Arts & Ents Latest Releases

Judy Craymer, producer of the global smash-hit musical phenomenon MAMMA MIA!, has announced that the new musical, VIVA FOREVER!, will open at the PICCADILLY THEATRE in London’s West End in perfect time for Christmas. VIVA FOREVER! will preview from Tuesday 27 November and officially open on Tuesday 11 December 2012.
With songs from the incredible SPICE GIRLS, Judy Craymer has assembled a creative team that includes script writer JENNIFER SAUNDERS (Absolutely Fabulous, French & Saunders) and director PAUL GARRINGTON to bring the fresh, original story of VIVA FOREVER! to the stage.
VIVA FOREVER! tells the story of a beautiful, talented girl and her best friends who get swept up in the obsession of today’s TV celebrity culture. As she follows her dream, the musical charts her journey into the world of overnight fame and its impact on her relationships with her mother and the friends she thought she’d have forever. From London to Spain and back again, as they confront the bitter reality of fame and as the world judges her, she and her mother learn to empower themselves and be who they really want to be.
“Jennifer Saunders is a comedy goddess and a brilliant collaborator,” says JUDY CRAYMER. “I feel incredibly fortunate that she agreed to write this story, her first West End musical. With her razor-sharp, witty insight she completely captures relationships, she gets the theatricality and comedy of the TV talent show and chaos that ensues for family and friends. She understands the anxieties in women, the fear of judgment and trepidation that one day they get to a certain age and become invisible. Her story embraces all generations.”
This is a contemporary comedy musical about family, friendship and trying to stay true to yourself in a world where everyone craves instant fame and will grab it at any price… a world where fortunes change on the click of an iPhone or the whim of a TV talent show host.
Blending the irresistible girl-power of the SPICE GIRLS phenomenal songs with the comic genius of JENNIFER SAUNDERS’ writing, VIVA FOREVER! is a story of our time, an exhilarating and heart-warmingly funny tale of friendship in the face of fame and fortune.
VIVA FOREVER! is a musical where we already know and love the songs, because the Spice Girls have had nine Number One singles and sold over 75 million albums worldwide.
“I’m so thrilled the Spice Girls themselves have shown me so much encouragement and support,” adds JUDY CRAYMER. “This is not a tribute show but the positivity, energy, humour, excitement and friendships that encapsulated the Spice Girls and their songs have inspired the whole creative team, and infuse VIVA FOREVER!.”
Director PAUL GARRINGTON has worked with the RSC in Stratford and the West End and has worked extensively in theatre in Paris and Hamburg. He has staged numerous productions of MAMMA MIA! all over the world, most recently in China, and worked on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Whistle Down the Wind, The Pet Shop Boys’ Closer to Heaven, Dirty Dancing and Picasso’s Women. Music orchestrator and arranger MARTIN KOCH is currently performing the role of music supervisor for all four of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic opening and closing ceremonies. His additional theatre credits include some of the biggest musicals of all time such as MAMMA MIA! and Billy Elliot.

VIVA FOREVER!’s choreographer is LYNNE PAGE whose credits span both theatre and music including The Cherry Orchard for the National Theatre, My Fair Lady (Paris) and La Cage aux Folles (Menier Chocolate Factory, West End and Broadway), as well as music shows and videos for Kanye West, Pet Shop Boys, Duffy and Ellie Goulding. The award-winning sound and lighting designers who created MAMMA MIA!’s spectacular atmosphere, BOBBY AITKEN (Sound) and HOWARD HARRISON (Lighting) are reunited, while designer PETER McKINTOSH has over twenty productions in the West End to his name including Crazy For You, Death and the Maiden, Butley and the long running The 39 Steps for which he received two Tony nominations on Broadway and a recent Olivier Award for Crazy for You.
“The Piccadilly Theatre is the perfect venue for a show as exciting as VIVA FOREVER!, and I’m delighted we’ve secured it,” commented JUDY CRAYMER. “It’s synonymous with fabulous musicals and located in the very heart of London.”
VIVA FOREVER! is produced by JUDY CRAYMER in association with the Spice Girls, Simon Fuller and Universal Music.
The Box Office is now open.

continues…
LISTINGS

Performance times
Monday – Thursday at 7.30pm
Friday at 5.00pm and 8.30pm
Saturday at 3.00pm and 7.30pm

Press Night 11 December at 7.00pm

Booking period 27 November 2012 – 01 June 2013

Prices
£52.50, £35.00, £20.00 – all performances until 10 December 2012
£67.50, £45.00, £20.00 – all performances from 11 December 2012
Parties of 6+ £57.50
Great rates for groups of 10+ and 40+

Box Office
Piccadilly Theatre, Denman Street, London W1D 7DY
Telephone 0844 871 3055
Or book online www.VivaForeverTheMusical.com

For further information please visit http://www.VivaForeverTheMusical.com/

Follow VIVA FOREVER! updates on Twitter @VFMUSICAL or on Facebook www.facebook.com/VivaForeverTheMusical

For further press information please contact:
Borkowski Arts & Ents: +44 (0) 203 176 27 00
vivaforever@borkowski.co.uk
Dee McCourt / dee@markborkowski.co.uk / +44 (0)7803 726 543
Giles Cooper / giles@markborkowski.co.uk / +44 (0)7850 769 189

ENDS

• FULL SCHEDULE PER DAY SO FAR PUBLISHED ON WWW.ESCAPEGREAT.COM
• EARLY BIRD DELEGATE TICKETS £120 – OFFER EXPIRES ON 11TH APRIL
• SPOTLIGHT ON DIY ANNOUNCED

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO DIY?
The Great Escape convention to throw a spotlight on ‘DIY’
and how new artists can take control of their own careers

The Great Escape will this May team up with Arts Council England to put ‘DIY’ in the spotlight, providing a number of sessions specifically aimed at artists, managers and music entrepreneurs early on in their careers, and those musicians looking to self-release their own work.

Bringing together key innovators from across the independent music community – plus artists, managers and marketers working on self-release campaigns – these sessions will be packed with practical advice, tricks of the trade, and inspiring stories.

This strand of the convention is being enabled by Arts Council England. Known for the incredible support and insight it gives to young music industry professionals, The Great Escape has been awarded a £38,000 grant from Arts Council England this year. The money will help the festival to deliver local collaborations, education and development programmes, and to promote international diversity and collaboration between artists.

The ‘DIY In The Spotlight’ programme will include:

• A focus on what artists, managers or entrepreneurs setting up their first music enterprise need to do, logistically, legally and to stay motivated.

• A focus on building profile for new artists, including the role of gigging as a marketing platform, plus social media and when to approach the music press.

