Ad Infinitum announces tour of Last Rites and two new Associate roles championing artists from underrepresented backgrounds.
Bristol-based theatre company Ad Infinitum have announced the tour of Last Rites, a show co-created by Scottish-Singaporean theatremaker and Deaf artist Ramesh Meyyappan and Ad Infinitum Co-Artistic Director George Mann which premiered at MimeLondon, alongside an expansion of their work in education and a brand-new Artist Development Programme.
The company has announced two new roles, with theatremaker Elisabeth Gunawan taking up a position of Associate Artist, and theatremaker and director Mary-Jayne Russell de Clifford taking up the title of Associate Director, a role created over a years-long consultation period specifically for directors who are Sign Language Users and/or Deaf working in the sector. Ad Infinitum has also published the findings of their consultation with five artists including Graeae Theatre Company’s Jenny Sealey.
Last Rites combines physical, non-verbal storytelling with dynamic projection and a soundtrack that can be felt and heard. Told through a Deaf man’s perspective, this show tells the poignant story of a complex relationship cut short. Last Rites follows a man who has twenty-four hours to perform his father’s funeral rights. Created in response to Meyyappan and Mann’s memories of losing their fathers, and their own lived experiences of fatherhood, the show celebrates the transformative power of grief and parenthood.
The show will tour from January 2025, including a week-long run on Bristol Old Vic’s main stage in July; full details of tour venues to be announced.
Ad Infinitum will be continuing to offer their Learning and Engagement programmes to schools, delivering free-to-access workshops and digital resources to primary and secondary schools in Bristol. In a time of radical decrease in arts provision in education and its diminished importance in the National Curriculum, detrimental barriers to the benefits of culture exist for Children and Young People all over the UK.
Beyond schools, the company have also launched a wider Artist Development programme which includes regular devising Masterclasses for professional artists; skills-based courses for arts professionals including BSL courses and Mental Health First Aid Training; and opportunities for artists to book support sessions throughout the year.
Ad Infinitum is a Bristol-based acclaimed theatre company with international awards from countries including the UK, Spain, Netherlands and Bosnia and Herzegovina. They work with artists, activists and communities to create transformative theatre, revolutionise audiences and change the world.
Further Information; Ad Infinitum