FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Change of Venue for ‘Galactic Symphonies’ and ‘The Magic Hand’.
BHASVIC steps in and saves the production. ‘Galactic
Symphonies’:
a new collaboration, a multi-media event spoken word
by Stephen John Kalinch; music and voice by Richard Durrant projections
/ lights / installations / the works by Malcolm Buchanan-Dick ‘Galactic
Symphonies’
- this unique collaboration was developed to be performed
in unusual spaces, making use of the history and architecture of its surroundings
to present the inspirational words of Los Angeles poet Stephen John Kalinich,
guitar virtuoso Richard Durrant and light artist Malcolm Buchanan-Dick.
Looking around Brighton and Hove, to produce this event during Brighton
Fringe Festival, the trio and promoter Paul Adsett earmarked the most unusual
and intriguing site … the British Engineerium in Hove.
This grand old Victorian Pumping Station,
with its large beam engine, had housed a collection
of steam engines until its closure in 2006. Due to be auctioned off piecemeal,
local businessman Mike Holland stepped in and purchased the entire collection
and buildings. Since then work has been carried out, preparing the splendid
site for reopening as a museum and prestige venue, though the planned official
relaunch is not yet scheduled. That was not going to prevent the Galactic
Symphonists from attempting a veritable coup…
They approached owner Mike Holland, whose Cherrywood Investments is renovating the Engineerium and got this permission to utilise the building for these performances. They would, in effect, preview the venue, offering the public a chance to see the Engineerium in a complete new light before its official relaunch. Ambitious? Certainly. So, it was all systems go, crank up the steampower and develop the show. The early weeks of 2008 saw the crew clambering about the building, testing the acoustics, eying up the old boilers, fine ironwork and working out lighting and video angles. All was going well - the events were registered in the Fringe Festival; initial fliers targeted the launch day of Brighton Festival proper… pre-empting the launch of the Fringe brochure some weeks later. But, time ran out on the ’Galactic Symphonies’ project when, on Tuesday, two days before the formal launch on thursday, it became clear that, despite the best efforts of the project manager, the building would not have received its necessary licences in time for showtime.
They contemplated the opportunity from Cherrywood to make use of Stanmer House, but, despite its own indisputable beauty, they struggled with incorporating the show into that venue and all seemed doomed. Much praise has to be given to BHASVIC, that impressive redbrick college on Dyke Road, which offered to house ‘Galactic Symphonies’ at, quite literally, the last moment. Paul Adsett, an old boy of that old Grammar School, still remembered his performance as a fairy in Gilbert and Sullivan’s ‘Iolanthe on the stage in that Big Hall and contacted the college on Wednesday. Without needing to utter the old school motto ‘Absque Labore Nihil’ (though he did indeed do so), the deal was done and ‘Galactic Symphonies’ was saved.
The Hall with its grand panels depicting history in Sussex, will offer a suitable space and scope to allow this exciting new show to unfold with its companion piece, another unusual programme of SJK poems ‘The Magic Hand’.
Performances:
BHASVIC
Brighton,
Hove & Sussex Sixth Form College |
205 Dyke Road - Hove - East Sussex - BN3 6EG - Tel:
01273 552200 - Fax: 01273 563139
MAY 2008
18 19 20
21 22 23 24
25 26
27 28 29 30
31
"Galactic Symphonies"
3:00 PM - sat 24 may + sun 25 may + mon 26 may
8:00 PM - sun 25 may + mon 26 may
-- sat 24 may 3pm + 8pm • sun 25 may 3pm • mon 26
may 3pm + 8pm
Tickets £18 (£15 conc’s) - combined tickets
+ ‘The Magic Hand’ £25 (£20)
"The Magic Hand"
5:45 PM - sat 24 may + mon 26 may
8:00 PM - sun 25 may
-- sat 24 may 5:45pm • sun 25 may 8pm • mon 26 may
5:45pm • £12 (10 conc.)
Combined tickets + ‘Galactic Symphonies’ £25
(£20)
