What the critics said about THE RED ROOM:

“Intense and complex… performed flawlessly.” – The Financial Times (****)

“Savage and elegant dance theatre.” - The Guardian (****)

Edinburgh-based David Hughes Dance Productions, in association with National Theatre of Scotland, has again joined forces with Al Seed, Artistic Director of Conflux, to bring the World Premiere of LAST ORDERS to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2011. This new production will be staged at the Traverse Theatre [venue 15] from Tuesday 16 to Sunday 28 August and will then tour throughout Scotland in the autumn.

Last Orders is an enthralling new work of dance theatre inspired by the bloody myth of Sawney Bean, the legendary 16th century Scottish cannibal, and his cursed incestuous and multigenerational tribe of relentless killers. It is a hallucinatory journey down the rabbit-hole, through subterranean caves and derelict nightclubs, to a radically different and unstable world of corrupted innocence where nothing is quite what is seems.

Last Orders is the second production in a series of original, engaging and immersive works that bring dark themes and the horror genre to the stage; with cinematic techniques and cross-art form collaboration at their heart. It is the follow-up to 2009's award-winning The Red Room, acclaimed by critics and audiences alike.

For Last Orders David Hughes Dance Productions has brought together a diverse International company of performers. Martin Lindinger, Lina Limosani, Matthew Foster, Stuart Bowden and Alex Rigg seamlessly merge their individual dance styles (contemporary, breakdance, ballet) with dynamic physical theatre to create grotesque and monstrous characters that inhabit a chaotic underworld, swinging between the poles of ecstatic celebration and confrontation of their greatest fears.

Last Orders reunites the creative team behind The Red Room – director and choreographer Al Seed [with additional choreography from the Company], creative producer David Hughes, lighting designer Alberto Santos Bellido and sound designer Guy Veale. Alex Rigg of Oceanallover joins the team as costume and set designer; and as a performer. Alex has collaborated with NVA and Theatre Cryptic and also creates large-scale figurative work with Trevor Leat for events such as the Wickerman Festival.

David Hughes Dance is one of only four Scottish companies represented in the British Council’s Edinburgh Showcase 2011. It has also been included in the Made In Scotland Showcase for this year’ Fringe. Last Orders is supported by The National Theatre of Scotland, Creative Scotland and The Traverse Theatre.

In 2009 David Hughes Dance was the first dance company to be offered a permanent residency at The Traverse Theatre. The inclusion of Last Orders in the Traverse Theatre’s 2011 Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme represents their continued commitment to the company and their investment in dance.

Conflux, a project developing a voice for Scottish artists working in street arts, physical theatre and circus, has collaborated with David Hughes Dance Productions to run an apprenticeship scheme to support the creation of Last Orders. Working with the core production team, apprentices have been learning skills in the areas of stage management, production management, set, costume, lighting and sound design, and directing.