Highly Sprung were very pleased to be part of a new outdoor spectacular 'Ostara' produced by award winning Imagineer productions and The World Famous celebrating the re-generation of Far Gosford Street, Coventry.

Ostara Saturday 3rd April 2010

Ostara told the story of the extraordinary history and heritage of the area and the characters who have breathed life into its streets through time. This spectacular event involved two hundred local community performers working alongside professional artists from Highly Sprung Peromance Co., Imagineer Productions and The World Famous. The performance paid homage to the mythical origins of Easter and will celebrate the Spring Equinox in a journey from darkness into light.

The character of Attis emerged on his chariot in Charterhouse Fields and processed through the night in search of the Goddess, Ostara. As he entered the Gateway of Far Gosford Street his journey took him through a landscape of ghosts as he recalled all those who have trodden the path before him. The eternal cycle of life, death and rebirth recounted before finally arriving at his destination – Gosford Green in a dramatic and breathtaking finale.

In a ruined castle, high up on a hill, highly Sprung combine 50 young people from across Coventry and Warwickshire and four professional artists to tell the tale of a man drawn into a world where his every dream, desire and nightmare is only a fingertip’s reach away.

In a ruined castle, high up on a hill, highly Sprung combine 50 young people from across Coventry and Warwickshire and four professional artists to tell the tale of a man drawn into a world where his every dream, desire and nightmare is only a fingertip’s reach away.

The Big Brecht Fest was a three day event bringing together schools and young people to discover, explore and present ideas and work from the legendary writer, director and theatre practitioner, Bertolt Brecht.

The festival included three very different nights of excellent performance from schools and community groups, including a new production of ‘Child of Terror’ from Highly Sprung youth dance theatre in collaboration with Highly Sprung professionals.

Child of Terror

Produced by Highly Sprung Performance Co. 'Child of Terror' presented a unique blend of physical theatre, mixing young people and professional artists, where movement speaks and text moves.

Inspired by Brecht's 'The Caucasian Chalk Circle' this is a story for the modern generation of terror.

Through the eyes of the innocent- witness as lives are thrown, forced and dragged into the balance, what will remain only time can tell. The story is the epic journey of one and one girl where only love holds the answers. 

School's Festival

Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th June was an opportunity to see two very different nights of excellent performance from four schools (Cardinal Newman, Finham Park, Foxford - from Coventry and North Leamington School) alongside Highly Sprung’s production of Child of Terror.

Each school worked with artists from Highly Sprung Performance Co. to create new devised performances using the techniques and approaches inspired by Brecht. 

 International Youth Arts Festival

@The Arthur Cotterell Theatre, Kingston upon Thames

Child of Terror will also featured as part of the International Youth Arts Festival in Kingston upon Thames, London.

Highly Sprung’s award winning performance.

Battling against four theatre companies in the city of Coventry ‘The Fall of Lucifer’ plays homage to the travelling players and confront the general public in Coventry’s busiest shopping precinct.

“A truly moving and dramatic spectacle, in such a challenging arena.” -Barry Kyle- Judge for Battle of the Guilds

15 foot decaying wings, a pristine female god suspended high above the action; angels meet their fate when authority is challenged, in a dynamic and enthralling performance.

Take Me Home probes at the events that might otherwise be overlooked and ignored. It indulges in the fantasy lives of everyday people that have fit too easily into an everyday routine.

Bodies fall and fly, are caught and collide.

Take Me Home focuses on a man lost, trapped on a train trying to find the one he loves. Trying to find the answers that are hidden behind the masks of the common commuter.

Fact and fiction collide as Highly Sprung collaborate with 35 young people from Coventry to bring the city’s most historical site to life.

Set in the grounds of Coventry’s first Cathedral and Priory, this outdoor performance depicts murderous monks, witch trials, Cofa’s tree and many more tales that have added to the fabric of one of the country’s most diverse cities.

Performed in partnership with 25 members of the Highly Sprung Workshops Performance Group. This production depicts a town without children. Suddenly without a purpose or a future to shape it. It explores the journey of the missing children, lost behind the Chalk Door, desperately trying to find their way home.

“…another of the company’s distinctive physical pieces…Don’t be put off by the fact that The Chalk Door uses young performers, Highly Sprung has proven that it’s anything but amateur.” - David Baldwin, Metro

Highly Sprung team up with 65 young people from Coventry to create a huge performance that will challenge audiences to question the place of literature in our society.

Set in a world governed by an oppressive dictator, all must live by the rules or face the consequences. Controlled, restricted and ultimately destroyed, the freedom of the individual and the ability to read or write imaginatively is stripped away.

“No more will our enemies influence us. No longer are they free to roam our minds. The disease that spread across our country for so long has now, finally, been eradicated.”