The programme for the eighth annual Fest West festival is being announced today with film and dance in the mix alongside theatre performances.
Fest West sees Wiltshire Creative venues Salisbury Arts Centre and Salisbury Playhouse collaborate with The Pound Arts Centre, Corsham and Town Hall Arts, Trowbridge to present some of most interesting arts from across the South West.
Companies and artists taking part include local playwright Barney Norris, theatre companies Running Dog and Paines Plough and multi award-winning choreographer James Wilton. Companies and artists from Bristol, Devon, Somerset and Wiltshire are all part of the festival.
New at Fest West in 2019 are film screenings including The Levelling – winner of the BFI London Film Festival Filmmaker Bursary Award – about a girl returning to her family home in Somerset after the death of her brother and devastation by the floods of 2014. The Levelling is at The Pound on 14 February and at Salisbury Arts Centre on 27 February.
Other film includes an evening of shorts at Salisbury Arts Centre on Wednesday 20 February including Needletale by Barney Norris.
On the same night, Paines Plough presents Come to Where I’m From with four playwrights: Barney Norris, Harry Blake, Veronica Dewan and Natasha Marshall. Come to Where I’m From is a national project that invites playwrights to write plays about where they’re from. The plays are then made available on a special Come to Where I’m From app.
Theatre performances include a triple bill of performances on Friday 15 February and a double bill on Saturday 2 March – both in The Salberg, Salisbury Playhouse. The triple bill includes Grow Up and Just Love Chocolate from Poole’s The Shouting Mute, Firebird and Chris White and Poppy Pedder with Kin. The double bill features performances about women’s history including Womansby Scratchworks.
Dance comes from James Wilton who presents Leviathan at Salisbury Arts Centre on Thursday 21 February. Leviathan follows Ahab, a ship captain hell-bent on capturing the white whale Moby Dick. It will leave audiences gasping under the sheer ferocity of the movement. Heather Walrond Company presents The Rising, a highly charged double bill of dance and live music, at Salisbury Arts Centre on Saturday 16 February.
Family performances include The Pixie’s Scarf for ages 3+ inspired by Alison Uttely’s story on Monday 18 February, Lily and the Albatross on Tuesday 19 February for ages 5+ and Phoenix and Turtle for ages 4+ on Friday 22 February.
Some performers will move between Fest West partner venues. Jamie Wood will perform in Salisbury and at The Pound in Corsham while Elise Heaven performs in Salisbury, Corsham and Trowbridge.
Wiltshire Creative Associate Director Jo Newman said: “This is the biggest line-up yet for Fest West; it’s fantastic to be bringing so many brilliant South West artists working across disciplines –dance, music, circus, theatre, film and visual arts – together to share their work as part of a celebration of what’s being made in this region.”
Fest West runs from 14 February to 2 March 2019.
Tickets go on sale on to Wiltshire Creative members on 12 November and general booking opens on 14 November. Book by calling Ticket Sales on 01722 320333 or by visiting www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk.
