benchtours - revisualising theatre

benchtours’ vision is to convey its passion and principles by presenting challenging and engaging work that will entertain and entice audiences, create a lasting impression and a desire for more.

As an ensemble company benchtours collaborates with a broad, international network of artists and is renowned for its innovative approach to classic texts and fast-paced visual theatre, touring both nationally and internationally.

Founded in 1991 by a group of performers who met in Paris whilst studying with Philippe Gaulier, past productions include adaptations of Iain Bank’s The Bridge, Salman Rushdie’s Haroun and the Sea of Stories and Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle. Other work includes: Moon Over Musselburgh, a large multimedia performance project in collaboration with the Brunton Finders Keepers, a performance project with the Lemon Tree designed specifically to meet the needs of learning-disabled adults Jabberwocky, a six-week programme of workshops in secondary schools, developed to build audiences for Alice, its co-production with Theatre Sans Frontières Theatre productions of How Many Miles to Babylon? and The Cherry Orchard Explorers, an outreach programme at the Lemon Tree involving five separate projects in design, drama, video, music and training A double-bill of Chekhov farces, The Bear & The Proposal, which toured to schools, community centres and theatres, was part of the Edinburgh Fringe and then toured to Poland.

Current productions

benchtours has planned an exciting programme of work for the year to come, offering a combination of specially commissioned new work, fresh takes on classic texts, and benchtours’ trademark delight in the surreal. All major productions will be made available for touring, particularly to rural communities and abroad.

Peer Gynt
In a new verse rendition by John Harvey, Peer Gynt opened at The Brunton on May 27 before touring to The North Edinburgh Arts Centre, The Lemon Tree, the Tron, and the Garrison Theatre, Lerwick. The production has a professional company of eight, plus a chorus of twelve drawn from local community and student groups.

Babel
Babel follows previous collaborations between benchtours and Melanie Stewart Dance Theatre (Philadelphia). Influenced by Grand Guignol – a mixture of farce and the grotesque – Babel will participate in the Philadelphia Fringe in September 2004.

The Emperor’s Opera
Scripted by Michael Duke through the Scottish Arts Council Playwrights’ Commissioning Scheme, The Emperor’s Opera uses the conventions of farce to explore themes of nationalism, Cold War nostalgia and the price of human life in today’s Europe. The production will tour in Scotland in spring 2005

For more information visit the benchtours website

Did you know? In 1997 Benchtours received an award towards the cost of new sound and lighting equipment. If you would like to apply for a grant towards the cost of a building or equipment visit our Capital funding section.