The Apple Cart
Sisters Meryl, Beryl and Cheryl are on their way to Buckingham Palace with a cartload of magic apples for the Queen. Except somewhere between St Albans and Biggleswade, they took a wrong turning so now they’re here - with an unruly compendium of three-dimensional games which suggest that beneath their lavender-scented, rose-tinted exteriors, something peculiar is going on…
Accompanied by a pedal-powered soundtrack of the sisters’ favourite power ballads, The Apple Cart is an anarchically joyful mash-up of contemporary (sub)culture and traditional tales; for families, people who like to laugh and people who'd like things to be a bit different.
The Apple Cart toured to fetes, festivals and other bizarre outdoor locations in 2014 and 2015, and was seen by over 5000 people. It tours on public transport and has pedal-powered sound from a bespoke set-up built for us by Electric Pedals.
DEVELOPED BY Al Barclay, Nyisha Bill-Eteson, Christopher Bone, Sarah Calver, Rachel Donovan, Dan Ford, Jon Foster, Benedict Hopper, Tomos James, Susan Momoko Hingley, Shireen Mula, Zoë Nicole, Emma Stirling, Georgina Sowerby, Sophie Steer, Nathan Whitfield, Frank Wurzinger & Eden Vik. 2015 TOUR PERFORMED BY Barra Collins, Clare Dunn, Shireen Mula & Delme Thomas | DIRECTED BY Dan Barnard & Rachel Briscoe | DESIGN Chris Gylee & Cécile Trémolières
The Apple Cart was developed in residence at the Dartington Space with the support of the Dartington Hall Trust, at Quarterhouse as part of The Shape of Things to Come and at Shoreditch Town Hall. The Apple Cart received the Participatory Performance Commission from Home Live Art and Applause; it was also supported by OVNV Labs, Wandsworth Arts and the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
“After programming The Apple Cart as part of Latitude, I was able to watch the performance several times over two days. The mixture of audience interaction and performance made for a great experience, and I thought the way in which each fragment or moment added up to a bigger narrative was highly engaging. The piece was accessible and enjoyable for all - from the young child adorning their rubber gloves to the mature parent swaying along to the singing. ”