SEAS Final Day

Dave O' Higgins rehearsing with Jazz Vehicle for the SEAS Finale at the Embassy Centre, Skegness.

Well after nine packed days the SEAS Festival has come to an end with a 5 hour extravaganza at the Embassy Centre with an orchestra, a band, films, comedy troupes and culminating with a club set. The youth orchestra, Jazz Vehicle were fantastic with a couple of great young singers. The Dave O' Higgins Band were terrific with a soulful Brazilian singer and two amazing energetic jazztech dancers who seemed to be able to move their limbs in any direction at will.

It has been a great project to be involved in if only as a volunteer and I have met some interesting people along the way, seen some great shows and hopefully Skegness will have benefitted too.

It also means this blog is at an end which as my first I have enjoyed writing and look forward to finding another subject to blog about.

SEAS Day 8

The Baghdaddies posing for their next album cover.

Spent the afternoon helping to get the Embassy ready for the finale after producing a new running order but its a packed schedule so each act has to be on and off with not much time to spare. Am helping stage manage it so should be fun!

In the evening I went to St Matthews Church to watch the Baghdaddies (part of the local SEAS events) who are a great group. They play eastern style music on guitars, drums, saxaphone and flute.

SEAS Day 7

Saw League of Time tonight by a Croatian group that explored time and futurism and had elements of sci-fi, Kafka and ufology to it.

Later I watched Beer Tourist in which two Dutch actors played Manchester United fans abroad in Eastern Europe. Played in the Marine Bar, it was funny, rude and raucous but got its underlying message across that we need to examine our prejudices and learn to be more tolerant and respectful.

SEAS Day 6

Rhubarb Theatre's show at Skegness Infant School Amazing Me, Amazing You went really well today and I enjoyed being involved if only in a small way.

In the evening I went to see Monday in the Sun, a dance performance by two Turkish guys that explores male relationships. The show was in the X-Site Skatepark with the different levels used to great effect. It then moved outside where it closed with a male tango.

SEAS Day 5 Tuesday 29 September 2009

Above is the venue where Glorious Death was performed in Mablethorpe for two nights before moving to the Seaview Bar in Skegness.

Today I helped at Skegness Infant School where Rhubarb Theatre have devised a piece with the schoolchildren that is linked to SEAS. The show is tomorrow in one of the playgrounds and should be good.

Also was present at a meeting to discuss the finale on Saturday, which hopefully I will be involved in. There's a lot to sort out as it's a packed programme but I am looking forward to being part of it.

SEAS Day 4

The Fantomat designer fine-adjusting his creations at Mablethorpe.

I helped look after the Fantomats whilst they were on Mablethorpe seafront for a couple of hours.

Later on there was the get in and set up for Glorious Death, an audio-visual piece about xenophobia and racism with an actress and counter-tenor. It was an interesting show with the combination of audio-visuals and live performers even if the story was somewhat bleak.

SEAS Day 3

Went to see Waiting again this evening and helped to take it down. Am going to Mablethorpe tomorrow to look after the Fantomats and help put up the set for Glorious Death. Its three days into the festival and so far so good.

SEAS Day 2

Went down onto the beach today to look at The Silicone Boys. It looked like a series of brightly coloured people had been buried up to their necks in sand.

Also went into the Ex-Serviceman's Club today to look at The Kiss and Waste Project and liked the piece of film with the camera strapped to a donkey.

Then helped out again with crowd control on Suitcases which had it's biggest audience so far. The performers decided to sing one number from the fire escape of a pub en route. Every performance of this piece has been different so far though I have noticed now after three shows that one actor never sings and remains somewhat aloof.

In the evening I helped out at Waiting again and although the audience were not quite as reactive as the previous night (mainly I suspect as last night there were members of other companies present) it still received it's second standing ovation.

After that I saw the Swedish opera Sorelle which tells the story of three sisters falling in love with the same sea captain. It was a bit bizarre but well performed and with an intriguing revolving set.

SEAS Day 1

Had to get up early today to take someone to the train station and took this photo of the sunrise over the offshore windfarm, which I thought rather atmospheric and hopefully a harbinger of a good nine days of festivities.

Here is a Fantomat on Skegness Pier. Each one tells a different story and they are great fun. Suitcases was performed for the first time in Skegness and the cart drew a few comments from the market stall holders whilst it was parked up before the show. Once underway the performance drew in onlookers from passersby and schoolchildren and gave the Hildreds Centre shoppers a taste of eastern europe.

In the evening I helped out on Waiting giving out programmes and taking the set down afterwards. It was a great piece with music, movement and song and was both moving and funny. Its location next to Skegness Pier with the audience facing the sea and the sun rapidly slipping below the horizon made it especially atmospheric.

SEAS minus 1 day

Went to the opening of John Byford's superb exhibition, A Daily Dose last night at the Embassy Centre. He really is a fantastic photographer as the above study of the beach huts at Mablethorpe attests. As well as viewing his pictures at the Embassy you can also peruse them at Moonhead

Spent this morning in Tower Gardens helping to put the suitcase up again but with prior knowledge and a couple more strong volunteers it was built before we knew it. It will be interesting to see what kind of reactions the show gets in Skegness.

I am really looking forward to tomorrow now when everything kicks off and will spend the morning having a look at some of the free installations before going off to help out on Waiting.

