Edinburgh-based Phil Hardie is much more than just a performer. The circus artist, musician, theatre maker and entertainer holds his audiences spellbound as he weaves his body around circus apparatus, high in the air, to tell compelling and entertaining stories.
Phil has been utilising his multiple talents for over 10 years, creating engaging pieces of theatre, combining his experience as a clown, acrobat, dancer and musician to showcase innovative pieces which are compelling, immersive and dramatic.
For this year’s Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival, Phil will share his experience with others in a rare residency which will include workshops, training sessions and a heart-pounding performance of Welcome My Son: the story of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, told from the perspective of both monster and creator.
On Saturday 20 May, from 11am to 12.30pm, Phil will be holding a free physical performance taster workshop at The Stove, High Street, Dumfries. During the session, he will lead interactive games to develop physical vocabulary and confidence, exploring techniques through floor-based acrobatics and movement.
Phil begins his Physical Theatre Residence at The Stove on Wednesday 24 May and concludes on Saturday 27 May with short al fresco performance pieces at the Plainstanes, Dumfries.
The sessions offer a chance to develop performance skill, presence and physical technique over the residency’s four-day run and will incorporate elements of traditional clown technique, mime and performance presence. As the week progresses, participants will be supported to draw out characters into the creation of a piece at the Plainstanes.
On Sunday 28 May, Phil delivers his superb Welcome My Son to the Theatre Royal, Dumfries. This is an immersive solo exploration of Frankenstein told via circus, physical and traditional theatre and words. The piece explores the themes of social conformity, isolation, prejudice and abandonment.
“What an extraordinary, moving and intensely physical performance, the physicality of the theatre and the depth of understanding of the character was spellbinding, mesmerising.”
Tickets from the Midsteeple Box Office on 01387 253383 or online from www.dgartsfestival.org.uk
