Bali Tiger. Dusky Seaside Sparrow. Cinnamon-coloured Cryptic Treehunter. Psychedelic Rock Gecko. Fire Millipede From Hell… One human encounters twenty-six thousand animals in the space of an hour.
Fresh from an award-winning, critically-acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Fringe, Vigil blends physical performance, poetry, projection and sound design as performer Tom Bailey takes us on a playful, poignant exploration of life in an age of extinction.
Summerhall Lustrum Award winner
“Beautiful, contemplative… a remarkable and urgent show” - The Guardian
“Memorable… a requiem against a clock counting down” - The Scotsman
Tom Bailey is a theatre maker based in Bristol, UK. He creates work through his award-winning company, Mechanimal, including Zugunruhe, a show exploring bird migration and human migration (Edinburgh Fringe, Calais Jungle, international tour); Ghost Sonata, exploring the future of the Arctic (Samovar Teateret, Arctic Circle, UK tour); and Possession, exploring the lives of desert hermits, made in the Egyptian desert (D-CAF Festival, Cairo). Tom's work has been supported by the British Council, Wellcome Trust, and Arts Council England, among others. He regularly works with universities to develop performance in relation to research.
In Bristol, Tom is a resident artist at the Pervasive Media Studio, and currently Artist in Residence at the Earth Sciences department at Bristol University, where he is developing a new show about the effects of copper mining on communities in South America. As a performer Tom trained in theatre in London, Poland and France. As a director he trained on the National Theatre Studio directors’ course. He practices Capoeira Angola and, body- and time-permitting, likes fell running.
www.mechanimal.co.uk
Vigil is supported by Bristol Old Vic Ferment, University College London, Arts Council England, and Pound Arts.