Brighton-based dance company Tick Tock Bridget are taking their latest show Rejoining Jane on tour this October. The play premiered at Brighton Fringe Festival and will be at Southsea’s Hunter Gatherer café on the 22nd October. Emily Priest reports.
Tick Tock Bridget was formed in 2015 by Harriet Morris, Jessica Miller and Rosa Firbank to create live performances with dance, music and theatre: finding inspiration from everyday stories everyone can share and relate to. The group have performed their work at venues such as One Church in Brighton and The Showroom in Chichester and their recent production was shortlisted for South East Dance’s Space to Dance Award at the Brighton Fringe 2017.
Rejoining Jane is an immersive experience set in a café and inspired by the experience of overhearing other people’s conversations in public spaces. The audience is invited to eavesdrop on the characters as they discuss their latest read in their book group, and delve into Jane’s story, travelling from Bromley to Papua New Guinea via Ibiza. With various escapades along the way, the dancers and audience will find themselves diving in and out of a turbulent adventure, all within the confines of a cosy café in Southsea.
Harriet Morris from Tik Tock Bridget said, ‘We had a really great response from our audience in the Brighton Fringe which I guess what really inspired us to take the show around the country and meet new audiences.’
Audience members from the Brighton Fringe Festival described the show as ‘communicative and witty’ and ‘bursting with imagination and humour’.
‘The heart of the piece is about storytelling,’ Harriet continued, ‘it’s certainly an unconventional dance show, being set in a café!’
Brian Morton, co-owner of Hunter Gatherer is ‘very excited’ to welcome Tick Tock Bridget to Portsmouth.
‘It’s the type of event we have never had here,’ he said, ‘we have spoken word, music and pop-up shops but we’ve never had acting. I’ve always been sceptical as to whether we would put something like that on as we’re not a theatre but a café.’
But Rejoining Jane is an unusual show that doesn’t require a theatre to reach an audience. In fact, Hunter Gatherer is the perfect place for a show about a group of women talking about books in a café – it will be a unique setting for performers and audiences alike.
The show marks a first for both cafe and performers alike: as Tik Tok’s Bridget first time at the Highland Road café, and Hunter Gatherer’s first time showcasing theatre.
‘I’m actually really chuffed as people are coming here and obviously really liking their experiences enough to want this as their venue,’ Brian said, explaining how the performance came to be arranged.
‘They contacted me saying their friend recommended us and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try something new. Like all events that happen here, they happen organically which we love.’
The show will run at 4.00pm and 5.30pm at Hunter Gatherer on the 22nd October. Tickets are £5 adults and £4 concessions and more tour details can be found here. Visit the facebook page and view the trailer below to see what is in store next month.
