Nomadic Academy of Fools

At the Edge… Last chance to be fooled

The residency by the Nomadic Academy of Fools is halfway through and, so far, so fantastic.  It’s so hard to describe the work, but I’ll try.  Jonathan and the Fools take you into a world with their performances, that is beautiful, truthful and realer than reality.  And generally hilarious – after Friday’s show my ribs and cheeks were aching, and I felt amazing with all those endorphins rushing around my body.  More than one audience member described it as medicine or ‘soul food’.  So, this jam-packed week, take some time to come to the Edge and get your soul fed – Wednesday at 8pm, NAF perform Shakespeare’s Richard II and on Friday at 8pm it’s ‘Feast of Fools’ including a solo performance from Jonathan Kay.

At the Edge… – What kind of Fool are you?

From Friday this week, we have a residency starting by Jonathan Kay and the Nomadic Academy of Fools.  If you know nothing about their work, check their website. It’s a little difficult to describe, it’s not theatre, it’s not performance art, it’s something else…fooling I suppose.  jonathan has been developing this work for thirty five years, based on the idea of the Fool, such as the Fool in King Lear – the Fool sees through things, the Fool speaks the truth, while all around him are lying.  It is astonishing work, there really is nothing else like it out there.  We attended workshops with Jonathan over 15 years ago and the techniques and approaches he used still influence us today – and I’ve attended several of his legendary Glastonbury performances, which will stay with me forever. I really can’t recommend this work enough  – this is the first time the Fools have appeared in Birmingham for years and it’ll probably be years before we get a chance to see them here again – so don’t…bloody…miss…it.

Here’s the dates and ting:

Shows: This Friday 19th at 8pm, ‘Know One’s Fool’ – improvised wonder  from Jonathan Kay himself
Sun 21st until Wednesday 24th inclusive at 8pm – ‘Shakespeare’s Richard II Scratch’ -  ‘a magical performance without props or set, where the cast play all the parts’
Friday 26th at 8pm – ‘Feast of Fools’ - performances by all the fools of a comedie de tragik nature’ (f**ked up cabaret?)

Workshops – Sat/Sun 20/21st March, 10am until 6pm ‘Know One’s Fool’ - discover the dangerously daring art of fooling
Sat/Sun 27/28th March 10am until 6pm ‘Know One’s Fool’ – discover the dangerously daring art of fooling again (some people are attending both workshops, recommended) – then you can go and see a nice film at Flatpack.

Sorted.

At the Edge…

This Saturday, West Midlands Film Makers for Haiti are holding a fundraiser at the Edge in aid of our brothers and sisters in Haiti:
The night will feature award winning short films, promos, art films and will be followed by a disco to raise money for the DEC Haiti Appeal. There will be a screening of  Oscar short-listed multi award winning short Gone Fishing, Shooting People Short of the Year 2009 A Supermarket Love Story,  BAFTA winning short Brown Paper Bag, Bouncer starring Ray Winstone and Paddy Consodine, animation from The Brothers McLeod, as well as great shorts from local film makers.  There will also be a series of promos by dub-punk multi-media threesome Jackdaw with Crowbar who will be playing/performing on Saturday 27 at A Plasticine Party for Flatpack Festival.

so that’s all nicely joined up, then – see you there and give something back!

And next week the absolutelynottobemissedunderanycircumstancesyouwillkickyourself residency begins by Jonathan Kay and the Nomadic Academy of Fools, continuing to include Flatpack Weekend.  So if you fancy being amazed, surprised, highly amused, engaged, excited and seeing something for once that you will struggle to forget, get yourself along to the Edge: