Flute Theatre Presents PERICLES and PERICLES FOR AUTISTIC INDIVIDUALS

Flute Theatre changes the lives of autistic individuals and their families through ground-breaking Shakespeare productions. The company performs Pericles in two productions to include all possible audiences:

• Pericles for autistic individuals and those marginalized by autism and/or displaced by war

• Pericles in a production for general audiences - a UK premiere.

This unique double performance pushes the boundaries of what is possible for live Shakespeare performance in the 21st century, both in terms of audience reach and artistic vision. The productions run side by side in Sofia (including for Ukrainian families displaced by war alongside autistic individuals) before coming to London and Brighton.

Pericles for autistic individuals and their families is created using Flute's founder and director Kelly Hunter MBE's acclaimed Hunter's Heartbeat method - a series of sensory games which allow participants to share how it feels to be alive and celebrate their identity. A living practice that continues to change and respond to whoever is using it, Hunter's Heartbeat enables people displaced and displaced by war, including Ukrainian families, to engage with the production along with those marginalized by autism.

Pericles for autistic individuals runs alongside the UK premiere of Flute Theatre's Pericles, a full-scale production for general audiences that is informed by and embraces the company's work with autistic individuals. The company share all the roles and play music live on stage.

Kelly Hunter MBE: "I created Flute Theatre to perform Shakespeare for audiences where the need for transcendence in theatre is greatest. With our double Pericles performances we offer a transformational experience to a genuinely inclusive audience who may not otherwise have the chance to attend. The story of people fleeing for their lives, losing loved ones at sea and experiencing miraculous reunions speaks loudly to our audiences today. To watch both shows allows an audience to see deeper into Shakespeare's mysterious late play, and offers a unique way into Shakespeare's 'music of the spheres'."

Parent of participant: "It was breath-taking, the way the actors adapted to incorporate what my autistic son was experiencing and communicating with his behaviour into the performance. They entered his world rather than demanding that he enter theirs. I could relax because my son was with people who really "got" him and understood how to work with autism."

The production of Pericles for autistic individuals was created in Sweden in 2019 and has since been performed internationally by the company including an online adapted version during the pandemic in three languages across five continents. Flute's double Pericles productions were first performed in May 2022, at the Craiova Shakespeare Festival in Romania, with a full-scale production of Pericles in English and Pericles for autistic individuals and refugee families in Romanian and Russian. They follow the success of Flute's adaptations of Hamlet and Twelfth Night which toured the European festival circuit between 2015-2019.

PERICLES:

Riverside Studios, London:
Dates + times: 8 - 12 Nov at 20.00 / 10 Nov + 12 Nov at 15.00 / 13 Nov at 16:30
Box office: riversidestudios.co.uk / 020 8237 1010
Tickets: £18

The Old Market, Brighton: 
Date + time: 16 Nov at 20.00
Box office: theoldmarket.com / 01273 201 801
Tickets: £18

PERICLES FOR AUTISTIC INDIVIDUALS

Riverside Studios, London:
Dates + times: 9 - 12 Nov at 10.30
Box office: 0208 237 1000 (no online bookings)
Tickets: £5 for one individual (aged 8+) with their family and siblings

The Old Market, Brighton:
Dates + times: 16 Nov at 17.00
Box office: 01273 201801 (no online bookings)
Tickets: £5 for one individual (aged 8+) with their family and siblings

FLUTE THEATRE www.flutetheatre.co.uk

 

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