Our coming events

Jorvik Viking Festival - see IMTAL member, History's Maid, in action

13 February 2012-18 February 2012

Jorvik Viking festival – History’s maid programme
Dramatic performances and displays of single combat from throughout history, brought to you by fabulous professional acting group History's Maid.
Monday 13th February
Today, see the Clash of the Vikings; it seems there is a matter of honour at stake and warrior Sigwulf has challenged Aslak to Holmgang (a duel practiced by early medieval Scandinavians) who will reign supreme in this trial by combat?!
With a special opportunity to meet the warriors and see their weapons after the show!
Tuesday 14th February
Today, see Medieval Duels based on Tallhoffer's Medieval Fight Manuals; this fight using a 2 handed sword will show the techniques needed on the battlefield and also in the lesser known judicial duel where a man (or indeed a woman) could fight to the death for justice! With a special opportunity to meet the duellists and see their weapons after the show!

Wednesday 15th February
Today, see Shakespeare's Duels; meet a band of travelling players as they introduce some of the most famous fight scenes in Shakespeare the street brawl in Romeo & Juliet, the death scenes in Hamlet, the death of Desdemona in Othello...plus many more! Telling of the reality behind these scenes, showing fighting techniques and weapons, these are re-enactments of Shakespeare at its finest! With a special opportunity to meet the players and see weapons after the show.

Thursday 16th February
Today, see La Maupin; come face to face with the lovely but lethal La Maupin, a 17th century French swordswoman, adventuress , opera star and one of the finest swordswomen (or men) of her day, and witness demonstration of her exceptional skills against an unsuspecting opponent!

With a special opportunity to meet the lady herself after the show.

Friday 17th February
Today, meet the real Pirates of the Caribbean! Disguised as a man Mary Read spent much time amongst the pirates on The Curlew' under the command of Calico Jack' hear her tale as these pirates swash and buckle their way across the Caribbean seas! With a special opportunity to meet the gang after the show.

Saturday 18th February
Today Stand and Deliver!' In this humorous show, two highwaymen pit the romanticised version of these scourges of the highways and byways against the brutal reality of pistol duels and sword fights! With a special opportunity to meet the duellists after the show.

Pre-booking advised: 01904 615505

Or book online at www.jorvikbookings.com

All shows at 11.30, 13.00 and 14.30
Except 18th Feb 14.30 and 16.00
£3 Adult, £2 Conc
York Guildhall, St Helen's Square, York YO1 9QN

AGM 2012 in Sweden

23 September 2012

The IMTAL Europe AGM and Conference 2012 will be held at Foteviken in southern Sweden from the 23rd to 27th September.

IMTAL-Europe and the EU-funded project, OpenArch have joined forces to offer a unique conference event. (http://openarch.eu)

IMTAL will be offering expertise in creative forms of live interpretation and museum theatre performance to the mix of skills and experiences focussed on management and communication strategies in open air museums.

The week's activities will include seminars, training, skills exchanges and much more. Contact tony.jackson@manchester.ac.uk to find out more.

More news will follow, but for further information about the wonderful venue that we will be working with, please see the link below.

More information >>

Previous events

Christmas Social, Guernsey

17 December 2011

IMTAL members are welcome to join staff and volunteers from the Guernsey History in Action group at Guernsey Museum & Art Gallery on Saturday 17th December at 3pm.

The event will take place in the Discover Room and will include a warming glass of mulled wine.

Thanks to IMTAL member Jo Dowding, and former board member Lynne Ashton, for extending this invitation.

Christmas Gathering, Manchester

14 December 2011

Lucky up North! Meet three board members for the effort of one at the Royal Exchange Theatre, St Anne's Square, Manchester on Wednesday 14th December from 11am to 1pm.

Tony Jackson, Emily Capstick and Stephen Howe will be there to welcome you.

They'll be talking about next year's IMTAL event in Sweden and what's happening across the region.

Please do join them for this informal networking event and mince pies!

Midwinter Celebrations and the Feast of Fire before Jol - Foteviken - Sweden

10 December 2011

Midwinter celebrations and The Feast of Fire before Jol

The Midwinter Day is open to the public. The staff of Foteviken, together with volunteers from SVEG, partner organisations and individual Vikings will populate the Viking Town of Foteviken and engage in various crafts and markets. Throughout the day there will be handicraft activities for children.

The Feast of Fire before Jol is an attempt to create a solemn and beautiful tradition of light in Höllviken just before Christmas. We gather at 16.30 outside Toppen Gallerian in Höllviken. We will hand out torches to the participants. The procession departs, led by musicians, heading for Hola Stenar at Fotevikens Museum. We light the bonfire using our torches. If it’s a clear midwinter night, the light from the fire can be seen from far out the sea.

The event is completely non-political and not religious in any other sense than the fact that Christmas is a beautiful bearer of traditions in our Nordic cultural legacy that can be traced back to the Viking era. The first mentioning of Christmas we know of is from the 10th century, and was at that time called “jol”.

