, In Our Hands uses innovative puppetry and inventive staging to explain the tangled net of legislation that is the plight of small fishing businesses. From the depths of despair, Alf will rise again and rescue the life he loves.
In Our Hands has been developed both in London and Cornwall with the company undertaking extensive research in Newlyn, Penzance and St Ives. During this time, the company met Stefan Glinski, a fisherman who saw the potential in fishing sardines, adapted his boat to catch them and is almost single handedly responsible for their rise in popularity and the now hugely successful Cornish Sardine industry. Stefan's story inspired part of the narrative of In Our Hands.
With a dynamic set designed by Samuel Wyer (Alice's Adventures Underground, Les Enfants Terribles' The Trench, National Theatre's The Elephantom), Jo Walker's original score (Paper Cinema's The Odyssey) and Sherry Coenen's lighting design, In Our Hands explores the very real difficulties faced by the fishing industry, and those working within it, in a humorous, imaginative and visually stunning way.
Smoking Apples is a puppetry and visual theatre company that works with difficult, hard-to-digest subject matter. They create innovative shows, making their subjects enjoyable and accessible for audiences, combining puppets, live actors and a unique style of movement. In Our Hands is Smoking Apples' fifth original production. The company's previous show CELL, a collaboration with Dogfish theatre company, received critical acclaim including a Peter Brook Award 2014 nomination. CELL has undertaken two national tours, played to sold out crowds at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2015 and this year has toured to Malaysia and Hong Kong. They are currently working on a new production, Flux, which will explore the nuclear science, radioactivity and the position of women working in science. Flux will premiere in Spring 2018.
13th September to 13th October
13 Sept Stantonbury Theatre, Milton Keynes
Stantonbury, Milton Keynes MK14 6BN
7.30pm | £15 (£13 concs, £11 schools)
www.stantonburytheatre.co.uk | 01908 324466
14 Sept Norden Farm, Maidenhead
Altwood Rd, Maidenhead, West Berkshire SL6 4PF
7.30pm | £12 (£10 concs)
www.norden.farm | 01628 788997
15 Sept Cutty Sark, London
King William Walk, London SE10 9HT
8pm | £15
www.rmg.co.uk/cuttysarktheatre | 020 8312 6608
16 Sept Wells Maltings, Norfolk
The Maltings, Staithe St, Wells-next-the-Sea NR23 1AU
3pm | £2.50
http://www.wellsmaltings.org.uk | 01328 710193
17 Sept Dreamland, Margate
49-51 Marine Terrace, Margate CT9 1X
2pm | £8
www.dreamland.co.uk | 01843 295887
21 Sept The Quarry Theatre, Bedford
26 St Peters St, Bedford MK40 2NN
7.30pm | £12.50 (£10.50 concs)
www.quarrytheatre.org.uk | 01234 362337
22 Sept The Garage, Norwich
14 Chapel Field N, Norwich, Norfolk NR2 1NY
7.30pm | £15 (£8.50 concs)
www.thegarage.org.uk | 01603 598646
25 Sept The Marlowe Studio, Canterbury
The Friars, Canterbury CT1 2AS
8pm | £13.75 - £11.25
www.marlowetheatre.com | 01227 787787
27 Sept The Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal
122a Highgate, Kendal, Cumbria LA9 4HE
8pm | £12 (£11 U16s)
www.breweryarts.co.uk/theatre | 01539 725133
28 Sept The Bay Theatre, Weymouth
Weymouth College, Cranford Avenue, Weymouth, Dorset DT4 7LQ
7.30pm | £11 (£9 concs)
www.weymouth.ac.uk/the-bay-theatre | 01305 208702
8 Oct Tropicana, Weston-super-Mare
Marine Parade, Weston-super-Mare BS23 1BE
2pm | £8
www.tobaccofactorytheatres.com | 01934 626982
11 Oct Cornerstone Arts Centre, Oxford
25 Station Rd, Didcot OX11 7NE
7.30pm | £12.50 (£10.50 concs, £10 members)
www.cornerstone-arts.org | 01235 515144
13 Oct Tunbridge Wells Puppetry Festival
Trinity Theatre
Church Rd, Royal Tunbridge Wells TN1 1JP
78pm | £16 (£14 concs, £12 under 25's)
www.twpuppetryfestival.org | 01892 678678
The Lower Vestry
St George's Bloomsbury
6-7 Little Russell Street
London
WC1A 2HR
t: 020 3195 6269
m: 07500701147
@MobiusTheatre | @printmobius | @EmmaBerge
Company No. 05731764 VAT Reg. 848 6101 18
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