‘Arena – the perfect circle’
The second outdoor show by Emergency Exit Arts on Saturday 28 April 2007, in Meyrick Park, Bournemouth, was inspired by the myths and legends of Sri Lanka and told a universal story of paradise lost and paradise regained.
The event was part of an ongoing programme of high quality street arts/outdoor arts,programmed as part of Bournemouth Borough Council’s Arts Development programme in partnership with other organisations and sponsors, to develop new audiences for innovative town centre outdoor productions.
What people said:
Brilliant Performance!!. . .Very important building partnerships with creative links can benefit residents and visitors.
Absolutely brilliant, not a dull moment and the whole show flowed. Very visual and impressive. Brings communities together, including young and old alike, involves young people and gets them motivated and interested in other cultures and art. Very, important to keep funding going. At £2 excellent value for money, this made it available to everyone. Not very well advertised.
Both my grandson (6 years old) and I enjoyed it all immensely, especially the Garuda bird and Turtle and music. We would like to see more events like this in Bournemouth. Very important, itmakes us all part of the local community.
Last night I had the absolute pleasure of stumbling across the Perfect Circle event in Meyrick Park. What a performance! Unfortunately I was unable to get in, as were many others, so we clung to the hillside to sneak a peak at the activities, unbelievable to see such a display. I hope this will be repeated again this summer on a larger scale in order for us all to get into the heart of the activities.
Please pass on my congratulations to all involved in Arena it was a spell binding spectacle of which I have not been able to describe to my friends with enough enthusiasm to do it justice.
I thought I would just send a brief email to say what a wonderful show the Arena was on Saturday night and how it is fantastic that Bournemouth is organising events like this, please put on more!!
The event on Saturday night was fantastic – very impressed. As an indication, my 3 ½ year old daughter wanted to leave at first because we’d told her there would be fireworks (she doesn’t like them). But because she was so captivated by the spectacle and caught up in the action that she even clapped when the fireworks went off at the end!
I was at last night’s performance in Meyrick Park, Bournemouth and I just wanted to say how spectacular it was and how much my friends and myself enjoyed it.
It was an exciting performance – things going on all around. Spectacular special effects. Thought the giant turtle and the bird were amazing. . . But a great fusion of arts and spectacle made for an unforgettable evening and it was much talked about on the way home.
This sort of performance should be encouraged. It is a great idea to give local schools and community groups, choirs etc the opportunity to take part in such productions. What a wonderful experience for children to work with a professional arts company. It gives them a feeling of ownership and promotes the arts in a very positive way. There was a real sense of community. However, I think there could have been more publicity – was it advertised in the local papers?
We had a great time. Hope there will be more events like this in the future. Meyrick Park was a good venue.
. . . The show was fantastic and the fireworks that finished the show were brilliant. One of the members of my party that evening was autistic young man who thoroughly enjoyed the evening and is still taking about it!
I think it is very important that Bournemouth council continue to encourage performances like the Arena. It brings the community together and is a brilliant event for all.
This was a very inspiring show, which was extremely family friendly. My two children age 5 and 7 had a wonderful time and loved being able to follow the show around the circle. It was well planned and easy to follow the plot. The costumes, light effects and fireworks were fantastic.
These street art events are extremely important for the local community to become involved with and have an outlet for their talents. It is very beneficial to be able to work with outside partnerships in order to share knowledge and skills working towards a highly professional performance.
We didn’t know what to expect, being our first art event thing, but it was great. Really liked that it was standing and interactive and the crowd could move freely around, felt much more a part of it that rather than traditional sit down things. The fire breathing bird was amazing looked so realistic, good plot and great fireworks, real sense of community. Left us feeling very happy.
I think it is very important to give people a place to showcase their talent and it allows residents to get together and do something that does not involve huge amounts of money and is something for people of all ages. I think its strengths were its lack of corporalisation – it felt like an event that was not put on just for money but a love of the arts and peoples enjoyment, something that is lacking nowadays.
I thought it was absolutely incredible, so pleased we came along, reminded me a little of the Sultan’s Elephant show in London, which was equally as awe-inspiring. I thought the choice of location was fantastic too. The entertainment aside I thought it was also a very apt topic in terms of the state of the world, the message was put across very powerfully.
A fantastic experience for the whole family. The production was exciting and refreshing – completely different from anything we had ever seen. Loved the fact that the audience were part of the show, and thought the marshals interacted with the audience very well. A bit difficult for smaller children to see over the adults. The storyline was not immediately obvious, so the handout, which described what, the story was about helped us to enjoy the experience without trying to guess what was going on. I was also really proud of the Bournemouth audience who acted in a mature and thoughtful way towards each other and the artists.
I think the lack of alcohol and other food/drinks for sale contributed to the involvement of the audience, as people were engaged in the show, not themselves and their own desires.
What a fabulous show! We had no idea what to expect and went along with our daughter who had been told that last years show was excellent. We loved the way the artists moved around the audience. The giant bird and turtle were brilliant and the fireworks made it truly spectacular. We couldn’t believe we could see such a high quality show for just £2 a head. Parking was free and convenient too! Thank you - we will definitely make sure we see another show in September (we were given a flyer at the end of the event)
It was a wonderful display of theatre, dance, special effects, fireworks and community inclusion. I brought my teenage children and we all enjoyed it. It had a lovely relaxed atmosphere and the audience felt included in the performance by being so close to the action and performers and the fantastic animal models...
I liked the outdoor spectacle and high quality of fireworks. . . The sculptures (especially the dragon) were great. Organisation of the event seemed good. . . . I thought it was nice to get all kinds of people out on a night . . . to be amazed and entertained and it seemed quite a social affair.
I would welcome and support any future work like this. Mainly because I love watching it and I think this kind of thing was always missing in Bournemouth, but I also believe that it is beneficial for local people working with these professionals. It is amazing to see what can be achieved and to be involved in such a high quality performance must be really satisfying...
. . .The show was relevant and a reminder of how it is all our responsibility to live in harmony with nature. The dancing, large props, costumes and the acting created a dramatic and powerful story.
I feel it is very important to create different ways of reaching the public to encourage all ages to come together as an audience to enjoy creative and theatrical arts, which are progressive and steer away from conventional theatre, which can be expensive to attend.
Through these events, more people will want to take part whether as part of the show or as a member of the audience. The involvement of schools and other organisations will bring people from different walks of life together to create a common aim. Involvement of schools in the events is always beneficial as it brings art to life and fosters self-esteem and a sense of achievement and community.
I think it is a vital part of enhancing the community and also allowing children an opportunity to broaden their horizon whilst also entertaining them with a TV and educating them about how fragile the world is, it was lovely to see so many mesmerised young faces yesterday evening.
. . . please give us more things like this, I would gladly support them and gladly pay £5 rather £2.
This introduces another dimension to entertainment, other than movies, concerts, fireworks etc. It helps people to gain an appreciation of culture and arts.
Apart from the obvious benefits to the residents who had the opportunity to work with a company, these types of events ensure that everyone has access to high quality entertainment at rock bottom prices.
I think it is very important that local people and groups are involved in projects such as this. It is great for anyone involved to work in a team towards something – especially such a quality show, which was so well attended. The success of this event will surely reflect on future ones. I know that we, and others I have spoken to, are keen to go to the next event. It adds to the attraction of going, knowing that local communities are involved and that it hasn’t just been commissioned or bought in.
Bournemouth is a poor cultural centre – rich in tacky tourism. Multi-cultural events are incredibly popular and welcome. .