IMTAL members are welcome to join us.

London IMTAL Christmas Gathering

08 December 2011

Join IMTAL board members Chris Gidlow and Lara Muth, between 6pm and 10pm, for a few festive drinks at
The Roundtable Pub
26 St Martin's Court
Leicester Square
London
WC2N 4AJ
(off Charing Cross Road, behind Wyndham's Theatre)
Closest tube station: Leicester Square

IMTAL Christmas Gathering BRISTOL UK

05 December 2011

Join us at the IMTAL Christmas Gathering at Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery, Park Street, Bristol BS8 1RL

Meet in the café at 11am on Monday 5th December for seasonal cheer, to exchange ideas, and to mull over plans for the new year.

IMTAL Chair Anna Farthing, and new board member Shane Morgan, look forward to seeing you between 11am and 1pm.

Please let them know that you are coming; just email board@imtal-europe.org

Scrooge in Kirkgate, York

26 November 2011-23 December 2011

IMTAL - Europe members are welcome to join Chris Cade at York Castle Museum for his one man adaptation of 'A Christmas Carol' in which he both plays Ebenezer Scrooge and narrates the tale. Audience participation is encouraged.

The show runs in Kirkgate, the famous re-created Victorian street in the museum.

Performances are between 10.30 - 13.00 and 14.00 - 16.00.
Saturdays and Sundays:
26 & 27 November,
3 & 4, 10 & 11, 17 & 18 December
And Monday 19 to Friday 23 December.

Tell him you are coming, and catch him over a cuppa while you are there!

‘Cade, familiar from his shows for visitors to the National Railway Museum, is skilled at distilling the essence of a story and here simple but effective use of costume, doors, street cobbles and a balcony evoke the world of Scrooge, Cratchit and the trio of ghosts. Chocolates, rather than humbug, await for children who participate’ - Charles Hutchinson – York Press - December 22, 2010

The Cockington Complex

01 November 2011

Join IMTAL member Phil Smith for The Cockington Complex
November 1st at 3pm

A musical, botanical, theatrical, historical, sociological, geological and
mythological walk around the grounds of Cockington Court, Torquay. Meet at the front of the manor house.

The walk will take the form of a pilgrimage with tasks and songs, dances and
stories. En route participants will encounter the GATT trade talks, the national
hickory collection, a sanctuary bar, Sir Edwin Lutyens and much more.

Led by the musicians and performers of the Geotrio:
The Crabman - Phil Smith
Uncle Tacko - Tony Lidington
Aeolian Muso - Hugh Nankivell

with accompaniment from the effervescent duo:
Alfie Weedon - bass fiddle
Beni Weedon - 5-string fiddle

The walk will take about 70 minutes, is about 1.5 miles in length and is not
steep (suitable for families).

Cockington Court is located within the English Riviera Global Geopark. A
similar walk/event was led by the Geotrio as part of the Geopark Festival in
May 2011 (http://www.englishrivierageopark.org.uk/).

This is an Aune Head Arts Project
Numbers Limited so please book soon.

Flittermice and Hoots is a series of 18 artist-led walks of investigation
and discovery in the special landscpaes of South Devon and Dartmoor.

Access All Areas - IMTAL Global Conference, Melbourne

16 October 2011-20 October 2011

IMTAP, the International Museum Theatre Alliance for the Asia Pacific region is hosting the forthcoming biennial global conference in Melbourne Australia from 16th - 20th October 2011.

The conference is jointly hosted by Museum Victoria, Sovereign Hill Museums Association, National Sports Museum, National Gallery of Victoria, National Trust, CSIRO, State Library of Victoria, Fed Square, Old Treasury Building, Zoos Victoria, Performing Arts Centre and The Happy Android Company. The conference will provide an opportunity for those passionate about all forms of performance in cultural institutions to come together to explore, debate, discuss and connect ideas and practice.

The conference aims to be interactive and outcomes driven, and is looking for creative and interactive presentations that incorporate participatory elements. The conference also aims to acknowledge academic rigor in the field of museum theatre, education and evaluation.

Booking opens on May 15th.

For further details, check the link.

IMTAL AGM and weekend mini-conference Bristol

15 October 2011

REVITALISE! The next IMTAL AGM Mini Conference and Networking event will take place in Bristol over the weekend of 15th and 16th October 2011.

On Saturday 15th October we will be based at M Shed, the new Museum of Bristol that opened in June. M Shed includes three galleries, Bristol Places, Bristol People and Bristol Life, a dedicated Learning Studio, and a unique collection of cranes, boats and steam trains on the harbourside.

On Sunday 16th October, we will be based at Tyntesfield, a recently restored Gothic Revival country house on the outskirts of the city. Our base will be the Saw Mill Education Centre and we will have full use of the grounds. Visits to the house are free for NT members (otherwise subject to a small charge).

