The MK Festival Fringe; a (slightly outrageous) eight day programme, showcasing some of the most pioneering outdoor theatre, performance, visual arts, music, comedy and dance. The events are presented within the surreal and vibrant landscape of Central Milton Keynes. Unusual spaces -buses, empty shops and street corners are transformed to become our stages, theatres and galleries; we are featuring invited artists like Boogaloo Stu, as well as special commissions such as Festive Road’s Walking with Giants parade.
A jammed packed Festival Fringe with plenty of surprises! MK Festival Fringe will be based at Milton Keynes Central Library, so pop in and say hello.
For full programme and booking information please visit: http://mkfestivalfringe.com
Some highlights include:
Breathing Room: an installation specially commissioned by MK Fringe with funding from Milton Keynes Community Foundation and support from thecentre:mk. The piece reuses defunct marketing and administrative print: that which has been generated by the ‘insiders’, the commercial outlets within the shopping centre, and also the ‘outsiders’ – charities and not for profit groups who have no home within the shopping centre – as well as municipal bodies. The civic, the commercial, and the community are represented by means of their print detritus.
The artist has allowed the non-commercial to infest, colonise, and re-claim the public space, in tandem with – indistinguishable from – the commercial. In an almost organic form, they breathe in and out, breaking out of the space.
17th -24th July, 11-4pm everyday, Fringe Space 2, Silbury Arcade, North, door 13-15, thecentre:mk
Pristine in Blue: Dwayne’s dad was in debt to a bank and took his own life. Now Dwayne is involved in a group demonstrating against the bank. Sabeena, his childhood sweetheart, joins him in an illegal squat, and all seems on track until the arrival of Laurie, a busker friend of Dwayne’s, forcing his values and sense of justice and betrayal to be challenged. A fast moving play exploring youth and confronting contemporary issues, against an emotional backdrop of love and desire. The piece is written by Milton Keynes based writer, Neil Beardmore and directed by Rosemary Hill.
17th -19th July, 7.30pm each night, Arts Central (above MK Central Station), booking required
The Crown’s Big Weekender: Lunchtime kids entertainment features Mike Belgrave(BBC Worldwide’s Best in Town), and Jay Foreman with his “Disgusting Songsfor Revolting Children”. Afternoon action features Vikki Stone with her hot new Edinburgh show, Tom Binns “solid writing and sweet timing”, Omar Hamdi – the topical, political, up-to-the-minuteWelsh-Egyptian funnyman! Paul Savage “Genuinely brilliant, an all-round hoot”(Guardian) and MK’s very own Jimmy James Jones. And those are just a phew! of the actsover this jam-packed weekend.
Comedy Cow are working in partnership with the Fringe to present a variety of comedy events as well as this weekend in Stony Stratford, visit http://www.thecomedycow.co.uk for full listings and booking information.
Sat 19th and Sun 20th July, 12.30pm – late, The Crown, Market Square, Stony Stratford, MK11 1BE
The Librarians: ʻThe Librariansʼ is a new site-specific show by Pestiferous for libraries and their communities, using dance, comedy, physical theatre and poetry in an immersive performance. This 20-minute piece pops out of the shelves, to surprise an unsuspecting audience and encourages them to join in and see their local public space in a new way. Four librarians roam the library, archiving, shelving, organising and sometimes flying with their beloved books. The books take on a life of their own and lead us into the library to explore what lies within the pages… The audience will see exotic birds in the Wildlife area, find true love with ʻBlind Dateʼ in the Romance section and get limbered up and ready to read with some ʻBookserciseʼ in the Health and Fitness section. The piece urges audiences to join in and be part of the performance, but does allow apprehensive audience members to be passive observers. Look out for other Pestiferous shows this weekend.
19th July, (2 shows at: 2pm and 4pm) 1st Floor Reference, MK Central Library
Works: Take a shed load of ideas to show the passing world; a demonstration of the fruit of two beautiful minds; earnest companions with overalls. Invention, a pet cat, a cup of tea… and a leap of faith, everyday objects, ramshackle engineering, precise timing and deadpan comedy all come into play in this chain reaction of a show. This is the first show by the recently formed duo Heywood Hix. Over the duration of the piece A Heath Robinson shed contraption is assembled by two workmen to a musical soundtrack; an evolving chain reaction takes place involving: everyday objects, ramshackled engineering, precise timing, deadpan comedy and a catapulting cat. The piece has been directed by Matt Rudkin of Inconvienient Spoof who performed at MK Fringe in 2012.
24th July, 12 noon and 3pm, Queens Court, thecentre:mk
The events listed here show a very small percentage of the Fringe 2014 programme, pick up a green brochure, follow them on Twitter or see the full programme here: http://mkfestivalfringe.com/whats/#all/1/list
Presenting 10 amazing days including a night-time spectacle from France played out on Willen Lake, contemporary circus from Australia, family events, live music, comedy and cabaret in the exotic Spiegeltent, a monumental walk-in sculpture in thecentre:mk, specially commissioned installations and events, and extraordinary sound and light interventions that move across the cityscape.
