Duo Behind PALMYRA Bring Follow Up To Edinburgh Fringe And London

In two new shows, Bertrand Lesca and Nasi Voutsas use their personal and professional relationship to explore global issues: in One, an argument between the pair becomes the jumping off point to talk about the polarisation of contemporary politics, whilst in The End they imagine the future death of their relationship in parallel to the future death of Earth. One will complete the trilogy that began with Eurohouse and Palmyra, and will perform for three days only at the Fringe before a three week run at Battersea Arts Centre. The End, a sad and funny account of the ongoing ecological crisis, will be presented for ten performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

One begins amid the ruins of unresolved conflict. Nasi's on a ladder. He's not coming down any time soon. It's time for Bert's solo career to begin. Both about the polarisation of politics and about a toxic relationship that needs fixing, One examines the left through the prism of the right, and the walls we build to protect the difference between what we say and who we really are.

The End imagines a future where Bert and Nasi have reached the end of their relationship, and what their worlds would look like without each other. Projected on a screen above the stage, the Earth is dying. In the vein of their previous work, it is a poignant, sad and funny account of the ongoing ecological crisis. Their dance is a reminder and a celebration of our own mortality, and that of everything around us. The End won the Audience Prize at this year's BE Festival.

Bert and Nasi said, "The two shows are both quite final although not intended to be connected, ONE is the ending of a trilogy, where as in THE END we consider endings more explicitly. They seem to talk to each other in some way. THE END is probably the most personal, autobiographical show we've ever made. This makes it feel quite exciting and dangerous for us. ONE is the most open show of the trilogy. For us it's ended up reflecting the position global politics has found itself in over the past 2 years. It's painful, surreal, and full of hope."

Bertrand Lesca and Nasi Voutsas (France/UK) are the creators of Eurohouse and Palmyra. They are produced by Farnham Maltings and Associate Artists of MAYK (Bristol). In 2017, Palmyra won the Total Theatre Award for Experimentation and Playing with Form the same year and was selected in both the Guardian and Whatsonstage's Top 10 Shows of 2017. Their work has been presented all over the world, from London to Madrid, Berlin to Sarajevo, Brazil, Canada and Australia.

Bertrand & Nasi are produced by Farnham Maltings. Farnham Maltings is a cultural organisation based in Surrey, England. They support, collaborate with and invest in artists to make new theatre and reach new audiences locally, nationally and internationally. Farnham Maltings is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation. farnhammaltings.com

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