If you thought Cambridge suffered from being a bit safe and predictable at times, think again! An exciting arts festival is headed our way this month, taking place at Cambridge Junction.
Watch Out is a day-long festival of experimental new theatre and dance featuring regional, national and international artists. It follows in the footsteps of 2014’s brilliant Night Watch and the Sampled series.
Highlights of the festival will include the return of dancers Igor and Moreno, who were last seen at Cambridge Junction with their piece Idiot-Syncrasy, with the world premier of their new show A Room For All Our Tomorrows. Also returning to the venue are the hugely popular Figs In Wigs with their latest offering, Show Off, which examines how social media has bred a new form of narcissism, plus dance artists Project O, who appeared at the SAMPLED festival in 2013.
Two of the events will focus on the relationship between performance and technology. Dan Koop, Andy Field and Nathen Street’s 360° links artists based in the UK and Australia and looks at app technology, while Circa69’s The Cube will see participants don virtual reality visors for an adventure into the unknown.
Festival goers will also get a chance to see a preview of Ely-based Rowan James’ debut piece, Easy For You to Say. In it, the poet – who has a specific learning difficulty and speech impediment – collaborates with beatboxer Marv Radio.
Watch Out Festival will also feature a work-in-progress sharing of Action Hero’s Wrecking Ball which is set to appear later this year at Mayfest, Pulse and Latitude Festivals. It explores consent, authorship, celebrity culture and putting words in people’s mouths. All the performances in the day-long festival have been supported by Cambridge Junction, and are rooted in the desire to take risks with new ideas.
“I’m really excited about unleashing the Watch Out programme,” says Cambridge Junction’s arts producer Daniel Pitt. “It has so many firsts – two world premiers, one UK premier, three previews and Figs in Wigs which premiered last summer at the Edinburgh Fringe and is hilarious.
“Cambridge can sometimes seem sleepy, but it needn’t be with so many innovating people living and working here, so why shouldn’t the arts scene reflect that? Watch out, Cambridge!”
Festival day passes are £10/£15.
