Preview: Crackle. Dust. On tour

A Call To Action And A Sharing Of Power

Company of Others first production Crackle. Dust. shares the true stories of women from across the North

Company of Others presents

Crackle. Dust.

Bradford Kala Sangam - Saturday 13 April

Hexham Abbey - Tuesday 23 April

Manchester STUN - Friday 26 April

Newcastle Dance City - Saturday 27 April

ARC Stockton on Wednesday 1 May

Byker Community Centre on Saturday 4 May

Newcastle based dance theatre company, Company of Others, is about to take its first show Crackle. Dust., made in collaboration with women from across the North, on tour. Audiences in Bradford, Hexham, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Stockton and Byker will have the chance to get up close and personal to the piece which shares the lived experiences of Northern women through exquisite choreography, live sound and spoken word.

To create Crackle. Dust. Company of Others’ Artistic Director Nadia Iftkhar collected the stories from women across the North. The initial call out invited women to share their stories of endings – leaving it completely up to the women to decide what ‘ending’ meant to them. Featuring a diverse ensemble of seven female performers, aged 21 to 60, Crackle. Dust. shares the trues stories of endings that have had a life changing impact on women’s lives.

As Nadia Iftkhar explains: “Crackle. Dust. reminds us of our shared experiences as women whilst opening up our world to understand those who have stories that feel worlds away from our own history. I hope the audience will feel a greater connection to each other through hearing these experiences together and will leave with a sense of pride in the resilience of women. The stories we have received range from fleeing southern Nigeria to save a daughter from FGM, leaving an abusive marriage after 20 years to finding a new life at 73 as a singer in a band. They are joyful, traumatic, triumphant and heartbreakingly sad. Audiences will hear some of the women’s voices in the show and the performers are close to the audience so you can really see the smallest movement and hear their quietest whispers. It felt important to create a show you can feel close to, that you can feel you are with the performers and the women, together.”

Over the last 15 years professional dance artist Nadia Iftkhar has worked in a range of diverse settings where she has created and collaborated on over 20 original works. Crackle.

Dust. is the first piece to be produced by Company of Others, of which Nadia is Artistic Director and founder. The company formed in 2016 with support from Arts Council England’s Elevate Fund which supported arts organisations that make a significant contribution to the Creative Case for Diversity to strengthen their vision through organisational development.

Crackle. Dust. will be captioned at every venue using Talking Birds’ The Difference Engine, a free app that delivers captioning direct to smartphones or tablets. Tablets will be available at each venue for anyone who does not have access to a smart phone.

Crackle. Dust. will have its World Premiere at Kala Sangam in Bradford on Saturday 13 April. The show will then tour to Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham on Tuesday 23 April; STUN in Manchester on Friday 26 April; Dance City in Newcastle upon Tyne on Saturday 27 April and ARC Stockton on Wednesday 1 May. The tour will end at Byker Community Centre on Saturday 4 May, a venue close to Nadia’s heart as it was a place she frequently attended as a child.

Dust. is supported by public funding through Arts Council National Lottery Grants with additional commissioning support from Arc Stockton, Dance City, GemArts, Kala Sangam, Newcastle Culture Investment Fund and Well Newcastle Gateshead.

Photos: Alicia Clarke

On The Web:

https://www.companyofothers.org.uk/crackle-dust-2019/Crackle

Cast & Creatives:

Choreographer Nadia Iftkhar

Sound Designer & Composer Caro C

Set & Costume Designer Nicolai Hart Hansen

Lighting Designer Al Orange

Performed by Susan Betts, Sophie Hutchinson, Emma Holt, Alicia Meehan, Jenna Anne Nathan and Benedicta Valentina

Tickets:

Tickets at Kala Sangam, Hexham Abbey, STUN, Manchester, ARC Stockton and Byker Community Centre are ‘Pay What You Decide’ performances allowing people to pay what they can afford but also decide on a price based on their experience of the show.

Bradford Kala Sangam on Saturday 13 April http://www.kalasangam.org/box-office/crackle-dust/

Hexham Abbey on Tuesday 23 April; https://www.queenshall.co.uk/events/crackle-dust

Manchester STUN on Friday 26 April; https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/crackle-dust-stun-studio-tickets-59100036801

Newcastle Dance City on Saturday 27 April. Tickets at Dance City are £9.50 and £8 for students & under 18s.  https://www.dancecity.co.uk/performance/99698/crackle-dust-company-of-others/

ARC Stockton on Wednesday 1 May; https://arconline.co.uk/whats-on/theatre-dance/crackle-dust

Byker Community Centre on Saturday 4 May; https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/crackle-dust-byker-community-centre-tickets-55114291329

Running time: approx. 1hr 10mins plus post show discussion.
Suitable for ages 16 years+
Note: Contains scenes of sexual assault, violence and strong language.