SEAS minus 2 days

Above is the Embassy Centre where most of the indoor theatre productions will be taking place such as League of Time and Sorelle as well as playing host to exhibitions and SEAS headquarters. League of Time is produced by Croatian theatre company BAD.co and it blends together elements of Kafka, futurism and ufology. Sorelle is performed by Swedish company Teater Giljotin and tells the story of three sisters who fall in love with the same sea captain.

Exhibitions taking place include Making Waves, two large scale metal artworks constructed by Katey Felton in conjunction with two local schools and A Daily Dose, a collection of photographs by John Byford depicting parts of everyday life that sometimes pass us by.

Next to the Embassy Centre are the Compass Gardens where Borderline will be. This installation simultaneously plays a Muslim, Christian and Jewish prayer on the hour between 12 and 6PM.

Tower Gardens (opposite the Embassy Centre), is where the suitcase for Suitcases (see entry below) will be situated and Lumley Road is where the procession part of the performance will take place.

Across the road and down a bit from the Embassy is the Ex-Serviceman's Club which is playing host to The Kiss and Waste Project, a video installation telling stories of love, migration and family.

I'll try and list a few more if I get chance as there's loads more going on but the voluntary work is hotting up now and I have to help build that heavy suitcase again tomorrow!

SEAS minus 3 days

I thought I'd spend the next few days taking photos of some of the Skegness venues and describing the events taking place at them but see SEAS for full details. (Appologies to Mablethorpe as Skegness is where I live and will spending most of my time volunteering).

Above is Skegness Pier but it is sadly much reduced in length after storm and fire damage. On 25-27 at 7PM September Turkish theatre company Tiyatro Oyunevi will be performing Waiting by the pier. Exploring themes of migration this play incorporates movement, music and song and is performed in three languages. Also on Skegness beach from dawn to dusk on 26-27 September is The Silicone Boys, an exhibition of colourful heads arranged to represent childhood grouping patterns and the passing of innocence.

Over 26-27 September between 11AM and 6PM the Fantomat machines will be displayed on the pier (it will also be at the Hildreds Shopping Centre and on the Sea Front at Mablethope - again see SEAS). These human like figures have slots for eyes and looking through them takes the viewer on an odyssey.

On the right of this photo is the X-Site Skatepark at the very end of North Parade on the seafront. This is where Monday in the Sun will be performed on 29-30 September at 9PM.

This Turkish dance piece explores male friendship and is being re-interpreted for its Skegness debut. Also at at X-Site from 26 September there will be skate sessions, breakdance workshops, urban art, a photography exhibition and more.

Straight ahead in the above photo is the Sea View pub where Glorious Death will be performed on 1-2 October at 8PM (also at the Fairway Restaurant, Mablethorpe 28-29 September).

This Swedish drama uses popular song and video to ask questions about Europe's past, present and future and is performed by a Turkish counter-tenor.

SEAS minus 4 days

Went down to Gibraltar Point this afternoon to look at Michael Sanders' exhibition Ship and the Receiving End (part of the local SEAS programme) which are photographs of a ship deliberately run ashore (detail from photograph on left).

When I lived in Friskney (a few miles down the coast from Skegness) you could go all the way down to the marsh to watch the RAF use it for bombing practice.

Sadly they have now stopped this but seeing these photographs reminds you of the destructive force of man and nature as both bombs and the sea have reduced it to a rusting barnacled hulk.

D Day Recreation (SEAS minus 5 days)

Well it's all happening in Skegness. There's the SEAS festival starting in earnest next weekend, which after yesterday I can't wait to see let alone be involved in.

Today there was a D Day recreation on Skegness beach with a mock battle and Spitfire flyover. They only brought a small contingent but next year they hope to bring over more to create even more of a spectacle. It has been another very warm day which, fingers crossed, will hopefully continue during the festival.

SEAS (Part of Mablethorpe Festival of Bathing Beauties)

Turned up today at 2.30PM and helped to give out SEAS programmes to passers by. Also had a look around the Mablethorpe Bathing Beauties Festival which had art and craft exhibitions taking place inside the beach front huts.

It was a glorious day weather wise and at 4PM the Suitcases performance began with the artists gathering around what can only be described as looking like the child catchers cart from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

They then proceeded to push this down the promenade stopping at various points to interact with their surroundings such as seagulls on the beach and even boarding the rollercoaster much to the bemusement of its operator.

It was great to see a show that you have worked on in some small way and gratifying that the local audience were appreciative. If the apperitif is this good then roll on the main course next weekend.

SEAS (Part of Mablethorpe Festival of Bathing Beauties) Friday 18 September 2009

I turned up at 11.30AM at Mablethorpe Promenade to help assemble a very larger than life suitcase for the following days first performance of Suitcases (the Bulgarian company having arrived a week before SEAS begins to provide a taster during the Bathing Beauties festival).

Unfortunately a bit of a breakdown in communication meant that some vital pieces had not been brought and as these were literally the foundation on which the suitcase is constructed a couple of idle hours ensued as the van returned to the depot to retrieve them. They had warned us on the training day that things "may not go quite as planned." However some early glitches are only to be expected and we were able to use some of the time to move the set we did have into the right place for when the base parts arrived. The British electrician's face when shown the cables and adaptors the Bulgarians had brought over was a picture to behold but that problem was also surmounted.

Once the base had arrived we cracked on and although the two technicians who had come over with the show did not speak English we quickly got the idea of how it came together. We were also soon cursing the director for designing such a heavy set as it was all steel deck and wood. The day was warm though and before we knew it both the set and the tide were up.