the waiting room dossier - hijinx theatre · the waiting room is the result of a collaboration...

For more information about this production or to book please contact Clare Williams on

+44 (0)29 2030 0331 or email [email protected]

Hijinx Pod: The Waiting Room

Director: Ben Pettitt-Wade

Performers: Mr and Mrs Clark, Danny Mannings



Background

The Waiting Room is the result of a collaboration between Hijinx Theatre and Welsh performance duo

Mr and Mrs Clark (The Medicine Show, Nine). Created in 2013, the show premiered in June in Cardiff at

Unity Festival, performing at both The Sherman Theatre and Wales Millennium Centre, and is now

available to tour to national and international audiences

The Waiting Room plays with concepts of social etiquette when groups of strangers are flung together,

what is appropriate behaviour and what may be inappropriate behaviour, whether it is in a café,

doctor’s surgery, an airport or in the case of The Waiting Room, somewhere much odder.

Description of Show

The show is mainly non-verbal, therefore accessible to international audiences.

It is a highly interactive performance, in which nine members of the audience are chosen at random to

join our actors on stage in The Waiting Room. Audience members then become actively involved in the

action as our three actors work with them to find ways to pass the time as they wait. Eventually an

elevator door opens at the back of the space and our nine audience members are called through it,

leaving our three actors on stage. With the help of our remaining audience, our three actors set up for a

leaving party.

Suddenly a flashing light comes on above the door and disco music blasts out – the door opens and our

nine audience members enter clad in white morph suits and dance to the music. Before another morph

suited person appears from behind the audience with a large (1.5m x 1.5m) white balloon. Everyone

then follows her out of the performance space, leaving our three actors alone.

At the very end the true location of the waiting room is revealed as a sign above the set sparks to life

reading TESTICLE No 1.

To give you a flavour of the show please follow this link for a short demo video

http://tinyurl.com/lyvrbuv

A 30 min excerpt from the show can be viewed here:

http://youtu.be/wX5T_KJ6cNU

NB locations which work well for this performance include theatre foyers, outdoor/Street theatre

festivals, empty shop units or studio theatres.



Marketing copy

Hijinx Theatre with Mr and Mrs Clark

The Waiting Room

Join us in the Waiting Room, the setting for our newest comic Pod about the hours we whittle away

while we wait, and the games we play to whittle away those hours. Seated around three sides of the

room, audience and cast alike become embroiled in the tiny things you notice and the strange things

you do when you’re...still waiting. But where are we? And what are we waiting for?

Playing with the concept of social etiquette, the Waiting Room explores a perfectly British dilemma of

how we behave when we are thrown together with a group of strangers in an enclosed space, like a

doctor’s surgery, a café or - in the case of the Waiting Room – somewhere much odder.

Take a seat in the middle of this unpredictable, hilarious and sometimes downright bemusing show, in

which you, the audience, wait, whilst an audience watches you waiting.

Further marketing information provided on booking.

Audience Comments include:

“Loved it! My grandma was dancing – so funny!”

“Unexpected, unpredictable, comical and honest performance. Didn’t expect to spend my Thursday

evening dressed as a “Power Ranger” dancing around the Sherman Theatre”

“This is F***ing brilliant”



Technical Specifications and Fees

Target Audience: Suitable for everyone

Cost per day: One show: £950/ Two shows: £1400/ Three shows: £1700

(Maximum 3 shows per day)

Additional costs: Travel, accommodation and per diems (or meals where appropriate)

Touring Party: 8 Adults (6 Performers, 1 Stage Manager/Director, 1 Support staff)

Marketing: We will provide photos and promo films as required

Duration: Approximately 45mins

Performance Area: Minimum of 5m (width) x 7m (Depth) x 3m (height)

Audience: Seated/standing to front of performance area

Get in: 3 hour

Get out: 1.5 hours

Technical requirements:

PA with capability to play off a laptop via a soundboard

We can provide our own sound equipment for gigs in the UK if required

Power minimum: 2 x 13 amp sockets (230V EU, 120V US)