• The inside track on what it’s like to set up and run an independent record label, from the founders of four of the UK’s best indie labels.

• A ‘pitch party’ showcasing a plethora of the digital tools available to promote artists, engage fans, distribute content and sell tickets, merchandise and music.

Chris Cooke, TGE Convention Programmer and Business Editor of CMU says: “There has been a lot of talk about artists going the ‘DIY’ route in recent years, especially early on in their career as labels look to sign slightly more developed talent. But what does ‘DIY’ mean in this context?”

He continues: “Not ‘do it yourself’ for starters, because being successful at this grass roots level means putting together a team, forming partnerships, and capitalising on tools and technologies out there that can help. This programme of sessions will throw the spotlight on everything new artists and their teams need to know, and offer plenty of valuable tips for more established music business professionals too”.

Sally Abbott, Regional Director of Arts Council England, South East said: “Arts Council England are delighted to support The Great Escape festival in Brighton with £38,000 of Grants For The Arts funding. Grants For The Arts is Arts Council England’s open application funding programme. This funding supports arts activities that engage people in the arts and helps artists and arts organisations with their work”.
She adds: “The Great Escape festival attracts music fans, young people and industry specialists from all over the world to Brighton and we are delighted to support it through the convention programme to deliver local collaborations, education and development and to promote international diversity and collaboration between artists’’.
Already confirmed to take part in ‘DIY In The Spotlight’: Alex Fitzpatrick, Holy Roar; Chris TT; David Riley, Good Lizard, Debbie Ball, Create Spark; Josh Little, ACUMEN; Matthew Young, Song By Toad; Ollie Jacob, Memphis Industries; Robert Luis, Tru Thoughts; and Simon Pursehouse, Sentric Music.

The Great Escape takes place from 10-12 May in Brighton. Full delegate passes are currently available at the early bird rate of £120 from www.escapegreat.com. This includes access to all convention events, plus priority access to the core festival venues, subject to capacity.

THE GREAT ESCAPE
BRIGHTON, WEST SUSSEX, UK
10-12 MAY 2012

3-DAY DELEGATE TICKETS (EARLY BIRD) £120 (expires on 11th April)
3-DAY FESTIVAL TICKETS (EARLY BIRD) £45 (expires on 11th April)

For further ticketing information:
www.escapegreat.com/buyTickets/ & SEE Tickets: 0870 264 3333

Book the Industry Delegate Hotel for the Weekend from £420 for three nights:

http://escapegreat.com/book-hotel/book-industry-delegate-hotel

For further information please contact Borkowski Arts & Ents: +44 (0)203 176 27 00
Louise Thompson: 07932 652 495 / louise@markborkowski.co.uk
Giles Cooper: 07850 769 189 / giles@markborkowski.co.uk
Festival Accreditation: thegreatescape@markborkowski.co.uk

• THE TEMPER TRAP CONFIRMED FOR BRIGHTON DOME SHOW
• THIRD WAVE OF ARTISTS ANNOUNCED including: THE BLACK BELLES, CITIZENS!, S.C.U.M, GAZ COOMBES, HAIM, WE ARE AUGUSTINES and many more
• FURTHER CATALAN SOUNDS BANDS ADDED TO THE LINE UP REPRESENTING MUSIC FROM CATALONIA AND THE BALERIC ISLANDS
• LAST CHANCE TO BUY EARLY BIRD FESTIVAL TICKETS– OFFER EXPIRES ON 11TH APRIL

The Great Escape 2012 is well on the way to bursting point as a whopping 141 artists are added to the line-up taking this year’s edition to an unparalleled level of showmanship. With a line-up so varied that whatever your musical preference, you will have a schedule full of the hottest breaking artists to see.
The news comes at the same time as a decision from Arts Council England to support the festival with a £38,000 grant. The award is intended to help the festival to deliver local collaborations, education and development and to promote international diversity and collaboration between artists.
To excite, entice and help organise, TGE publishes its full program by day and venue online at www.escapegreat.com today. The festival will hit Brighton this May.
New artists set to make the trip down to Europe’s leading festival for new music include The Temper Trap** , who return to TGE after 3 years to headline our biggest venue, the Brighton Dome, making them a prime example of our journey with breaking bands, Jack White signings The Black Belles on their first UK trip, Supergrass alumnus Gaz Coombes will be preforming his brilliant new work, a string of hot US acts including; We Are Augustines, St Lucia, Body Language, Devin, The Front Bottoms, Cloud Nothings and more, and straight off the back of SXSW, the buzz bands of the event: Haim, Pond and Wild Belles. Peppered amongst this list of budding new artists, we’re also proud to announce a few more established acts like S.C.U.M, We Are Scientists, We Were Promised Jetpacks and Kids in Glass Houses
Temper Trap said: “We can’t wait to play The Great Escape again – being part of the event in 2009 was incredible and 2012 is going to be even better. We’ll be playing songs from our new album, its set to be a very special show”.

The full list of new artists announced today:
BASS DRUM OF DEATH / ST LUCIA / PORCELAIN RAFT / GAZ COOMBES / JETHRO FOX/ FILMS OF COLOUR / TREETOP FLYERS / HANNAH COHEN /CLOUD NOTHINGS / AMONG BROTHERS / BODY LANGUAGE / RETRO STEFSON / THE BLACK BELLES/ BLACK MOTH/ WE WERE EVERGREEN / WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS / DROP OUT VENUS / TALL SHIPS / FOSSIL COLLECTIVE / I AM OAK / NOVIKA / BUENO BROS / HANS CHEW / GABRIEL AND THE HOUNDS/ ADMIRALL FALLOW / TINY RUINS/ /FACE + HEEL / DAUWD / ELECTRIC WIRE HUSTLE/ REDINHO / LAPALUX / JAM CITY / PAULA & KAROL / DEVIN / SOLAR BEARS / REVEREND AND THE MAKERS / THE BARR BROTHERS / OSO LEONE / JODIE MARIE / CROWNS / THE NATURALS / WE ARE AUGUSTINES / ABI WADE / DOPE D.O.D / JACK SAVORETTI / TWILIGHT SAD / RIZ MC / [ME] / JONAS RATHSMAN / RANDOM IMPULSE / EJ / WILD BELLE / DALEY / REVERE / ENJOYED / SWISS LIPS / LUCY ROSE / KARIMA FRANCIS / HATCHAM SOCIAL/ KIDS IN GLASS HOUSES / NEGATIVE PEGASUS / JAPE / SAVOIR ADORE / THE BIG SLEEP / NICOLE ATKINS / THE FRONT BOTTOMS / THE CHEVIN / BWANI JUNCTION / MILK MUSIC / MAYBESHEWILL / ODONIS ODONIS / CERCUEIL / AMATORSKI / MMOTHS / REGAL SAFARI / BLANCK MASS / THRONE / PROPER ORNAMENTS / VIRALS / HALLS / CAVE PAINTING / PAUL THOMAS SAUNDERS / PETE PHILLY / ALBY DANIELS / JIMMY EDGAR / WE BARBARIANS / FEVER FEVER / SEAMS / SYKUR / SX / ALEXANDRE / DESILETS / MISTEUR VALAIRE / THE SUICIDE OF WESTERN CULTURE / OSO LEONE / AMICS DEL BOSC / NINETTE AND THE GOLDFISH / LAUREL / NEW BUILD / GEMMA HAYES / WE ARE SCIENTISTS / AKING / FARRYL PURKISS / MATTHEW BOURNE / S.C.U.M. / POND / SOME / COMMUNITY / JAKE BUGG / CYMBALS / FANZINE / CLOCK OPERA / THE BOXETTES / THE SHEEPDOGS / O CHILDREN / HEY SHOLAY / I.R.O.K. / NOVELLA / CITIZENS! / I CHING / CHET FAKER / THE KILLGIRLS / WHITE ARROWS / ANOTHERS BLOOD / FRENCH FILMS / BORN GOLD / DEAF CLUB / SLEEP THIEVES / THEME PARK / WE CUT CORNERS

