‘An evening of barely organised theatrical chaos!’

The next PILOT Light takes place on 14 October at 7.30pm, The Victoria, and is on the hunt for untested, unpolised and unfinished ideas from theatre artists. This is great chance to meet and share your thoughts with like-minded people, where mistakes are welcomed so long as you bring your passion along too.

It’s an opportunity for theatre artists from the West Midlands to test out 5-10 minutes of work that is right at the beginning of its developmental process in front of a curious, confused and courageous audience. It’s also a chance to find out who else is doing what in the area, and make new creative connections.

If this sounds like your kinda thing, email your proposals to PILOTlight@mail.com by 2 October, with the following information:

Contact/Company Name:
Description of idea (max 200 words):
Length of performance (10 minutes max):
Number and names of all people involved:
Estimate of travel expenses (we have a small budget for travel expenses that will be shared between participants).

Successful applicants will receive email confirmation by 5th October.

There’s a PILOT night tomorrow – an evening of ‘new, untested shorts from some of the UK’s most exciting theatre companies’. AE Harris are housing and Kindle Theatre are hosting. It’s only a fiver so get down by 7.30pm for this little lot:

The line up will include performances from Needle & Thread Theatre’s continuing project The Story Exchange, a brick built Ziggurat from The Resurrectionists, a comic twist on a Greek myth from The Company Project, a public pillory from Mark Butcher, an operatic performance from Kirsty Lothian and the dulcet tones of Greg McLaren from Stoke Newington International Airport.

The evening will be fanfared by the City Sings Trumpeters and serenaded by The Mellow Peaches

Pilot is a platform for testing new theatre work from the West Midlands and beyond. Deadline for submissions Monday 1st March, 12pm

RELEASE THE BEAST

Had an idea laying dormant for a while that you almost daren’t wake up? Not sure if it’s mad or genius?
Kindle invite performers/practitioners/fools to submit ideas for performance which frighten them. Whether in form, content or style it must push you beyond your comfort zone into unknown territory.

Challenge yourself in a lively, supportive atmosphere and get honest feedback from peers and audience. All fools will be applauded.

AE Harris is an industrial warehouse in Birmingham’s Jewelry Quarter. It’s big, blank and open to you, with four huge spaces and lots of corners, nooks and crannies to test your idea in. Site-specific ideas are most welcome.

We can offer you a small bursary, documentation of your performance, and rehearsal space in the venue from Monday 29th March.

Kindle will also be hosting an unusual meal for all the artists involved on the Wednesday night, in the venue.

In other news, on 6 March you should definitely go to Warwick Arts Centre for The Bite Size Festival 2010:

a whirlwind tour of the region’s theatre, offering you the one-off opportunity to sample a range of great work in one place on the same day.

This year’s lineup includes Stans Cafe, Pentabus, Foursight, Kindle, Jane Packman Productions, Spanner, New Macho, Needle and Thread and Vanessa Oakes. PLUS the first opportunity to see two shows we’ve commissioned especially with Warwick Arts Centre and mac following the First Bite Festival back in November: Caroline Horton’s You’re Not Like The Other Girls Chrissy and Untied Artists’ Al Bowlly’s Croon Manifesto.

Grab a day ticket and wallow in some entertainingness. Kindle Theatre will be doing 30 mins of Eat Your Heart Out, which I saw last year and thought was really very good indeed.

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

I’ve been thinking ‘bloody hell, the Custard Factory’s busier than usual’. I suspect it’s not, it’s just that all the great stuff going on there is now getting posted on the blog.

At the risk of labouring the oft-repeated point, blogging can help get you noticed.

Anyway, hot on the heels of a recent wodge of CF events, here are the flyers for three more taking place in the Vaad Theatre:

Connecting Routes is an interactive exhibition presented by a group of young people who’ve been exploring Birmingham’s links and role within slavery. On 13/14 December, call or email to reserve places (details on the flyer).

Lost in Space 2 is a ‘trade and business exhibition’ featuring those operating at the Custard Factory. In case you can’t read the lurid green writing on pink background, 5-7pm on 15 December then 10am – 6pm daily until 19 December.

Sorry, I’ve hacked the flyer for PILOT Nights in half to fit it on the page. This looks really good, with 6 theatrical shorts being presented in one evening for a bargain £5. On Thurs 18 December, first act at 7.30pm.

The next PILOT Night takes place on Thurs 28 August 2008 at the Custard Factory and a call has gone out for submissions.  You’ll have to be quick though – the closing date is Thurs 31 July.

PILOT Nights are a motley assortment of new, untested shorts from some of the UK’s most exciting theatre companies. Each last between 10 and 20 minutes and together present a glorious mix of comic, touching and peculiar performance. The bar is open all night and musicians play in the intervals. The audience are invited to get a drink, enjoy the show and stick around to let the performers know exactly what they thought.

(Spotted on Audiences Central)