BIG IN FALKIRK
BEST or THE REST ' ,
when the winner of Big in Falkirk’s Making It I
Ma 'ta Wedding
THEATRE
Live theatre mingles with the crowd over the weekend. including a walkabout performance from French nutters Cacahuete. For their black comedy. Mama ’3 Funeral. they‘ll carry their beloved ‘maman’ around the park in a coffin. on the lookout for the local cemetery. Just as urgent is Mafia Wedding, from the British-Australian theatre group Cocoloco. in which a gangster’s daughter is seconds away from giving birth. but can’t seem to find a priest. midwife. or a father for the baby for that matter.
Local talent will be allowed to shine when Falkirk’s Children‘s and Youth Theatre collaborate with Scottish company Poorboy, who specialise in site-specific theatre. They‘ve put on shows in Edinburgh‘s Botanic Gardens and the Glasgow Underground in the past. but this time they’re using the nooks and crannies of Callendar Park as their stage. Their production of Changelings explores the mysterious world of the imagination and dreams. and will take audiences deep into the woods for a story about a cold and creepy house.
MUSIC
Just like people who say, “I’m not angry’. or ‘l‘m not crying. there’s something in my eye’. IOCC weren’t fooling anyone when they sang their 70s hit, ‘l’m Not in Love”. The English soft-rockers. also famous for ‘Things We Do For Love’. are headlining the Music Stage on Sunday. after Glasgow disco-rock from Danse or Die. high- energy Celtic dance beats from the Peatbog Faeries and acoustic pop from Esther O’Connor. daughter of Wet Wet Wet’s Graeme Duffin. Brighton folk rockers The Levellers. who are celebrating two decades of making music this year, will headline on the Saturday. New musical talent will also receive an early career boost.
24 THE “81’ 24 Apr—8 May 2008
competition perfonns live on the Music Stage. In the past Snow Patrol. Sandi Thom. Orson and Amy McDonald have all performed at Big in Falkirk. long before they started making any waves in the charts.
Those who prefer a more intimate musical experience rather than the throng of a crowd may care to check out The Sir Tom Jones Experience. In this handbag-sized karaoke unit. visitors can get up close and personal with Tom. and may even be able to hand him a pair of pants rather than throw them at him.
KIDS
Under—lives have their very own Fun Tent. with an obstacle course and bubble machine. while big kids of all ages can get down in the Village Disco — a mobile. miniature dance floor. They have a strictly ‘anti-cool’ policy. and DJ requests are encouraged. For nature lovers. The Insect Circus Museum holds such delights as a worm charmer. dancing snails and a wasp tamer. or there‘s always the opportunity to delve into the realms of fantasy with Dragon Quest. Put on by women‘s circus theatre company Circo Rum Ba Ba. the show uses over the top costumes. a smoke breathing dragon and circus magic to find out exactly why the dragon's eggs aren't
hatching. Audience participation is a key part of
the bizarre and colourful company‘s work. and
this time around. they may be looking for child
volunteers to help incubate the dragon's eggs. Acknowledging that children will never tire of
Dragon Quest
Bureau of smy Idea
watching people hurt themselves. as long as it looks funny. Bureau of Silly Ideas are putting on The Hole Job. a 40-minute acrobatic comedy show. Set around the glamorous backdrop of some everyday roadworks. and given the tag line ‘blood is thicker than tarmac’. the three circus brothers will bounce and backflip their way through their white-knuckle daredevil show.
ACTIVITIES
Festival goers can get their five-a-day portions of sport. with a mobile climbing wall. ski-slope. inflatable football pitch and golf and basketball in the Sports Zone. Or for spectator sports. The Falkirk Cheerleaders are one of several acts performing in the Fringe Tent. There‘s also a family funfair. plus the newly added Secret Garden Market. with stalls selling home-made crafts and holistic therapies. The Food and Drinks Village boasts hot and cold food stalls as well as a FairTrade Pavilion offering food tastings. Failing that. there are no rules against bringing deckchairs and rugs and setting up your very own picnic spot in the park.
Big in Falkirk, Callendar Park, Falkirk, Sat 3 and Sun 4 May. The event is free. For full listings see www.biginfalkirk.com
Village Disco