The Great Escape is also delighted to have the Institut Ramon Llull as its lead International partner for the 2012 festival, presenting Catalan Sounds – music from Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. The festival will be welcoming Catalan bands and artists such as Seward, Me and the Bees, Ferguson, Mujeres and new additions Oso Leone, Ninette and Goldfish, Suicide of Western Culture and Amics de Bosc.

Vicenç Villatoro, Director of the Institut Ramon Llull (IRL), said: “The Great Escape is a great platform for the IRL to promote Catalan talent on an international stage given its reputation for showcasing raw, lesser-known talent. By supporting the involvement of eight fantastic bands from Catalonia and The Balaeric Islands at this year’s festival the IRL are very proud to be injecting a shot of Catalan culture into the diverse line-up.”

TGE revellers can rest their weary feet and heads right in the midst of the action without breaking the bank – Brighton’s JOURNEYS HOSTEL will sleep partied-out festival goers for just £30 a night. Just a stone’s throw from the beach and all TGE, this social hub for festival goers offers a brilliant atmosphere and, with the hostel promising to deliver the lowest possible price for their stay, truly unbeatable value.

The festival is world famous for the massive acts who’ve cut their teeth on its stages: highlights include Anna Calvi, Bon Iver, Adele, Tinie Tempah, Warpaint, The XX, Metronomy, Mumford and Sons and Ed Sheeran to name a few. We’re looking to forwards to many more discoveries being made this year.

Other acts already confirmed to play The Great Escape this year are:
AFRICA EXPRESS SOUND SYSTEM**/ MAXIMO PARK**/DRY THE RIVER / SPECTOR / WE ARE THE OCEAN / FRIENDS / HOWLER / ZULU WINTER / GRIMES / DZ DEATHRAYS / NILS FRAHM / A WINGED VICTORY FOR THE SULLEN / JAMIE N COMMONS / DJANGO DJANGO / EAGULLS / PERFUME GENIUS / COM TRUISE / Δ (ALT-J) / WHEN SAINTS GO MACHINE / SONIC BOOM SIX / FRANÇOIS AND THE ATLAS MOUNTAINS / BOS ANGELES / YOUNG DREAMS / DOLDRUMS / WEIRD DREAMS / YOUNG MAGIC / THE BRITISH EXPEDITIONARY FORCE / MAX COOPER / JINJA SAFARI / COLLEGE, GRAPHICS / SLOW DOWN, MOLASSES / MOJO FURY / MALLORY KNOX / HAWK EYES / PEACE / YUKON BLONDE / EMMA LOUISE / JUVENILES / BINARY / SING TANK /THE SOFT / KARLMARX / INLAND SEA / HALF MOON RUN / OWLLE / PRINCESS CHELSEA / MESPARROW / STRANDED HORSE / AVALANCHE CITY / TRUST / JORDAN COOK / MUJERES / ME AND THE BEES / SEWARD / FURGUSON / MYSTERY JETS/ BOOKA SHADE / ALAMBAMA SHAKES / NATTY / LIANNE LA HAVAS / EMA / FOREST SWORDS / MADEON / ERROS / WILLY MASON / ROLO TOMASSI / FOY VANCE / BETH JEANS HOUGHTON AND THE HOOVES OF DESTINY / MICACHU AND THE SHAPES / MAXXI SOUNDSYSTEM / WE HAVE BAND / LONEY, DEAR / TANLINES / NEW LOOK / KORELESS/ SHABAZZ PALACES / TOY / LOWER THAT ATLANTIS / KWES / GROSS MAGIC / DISCLOSURE / DUOLOGUE / JONQUIL / EXITMUSIC / SPOEK MATHAMBO / HAIM / PALE SEAS / FOXES / SWIN DEEP / THE COMPUTERS / THE SKINTS / ANTLERED MAN / CHEW LIPS / HOODED FANG / PETS WITH PETS / TALL SHIPS / HOLY STATE / WIM / RICH AUCOIN / VONDELPARK / MILAGRES / MESPARROW / NZCA / LINES / DILLON / DON BROCO / BOY / ODONIS ODONIS / EIGHTY AND A HALF / WET NUNS / MIKILL PANE / THE NIGHT / CUT RIBBONS / PAWS / BEN CHAPLAN AND THE CASUAL SMOKERS / I CHING / OLIVER TANK / GOLD AND YOUTH / PSYCHOLOGIST / HOT PANDA / FICTION / STEP-PANTHER / PIKACHUNES / BEN SALTER / BOXES / FILMS OF COLOUR / ALUNAGEORGE / FLIP GRATER / GRASS HOUSE / HUSKY / JD MCPHERSON / JOSH KUMRA / LULU JAMES / MY BEST FRIEND / SEASFIRE /SHIELDS / 22 / JAGUAR SHARK / VIOLET / LAST DINOSAURS / JORDAN COOK AKA REIGNWOLF / JACKSON FIREBIRD / MASSMATIKS / MARTHA PATON

The Great Escape will return to the bustling British seaside city of Brighton from 10th-12th May 2012, presenting festival-goers with over 300 new local and international artists across 30 different venues throughout the city. Running alongside this is the Great Escape convention programme hosting a variety of insightful industry talks, panel debates, targeted networking sessions and key note interviews for industry professionals and music business fans.

