LAStheatre to Present THE INSTITUTE OF IMPOSSIBILITY, May 23-25

The Institute of Impossibility will play Drapers' Hall, Bayley Lane, Coventry, CV1 5RN Friday 23rd - Sunday 25th May 2014. Press Night: Friday 23rd May, 7.15pm. An evening of serious fun and unimpossibilising ideas...

In the heart of Coventry lies a mysterious and intriguing building - The Institute of Impossibility. For as long as anyone can remember it has been the home of strange noises, occasional fireworks and, more than once, a Eureka has trumpeted from behind its doors. For the first time in a generation, the Institute is to be opened to a lucky few...

Join award winning company LAStheatre for an immersive adventure exploring the evolution of all things, from crops to legends, satellites to stories. When EVO, the machine that fuels the Institute, breaks down, the audience's help is enlisted by a group of rag-tag mechanics. Fall in love with peculiar characters, encounter real scientists and meet their mysterious machine - all on a rambunctious journey to save creativity from destruction.

LAStheatre's projects surreptitiously served science to an arty crowd... blending old and new with playful irreverence (A Younger Theatre).

The Institute of Impossibility is the latest production in LAStheatre's award-winning Enlightenment Cafe? series. Created in collaboration with Coventry University, the University of Warwick and Interplay (National Centre for Sensory Theatre), The Institute of Impossibility is an immersive theatre extravaganza that celebrates the innovation of Coventry and the West Midland's brightest minds. The Institute of Impossibility is commissioned by Coventry Mysteries Festival. This show has been made possible by funding from Arts Council England.

The Institute of Impossibility will run Friday 23rd - Sunday 25th May 2014 2.15pm, 7.15pm daily. Running time: 2 hours. Performances take place at Drapers' Hall, Bayley Lane, Coventry, CV1 5RN - Drapers' Hall is located on Bayley Lane in Coventry, near to Earl Street. It is a 15 minute walk from Coventry Rail station or a four-minute drive.

Tickets are available from www.belgrade.oc.uk/whats-on and on 024 7655 2055 priced £12.50 (concessions, £8.50). Save 75p by booking online.

Scientists and Experts Involved

Coventry University

The Social Networks of Myths: Professor Ralph Kenna, Pa?draig MacCarron, Dr Thierry Platini Smarter Households: Dr Shuli Liu, Georgina Wood, Elise Smithson

University of Warwick

Battlefield Earth - Warwick Crop Centre: Dr Rosemary Collier, Dr Dave Chandler Synthetic Biology: Professor Alfonso Jaramillo, Dr Kevin Moffat
Life on other Planets - Warwick University Satellite Project: Dr Bill Crofts

Interplay (National Centre For Sensory Theatre)
Story Machines: Steve Byrne (Artistic Director of Interplay)

The Enlightenment Cafe series, which is produced by LAStheatre, brings together artists, scientists and great thinkers placing them in a thrilling theatrical setting that enhances the way they present their work.

LAStheatre is an award-winning theatre company that specialises in creating interactive and immersive experiences; ranging from ambitious theatrical productions, to festival nonsense and one off events. LAStheatre gained national recognition in 2012 when they staged their sell-out production The Enlightenment Cafe? at The Old Vic Tunnels. In April 2013 they created their most ambitious project to date Deadinburgh. The show was a sell-out, received critical acclaim and was awarded Best Experiential Event and the Chairman's Award (for innovation) by the Scottish Event Awards 2013. For more information, see www.LAStheatre.com.

The Coventry Mysteries Festival - From 1392 - 1578, Coventry's medieval Mystery Plays were proudly performed in a city-wide festival of drama and spectacle by its guilds of tradesmen. The plays retold, for entertainment and instruction, the Christian story from Creation to Doomsday. The Mystery Plays were seen by the Kings and Queens of England, they were one of the largest festivals in the UK of their time - and a source of great civic pride. The old Mystery Plays told the story of Christianity; the new Coventry Mysteries tell the story of mankind's search for meaning from everyone's viewpoint. The Coventry Mysteries aims to transform the urban landscape and create an ambitious programme of events offering artistic encounters and experiences that encourage people to take pride in their city, to rally around the big questions of life, to understand more about each other, and to create and reveal new stories of wonder in Coventry today.

Arts Council England - Grants For The Arts - Grants For The Arts is Arts Council England's Lottery-funded programme for individuals, arts organisations and other people who use the arts in their work. Grants are available for activities carries out over a set period and which engage people in England in arts activities and help artists and arts organisations in England carry out their work.

Drapers' Hall - Drapers' Hall is a historic building in the Cathedral Quarter of Coventry built in 1832, in Greek Revival Style, by the Drapers' Company, a large guild in Coventry. The building is set to be re- developed, this show will provide the audience with a last look at the building in its original form.

BIOS:

Barra Collins - Writer/Director

Barra Collins is an award-winning theatre maker and the Artistic Director and founder of LAStheatre. His work has been described as 'atmospheric' (The Herald), 'powerful' (The Scotsman) and 'thrilling immediate' (Financial Times). For the last decade Barra has worked with companies who have a playful relationship with space including: Punchdrunk, Shunt and Nomad. In 2012 he established LAStheatre to create his own brand of work, transforming spaces through play and adventure, spirit and imagination. The Enlightenment Cafe? was conceived as a playful way to engage audiences in the world around them, whether by questioning what it means to be human by living through a zombie apocalypse (Deadinburgh) or exploring advancements in medicine by experiencing a Victorian ward round at Bedlam (The Enlightenment Cafe). Since training Barra has worked in almost all departments of the theatre industry. From nominations for Best Male Performance and treading the boards of London's West End, to designing and working in production management for companies including Manchester International Festival and the English National Opera. It is his ability, as a theatre maker, to approach projects holistically which has won him awards for both the quality and innovation of his work.

