I Hear The Fire - Work in Progress at The Bunker

I Hear the Fire is a new play by Sparkle and Dark, written by Louisa Ashton and Directed by Shelley Knowles – Dixon, with sound design by Steph Horak. I Hear the Fire follows the story of 15-year-old Jerome.

Jerome is sat in an empty class room.

The desks and chairs are made of wood, natural and warm in colour.

He is holding a large ball of screwed-up paper.

A small bin sits by his feet.

He uses a lighter to light a corner of the paper ball. He watches it catch fire.

"Sometimes I think about what the end of the world might look like.

I mean, the real end of the world."

The bin starts to catch fire.

"I think that it'll be quiet. Really quiet.

That would be amazing."

A girl at Jerome’s school is dead. He didn’t know her, except he sat next to her in art class. And yet everything he does now seems to come back to her. As his increasingly erratic behaviour baffles his friends, family and teachers, Jerome struggles to express his feelings, especially as everyone is expecting him get over it, man-up, be strong... until his actions lead him up to the moment when he tries to burn down his art classroom. We witness his story as it flashes through his mind; conflicting voices, snatches of memory, violent visions and an impending zombie apocalypse: the world around him burns.

About:

This work in progress follows an initial three-week R&D with a company of dynamic and gifted actors, devising around an experimental, early stage script written by Louisa Ashton. As returning audiences will recognise us for our puppetry work, this time we are focusing on developing the text and engaging in detailed character work, as well as exploring movement and ensemble dynamics to tap into the explosive power of this story.

Working with sound artist Steph Horak we will explore theme, style and character of the surrounding and internal worlds. As a vocalist/producer she experiments with different systems for voice and composition, whether through the use of self-programmed systems, or combinations of DIY hardware and electronic instruments.

Supporting the realization of this piece is Dr Nick Barnes, a Young People’s Psychiatrist who has worked with children, young people and families in London for nearly 15 years. As a primary project mentor, the company benefits from his years of experience as an adolescent psychiatrist, which guides our development of plot and character.

We are excited to share our first work in progress with invited friends, peers and collaborators and look forward to inviting your feedback as we move into future stages of developing ‘I Hear The Fire’.

A sample of previous praise for the company:

For I AM BEAST:

Broadway Baby Best of Fringe Nominee - Brighton Festival 2017

Wellcome Trust People’s Award 2017

John Beecher Award for challenging, original writing - Buxton Festival 2015

Best New Writing Nominee - Buxton Festival 2015

Best Production Nominee - Buxton Festival 2015

“Its originality is inspiring. It’s like nothing I’ve seen before, and paves the way for a new style of presenting such relevant, important issues, through a visceral, dynamic, awe-inspiring production.” ***** Broadway Baby

**** The Skinny

**** Fringe Guru

**** The Public Reviews

For Killing Roger:

The Wellcome Trust People’s Award

Best puppet nomination for Roger - Mimetic Festival 2013

“The most powerful theatre I have seen.”

***** The Guardian

***** Fringe Guru

***** Three Weeks

***** Culture Fly

RSVP:

We invite you to RSVP as a welcome guest to this work in progress, by using the general admission ticket link provided below. Once you have submitted your details seat/s will be reserved for you, should your availability change, please email sparkleanddark@sparkleanddark.com as soon as possible so that we can allocate your ticket to someone on the waiting list.

Front of House will open at 2.30pm for a 3pm showing

Running time: 90 mins (consisting of performance, interval and discussion/feedback session)

For more information on the venue and accessibility please visit: www.bunkertheatre.com/visiting-us

For any further questions please email sparkleanddark@sparkleanddark.com