**A small number of shows will take place at The Dome in Brighton. The third and final of the 2012 Brighton Dome Shows to be announced is TEMPER TRAP. To ensure guaranteed access at a Brighton Dome Show, attendees can top up their festival wristband for £7 per show, or purchase a separate gig ticket at www.escapegreat.com

Single and two day tickets will go on sale on Friday at 9am through www.escapegreat.com

THE GREAT ESCAPE FESTIVAL
BRIGHTON, WEST SUSSEX, UK
THURSDAY 10 – SATURDAY 12 MAY 2012

3-DAY FESTIVAL TICKETS (EARLY BIRD) £45
(OFFER EXPIRES ON 11TH APRIL)

SINGLE & TWO DAY FESTIVAL TICKETS from £22.50
(ON SALE 9AM FRIDAY 30TH MARCH)

MAXIMO PARK – TOP UP (BRIGHTON DOME SHOW) £7
(top up a 3-day festival ticket to ensure guaranteed access to Temper Trap show)

MAXIMO PARK – SINGLE TICKET (BRIGHTON DOME SHOW) £12.50
(guaranteed access to Maximo Park show only)

THE TEMPER TRAP – TOP UP (BRIGHTON DOME SHOW) £7
(top up a 3-day festival ticket to ensure guaranteed access to Temper Trap show)

THE TEMPER TRAP – SINGLE TICKET (BRIGHTON DOME SHOW) £14.50
(guaranteed access to Temper Trap show only)

AFRICA EXPRESS SOUND SYSTEM – TOP UP (BRIGHTON DOME SHOW) £7
(top up a 3-day festival ticket to ensure guaranteed access to Africa Express Sound System show)

AFRICA EXPRESS SOUND SYSTEM – SINGLE TICKET (BRIGHTON DOME SHOW) £18.50
(guaranteed access to Africa Express Sound System show only)

Access to a number of our shows is available to a 14+ audience.
Please see the website for further information

http://escapegreat.com/festival-line-up/14+shows

TO PURCHASE TICKETS and for further information:
www.escapegreat.com/buyTickets/ & SEE Tickets: 0870 264 3333

Book Festival Accommodation for the weekend from £90 for three nights:

http://escapegreat.com/book-hotel/festival-accommodation

Artist Registration is now closed

3-DAY DELEGATE TICKETS (EARLY BIRD – limited availability) £120
Delegate tickets allow access to TGE industry convention & networking programme and priority
access to all core programme gig venues, subject to each venues capacity

Book the Industry Delegate Hotel for the Weekend from £420 for three nights:

http://escapegreat.com/book-hotel/book-industry-delegate-hotel

ENDS

Irek Mukhamedov joins the Schaufuss Ballet’s Award Winning Tchaikovsky Trilogy at the London Coliseum 23 -28 July 2012

Olivier Award-winning choreographer, Peter Schaufuss, presents his powerful, innovative interpretation of three of Tchaikovsky’s immortal ballets – Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker and for this season, the prolific Tartar, Irek Mukhamedov, once entitled “best dancer in the world”, will be performing alongside the sensational 22-year-old Danish superstar, Alan Lendorf.

With two such top line talents sharing a stage, Schaufuss’s version of the Tchaikovsky classics will be a spectacular feat.

Former Bolshoi and Royal Ballet superstar, Mukhamedov, whose electrifying repertoire has long captivated London audiences under MacMillan’s tutelage, will return once more since his riveting final appearance in Mayerling, in 2004.

Irek, who was decorated with the Order of the British Empire in 2000 says, “London is the place that has had the most profound effect on my life and I am delighted to perform again, in the year of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee & Olympics.”

He will be playing the roles of Rothbart in Swan Lake, the Queen’s husband and Aurora’s and Carabosses’s father in Sleeping Beauty, Clara’s Father and Sugar Plum Fairy’s Cavalier in The Nutcracker, in all performances of all three ballets.

Royal Danish Ballet Principal, Lendorf, who made his UK debut as ‘an elegant, fleet footed Mercutio’ (The Independent) and was hailed a ‘superb actor and gyroscopic turner’ (The Daily Telegraph), in Schaufuss’s staging of Romeo & Juliet last summer, dances the lead in every performance of Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty during the week long run.

Schaufuss himself, an international dance legend and erstwhile artistic director of the English National Ballet, Berlin Opera & Royal Danish Ballet, having danced each of Tchaikovsky’s great works, here brings together three of his best loved, not only to showcase the great composer’s musical genius, but also to illustrate his psychological development from a young man in Swan Lake, to an adolescent in Sleeping Beauty, to the mature adult in The Nutcracker.

He likens the Trilogy to “a nightmare, a sensual awakening and a happy dream” wherein the underlying theme is the human journey from pain and cruelty to joyful redemption.

This internationally acclaimed and award winning dance epic will also be performed together on one day in a rare theatrical event on Saturday July 28.

Listings information
Theatre: London Coliseum 07990 771790

Dates: 23 – 28 July 2012
Swan Lake: Mon and Wed at 7.30pm, Sat at 1pm
Sleeping Beauty: Tue and Thu at 7.30pm, Sat at 4.30pm
The Nutcracker: Wed at 3pm Fri at 7.30pm and Sat at 8pm
Website: www.eno.org
Phone number: 0871 911 0200
Tickets: Tickets from £15 – £55
VIP £85 and £75 Premium packages available please call and ask for more details

Press Night: 24 or 25 July 2012
Charity Gala Performance (with special guest) in aid of The Dancer for Cancer Trust: 25 July 2012

The Dancer for Cancer Trust
The aim of the Trust is to help professional dancers who either face a potential cancer diagnosis or who are living with the malignancy in one or other of its manifest forms by providing the necessary financial assistance to accelerate their treatment and to help with their care.

For further information please contact:
Dee McCourt dee@markborkowski.co.uk / + 44 (0) 7803 726 543 / 0203 176 2700

Join Southern Europe’s major cultural event for 2012
in PALERMO, July 5th – 8th

This July, on the Mediterranean’s largest and most culturally diverse and stimulating island, in the magnificent setting of Palermo’s open-air Teatro di Verdura, WOMAD, the international festival of World Music, Arts and Dance, will celebrate its 15th Sicilian anniversary across four dazzling days of high summer.
WOMAD has a long and honourable record on this jewel of the southern Med, dating back to 1998. In 2003, the venue moved for a few years to Taormina, where WOMAD founder Peter Gabriel performed live in 2004, returning in triumph in 2010 to the Teatro di Verdura.

