CALLOUT: Mass Freeze hits Chester"s summer streets
Chester Performs and 2 Engage Drama are looking for members of the public to become human statues as part of a large scale performance taking place during Roam the Rows, a spectacular and intimate festival on Chester”s Rows.
Chester based 2 Engage Drama, just one of the groups taking part in the event on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th August 2008, will be examining what happens when people stop rushing around the city, bringing the busy weekend streets of Chester to a standstill as part of the Chester Performs event. Roam the Rows runs from noon to 3pm on August 9 and 10 and is a celebration of the famous Rows in music, performance, dance and art.
“We are looking for as many people as possible to take part in this magical moment” said Amber Knipe, Chester Performs” Project Co-ordinator. Members of the public interested in taking part should contact lela@chesterperforms.com or call the Chester Performs office on 01244 409113. You will need to be over the age of 16 and must be available to take part in a short workshop on Saturday 9th between 10am and 11am as well as for the “Freeze” itself which will take place at 2pm on both days.
With more than 50 artists, groups and societies taking part, Roam the Rows presents an exciting range of work from regional groups such as Dee-Sign, a Chester Community Deaf Choir who will be transforming singing into sign, InterAct and Mold Drama Works, Chester Musical Society, APiiS, as well as Chester artists W. Terry Fox, the current Cheshire Poet Laureate, who will be creating a series of poems on posters and reciting some of his poems with his guitar, Gregory MacMillan, Hayley Wood and Jayne Carle.
The event offers everything from “free running” Parkour to story telling, installation art, walkabout street performance, unusual guided tours, dance and puppetry. There is also a whole host of opportunities for visitors to get involved with the artists directly at sites across the cities major streets, Eastgate, Northgate, Watergate and Bridge Street.
Amber Knipe, Chester Performs Project Co-ordinator said: “We are putting the call out for members of the public who must be over 16 to take part in the Mass Freeze and asking people to come to Chester to experience Roam the Rows where they can expect the unexpected. Roam the Rows is about animating the space and using and highlighting Chester”s unique features. We are looking for volunteers to help with stewarding this large event. If you are interested please call the Chester Performs office. Roam the Rows is a family friendly event so people can meander through the streets with the aid of a special map for the day.”
Chester”s retailers are heavily involved in the event, which is designed to enhance the character and charm of the city centre and its historic streets.
For further information about Roam the Rows and stewarding for the event go to www.chesterperforms.com or contact the Chester Performs office on 01244 409113. Festival maps will be available from shops, information centres and Chester Performs” own exhibition and information space at 31, Watergate Row South, during the event.
ENDS: 525 words
PHOTOS (300dpi+) and more information at: http://www.marketingprojects.co.uk/clientpo/chester-performs
Background Chester Performs is overseeing the development of the city”s new performing arts centre, which will open in 2011. Set to challenge audiences with a series of high profile performing arts events and community projects Chester Performs aims are to broaden horizons and raise the level of expectation in the performing arts both in Chester and Cheshire.
Chester Performs is gaining an enviable reputation for staging exciting performances in non-traditional and outdoor spaces across the region. Cutting edge performances will take place on the streets of Chester, by the River Dee and around the Roman walls. These projects will involve street performers and aerial artists, musicians, dancers, actors, visual and sonic artists, installations and performance art. Up the Wall, based on the City Walls, attracted a 3,500 audience in November. Screen Deva, a new film and digital media festival for Chester, attracted more than 1,000 people to a range of events across the City in June.
Chester Performs Contact: Amber Knipe Tel: 01244 409113
Press Contacts: Jane Harrad-Roberts Mob: 07785 395705 Phil Brotherhood Mob: 07884 493370
Return to Chester Performs listings
> Return to Client Press Office
