Bath Spa Graduates “Hatch Out” at the Egg

Bath Spa University’s Department of Drama prepares to launch its Class of 2007 with a showcase of graduate work at the Egg, Theatre Royal Bath, (June 4 -8), and a special one-off performance at the Battersea Arts Centre in London (June 1).

Following their three years of training, many performing arts graduates are choosing to remain in Bath and benefit from the growing opportunities for artists in the region.

Emma Gersch, Senior Lecturer in Drama says “We have chosen to showcase the strength and range of their work by bringing this selection of work to the Egg. In all cases, the students have found their own voices and breathed new life into classic material. We hope this showcase will launch the careers of this vibrant new group of performers.”

The graduation season features three shows: Agamemnon: Stripped. Re-loaded. Re-told, a radically reinvented version of Aeschylus’ classic, brought to life with original music, text and ritual movement; Wonderland, Club of Hearts, set in a nightclub, giving Lewis Carroll’s’ tales of Alice a thoroughly modern context; and Tennessee William’s classic play A Streetcar Named Desire, oozing with heat and passion.

Gunduz Kalic, Head of Department says “Our 30 Performing Arts graduates have enjoyed an intensive three year training on the BA (Hons) Performing Arts programme, developing a portfolio of performance skills. Ensemble is at the heart of our work here at Bath Spa, and our students have been nurtured to be playful and generous in all areas of their practise. The class of 2007 is a particularly talented, vibrant and dynamic group.”

Under the banner of the Department’s resident Full Tilt Theatre Company the students have had exciting and valuable opportunities to work in a professional context, and have toured work to the Bristol Old Vic and the Minack Theatre in Cornwall.

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Show information

Egg Theatre: all shows play at 7.30pm, and are suitable for ages 12+

- Agamemnon – Stripped, Re-loaded, Re-told plays on Monday 4 June

- Wonderland, Club of Hearts plays on Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 June.

- A Streetcar Named Desire plays Thursday 7 and Friday 8 June

Battersea Arts Centre, Friday 1 June

Agamemnon plays at 1pm and 8pm, information and tickets from Emma Gersch

For tickets, Egg Theatre Box Office, 01225 823 409

Poetry Slamming from Bath Spa University

Staff and students from Bath Spa University are taking the performance poetry slamming scene by storm.

Creative Writing lecturer Lucy English has gained a place in the semi finals in the coveted BBC Radio 4 National Slam, after slamming against 16 other poets and finally winning a place in a heated and dramatic tie break showdown.

She will be one of two poets from the South West going to the semi finals in London on Sunday 1 July. The semi finals, at the Drill Hall, Bloomsbury, will be broadcast live by BBC Radio 4 - the first time a UK slam has been broadcast on Radio 4. The finals will take place at the Arnolfini, Bristol, on Saturday 8 September during the Bristol Poetry Festival.

Not to be outdone, five students collectively forming the Bath Spa Poets will be performing at the Battersea Arts Centre in London at the invitation of Apples & Snakes, the UK's leading performance poetry agency. Gordon Egginton, Tracy Wall, Emerson Leese, Ed Parshotham and Jason Curley will be performing a set at a showcase evening on Friday 29 June alongside some big names in the poetry world.

Head of the School of English and Creative Studies, Professor Tim Middleton commented: “Bath Spa University is the only UK university to run a performance poetry module as part of its curriculum. Lucy English is one of the country’s leading performance poets and her success at the Radio 4 competition is well deserved. And I’m sure that our student poets will impress the audience with their energy and talent in their first performance on a London stage.”