As both Tyntesfield and M Shed have undergone major transformations recently, the theme for the weekend will be REVITALISE!

We have a wonderful programmme lined up, with some excellent workshop facilitators, presenters and performers. We hope that delegates will leave the conference revitalized and re-energised, with a notebook full of new contacts and new ideas.

For accommodation we recommend that delegates book the Premiere Inn on King Street, which is in the historic heart of the city, near the oldest working theatre in Britain (The Bristol Old Vic) and within walking distance of M Shed and all major attractions. Bookings can be made online, and prices vary but are in the region of 60 – 70 pounds for a room (for up to two adults and two children). Book early for the best rates.

The weekend programme is yet to be confirmed, but will include presentations, performances and plenty of hands-on participatory workshops. Sessions so far include……

Friday 14th October – 8pm informal welcome in Renatos, Taverna Dell’Artista on King Street for those arriving early. Renatos is the unofficial ‘green room’ for the Bristol Old Vic, and is full of theatrical memorabilia. Pizza, drinks and convivial good company available.

Saturday 15th October – M Shed Learning Studio, Galleries and Harbourside
Programme to include: Welcome coffee, lunch and afternoon tea

Show and Tell: An opportunity to see performance work from accomplished live interpreters and museum theatre performers both local and from further afield, and to discuss their processes with them. To include Chris Cade performing Brunel’s Billiard Table, site specific performances from Show of Strength, and other performers yet to be confirmed.

Improve Your Image: A professional photographer from Farrows Creative will advise on how best to document and market your work through digital images online and in print. Bring your publicity material for advice and feedback.

What Are You Saying?: Creative Writing Workshop inspired by objects in the M Shed museum and industrial exhibits on the surrounding harbourside. This follows a successful project entitled ‘Museum Pieces’ performed at Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery in conjunction with South West Scriptwriters earlier in the year. Led by Anna Farthing, founder/director of Harvest Heritage Arts and Media and M Shed Launch Producer.

Dockside animations: The Fireboat Pyronaut will be running trips with full spraying action. (Small additional charge £5/£3)

We hope to make a SKYPE link with the IMTAL/IMTAP Global Conference taking place simultaneously in Australia at some point during Saturday.

On Saturday evening there will be an option to join a conference dinner (at additional cost) in a local restaurant.

Sunday 16th October – Tyntesfield Sawmill Education Centre, and estate grounds. (Entrance to the house is free for NT members or additional cost for non-members)
Transport from the conference hotel to Tyntesfield will be arranged by lift share.
Programme to include: Welcome coffee, lunch and afternoon tea

AGM for members: Several board members are standing down, so please consider standing for election to the board of IMTAL and helping to shape it into the kind of membership organisation you want it to be. Further details on request from board@imtal.org

What’s the latest?: An open mic session and an opportunity to update on the latest conferences, academic research, practice as research and relevant publications, with opportunities to purchase or order books and resources.

Walking and Talking Tours: An opportunity to explore some inventive techniques for storytelling on the move, interpreting the sights, sounds and smells of the vast and diverse Tyntesfield estate grounds.

Musings on Music: A session on using music to get the message across, including songs, period music, recordings played on archaic devices, and new commissions. Stephen Howe and Lee Wolstenholme, Presenters from The Manchester Museum of Science and Industry, will present an extract of their ‘Singing Scientists’ show, featuring John Dalton and Sir William Perkin. Also introducing ‘The Bristol Song’, a new folk song for Key Stage 2 children to learn more about their city.

Making Things Move: A workshop on using puppets and storytelling with object manipulation, led by Emily Capstick of Peoplescape Theatre.

Transport will be available from 4pm to return delegates to the town centre or railway station.

Conference Fee: IMTAL Members: £95 Non-Members: £130
New members are encouraged to join in order to receive the member’s rate.

Bursaries: There will be two student places at £60 for the weekend. Students will be asked to take photographs and write about the conference for the newsletter.

Booking forms can be downloaded from the home page. Please address any queries by email to board@imtal-europe.com

M Shed opening weekend

17 June 2011

M Shed, the new museum of Bristol, opens with a free weekend of activities from 17th - 19th June 2011. Of interest to IMTAL members may be the opening spectacle, choreographing the cranes, trains, boats and trucks in the collections with performers from Cirque Bijou at noon on Friday; the Procession of Professions from Castle Park to the museum on Saturday at 11am; and the numerous performances, walks, talks, tours and live interpretation activities that are programmed for the whole weekend both inside and out.

The creative producer of the opening weekend is Chair of the IMTAL board, Anna Farthing.

The M Shed opening weekend coincides with the Festival of Nature on the opposite side of the harbour, and ferries will run between the two, so there is plenty to do if you fancy a weekend away.

If you cannot join us in June, the IMTAL AGM in October will provide an opportunity to gain practical and creative inspiration from both M Shed and NT Tyntesfield.