Comments Gabriel…
“Our Sicilian adventures have always been a delight: it’s an almost magical combination of the climate and the local hospitality which makes it such a pleasure to come here to listen to great music and watch great performers. It’s like having several holidays all at once.”
WOMAD itself is 30 this year, and Peter Gabriel is as sure as ever about what lies at the core of its success:-
“The festivals have allowed many different audiences to gain insights into cultures other than their own..they draw people together and prove, as well as anything, the stupidity of racism, something that’s very alien to Sicily in particular , because of its extraordinary history.”
He cites the story that Palermo is a city where a dog, a cat and a mouse can all go to the pub for a beer together, making it a city and a region devoid of racial prejudices.

A WORLD ISLAND FOR WORLD MUSIC

Sicily offers the best of Italian culture and cuisine and is one of Europe’s most historic and cosmopolitan regions. Following invasion and colonisation by every major European empire of the past two-and-a-half thousand years, including Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arabic, Germanic, Norman, Papal, Spanish, Napoleonic and only finally Italian, the island boasts a truly international mix in its archaeology, its architecture and its way of life. It’s officially the sunniest place in Europe, the home of Archimedes …EUREKA!… AND the original home of ice cream (can that be true??)

The scenery is pretty spectacular too: over 200 kilometres away from Palermo towers the 3,329m high volcano Mount Etna, world-famous, frequently-erupting and in a constant state of activity – just like the WOMAD press office.

Over the decade and a half of its presence, WOMAD Sicily has attracted tens of thousands of sun-seeking music lovers and hundreds of top-class artists from all over the world, including Youssou N’Dour, Angelique Kidjo, Zap Mama, Afro Celt Sound System, Midge Ure and Asian Dub Foundation.

The 2012 line up promises to be no less spectacular and varied, with performers and artists from every corner of the globe including, recently confirmed, The Portico Quartet, whose second album Kee-Deep in the North Sea was shortlisted for last year’s Mercury Music prize and whose latest (cunningly titled The Portico Quartet) is just out to fine reviews. The Porticos, based in London’s East End, will be arriving in Sicily as part of an epic European tour, during which their eclectic, hypnotic brand of music will have won them many new fans.

Meanwhile, all the way from the other side of the earth Chinese six-piece Hanggai (dubbed ‘the Mongolian grasslands’ answer to The Pogues’) will be performing, and from Africa the fabulous Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, the thrilling Nigerian orchestra led by the teenage son of its founder, the late Fela Kuti.

Just a taste of the Music-Like-No-Other experience WOMAD never fails to deliver…

ABOUT WOMAD FESTIVALS

WOMAD Festivals are family-orientated, diverse and active musical events. Since the first festival in the UK in 1982, WOMAD has held more than 160 festivals, creating events in twenty-seven countries and islands all over the world, including: Abu Dhabi, Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, UK and the United States of America.

Listings
Listings Information
Ticket go on sale 28 February
Tickets from €10-35
www.boxofficesicilia.it
All tickets are day tickets

For more information go to
www.womad.org and for special package offers visit
www.sicilianaturaeventi.idra.it
on sale from 28 February

For further information and images please contact
Borkowski Arts and Ents – +44 (0)203 176 2700
Dee McCourt – dee@markborkowski.co.uk / 07803 72 65 43
Giles Cooper – giles@markborkowski.co.uk / 07850 76 91 89

PLUNGE, which will be presented for 26 days from February 7th 2012, invites Londoners to look up and look forward 1000 years to the dawn of the next millennium, to the year 3012, when the effects of runaway climate change will have completely changed the look of the bustling capital city we know and love.

PLUNGE illustrates how sea level will have climbed by then, should we fail to heed the threat of global warming. Up will surge the water, as the glaciers melt and the temperatures rise, triggering thermal expansion of the oceans, on and on to a staggering 28 metres (90 feet) above its current height, submerging landmarks, eroding history and drowning this greatest of cities.

A nightmare vision? A concept too catastrophic to contemplate? But look again and witness a thing of beauty too: an elegant, mystical creation coming gleamingly alive as twilight merges day into night. PLUNGE is a work of art for London full of magic and meaning.

Michael Pinsky is an artist used to working on a grand scale and PLUNGE is no exception. His rings of blue fire, set at precisely 28 metres above sea level, will be visible on familiar icons across London, including the column at Paternoster Square adjoining St Paul’s Cathedral and the London Stock Exchange, the Seven Dials Sundial pillar in the heart of Covent Garden’s theatre district, and Duke of York’s column overlooking the elegance of St James’s Park and the grandeur of the Mall, just yards from Buckingham Palace.

28 metres is the level, backed by the latest scientific evidence, at which Central London would be clearly and visibly different, including the partial submersion of some of the city’s most historic and iconic monuments and buildings.

Mark Ball, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of LIFT said: ‘Our ambition for this commission was to create a major public artwork for London that tackled the subject of climate change. At LIFT we firmly believe that artists have the power to make us stop and look again at the world around us, and Michael Pinsky’s vision of a future flooded London does this with a simple and elegant beauty.’

Judith Knight, Director of Artsadmin is in no doubt of Plunge’s uniqueness: ‘Climate change can seem like a far off problem that doesn’t affect us, but already parts of the world are suffering the effects of rising sea levels. Plunge is an extreme illustration of what the future might hold but its message is simple – we need to take action against climate change now.’

For more information visit – http://www.plungelondon.com/

MICHAEL PINSKY
Dr Michael Pinsky is a renowned British artist whose international projects have created innovative and challenging works in galleries and public spaces. He has undertaken many residencies that explore issues which shape and influence the use of our public realm and combines the roles of researcher, urban planner, activist, concerned London resident and artist. Through video, performance, mapping and programming, Pinsky responds site-specifically to physical and sociological space, frequently to highly dramatic effect.
He has exhibited extensively in galleries and festivals including TATE Britain, the Saatchi Gallery, the ICA, London; BALTIC, Gateshead; Centre for Contemporary Art, Glasgow; Modern Art Oxford, Liverpool Biennial, Archilab, Orleans; CCC, Tours; France, Armory Centre of the Arts, Los Angeles and the Rotterdam International Architectural Biennial.
For more information about his work please go to www.michaelpinsky.com

LIFT – LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF THEATRE
Above all, LIFT is proud to be in and of London. No other organisation or festival brings theatre to so many diverse, quirky and accessible places and spaces across our city. There’s a sense of discovery in all LIFT’s work and it’s our intention to give members of the public the chance to see the world through the eyes of others, both artists and ordinary people, and to experience art on their own terms. Every performance or event staged intends to be a personal experience that will mean something unique and real to each and every individual lucky enough to witness it.

Visit www.liftfestival.com/ for more information.

