THE CRICK CRACK CLUB PRESENTS THE THREE SNAKE LEAVES Fairytales for Grown-ups from the Grimm Forest PERFORMANCE STORYTELLING BY THE COMPANY OF STORYTELLERS HUGH LUPTON, BEN HAGGARTY & SALLY POMME CLAYTON WITH MUSIC BY DYLAN FOWLER & GILLIAN STEVENS
THE THREE SNAKE LEAVES Two hundred years ago, the Brothers Grimm, published Household and Children s Tales a collection of folk and fairytales destined to become the international reader for all things fairytale. To celebrate this bicentenary, and with support from both the English & Welsh Arts Councils, The Company of Storytellers return to the Grimm forest to bring their seminal piece, The Three Snake Leaves, to the stage once more. This extraordinary performance is undeniably a fairytale for grown-ups. By reworking and interweaving a dozen of the Grimm s lesser known tales into a seamless narrative, a journey through a forest confronts contemporary adult audiences with the cruel, complex and divided nature of humanity through richly subtle metaphor and mythic imagery. PRESS & REVIEWS A wonderful, intricate piece about storytelling and the possibilities of redemption. The Independent 'The Company of Storytellers have transformed storytelling from a moribund anachronism to a vigorous and contemporary form of entertainment' The Independent One of the country s most highly regarded storytellers... (Clayton) delights in subverting her audiences expectations The Independent I was spell-bound I don t use the word lightly The Times An exemplar of a quality we all aspire to Daniel Morden - Devil s Violin Company 'The Company of Storytellers demonstrate that the old stories still have potency to enchant The Times Educational Supplement BOOKING The Three Snake Leaves is touring with Arts Council England subsidy at a cost of 700 inclusive, per show. Unsubsidised cost is 1600 per show (within UK) The Three Snake Leaves is available for booking during June, July, November & December 2012 and January & February 2013 - please enquire about further tour dates. It premieres in England at London s Unicorn Theatre on the 4th February 2012, and in Wales at Beyond the Border International Storytelling Festival in June 2012. Booking: Kate Norgate - Programme Manager kate@crickcrackclub.com 07791 157 437
THE COMPANY The Company of storytellers - the original performance storytelling super group pioneered performance storytelling for adult audiences in the 1990s, setting a standard for ensemble storytelling throughout the UK and Northern Europe. Their involvement in this legendary company launched the solo careers of its core members - Ben Haggarty, Hugh Lupton & Sally Pomme Clayton - three of the most highly respected performance storytellers working in the UK today. These are true masters of their chosen artform, and this is the performance piece that proves it. Originally commissioned by the South Bank, The Three Snake Leaves is the company s landmark creation. This 2012 reworking is commissioned by Beyond the Border Wales International Storytelling Festival. SALLY POMME CLAYTON Sally Pomme Clayton is a writer and performance storyteller whose work combines poetic language, startling imagery and playful humour. She has performed across the UK, in 40 Winks Hotel; The Barbican; The Soho Theatre; Northern Stage; The National Theatre; Cheltenham Music Festival; Bristol Old Vic; and 11 Downing Street... She has been a featured artist in many European Storytelling Festivals and toured with The British Council to Spain, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Sweden and Portugal. Sally Pomme has published several books, collaborating regularly with illustrator Sophie Herxheimer. www.sallypommeclayton.com BEN HAGGARTY Having been trained in mime, and in theatre direction at East 15, and apprenticed as an imagemaker with Welfare State, today Ben is a world-class performance storyteller, whose work delights and subverts audiences across the English-speaking world. He tours widely, has been a guest artist in over one hundred International Storytelling Festivals in 25 countries and since 2001 has been the official storyteller with Yo Yo Ma s Silk Road Ensemble. Ben is a much sought after teacher and director of storytellers and artistic director of the legendary Crick Crack Club. He is Honorary Professor of Storytelling at the Arts University of Berlin (UDK). His graphic novel, MeZolith was published by Random House in 2010. www.benhaggarty.com HUGH LUPTON Widely acclaimed throughout the UK as the master of poetic storytelling, Hugh's distinctive style focuses on richly crafted use of the English language. An award winning performer and writer, he has collaborated widely with singers and musicians and other performers. In 2005, he won the Classical Association prize for the most significant contribution to the public understanding of the classics with Daniel Morden. His first novel, based on the life of poet John Clare, was published in 2010 and his song One in a Million (co-written with Chris Wood) won the BBC 2 folk awards for Original Song of the Year 2005. www.hughlupton.com DYLAN FOWLER & GILLIAN STEVENS Drawing on traditional, global and early music - and using a range of instruments including guitar, mandocello, drums, clarinet, tenor viol, and the ancient Welsh crwth - theirs is a rich, multi-layered and distinctive sound. Well-known throughout the UK, the duo has performed throughout Europe. Their international collaborations include work with Norwegian singer, Asne Valland-Nordli, in the Bath Festival, and Nicolai Ivanov in the Salon des Arts festival in Sofia. Of particular importance has been the collaboration with Finnish kantele player Timo Vaananen, with whom they formed Taith Trio. www.taithrecords.co.uk
MARKETING The Three Snake Leaves has strong appeal for - Theatre audiences - Performance art students - Live literature audiences - English Literature students - Medieval / world / early music audiences The Three Snake Leaves is suitable for adults (children 14+) The following marketing support is available - Standard press release - Professional print: A5 flyers / A4 posters / A3 posters all with space for overprint - Large format posters on demand - Video clip (available after April 2012) Further guidance on marketing and target audiences is available. The Three Snake Leaves Fairytales for Grown-ups from the Grimm Forest BROCHURE COPY Performance storytelling by The Company of Storytellers Stories: Hugh Lupton, Ben Haggarty, Sally Pomme Clayton Music: Gillian Stevens, Dylan Fowler The forest is a place where marvels gleam in the shadows and the mysterious snake leaves bring transformation 200 years after the Brothers Grimm s first collection of fairytales was published, three masters of contemporary storytelling conjure a primal, metaphorical world, shot through with evocative music. The dark pasts of three disheveled travelers lost in a forest are untangled in this seamless and beguiling performance of grown-up fairytale and myth. Moving, cruel and humorous by turn enter an enchanted search for truth A wonderful, intricate piece about storytelling and the possibilities of redemption. The Independent TECHNICAL The following details are provisional. A full tech spec will be available. Space: minimum performance space 5 m (wide) x 3.5m (deep) Lighting: The show has flexible lighting requirements with simple cues. Technical specifications available.
Sound: Where possible the show is performed acoustically. The size and acoustic of some venues may make a live stage or full amplification necessary. Technical specifications available. Set: 5 x plain, matching wooden chairs (can be supplied by company) Performance to take place in front of black drapes where possible Running time: 2 x 60 mins (TBC) Interval: yes (15-20 mins) Get-in: Ideally 3 hours prior to doors opening Dressing room: Where possible x 2 dressing rooms are required. Please provide somewhere secure for personal belongings. Get-out: 1 hour max immediately after performance CONTACT Kate Norgate - Programme Manager kate@crickcrackclub.com 07791 157 437 www.crickcrackclub.com