On Friday June 30, specialist outdoor puppeteers, Dundu will bring two gentle giants of light to life in Newbury’s town centre, accompanied by high-octane live music from renowned percussion ensemble, Worldbeaters in a premier collaboration performance, Sense of Unity.
Presented as part of the Corn Exchange, Newbury’s expanding free outdoor arts programme, Sense of Unity will combine visual spectacle, live music and snippets of audience interaction, to bring the community together for an evening of captivating, free outdoor theatre.
At 9.45pm, the Worldbeaters will lead the procession through the town in search of the puppets, performing high-energy beats on their unique LED-lit drums and setting the atmosphere for the performance.
Once discovered, German company, Dundu will animate a giant human shaped puppet of the same name, walking it through the audience in search of a smaller puppet companion. The puppet’s transparent, flexible bodies, made up of a weave of individual fiber strands, will be lit from the inside, illuminating them against the darkening evening sky. Dundu will be handled and steered by a team of five skilled puppeteers who collectively breathe life into the gigantic figure as it glides through the audience. Though large in size, Dundu is a gentle giant, capable of presenting surprisingly touching human characteristics.
Audiences are invited to enjoy the different musical worlds of Dundu, from the West African Kora to the Latin American based drumming riffs and rhythms, whilst following the gentle giant and its smaller companion on their unique journey through Newbury.
Both Dundu and the Worldbeaters have already separately captivated the imaginations and hearts of audiences across the world, and now come to Newbury for their first collaboration performance. This world premiere is produced by Activate Performing Arts and has been developed in a residency at the Corn Exchange’s 101 Outdoor Art Creation Space. The Corn Exchange’s Outdoor Event Programme is supported by Greenham Common Trust and Arts Council England.
For further information visit the Corn Exchange website at www.cornexchangenew.com
