19 August 2008

Cumbria gets ready for major international street arts festival

A Cumbrian town is gearing up for one of the region’s biggest and brightest street arts festivals.

Around 200 performers from across the world will take to the stages, streets and parks of Kendal between Friday 29th and Sunday 31st August in a series of exciting and unusual performances for the Mintfest international street arts festival.  

Audiences will come face to face with a talking compost heap, a Gallic James Bond style hero doing battle with an evil villain and some space cadets bearing gifts of yellow Y-fronts from far away galaxies.  There will also be a chance to see some giant puppets taking part in a bizarre dance spectacle and to watch a show inside the belly of a giant pig.  And anyone who feels under dressed will be shown how to make themselves a stylish hat by a French origami expert.

The event will officially be launched on the Friday evening at 8pm on Nobles Rest park with performances by Dutch entertainers Tuig who use fire, air and water to spectacular effect, and Bash Street Theatre with their highly-acclaimed real life silent-movie style production Cliffhanger.  The evening will finish with a powerful and colourful Spanish fireworks finale from pa-BOOM.

Over the rest of the weekend every corner of this attractive market town on the edge of the Lake District will come alive with comedians, jugglers, magicians, musicians and other colourful street arts acts and most of the performances are free.

On Saturday afternoon the Whalley Range All Stars will perform Compost Mentis, in which the audience will be lead up the garden path by a large compost heap and the gardener who looks after it. Their relationship slowly begins to break down when it's discovered that the compost heap has a life of its own and harbours thoughts that are fermenting within.

Over the weekend the Whalley Range All Stars will also be introducing audiences to their 30’ long sleeping sow, snuffling and snoring in a pen.  A farm-hand will offer the public the opportunity to act like pigs and take a peek at a 10 minute long show that takes place inside her belly.

Later on Saturday and again on Sunday French performer Joe Sature will be taking on the role of a James Bond style hero ‘Peter Smith’ in his show Operation Beta in Abbott Hall Park.   Peter Smith throws himself with alacrity into the hunt for the evil John Bad. Will he manage to defeat Bad’s plans and save the world?  The show is a piece of glorious slapstick comedy from one of France’s leading outdoor performance companies.

Also on Saturday evening Bread and Butter Theatre will be performing Gifted the Space Cadet in Abbott Hall Park.  The audience find themselves in a comic cosmic game show with a mind bending finale, with gifts of yellow Y-fronts from far away galaxies.

Over in the Brewery Arts Centre highly acclaimed German band the 17 Hippies will be making their British debut as part of Mintfest Rhythms of the World.

On Sunday The Grand Theatre of Lemmings will perform in Abbott Hall Park.  Their ‘amazing mechanical dancers show’ is the story of two crazy people fighting against the odds to create a bizarre dance spectacle with giant puppets. The show begins with fast moving comedy as their costumes get tangled and they entertain the crowds with a variety of stunts and comic antics.

On both Saturday and Sunday Le Chapeau Magique from France will be introducing the art of origami and giving people the chance to make their own hat so they can stand out from the crowd.

The Singing Mountain Choir will provide the Grand Finale on Sunday evening at 8pm.  The event starts with a magical torchlit walk to Kendal Castle to hear this dynamic and vivacious group who are dedicated to performing songs from the Republic of Georgia and other countries, celebrating some of the world’s great singing traditions.

Mintfest is being supported by a number of organisations, including the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).

Peter Mearns, Executive Director of Marketing, NWDA comments:

“The NWDA is delighted to support this year’s Mintfest, which brings alive the outdoor stage with a whole range of exciting performances, set against some of the UK’s most stunning Lakes and Mountains. The Lake District is already home to an excellent collection of visitor experiences and creative events throughout the year, showcasing England’s Northwest as a culturally dynamic region.

“We hope this year’s event will encourage a wider audience to explore the outstanding assets of England’s Northwest.”

Julie Tait, from Kendal Arts International, which is organising the event, says: “Mintfest has something for everyone including traditional street arts, some of the most amazing and innovative artists you are likely to see anywhere and some great music.  We believe it will inspire, amuse, amaze and captivate local people and visitors alike.”

More information on all the acts taking part in this year’s Mintfest can be found at www.mintfest.org.

Details of some of the individual performances follow:

Event:  Nicole et Martin perform Grimm’s fairly tales
Date: Fri 29th Aug @ 4:30pm, Hansel & Gretel
Sat 30th Aug @ 4:30pm, The Fisherman & His Wife
Sun 31st Aug @ 12:30pm, The Musicians of Bremen
Cost:   Adults £8; under 16s and unwaged £5
Venue:  Gooseholme Park, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 4UF
Description:            Using music, storytelling and simple props Nicole et Martin re-tell traditional fairy stories from central Europe - ‘Hansel & Gretel’, ‘The Musicians of Bremen’ and the ‘Fisherman and his Wife’.  Nicole et Martin won the prestigious Tapwater Awards at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2006.
Call:   01539 725133
Web:    www.minfest.org

