Vanishing Point (Theatre Company)

Vanishing Point Theatre company was founded in 1999 by Matthew Lenton. It makes theatre that is modern, visually dazzling and technically sunning. Its themes are often darkly comic and surreal, combining a childish, dreamlike fairy tale feel with adult nightmarish stories.

Vanishing Point's work has toured across the UK and, increasingly, internationally. It has toured to France, Corsica, Sri Lanka, Kosovo and Macedonia, with work including an adaptation of Maeterlinck's Les Aveugles, a wordless show Invisible Man, Lost Ones, Subway and Little Otik.

It receives funding from the Scottish Arts Council (SAC), the [http://www.lottery.culture.gov.uk/ Lottery] and the Glasgow City Council. It has launched an initiative, "Space 11", aiming to encourage collaboration between young arts organisations in Scotland, by providing them with office space and workshops in order to enhance business skills and create more time for making work. [ [http://www.vanishing-point.org/space11.html Space 11] , Vanishing Point] [ [http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/5873/vanishing-point-bids-to-ease-admin-pressure Vanishing Point bids to ease admin pressure for companies] , The Stage News, Ruth Gillespie, 12/31/2004] [ [http://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/stories/483/vanishing-point Lottery Stories] , Lottery Good Causes, 2005]

History

Formed in 1999 in Glasgow, Scotland by graduates of the University of Glasgow. Its first production was an adaptation of Les Aveugles (The Blind) by Maurice Maeterlinck, performed in total darkness. The piece was performed at BAC in London in a season entitled Playing in the Dark. The first few works were formative but the company really found its voice in 2004 with Lost Ones, a surreal show concerning a man, a murder on a mountain, the little creatures who are smuggling things out of him years later and a void on the other side of the skirting board. Lost Ones was extremely successful and toured internationally. Since then the company has created the shows Mancub (written by Douglas Maxwell), Subway (a collaboration with a group of musicians from Kosovo) and Little Otik (adapted from the film by Jan Svankmajer). The company has co-produced with The Soho Theatre, Lyric Hammersmith, The Citizens Theatre and The National Theatre of Scotland.

Typically the work is characterized by a theatrical yet filmic, extremely visual style and by dark, semi-surreal themes. It is created through a process it calls collective creation led by Matthew Lenton, but always involving a range of performers, designers, sound artists, video artists and musicians.

Severine WyperGeneral Manager

Kate HancockAdministrator

Sandy GriersonPerformer

Kai FischerSet and Lighting Designer

Alasdair MacraeMusical Director/Performer

Artistic Directors

Matthew Lenton co-founded the company in 1999 and has directed all of its shows. He is also a freelance director.

Notable Guest Actors

Sandy Grierson is an artistic associate of Vanishing Point and has collaborated with the company on at least three shows, Lost Ones, Subway and Little Otik. In addition to his association with Vanishing Point he is a distinguished theatre actor having worked with companies across the Uk and in Europe.

Productions

*"Blackout"
*"A Brief History of Time", based upon Stephen Hawking's book [ [http://living.scotsman.com/features/To-infinity-and-beyond.2379449.jp To Infinity and Beyound] , The Scotsman, 11/20/2002]
*"Glimpse"
*"Home Hindrance"
*"Invisible Man"
*"Last Stand"
*"Little Otik", Jan Švankmajer's cult Czech film is being transformed into a large scale stage adaptation, in partnership with National Theatre of Scotland, touring this spring 2008.
*"Lost Ones"
*"Mancub", adapted from The Flight of the Cassowary by John LeVert [ [http://www.nationaltheatreofscotland.com/content/default.asp?page=home_showMancub Mancub] , National Theatre of Scotland (NTS), 2006]
*"The Sightless"
*"Stars Beneath The Sea", based upon Trevor Norton's book [ [http://living.scotsman.com/features/Critics-choice.2424470.jp Critics Choice] , The Scotsman, 05/04/2003]
*"Subway", a dystopian science fiction thriller [ [http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/otherresources/fringe/fringe07-58.htm#S Fringe 2007 Reviews] , British Theatre Guide, Matthew Lenton]

Awards

*Critics Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS)::"Lost Ones", 2004, Best Technical Presentation, Best Design [ [http://www.scottishtheatreawards.org/Previous%20shortlists/2004-05shortlists.html Critics Awards for Theatre 2004] Scottish Theatre Awards] ::"Mancub", 2005, Best Children's Show [ [http://www.scottishtheatreawards.org/Previous%20shortlists/2005-06shortlists.html Critics Awards for Theatre 2005] Scottish Theatre Awards] ::Subway, 2007, Best Music
*Scotsman Fringe First Awards::"Subway", 2007 [ [http://www.roguesandvagabonds.co.uk/cgi-bin/newslist.pl?bid=9972&num=1&farch=3&coinc=2&fkey=vanishing%20point Scotsman Fringe First awards] , Rogues and Vagabonds, August 2007]
*Total Theatre Awards::Subway, 2007, Best Original Work by a Collective/Ensemble [ [http://www.totaltheatre.org.uk/awards/shortlist07.html Shortlist 2007] , Total Theatre]

ee also

*Edinburgh Festival Fringe
*National Theatre of Scotland, partnership
*Scottish Arts Council, sponsor
*List of Total Theatre Award winners

External links

* [http://www.vanishing-point.org/ Official website]

References