Booker to provide:

2 tech crew to help with get in/out

24 chairs

Other requirements: Secure changing area for performers

Bottled water in changing area for performers

Access to toilets

NB If we are traveling to your venue/event by air you will need to provide:

1 x HASVIK Pair Sliding Doors in red (UK Price £85) This is the only item of our set which will not fit in a

suitcase – find product on this link:

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/30223061/#/30223061



Workshops

We can also offer the following workshops additional to the show

Hijinx Theatre workshops

The Waiting Room Workshop

One day/5 hours

£600

20 Participants (designed for directors, practitioners, actors, clowns or teachers)

A chance to unpick the hidden games and exercises used in our devising process which form the

backdrop to The Waiting Room. Led by director Ben Pettitt-Wade, with performers Mr and Mrs Clark

and Danny Mannings.

Inclusive Theatre workshop

One day/4 hours

£300

12 participants (designed for mixed groups of performers/practitioners/educators with and without

learning disability)

Led by Ben Pettitt-Wade, an exploration into Hijinx Theatre’s working methods when working with

integrated casts.



Principle Performer Information

Mr and Mrs Clark

Mr and Mrs Clark are Gareth Clark and Merega Palsa, a performance duo based in South Wales and real

life husband and wife. They have specialised in a very physical brand of performance, live art and dance

theatre since 2002. Often their work has a playful and interactive element inspired by happenings and

live art events that bring art forms and people together.

Previous shows include:

The Medicine Show – "Together, they will rock your world as they haul you from the audience,

challenge you, straddle you and take you right out of your comfort zone."

Edinburgh Evening News

And Nine - "Nine is innovative, unpredictable, and faultlessly performed. This is physical theatre at its

best"

Buzz Magazine

Danny Mannings

Danny joined our Hijinx Academy, a training course for actors with learning disability, in February 2012.

Since then he has taken part in a number of intensive residencies run by some of the most respected

theatre companies and practitioners working in the UK today – these include Complicite, Hoipolloi, John

Wright, Cardboard Citizens and Ockham’s Razor. Two of these residencies, led by Spymonkey and

Frantic Assembly, finished with performances at the Unity Festival in Cardiff in June 2012 and 2013

respectively. The Waiting Room is Danny’s first professional production with Hijinx.

Director Information

Ben Pettitt-Wade

Ben has over 12 years’ experience working in theatre, specialising in creating interactive theatre working

with integrated casts with and without learning disability. For the past 7 years he has been with Hijinx

Theatre where his role includes directing all Hijinx Pods, Assistant Directing on Odyssey productions, and

running the Unity International Arts Festival based at Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff. To date Ben’s

Hijinx Pods have performed at Wales Millennium Centre(Cardiff), The Senedd (Cardiff), Maindee

Festival (Newport), Escena Mobile (Spain), Watusi Festival (Wales), Fadoli Circus Festival (France), and

Rue de Scenes Festival (France) . Ben is also experienced in theatre of the oppressed techniques and an

expert in creating Forum Theatre working with inclusive casts.



Company Information

Hijinx Theatre

Hijinx Theatre is one of the UK’s leading professional inclusive theatre companies. All our productions

involve actors with and without learning disabilities. To support this, the company run an on-going

performance training programme, the Hijinx Academy, for their learning disabled actors. In addition to

this training our actors have the opportunity to join intensive residencies which we host, led by some of

the leading theatre and dance companies working in the UK – previous residencies have included

Complicite, Spymonkey, Frantic Assembly, John Wright and many more.

Our Hijinx Pods are short, small scale productions, created to be adapted to any space and ideal for

festivals and events. All our Pod performances are showcased at Unity, our own international inclusive

arts festival which takes place in June annually.

Further information on the company, including on all our Hijinx Pods currently available in Rep can be

found at www.hijinx.org.uk

Hijinx Theatre is proud to be supported by:

the waiting room dossier - hijinx theatre · the waiting room is the result of a collaboration...

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