• Foursight Theatre are presenting BETTE & JOAN: THE FINAL CURTAIN at The Assembly from 3 to 29 August
• Francesca Millican-Slater is performing Me, Myself and Miss Gibbs from 19 to 29 August at Remarkable Arts’ Hill Street Theatre.

These two were previewed at the MAC the other week, following which everyone there had a bit of a chat:

many representatives of WM companies heading up to Edinburgh this month got together to find out about each other’s shows and discuss how we can co-promote our work up there

There’s now a hashtag – #WM2edin – people can lump Twitter activity around and Pippa Frith seems to be making the running in pulling together a list of folks who are travelling up.

I’m sure there’ll be other shows up there too but the only other one I’m aware of is The Other Way Works’ Avon Calling (which I’ve seen and was good). The flyer for that one’s below. If you know of any other local folks taking shows up then hit me in the comments.

Avon Calling!

‘Avon Calling’ being the name of a new show from The Other Way Works. I say ‘show’, but it is in fact “a new theatre event made for your living room”:

Invite some friends around and wait for the Avon Lady to ring on your front door and create an Avon party with a twist right in your home.

For £120 you get a bit of theatre for ten people in your living room, which isn’t half bad. I saw on Twitter yesterday that the show’s already 50% sold out, which is pretty good going, so get in there sooner rather than later if you fancy it.

(Photo by Chris Keenan)

Tomorrow night (Thursday) I’m taking a wander over to Warwick Arts Centre, as are a couple of Birmingham-based outfits, for It Came From Pilot:

Father and son duo, Kings of England perform Where We Live and What We Live For. In 2001 75 year old Peter Bowes had a trans-ischemic attack, a stroke. In this gentle, moving work he and his son remember and imagine the man he once was.

The Other Way Works premier Avon Calling which explores the eternal triangle of mother – daughter – and Avon Cosmetics. Drawing vividly on personal source material Louise Platt reveals an intimate and comic portrait of a woman, a mother and an Avon Lady. Ex-Avon lady.

This is part of Fierce‘s programme of stuff at WAC running from Sept-Dec (although no news of what else is upcoming just yet).

A few extras for context:

• PILOT Nights are testing grounds for short, work-in-progress pieces from ‘some of the UK’s most exciting theatre companies’. Audience feedback is encouraged
• The Other Way Works are using Avon and Me to collect people’s personal stories about Avon cosmetics. If you want to see what the show has come ‘from’ there’s a video from the March 09 PILOT Nights here
• Kings of England are based in the North West but I’m assured they’re lovely. Their blog makes for a great read too