New contemporary circus theatre company announce first two shows, Filibuster & Sand.
New North Devon-based contemporary circus theatre company Kook Ensemble has announced its first two shows: premiering in Devon and touring, Filibuster, is a solo show created with and performed by gentleman juggler Tom Gaskin and inspired by silent movie physicality. The show premieres and plays several venues in Devon, and tours to venues including Jackson’s Lane in London. It will be followed in 2025 by Sand, a show about coastal erosion and dementia.
Kook Ensemble, which aims to create character-driven circus theatre, was founded to by Michaela O’Connor and Sean Kempton, two international circus and theatre artists whose decades of experience include companies including Cirque du Soleil and venues including the Royal Albert Hall, South Bank Centre, West End and Broadway.
Filibuster is created with and performed by gentleman juggler Tom Gaskin. Inspired by the silent movie comedy giants like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, it brings to life a funny and sometimes downright absurd story of fantasy, hope and love. Bertie needs to escape. Turning his back on the chaos of the world around him, he leaves his home for a derelict cottage in the woods. Here he waits with his wildly playful imagination…hoping love will arrive before the chaos catches up with him.
Sand plays with comedy and tenderness, a playful story of love and loyalty, against the backdrop of erosion, of both our landscape and sometimes our identities. It is the story of Myles, who has dementia, and Dilly, who must watch the love of her life drift away. They revisit their past together, remembering the battles and laughter, rediscovering a joy that keeps them connected for whatever future they have left. The development process took place in part at memory cafes in Barnstaple.
Listings
Filibuster: 18 October: Jackson’s Lane, London
269a Archway Road, London N6 5AA
7.30pm | £18 - £14
Further information: Home | Kook (kookensemble.com)
Tickets: Filibuster - Jacksons Lane Events - The Home of Contemporary Circus
Filibuster Tour 14 September - 9 November Shows | Kook (kookensemble.com)