Artsadmin
Artsadmin is a unique producing and presenting organisation for contemporary artists working across the spectrum of theatre, visual arts, dance, live art and performance, producing, supporting and promoting arts projects locally, nationally and internationally. At Toynbee Studios in East London, Artsadmin has developed a creative environment for artists and arts professionals, with a theatre, five rehearsal spaces, offices and studio spaces and the Arts Bar and Cafe. Through presenting projects that cross the line between art and activism for the Two Degrees festival, and commissioning other one-off projects like PLUNGE, Artsadmin hopes to influence participants and a wide audience into engaging further with the subject of climate change.
Artsadmin, London, UK – www.artsadmin.co.uk

Swan Lake – Sleeping Beauty – Nutcracker
Tickets On Sale Now
For nearly two hundred years Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker have thrilled audiences around the globe. Now Danish dance legend Peter Schaufuss presents The Tchaikovsky Trilogy, his own take on three of the world’s best loved ballets, and writes a whole new page in the UK’s theatrical history.

Rivalling Wagner’s operatic Ring Cycle, Schaufuss brings his Award winning dance epic for the first time to the London Coliseum this summer from 23-28 July. For the first time ever, in the London, all three great ballets will be performed in one day.
This very special new production will star the critically acclaimed Alban Lendorf, the sensational new discovery of the Royal Danish Ballet who starred last year in the revival of Sir Frederick Ashton’s production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ when The Guardian wrote this;
“…emerging star….is an insouciant, scintillating Mercutio…”

Schaufuss danced each of Tchaikovsky’s great works many times during his career. He starred with international ballerinas like Natalia Makarova and Gelsey Kirkland all over the world with companies such as Russia’s Maryinsky, New York City and London’s Royal Ballets as well as his native Royal Danish Ballet. And not only did he love Tchaikovsky the composer but felt he understood Tchaikovsky the man and how precisely the music for each ballet reflects the battle with his ambivalent sexuality.

In Swan Lake the hero, Siegfried, makes a huge commitment to the Swan Queen then runs away; Tchaikovsky married, soon to be parted. His sexuality then lay dormant like the Princess sleeping for a hundred years in The Sleeping Beauty but the Nutcracker is the most poignant. Tchaikovsky, waiting to board an America bound liner, picked up a discarded newspaper only to read of the death of his sister Alexandra. Memories of many happy Christmases crowded into his brain and just before boarding the liner, he picked up as a memento a nutcracker from a street trader. Many people call The Nutcracker the most perfect piece of music he ever wrote. A few months later he was dead.

Alban Lendorf will dance every performance of Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. This ground breaking season will run at the London Coliseum for a week from Monday 23 July to Saturday 28 July 2012 with a different ballet each night.

While the entire Tchaikovsky Trilogy will be performed from 1pm on Saturday 28 July 2012.

Listings information
Theatre: London Coliseum 07990 771790

Press Night: 24 or 25 July 2012
Charity Gala Performance (with special guest) in aid of The Dancer for Cancer Trust: 25 July 2012

For further information please contact
Dee McCourt dee@markborkowski.co.uk / + 44 (0) 7803 726 543 / 0203 176 2700

PRESS RELEASE: 7 FEBRUARY 2012

Artistic Director Steven Atkinson today announces eighteen World and European premiere productions for the sixth annual HighTide Festival in Halesworth, Suffolk, from May 3 to13 2012. New this year is the Festival Bus, providing return travel from London Liverpool Street to Halesworth for the under 30’s for £30, including a ticket to two plays.

‘This year the Festival premieres new playwrights and new work with world-class partners The Public Theater, Nuffield Theatre, and Headlong, and with the most promising newer companies curious directive, Bad Physics, and nabokov. We preview new works that will tour to the Latitude Festival, to the Edinburgh Festival with Utter and macrobert, and Soho Theatre, and we will present the European premiere of Mike Daisey’s The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs.’

‘As a National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England this is the first time that the Festival has had core funding. These eighteen plays are a huge expansion from our historical four. They present a wide range of new writing, from full production to work in progress, and experimentations in form including promenade performances and audio headset productions. We are also producing a mid-week symposium on the state of new writing in partnership with the University of East Anglia, the British Theatre Consortium, and Central School of Speech & Drama.’ Steven Atkinson, Artistic Director.

Season Highlights:

The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs | The European Premiere of Mike Daisey’s international cause célèbre. Performed by Daisey and directed by his collaborator Jean-Michele Gregory for HighTide Festival 2012.

Clockwork | Twenty-five year old Laura Poliakoff’s debut play for a generation ignorant to issues concerning care in their old age. Directed by Artistic Director Steven Atkinson and designed by Richard Kent (Richard II, Donmar Warehouse).

Continues…
Boys | Ella Hickson returns to HighTide Festival with the World Premiere of her new play. A HighTide Festival Theatre / Nuffield Theatre Southampton / Headlong production, then touring to The Nuffield and Soho Theatre.

Rifle Hall Plays | Four new American plays by

Perish by Stella Fawn Ragsdale
Neighbours by Branden Jacob-Jenkins
The Hour of Feeling by Mona Mansour
Bethany by Laura Marks
All produced in collaboration with the Public Theater Emerging Writers Group.

LISTINGS

HighTide Festival 2012
The Cut, The Rifle Hall and The Printworks
Halesworth
Suffolk
IP19 8BY

BOX OFFICE: 020 7566 9767
ONLINE: www.hightide.org.uk
FULL PRICE FESTIVAL TICKETS: £14.50 and £9.50
UNDER 30 TICKETS: £11.50 and £6.50
MULTIBUY OFFER: Save around 25% when you purchase tickets to two plays or more.

Weekend Programmes: 5 / 6 / 12 / 13 May
Weekend programme running time: 11h00 until 23h00
Mid-week evening performances of Clockwork, Mudlarks and Boys
9 / 10 / 11 May, which are Pay What You Can events.

Festival Bus Under 30s Package
£30.00 (Return bus travel from London and tickets for two Festival plays)

To hear first about The HighMind Talks:
Follow HighTide Festival Theatre on Twitter: @_HighTide_
Join us on Facebook: facebook.com/HighTideFestivalTheatre

To view HighTide’s online brochure visit: www.issuu.com/hightidefestivaltheatre/docs/hightide_festival_2012

For further information, press tickets and images please contact
Borkowski Arts & Ents: +44 (0) 203 176 27 00
Dee McCourt / dee@markborkowski.co.uk / 07803 726 543
Giles Cooper / giles@markborkowski.co.uk / 07850 769 189
Continues…
Editor’s Notes

HighTide Festival Theatre was founded in 2007 to discover, produce and champion emerging playwrights. This remains the core vision, and informs all of the company’s work and future ambitions.

Following the Festival, HighTide’s productions then transfer nationally and internationally in partnerships that have included: the Bush Theatre (2008 & 2009), National Theatre (2009), Old Vic Theatre (2010), Ambassador Theatre Group / West End (2011), to the Edinburgh Festival (2008, 10 &11) and internationally to the Australian National Play Festival (2010).