Andrew Franzkowiak - Producer

Andy Franzkowiak is an award-winning Creative Producer, and Director. He has developed and realised a series of ambitious projects across a number of art forms, most notably experiential theatre, film, and performance and installation art. Andy specialises in multidisciplinary projects that give a voice to all involved, from scientists to artists to audiences. Additionally he has developed inventive outreach platforms that give young people the chance to experience the arts, and develop a voice of their own. Andy is Creative Producer at LAStheatre; prominent works include co-creating the critically acclaimed Enlightenment Cafe series, focusing on art/science collaborations. He has also worked on projects for Punchdrunk, The Old Vic Tunnels, Southbank Centre and BBC, often in unusual and challenging locations. Andy has a track record of producing innovative and ground breaking projects, and firmly believes that multidisciplinary approaches to development and delivery realises the most exciting, inventive and lasting works.

Rebecca Boey - Writer

Rebecca Boey is a graduate of the Royal Court's Young Writer's Programme. Her first play, Zoo Lodge, premiered at The Pleasance in 2011. Since then she has written hundreds of short plays for The Matey Institute's One Hour Plays which have been staged at Secret Garden Party, Latitude, Nabakov Arts Club, IdeasTap festival and Canal Cafe Theatre.

Sean Turner - Set Designer

Sean's work includes: The House Where Winter Lives (Punchdrunk, Perth International Arts Festival), Grey's Printing Press, Up Up and Away, Space Invaders, The Lambeth Walk, Under the Eiderdown and The Haunted Wood (all Punchdrunk Enrichment), The Enlightenment Cafe?, Deadinburgh, The Crystal Palace Festival and The Festival of Dreams (LAS Theatre co.), Blues in the night (the Last Refuge), Cendrillon (Blackheath Community Opera), Orpheus & Eurydice (The New Wolsey theatre, Ipswich), The Threepenny Opera (British Academy Dramatic Arts), Alice the Musical and The Emperor's New Clothes (The Castle Theatre, Wellingborough), The Lion the witch and the wardrobe, and Little Hope (The Point theatre, Eastleigh), Television Workshops (The Carriage Works, Leeds), Saturday Night (The White Bear theatre, Kennington), Tell Me Lies (The Arts Theatre, Leicester Square), Fight, fight, fight! (Hampstead Theatre), Jack's Quest (Junction studio theatre Cambridge/Pleasance theatre London), Huis Clos (Sandown High school), White People (Theatre 503) Black light, Sepia dreams, After Everything (CASA Latin American theatre festival, The Crypt, St Andrews Church, Holborn), The Nativity (Design team for Iris Theatre company St Paul's Church Covent Garden), Famished The Musical (Dastardly Productions), Dream Catcher (Haringey Shed children's theatre) and Fair Trade (Haringey Shed Youth theatre).

Sam Wyer - Set Designer

Samuel Wyer is a set designer, art director, illustrator, college tutor, and sometime performer. He works in a diverse range of theatrical environments as a theatrical workshop designer/leader in places such as Jordan, Sri Lanka, and the mountains of La Rioja, as well as across the UK. His recent work at the National includes; Elephantom (designer), The Light Princess (assistant designer and illustrator), All's Well That Ends Well (assistant designer, shadow puppet and shadow scenery designer). Other designs for theatre: Under the Eiderdown and The Space Invaders Agency for Punchdrunk; The Trench, The Marvellous Imaginary Menagerie, The Vaudevillians and The Terribles Infants for Les Infants Terribles (UK and international tours); Terror at Soho Theatre; Ovid's Metamorphoses for Pants on Fire Theatre (New York and UK tour).

Stephen Dobbie - Sound Designer

Stephen has been a sound and graphic designer for Punchdrunk since 2002. He has worked with the company on the award-winning Faust, The Masque of The Red Death, It Felt Like A Kiss, a collaboration with Adam Curtis and Damon Albarn as part of the Manchester International Festival (UK), the Doctor Who adventure The Crash Of The Elysium, Punchdrunk's US debut, Sleep No More and most recently The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable. He has also worked with Punchdrunk Enrichment on several projects, including The Uncommercial Traveller (UK & International), a collaboration with Arcola Theatre.

David Brett - Original Music (also performing)

David Brett is an English actor, singer and arranger. He was one of the original members of The Flying Pickets, and arranged a number of the group's songs, including the number one hit Only You. His work as an actor, mainly on stage, has included Lark Rise to Candleford at
the Finborough Theatre, London, but he has also participated in a number of TV productions and played Dedalus Diggle in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

Potion Pictures - Animation

Established in 2009 by Managing Director David Newtown, Potion Pictures aspires to draw on multi-disciplinary experience of its team to develop high end moving image design. Potion Pictures combines imagination and expertise in animation, motion graphics, illustration, visual effects, 3D and many other forms of design. From creating LED graphics in a live studio environment, to art directing the design of a new iPhone app, to projecting onto architectural landmarks, to illustrating and animating original characters, Potion Pictures is a team of talented individuals that can take on any challenge. Their work includes: Lord of the Rings (London), Dirty Dancing (Hamburg), Eurovision (Oslo 2010), X Factor, The Voice, Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing on Ice.