A production combining dance, acrobatics and towering poles and exploring the relationship between people and the natural world will lead the programme for year’s Big Feast festival.
The free festival returns to Hanley on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 August, turning Stoke-on-Trent’s city centre into a giant outdoor stage.
Motionhouse will bring its acclaimed production WILD to headline the event, with the free programme also including theatre, dance, circus, music, roaming street performers and family activities.
Stopgap Dance Company’s RO-TES is a celebration inspired by choreographer Nadenh Poan’s Cambodian heritage, while LAStheatre’s Caspian’s Storm is an interactive musical following the adventures of a curious little crab.
Highly Sprung Performance will present Accelerate, which explores climate change, energy and resilience through physical theatre and aerial performance, and Drop City Books will host Drag Queen Story Hour UK.
A new Sensasian zone at Smithfield will run on Saturday, focusing on South Asian arts and culture. It will feature storyteller Peter Chand, classical dance-theatre from Nandita Devika Shankardass, performances by South Asian Arts-uk and workshops including Indian block printing and Bollywood dance.
Sonia Sabri Company will also present The Elephant & The Drummer, combining live music, dance and storytelling with an activity allowing children to make their own elephant lollipop puppet.
The Big Feast is produced by Appetite and made possible thanks to event partner Stoke-on-Trent City Centre BID and various sponsors and funders.
Performances and activities will take place at locations including the Town Hall, Smithfield, Fountain Square, Bethesda Gardens, Albion Square, Parliament Square and Row, Lower Piccadilly, The Potteries Centre, the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Drop City Books and Hanley Bus Station.
Appetite director Emily Labhart said: “The Big Feast is all about transforming familiar spaces into places of wonder, creativity and connection. The programme brings together artists whose work is playful, spectacular, moving and thought-provoking.
“Whether you’re watching breathtaking outdoor dance, joining an interactive adventure, following a roaming brass band through the streets or simply soaking up the atmosphere, we hope everyone leaves having experienced something unforgettable.”
The full programme – as well as access arrangements such as BSL interpretation and audio-described performances – will be announced at appetite.org.uk