HighTide Festival Theatre is a National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England.

HighTide Festival 2012 will be held in venues across Halesworth, Suffolk, 3 – 13 May, 2012

A Brief History

The fifth HighTide Festival in 2011 premiered four plays written by Stephen Belber, Adam Brace, and Andrew Motion, and the fourth, a musical, book and lyrics by Richard Marsh and music by Natalia Sheppard (aka Rogue Nouveau).

Andrew Motion’s Incoming transferred to Latitude Festival 2011, the 23rd Aldeburgh Poetry Festival, and by special invitation to the House of Commons.

Stephen Belber’s Dusk Rings A Bell transferred to the 2011 Edinburgh Festival before transferring to Watford Palace Theatre.

Adam Brace’s Midnight Your Time transferred to the 2011 Edinburgh Festival.

The fourth HighTide Festival in 2010 premiered three plays written by Serge Cartwright, Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig and Beth Steel. Serge Cartwright’s Moscow Live was shortlisted for the 2010 John Whiting Award.

Beth Steel’s Ditch transferred to The Old Vic Tunnels in London, in a co-production with The Old Vic, in May 2010. Ditch was shortlisted for the 2010 John Whiting Award.

Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig’s Lidless transferred to the 2010 Edinburgh Festival, where it won a Fringe First Award before transferring to the Trafalgar Studios, London in March 2011.

Dominic Mitchell’s The Theatre EP, conceived by Natalie Ibu, premiered at Latitude Festival 2010, Suffolk.

The third HighTide Festival in 2009 premiered three plays written by Lydia Adetunji, Lucy Caldwell and Jesse Weaver.

Lydia Adetunji’s Fixer and Adam Brace’s Stovepipe transferred to the National Play Festival in Brisbane, Australia, in January 2010.

Fixer was shortlisted for the Meyer Whitworth Award. It was revived in a production at Oval House Theatre in June 2011.

The second HighTide Festival in 2008 premiered four plays written by Adam Brace, Joel Horwood, Nick Payne and the fourth devised by You Need Me.

Joel Horwood’s I Caught Crabs in Walberswick transferred to the 2008 Edinburgh Festival, a UK tour, and the Bush Theatre, in a co-production with Eastern Angles.

Adam Brace’s Stovepipe transferred to the West 12 Centre in London as a found-space production in collaboration with the National Theatre and Bush Theatre in March 2009. The Sunday Times listed this as one of The Ten Best Theatre Productions of the Decade.

Continues…
Nick Payne’s The Pitch premiered at Latitude Festival 2008, Suffolk.

The first HighTide Festival in 2007 premiered eight short plays written by Tom Basden, Steven Bloomer, Sarah Cuddon, Sam Holcroft, Matthew Morrison, Pericles Snowdon, Megan Walsh and Iain Weatherby.

Tom Basden’s Assembly then transferred to Hay-on-Wye Festival 2008. It was expanded into a full length play retitled Party, which premiered at Edinburgh Festival 2009 where it won a Fringe First, transferred to the Arts Theatre, London, and was adapted for Radio 4.

ENDS

• FIRST ACTS ANNOUNCED BY EUROPE’S LEADING FESTIVAL FOR NEW MUSIC
• AFRICA EXPRESS SOUND SYSTEM CONFIRMED FOR
BRIGHTON DOME SHOW
• TGE 2012 HITS BRIGHTON 10 -12 MAY
• LAST CHANCE TO BUY FESTIVAL TICKETS AT THE SUPER EARLY BIRD PRICE, ONLY A LIMITED NUMBER REMAINING
• FIRST WAVE OF CATALAN AND BALEARIC ARTISTS ANNOUNCED

The Great Escape is thrilled to be announcing an initial line-up of acts to play across its 30 venues in Brighton this May. Crossing genres from Catalan garage to Australian Electro-chant, UK Surf to Canadian Blues, a staggering host of remarkable sounds are on show already. Old or young, jaded or woefully naïve, TGE 2012 will have something to surprise you.

The initial lineup includes rockers DRY THE RIVER, Danish electro-poppers WHEN SAINTS GO MACHINE, Catalan garage supremos MUJERES, Afrotronic super group AFRICA EXPRESS SOUND SYSTEM**, hard-core Aussie duo DZ DEATHRAYS, Dalston outfit SPECTOR, piping-hot new US bands HOWLER from Minneapolis and FRIENDS from Brooklyn, deranged electro idealist GRIMES, tribal pop Londoners ZULU WINTER, instrumental/electronic four-piece DJANGO DJANGO and Berlin-based pianist NILS FRAHM.

The festival is world famous for the massive acts who’ve cut their teeth on its stages: highlights include Bon Iver, Adele, Tinie Tempah, Mumford and Sons and Ed Sheeran. This year, with more raw talent on display than is strictly fair on other festivals, the pressure will be on to spot the next big thing amongst the noise.

The line up so far is as follows:
Africa Express Sound System**/ Dry The River / Spector / We Are the Ocean / Friends / Howler / Zulu Winter / Grimes / DZ Deathrays / Nils Frahm / A Winged Victory For The Sullen / Jamie N Commons / Django Django / Eagulls / Perfume Genius / Com Truise / Δ (Alt-J) / When Saints Go Machine / Sonic Boom Six / François And The Atlas Mountains / Bos Angeles / Young Dreams / Doldrums / Weird Dreams / Young Magic /
(Release Continues…)
The British Expeditionary Force / Max Cooper / Jinja Safari / College, Graphics /
Slow Down, Molasses / Mojo Fury / Mallory Knox / Hawk Eyes / Peace / Yukon Blonde / Emma Louise / Juveniles / Binary / Sing Tank /The Soft / Karlmarx / Inland Sea / Half Moon Run / Owlle / Princess Chelsea / Mesparrow / Stranded Horse / Avalanche City / Trust / The Darcys / Jordan Cook, and many more to be announced soon.

TGE is also especially delighted to welcome to the festival Mujeres / Me And The Bees / Seward and Furguson, as part of the lead International partnership with the Institut Ramon Llull, presenting Catalan Sounds – music from Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. More Catalan and Balearic artist confirmations to follow soon.

Festival programmer Natasha Haddad said: “It feels great to be announcing such amazing acts right off the bat, and there’s plenty more artists of all genres to come. This is a really exciting year for new music and for TGE, and we’re fortunate to be able to showcase some of the greatest talent worldwide.”

The Great Escape will return to the bustling British seaside city of Brighton from 10th-12th May 2012, presenting festival-goers with over 300 new local and international artists across 30 different venues throughout the city. Running alongside this is the Great Escape convention programme which hosts a variety of insightful industry talks, panel debates, targeted networking sessions and key note interviews for industry professionals and music business fans.

