The Pachamamas Emergence Underbelly Cowgate, Belly Button A heady concoction of physicality, autobiographical stories, live singing and overactive imaginations from Fringe first-timers The Pachamamas.
In a smoky, darkened cafe a surreal and dusty cabaret singer rambles on about the universe, seasons, mythology and bad perms, whilst belting out the occasional tune. One by one, others find themselves passing through the doors of this strange cafe and are confronted by memories, dreams and encounters that allow them to understand their past, imagine their future and to figure out their place in the universe (somewhere between the bus stop and infinity).
Inspired by the work of David Lynch, Punchdrunk, Tadeusz Kantor, Wim Wenders, and Gabriel García Márquez, The Pachamamas draw on dance and physical scores,autobiographical stories, scientific texts and a capella singing to create Emergence.
The Pachamamas was formed in 2009 by a motley group of women, three with dual nationalities- Colombia/Norway, Finland/USA, and Scotland/Peru – plus a lone American.
Director Lorraine Sutherland trained in Kathakali Dance Drama and Kalarippayattu (a South Indian martial art) in Kerala, India, and has been involved in many international theatre research projects, including work with the anthropological department from Universidad de San Agustin, Peru. As a performer, she has worked with Teatropersona (Italy) and Teatr Zar (Poland).
Lorraine’s upbringing in Peru exposed her to a Latin American way of seeing the world, in which life transcends daily reality and is infused with a certain magic that lurks around every corner. This influence exists at the heart of The Pachamamas' work and the company is committed to celebrating the extraordinary in what may appear to be ordinary lives.
Emergence will be performed by Ecole Jacques Lecoq graduate Emily Kreider, who was in Edinburgh last year with Jammy Voo’s A Corner of the Ocean (devised with Toby Jones and Jamie Wood) and Agnes Brekke, whose training includes Columbian folk dance, and whose work with Zecora Ura theatre company earned her an ‘Actress of the Year’ award in 2007 from Oval House Theatre, London.
The ensemble is completed by Lindsay Gear, who performed with Etappi Theatre Company at festivals in Finland and the Czech Republic and was a member of Zecora Ura theatre company for four years. Emergence is the first Edinburgh fringe excursion for The Pachamamas following their debut show My Dad is Jim, an exploration of director Lorraine Sutherland’s relationship with her Scottish father, which toured the South West of England in 2009.
Praise for Emergence cast “...a revealing interpretation...Agnes Brekke performs it and every other character she inhabits, to perfection.” **** Time Out on Zecora Ura’s The Tempest "... a delight to watch, teasing out a tremendous amount of comedy and emotive content from the smallest of moments" The Scotsman on Something Blue by Jammy Voo Theatre (with Emily Kreider) "Lindsay Gear shows a dazzling range of facial and bodily expressions of greed and sensual voracity. Fat, in Gear's fine portrayal, is rapacious in the extent of her physical and mental appetites.” Fringe Report on Pablo Picasso’s Desire Caught by the Tail
Belly Button Underbelly Cowgate
11.20 (12.20) 4 – 28 August
Previews 4,5 August - £6 Aug 6-7, 10-11,16-18,22-25 £8.50 (£7.50) Aug 8-9,12-14,19-21,26-28 £9 (£8) 0844 545 8252 www.underbelly.co.uk
