In Cahoots with La Strada

CAHOOTS NI TAKE TO THE STREETS!

Developed in 2004, for a hospital setting, the Bedside Theatre Flea Circus has performed for sick children across Northern Ireland but now the organisers of La Strada want to bring the delights of this miniature marvel to the medieval streets of Bremen.

Three performers will take a variety of music, magic and the mysterious Flea Circus onto the streets delivering mini-theatre shows for children, adults and families. The Flea Circus will be rolled out along the cobblestones on a special trolley - a mechanical masterpiece which, manipulates imaginary fleas to perform circus acts such as high wire walking, trapeze acts and diving into a pool!

“The shows are highly visual, their intimacy and use of music and very few words makes the whole interactive experience very special for each child involved and ideal for street performance. We certainly hope to raise more than a few smiles from the audience in Germany and hopefully Customs Officials” explained Paul McEneaney Artistic Director of Cahoots NI.

La Strada attracts over 100,000 people over three days and is one of the oldest and biggest street theatre festivals in Germany. Taking place in the open air of the historic streets of Bremen it is a major tourist highlight for the city and an exciting opportunity to perform this unique work on an international platform showcasing Northern Ireland’s street performing talents in Europe.

Gavin O’Connor, Youth Arts Officer at the Arts Council, said he was delighted that the Arts Council had been able to support this performance by Cahoots NI. “This is a great opportunity”, he said, “for Cahoots NI to gain some well-earned international exposure for their highly entertaining flea circus, which has already been a such big hit with so many children here in Northern Ireland.”

It doesn’t stop there for Cahoots NI have also been approached to take the Bedside Theatre to an international Arts and Health Care Conference in Malta in February 2007 and to Washington in April 2007.

For further information, please contact Cahoots NI on 028 9043 4349

Paul McEneaney, Artistic Director, paul@cahootsni.com

Louise O’Neil, General Manager, generalmanager@cahootsni.com

1. Cahoots NI is a professional touring children’s theatre company based in Belfast whose target audience is young children accompanied by parents/carers. The company aims to inspire young imaginations through theatre; to generate new, young audiences; to enthuse children from across the social sphere about the arts and to nurture the creative potential of children.

Since its formation in 2001 the company’s touring productions have met with considerable critical acclaim both nationally and internationally. Cahoots’ most recent production ‘The Travelling Teller’ toured across Northern Ireland and the South. All Cahoots NI productions are supported by an extensive education and outreach programme comprising workshops and various resources.

1. Bedside Theatre has been supported financially by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Artscare, Children in Need and C&C Mi Wadi and will tour to hospitals across Northern Ireland from 11 September 2006.
2. The performers travelling to La Strada are Hugh Brown, Christina Nelson and Hillas Smith who have all extensive experience in theatre and street performance and toured with the Bedside Theatre to hospitals in 2004 and 2005.