pericles theatre company
Bench, 2005 The story of a group of refugees made homeless in a war-torn area, who together form a community of hope amidst the ruins of their lives. A multi-disciplinary production, using stories from the world-wide oral traditions, folk music from the British Isles, as well as music specially composed. It was premiered for The Music of the Heart Conference, Cambridge, 2005. Stories, Harp Music and Songs on the Theme of Love, 2005 Performed at the Christian Community, Cainscross Rd, Stroud Stories and Songs from around the World, told by Paulamaria. Directed by Vasile Nedelcu. Pericles Theatre Company has this year been asked to present a production for the bi-annual international Social Therapy and Curative Education-Conference on the theme of “CREATING A FREE SPACE FOR INITIATIVE COLLABORATION AND INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY” at the Goetheanum in Switzerland. 
Pericles Theatre Company was set up in 1999 in order to create Total Theatre, a multi-disciplinary approach to theatre with an eclectic mix of actors, musicians, puppeteers and other artists, one third professionals, one third amateurs with training, and one third people with problems around mental health, learning difficulty and/or homelessness. The Company committed itself to working with social themes and cultural questions.
The first big production the newly formed company undertook was The Children of Lir, based on one of the three sorrows of the Gael in the version by Fiona Macleod. We set the story within a modern play around the theme of homelessness and exclusion. The play was performed as part of the millennium celebrations. Sixty-eight people in all were involved in the whole production. It aroused much interest and attracted funding from local and national funding bodies. The company performed many small shows since then, concentrating on folk music, the celtic harp and the oral tradition. These include "Between the Salt Water and the Sea Sand" at the Glasshouse, "Love" at the Christian Community, Stroud and "Bench" at the Music of the Heart
Woman, 2007
Pericles, 2008
We would like to do “Pericles” by William Shakespeare : Apart from the suitability of the play for the theme of the conference, we have long wished to do this play, for, as our name suggests, we feel close to this theme, which has such a contemporary stamp, while at the same time being both colourful, fairytale-like and full of music. It also has such a contemporary social theme that it is not for nothing that the Royal Shakespeare Company among others has in the last year twice done Pericles with a mixed cast of refugees and the homeless.
We will again be working with an eclectic cast of professionals, volunteers, students with- or in- training and people with special needs. The Company will be using its usual “Total Theatre” technique working with as many theatre skills as are available.