Drunken Chorus to Continue 2014 Season with Triple-Bill of New Shows

Contemporary performance company Drunken Chorus continue their popular season of curated live events next month, with a triple-bill of new shows created specifically for pubs.

Drunken Chorus have been providing support for three artists / companies throughout January, and will present their work as a triple-bill next month in two London pubs. Chris Williams (Artistic Director of Drunken Chorus) says: 'DRUNKEN NIGHTS is a unique series of events, in that all of the work is created in response to a pub environment. That could be to do with the form of the work, for example karaoke, pub quiz, stand-up comedy, or through themes and content, such as drinking habits, dating or the history of pubs. These very familiar formats and themes open up contemporary performance work to a wider audience, and siting it in pubs means that people can stumble across the work just by popping in for a pint. It all makes for a slightly unpredictable and exciting night.'

Last year 14 artists were selected from 100 applications, to show their work at The Oval Tavern in Croydon and The Bell near Liverpool Street. From those performances Drunken Chorus selected just three to provide development support to: residencies at Rich Mix and Matthew's Yard, a small budget, and mentoring sessions with established artists David Rosenberg, Karen Christopher and Julian Maynard Smith.

The three artists now return to the two pubs with longer, more polished versions of their original pieces. The events will be compered by Roxy Bourdillon, and the pubs will be serving DRUNKEN NIGHTS Ale - brewed in collaboration with Late Knights Brewery.

The triple-bill line up...

Nathan Birkinshaw with That Night, Recurring West Yorkshire performer Nathan Birkinshaw presents a story of love, liquor, swings and roundabouts - all wrapped up in the form of a rambling, repeating and never ending anecdote about bacon and eggs. Nathan is mentored by Karen Christopher, an original member of the Chicago-based performance company Goat Island.

Lydia Cottrell with Bolero Lydia is a dancer and performer based in York, and is one half of performance duo 70/30 Split. In Bolero Lydia reimagines the 1928 ballet for Ravel's Bolero where a female dancer performs on a tabletop in a Spanish taverna - subverting the original choreography towards contemporary culture, female binge drinking and Geordie Shore role models. Lydia is mentored by David Rosenberg, founder of Shunt, and director of Ring (BAC) and Motor Show (LIFT Festival).

The Blue Tits with Toucan Play At That Game The Blue Tits are a group of four self-proclaimed feminist bandits. Treading a tightrope of ironic humour, the group take stand-up and sketch-based comedy as their form, and inappropriate jokes as their content. Their work is edgy and confrontational, and blurs the lines between laughter and uncomfortable silence. The Blue Tits are mentored by Julian Maynard Smith, who has been Artistic Director of performance company Station House Opera for over 30 years.

DRUNKEN NIGHTS is now in its second year and plans are already underway for it to return for a third year, as well as taking the project outside of London for special one-off events. The project is supported by public funding from The National Lottery through Arts Council England, as well as Rich Mix, Matthew's Yard, Club Soda and Studio Film School.

For more information on the project visit http://www.drunkennightsblog.wordpress.com or www.facebook.com/DrunkenChorus.

The DRUNKEN NIGHTS Triple Bill takes place on the following dates: Saturday 15 February 2014, 7.30pm: The Oval Tavern (Station: East Croydon, CR0 6BR) Saturday 22 February 2014, 7.30pm: The Bell (Station: Liverpool Street / Aldgate, E1 7EX) Entry is free and no ticket is required.

ABOUT DRUNKEN CHORUS: Drunken Chorus is a contemporary performance company based in London. Founded by Artist and Producer Chris Williams in 2006, the company creates a range of theatre pieces, installations, cabaret and durational works. Whilst the company's work often changes dramatically from one project to the next, it has at its core a strong visual style. The work often plays with theatrical landscapes through text, soundscapes and movement sequences. Drunken Chorus are constantly seeking to explore new ground, to find new ways of making work - from text-based comedy, to a wordless horror performance - nothing is ever off the table!

The Venues:

The Bell: http://www.thebellpub.co.uk
The Oval Tavern: http://www.theovalcroydon.co.uk
Rich Mix: http://www.richmix.org.uk
Matthew's Yard: http://www.matthewsyard.com
The Artists Nathan Birkinshaw: http://nathanbirkinshaw.wordpress.com
Lydia Cottrell: http://lidyaa-andstuff.tumblr.com
The Blue Tits: https://twitter.com/TheBlueTits
The Mentors David Rosenberg: http://www.fueltheatre.com/artists/david-rosenberg
Karen Christopher: http://www.karenchristopher.co.uk / http://www.goatislandperformance.org
Julian Maynard Smith: http://www.stationhouseopera.com

Drunken Chorus website: http://www.drunkenchorus.co.uk
Drunken Nights blog: http://www.drunkennightsblog.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrunkenChorus
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/DrunkenChorus
Late Knights Brewery: http://www.lateknightsbrewery.co.uk
Arts Council England: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk

Photo Credit: Sheena Holliday

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