Exotic cabaret mix hits Dorchester Arts Centre (From Dorset Echo)
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Exotic cabaret mix hits Dorchester Arts Centre
11:00am Wednesday 19th October 2011 in Stage By Ruth Meech
Rogue Theatre’s The Dancer and the Devil
IF YOU enjoy theatre and cabaret you are in for a treat tomorrow when Cornish company Rogue Theatre bring their latest exotic and entrancing mix of cabaret and theatre to Dorchester Arts Centre.
Set in a secret bar, a club, a speak-easy in a country smothered by war, Cornish company Rogue Theatre present The Dancer and The Devil, a cabaret of those displaced, those who have had to hide, to run away from their past lives with hastily-packed cases bursting with secrets and stories.
Bright, sparkling and full of comic mischief, The Dancer and The Devil invites you to lose yourself in a world of twisted cabaret, the smell of woodsmoke and perfume, the taste of danger, and the wild thrill of the forest.
Ollie Oakenshield, who formed Rogue with artistic director Angelina Boscarelli, said: “We have always been interested in the stories of gypsy and Jewish communities who survived the Second World War. We are interested in the stories of people who escaped and went to live in the woods – and we were inspired by the story of a girl in Belgium who was taken in and hidden by a community living in some woods.
“In our story, people have hidden in the woods but they are found by soldiers and have to entertain them with cabaret-style performances. There is also a love story interwoven with it.”
The Dancer and The Devil Rogue Theatre have been supported by the Lowry centre in Salford and Prema Arts Centre in Stroud, Gloucestershire. They also staged the performance in some woods in Cornwall and more than 1,200 people saw it over three nights.
“The play has been a brilliant journey for us,” said Ollie. “We wanted to tell a human story and explore the edge of human existence while keeping great entertainment value. It is a story of people performing for their lives and it has a real feel to it.”
Catch The Dancer and the Devil at Dorchester Arts Centre, The Grove, Dorchester tomorrow at 8pm. Tickets are 311 plus concessions from the venue and by calling 01305 266926.
