Into The West (2016)
About the show
She came from the land under the sea. A place where it is always summer, and no-one grows old. She came in the night, when the sea was calm and the breeze was soft. I heard her. I drifted out of sleep and heard the hooves, pounding up through the surf and onto the hard sand. They say a white horse is from the fairy folk, and a black horse brings death. I made the sign of the cross in the darkness and waited…..listened…
Beginning in the tower blocks on the outskirts of Dublin, where two Traveller children are living with their widowed father, the play tells the story of the magical white horse that appears in their lives, brought to them by their Grandpa who still travels the land and follows the old ways. And there begins a series of comical and heart-breaking adventures which culminate in a wild ride across Ireland to escape from the police and their troubled past.
The story was adapted from Jim Sheridan’s screenplay for the film Into the West (directed by Mike Newell and Produced by Jonathan Cavendish for Little Bird Productions) in 1992. In 1995 Travelling Light created a play which went on to tour many times throughout UK, Ireland and many other countries. The show enchanted audiences and gathered rave reviews wherever it performed, and helped to build the company’s reputation for creating exceptional work. Travelling Light then celebrated the 20th anniversary of the creation of the play by revisiting and remounting INTO THE WEST for a new generation of audiences.
Press
The sheer, hypnotic power of inspired storytelling Irish Echo (read the review in full here)
Deeply sensitive and highly imaginative New York Times (read the review in full here)
A show for the child inside each of us The Scotsman
I have never seen a play that touched me as deeply as this masterfully-staged tale Calgary Herald
Not just exceptional children's theatre, it is complex, moving and vivid theatre that creates a complete imaginative world of its own Lyn Gardner, The Guardian
Press from the most recent tour
Greg Banks, who with this piece set a very high bar and created a dynamic (and influential) vernacular for visual, physical and emotionally-charged work for younger audiences – indeed, the 'Bristol style' of family theatre is greatly in his debt. Bristol 24/7
Performers and audience are left moved and mesmerised. Children’s Theatre Reviews
Travelling Light brings us theatre at its most raw, most basic, most creative… Invention doesn’t get better than this. ***** Stage Talk
On the Relaxed Performance:
Travelling Light really excelled at their Relaxed Performance… the company and theatre managed the accessibility so well… Into the West itself was brilliant. Chopsy Baby
Age Range
Adults and children aged 7+
Theatresight videos
Watch our four films on the Into The West; its history, the rehearsal process and how we've remounted this exciting and much-loved show. Below is the first film and to watch the rest as well as exploring more extra materials on Into The West click here.
Into The West blog
Read Writer/Director Greg Banks blog on Into The West here.
Into The West - remounting a much loved show
A Theatresight film by Camilla Adams
Meet the cast
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Craig Edwards
Pa / Grandpa
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Adam J Carpenter
Finn
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Nina Logue
Ally
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Bing Lyle
Musician (until 15th May)
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Thomas Johnson
Musician (from 16th May)
The creative team
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Greg Banks
Director
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Thomas Johnson
Music Director
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Peter Milner
Set Designer
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Katie Sykes
Costume Designer
Resources
EDUCATION PACK: INTO THE WEST
DOWNLOAD PACK HERE