Festival-goers to TGE this year, for just £30 per night, can set up an affordable and perfectly positioned base at Brighton’s JOURNEYS HOSTEL. Well located in relation to all TGE gig venues, Journey’s uses state-of-the-art triple bunk beds that guarantee all guests receive the lowest price possible for their stay as well as providing a better atmosphere for meeting and interacting with fellow TGE festival goers. It’s got to be better than camping, right?

THE GREAT ESCAPE FESTIVAL
BRIGHTON, WEST SUSSEX, UK
THURSDAY 10 – SATURDAY 12 MAY 2012

3-DAY FESTIVAL TICKETS (EARLY BIRD) £45

AFRICA EXPRESS SOUND SYSTEM – TOP UP (BRIGHTON DOME SHOW) £7
(top up a 3-day festival ticket to ensure guaranteed access to Africa Express Sound System show)

AFRICA EXPRESS SOUND SYSTEM – SINGLE TICKET (BRIGHTON DOME SHOW) £18.50
(guaranteed access to Africa Express Sound System show only)

3-DAY DELEGATE TICKETS (EARLY BIRD – limited availability) £120
Delegate tickets allow access to TGE industry convention & networking programme and priority access to all core programme gig venues, subject to each venues capacity

TO PURCHASE TICKETS and for further information:
www.escapegreat.com/buyTickets/ & SEE Tickets: 0870 264 3333

Book Festival Accommodation for the weekend from £90 for three nights:

http://escapegreat.com/book-hotel/festival-accommodation

Artist Registration is now open and it’s free to register:

http://escapegreat.com/apply-to-play

Book the Industry Delegate Hotel for the Weekend from £420 for three nights:

http://escapegreat.com/book-hotel/book-industry-delegate-hotel

**A small number of shows will take place at The Dome in Brighton. The first of the 2012 Dome Shows to be announced is AFRICA EXPRESS SOUND SYSTEM. To ensure guaranteed access at a Brighton Dome Show, attendees can top up their festival wristband for £7 per show, or purchase a separate gig ticket at www.escapegreat.com

THE GREAT ESCAPE 2012 ANNOUNCES ITS LEAD INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP WITH THE INSTITUT RAMON LLULL TO PRESENT CATALAN SOUNDS

PRESS RELEASE: 12 December 2011

‘Glastonbury-on-sea’
NME, Great Escape

‘Britain’s answer to SXSW…The Great Escape Festival in Brighton is a cornucopia of vital new music and conferencing for industry pros.’
Mojo, Great Escape

• EARLY BIRD RATES FOR FESTIVAL AND DELEGATE TICKET BUYERS
• BRIGHTON HOTEL AND HOSTEL PACKAGES AVAILABLE
• ARTIST REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

The Great Escape is delighted to announce the Institute Ramon Llull as its lead international partner for the 2012 festival in Brighton, presenting Catalan Sounds – music from Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. From Barcelona to the Mediterranean islands, Catalan territories are a hot-bed of new music, both live and recorded.

Previous international partners at the festival, such as Ireland (2011), New Zealand (2009), France (2007) and Canada (2006), have seen new artists and musicians from across the world come to the attention of the varied and influential audience at The Great Escape.

Vicenç Villatoro, director of the Institut Ramon Llull (IRL), said: “The IRL is very proud to strengthen its relationship with The Great Escape by supporting the participation of eight bands from Catalonia and The Balearic Islands at 2012′s festival. Through this collaboration, the IRL will promote the quality of Catalan music internationally, enriching the festival programme with the talent of these artists.”

Operations Manager, Kat Morris said: “There’s a real hub of extraordinary music coming out of Catalonia at the moment, so we’re delighted to be giving the bands an opportunity to reach The Great Escape audience. We pride ourselves on showcasing new artists from every corner of the globe and working closely with arts groups, such as the IRL, allows us to select the bands on the cusp of doing great things”.

The Great Escape has welcomed many Catalan bands and artists in previous years such as Manel and Cuchillio in 2009, Mujeres and John Talabot in 2010 and AIAS, Les Aus, and Mishima in 2011.

Over the last six years The Great Escape has quickly established itself as an international platform for new talent. As well as showcasing the best new British artists and key UK music industry figures attending, bands and delegates fly from all over the world to be present, including from; Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain and the US.

Artists wishing to be considered for TGE 2012 should register via the TGE website: http://escapegreat.com/apply-to-play

The Great Escape will return to the bustling British seaside city of Brighton from the 10-12 May 2012, presenting festival-goers with over 300 new local and international artists across 30 different venues throughout the city. Running alongside this is the Great Escape Convention which hosts a variety of insightful industry talks, panel debates, targeted networking sessions and key note interviews for industry professionals and music business fans. 2011’s festival saw over 100 high-profile speakers with highlights including DJ Shadow in conversation, keynote speeches from producer Paul Epworth and BPI Chairman Tony Wadsworth and a whole day of events hosted by key content partner PRS.

Previous years have seen a whole slew of now-famous acts cutting their teeth at The Great Escape. A few highlights include: Noah & The Whale, Tinie Tempah, Ellie Goulding, Chase and Status, Marina & The Diamonds, Mumford & Sons, Crystal Castles, Yeasayer, Vampire Weekend, Friendly Fires, , The Maccabees, Hurts, , Laura Marling, Adele, CSS, Kate Nash, Glasvegas, Ladyhawke, The Enemy, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Gossip, Klaxons, Mystery Jets, , Bon Iver, Wild Beasts, Ed Sheeran, Warpaint, SBTRKT, Raghu Dixit and The XX.

‘The Great Escape’s USP is new music, so for the real spirit of things, you are best off haunting the smaller venues.’
The Guardian on Great Escape 2011

‘Brighton’s answer to South by South West Festival’
The Independent on Great Escape 2011

THE GREAT ESCAPE FESTIVAL
BRIGHTON, WEST SUSSEX, UK
10-12 MAY 2012

3-DAY FESTIVAL TICKETS (SUPER EARLY BIRD) £35 (limited availability)
3-DAY DELEGATE TICKETS (EARLY BIRD) £120 (limited availability)

For further ticketing information:
www.escapegreat.com/buyTickets/ & SEE Tickets: 0870 264 3333

Artist Registration is now open and it’s free to register:

http://escapegreat.com/apply-to-play

Book the Industry Delegate Hotel for the Weekend:

http://escapegreat.com/book-hotel/book-industry-delegate-hotel

Book Festival Accommodation for the weekend:

http://escapegreat.com/book-hotel/festival-accommodation