Event:  Mintfest Grand Opening Spectacle
Date:   Friday 29th August
Time:   8pm
Cost:   Adults £4; under 16s and unwaged £2
Venue:  Nobles Rest park, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 4UF
Description:            The evening will include a performance by Dutch entertainers Tuig who use fire, air and water to spectacular effect as a man is slowly raised 14 metres above the ground before making a breathtaking jump.   Bash Street Theatre will perform ‘Cliffhanger!’ a real life silent-movie style production with falling buildings, dare-devil escapology, slap-stick humour and live piano accompaniment.  The evening will finish with a powerful and colourful Spanish style fireworks finale from pa-BOOM.
Call:   01539 725133
Web:    www.minfest.org

Event:  Northern Belly Dancing Company - Hafla Party
Date:   Friday 29th August
Time:   10pm
Cost:   £4
Venue:  The Maltroom at The Brewery, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 4HE
Description:            Direct from the souks of Manchester, the Northern Belly Company invite you to let your hair down and join them in a ‘hafla’ party featuring exotic belly and Arabic dancing to authentic live music with middle-Eastern food followed by a world music disco.
Call:   01539 725133
Web:    www.minfest.org

Event:  Whalley Range All Stars perform Compost Mentis
Date: 1pm & 2.30pm on Saturday 30th August
Cost:   Free
Venue:  Town Hall, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 4DL
Description:            The audience are led up the garden path by a large compost heap and the gardener who looks after it. Their relationship slowly begins to break down when it's discovered that the compost heap has a life of its own and harbours thoughts that are fermenting within.
Call:   01539 725133
Web:    www.minfest.org

Event:  Joe Sature performs Operation Beta
Date: 8.30pm on Saturday 30th August & 2.30pm on Sunday 31st August
Cost:   Free
Venue:  Abbott Hall Park, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 5AL
Description:            Peter Smith throws himself with alacrity into the hunt for the evil John Bad. Will he manage to defeat Bad’s plans and save the world? Glorious slapstick comedy from one of France’s leading outdoor performance companies.
Call:   01539 725133
Web:    www.minfest.org

Event:  Strangelings perform Tandem
Date: 1pm & 3pm on Saturday 30th August
Cost:   Free
Venue:  Library Road, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 4PY
Description:            Two men, two wheels and some unfeasibly long shoes. Daredevil trick cycling, achingly beautiful acrobalance and a never before attempted escape finale.
Call:   01539 725133
Web:    www.minfest.org

Event:  Bread and Butter Theatre perform ‘Gifted the Space Cadet’
Date:   Saturday 30th August
Time:   8.45pm
Cost:   Free
Venue:  Abbott Hall Park, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 5AL
Description:            The audience find themselves in a comic cosmic game show with a mind bending finale, with gifts of yellow Y-fronts from far away galaxies.
Call:   01539 725133
Web:    www.minfest.org

Event:  17 Hippies
Date:   Saturday 30th August
Time:   8.45pm
Cost:   Free
Venue:  Brewery Arts Centre Gardens, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 4HE
Description:            The 17 Hippies from Germany making their long-awaited British debut with their Eastern-European influenced world dance music supported by the haunting Chilean pan pipes of Mezcla.
Call:   01539 725133
Web:    www.minfest.org

Event:  The Grand Theatre of Lemmings
Date:   2.30pm and 4pm Sunday 31st August
Cost:   Free
Venue:  Abbott Hall Park, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 5AL
Description:            "The amazing mechanical dancers show" is the story of two crazy people fighting against the odds to create a bizarre dance spectacle with giant puppets. The show begins with fast moving comedy as their costumes get tangled and they entertain the crowds with various stunts that involve getting onto stilts and other wonderful comic antics.
Call:   01539 725133
Web:    www.minfest.org

Event:  Mintfest Grand Finale – The Singing Mountain Choir
Date:   Sunday 31st August
Cost:   8pm
Venue:  Abbott Hall Park, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 5AL
Description:            A magical torchlit walk to Kendal Castle to hear a dynamic and vivacious group dedicated to performing songs from the Republic of Georgia and other countries, celebrating some of the world’s great singing traditions.
Call:   01539 725133
Web:    www.minfest.org

Ends

MEDIA CONTACTS: Paul Gardner or Louisa Malkin on 015394-42436

NOTES TO EDITORS:

1. IMAGES AVAILABLE: Images of some of the acts appearing at Mintfest.

2.  Major sponsor is the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) - leading the economic development and regeneration of England's Northwest and is responsible for:

• Supporting business growth and encouraging investment
• Matching skills provision to employer needs
• Creating the conditions for economic growth
• Connecting the region through effective transport and communication infrastructure
• Promoting the region’s outstanding quality of life

Founder sponsors Castle Green Hotel, Elephant Yard Shopping, K Village Outlet Centre, Wainwright’s Yard, the Westmorland Shopping Centre and the Eric Wright Group. 

Mintfest is funded by South Lakeland District Council, Kendal Town Council, Arts Council England, Northern Rock Foundation, Cumbria Vision, Cumbria County Council and South Lakes Tourism Action Group.

Also supported by TransPennine Express.