Engineer Theatre Collective to Present MISSING at Belgrade Theatre, 23-24 May

The Belgrade Theatre has announced that Engineer Theatre Collective transfer their award-winning piece of verbatim theatre, Missing, to Coventry in May 2014 following a highly successful London run. Missing is performed from Fri 23rd- Sat 24th May at the Belgrade Theatre as part of the Coventry Mysteries Festival.

Missing was devised from first hand interviews, gathered by the cast, which cover experiences of families, friends, and investigators of missing people. One particular case, explored through the eyes of Detective Inspector Martin Slevin, is the disappearance of Nicola Payne.

Exposing unheard accounts and questioning assumption, Engineer examine the unique mystery of an astoundingly underpublicized issue and give their audience an insight into the struggle a family and local community experiences when a loved one disappears. Combining hyper-naturalistic text with abstract physicality, the show is both intensely personal and universal.

This new piece of devised work was created in collaboration with journalists David Randall and Greg Walton from The Independent, the Missing People charity, and Sandra Brown OBE, of the Moira Anderson Foundation.

Winners of the Scottish Daily Mail Edinburgh Fringe Festival Award, Engineer are dedicated to creating visually striking, ensemble-led theatre. Tom Morris, artistic director of Bristol Old Vic and Co-Director of War Horse says; "A really talented and committed company exploring a subject they were passionate about with real skill and a fearless approach to theatrical language.'

Taking a fresh and courageous approach to this hugely important subject matter, Engineer's Missing could be what is needed to create a ripple in a bigger campaign for raising awareness about missing people.

"No parent wants a play to be centred on their child because they are a statistic of the 'missing' in the UK. However, every parent of a missing child does not want their child to be forgotten; publicity in various mediums ensures that their name is kept in the public arena. When George from Engineer approached me I was slightly anxious as to how they could possibly construct a play about missing people. How could they ensure it would have enough impact so that no one in the audience walked away without understanding the many facets of the world of the 'missing'? Not least the world of the loved ones who are left behind. My anxieties were not necessary. The show was powerful and emotionally overwhelming to watch." Statement from Nikki Durbin. Nikki's son, Luke Durbin went missing in 2006 and his disappearance is one that is explored throughout the show.

The Coventry Mysteries used to be one of the most celebrated festivals in medieval England. In a reinvention of the festival, the Coventry Mysteries Company has set out an ambition to create a modern arts festival that creates the same sense of everyday wonder and meaning for people in the modern world as its predecessor - not matter what their faith.

The Mysteries aims to re-energize city centre spaces through art and performance. There will be 3D drawings from the "Pavement Picasso" Julian Beever, Debbie Smyth's pin an thread installation to immersive adventures in site specific venues from LAS theatre's acclaimed 'Enlightenment Cafe' series which blends art and science together.

From Engineer's compelling verbatim theatre to Big Fish Little Fish's daytime rave for parents and their under 7s to Reckless Sleepers invitation, to The Last Supper, in the beautiful setting of Coventry's St John the Baptist's church.

Now in its fifth year, the 'new' Coventry Mysteries has pulled of a quiet coup: commissioning Station House Opera to create their breeze block spectacular Dominoes as the climax to this year's festival on Bank Holiday Monday 26 May. Since it first wove its way through London as part of the cultural Olympiad in 2009, it has been created in Copenhagen, Helsinki, Dijon, Ljubljana and will, later this year, be created in Cape Town. The 1.5km route in Coventry will be the first time it has been created outside of London in the UK.

Advanced tickets for events as part of the Festival can be book through the Belgrade Theatre 02476 55 30 55 or online at www.belgrade.co.uk

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