Creative Crawley’s Enliven: You’re Welcome summer event
A five metre-tall puppet and dance in a 40ft haulage truck are coming to Crawley’s streets this summer as Creative Crawley’s year-long Enliven programme continues with ‘Enliven: You’re Welcome‘ summer events to celebrate Crawley New Town’s 75th anniversary.
The four-month season kicks of with Without Walls Crawley, a day of Brighton Festival outdoor acts. A five metre-tall visitor will lead a series of events in August from 14th May – 14th August.
Celebrating Crawley New Town’s 75th anniversary, ‘Enliven: You’re Welcome’ is a four month programme of free events and workshops this summer. A highlight of the season will be a five metre-tall puppet, a larger than life visitor who will travel to different destinations across the city seeking welcome.
Kicking off the celebrations will be a day of outdoor performance from some of the hottest acts at Brighton Festival 2022, including circus company Mimbre in collaboration with Disabled-led Daryl Beeton Productions, a new hip-hop musical from Middle Child, and sci-fi dance in a haulage trailer from Requardt & Rosenberg.
The season celebrates the diversity and welcoming attitude of Crawley and is part of the year-long Enliven programme.
Without Walls Crawley programme performances
On 14th May, Brighton Festival’s Without Walls Crawley programme starts with two performances of Look Mum No Hands! from Daryl Beeton Productions and Mimbre. Through acrobatics, theatre and movement, it tells the story of two friends, one who uses a wheelchair, growing up together and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
Following them, 11-year-old Jasmine is on an adventure to make the world a better place, powered by her imagination in hip-hop musical There Should Be Unicorns from Middle Child in association with Beats Bus. In the evening, a 40 foot truck will arrive from an unknown destination with a mystery shipment for Future Cargo.
As the sides roll up, an alien machine is revealed and the sci-fi dance show from Requardt & Rosenberg begins. Audiences wear headphones to connect them to the strange world inside the truck, combining large-scale spectacle with surprising intimacy.
Finally, a puppet taller than a double decker bus will be visiting the town in August. Who the puppet is and where it’s from will be revealed in May, along with a full programme of events that will run from 11th – 14th August.
Creative Crawley arts organisation
Creative Crawley is a brand new arts organisation whose Trustees represent a range of local stakeholders who aim to place creativity at the heart of Crawley and support, develop and produce high quality arts and culture in the town.
Creative Director of Creative Crawley Louise Blackwell said, “This summer, we are welcoming new and inspiring art works to share with the people of Crawley. We are rejoicing in the 75th anniversary of the New Town and the hopes and dreams of the future.”
Crawley Town Centre BID is the Business Improvement District for Crawley town centre working with and for the businesses collaborating to deliver a thriving town centre.
The Enliven programme is a year round series of artworks, performances, workshops and creative experiences which aims to bring Crawley town centre to life through arts and culture. Funded by Crawley Town Centre BID and produced by Creative Crawley.
Crawley town centre: @CreativeCrawley, @CrawleyTCBID, www.creativecrawley.com, www.crawleytowncentrebid.co.uk
