The Forest
2009 - 2012
Fevered Sleep’s thrilling dance performance for children age 5+
The Forest 2009 photo by Matthew Andrews
The Forest is the first piece in a series of projects for children that explore different kinds of landscape. It explores forests as places of transformation and change; places where you encounter things that are not quite what they seem; places where you become lost; where scale, distance and time are confused; and places where we encounter animals and light and darkness and weather.
Inspired by the forests we know from myth and fairytale, by the real forests that pepper the UK, and by the forests of our imaginations, it plays with light and sound and combines things from the natural world (conkers, pine cones, leaves, birdsong, people, trees) with a set made of metal, mirror and glass. It is the first dance-based piece Fevered Sleep has made for children, and is aimed at children aged 4 and over.
Strikingly visual and full of movement, light and sound, The Forest is an intelligent piece of contemporary dance theatre that combines skilful performance with a specially commissioned soundscape and inventive design.
The Forest 2009 photo by Matthew Andrews
The Forest treats its audience with respect and intelligence, recognising that small doesn’t have to mean small-minded or obvious. The show is like a beautiful object that is constantly assembled and reassembled by its playful cast.
★★★★
The Guardian
The Forest 2009 photo by Matthew Andrews
The Forest 2009 photo by Matthew Andrews
The Forest 2009 photo by Matthew Andrews
The Forest 2009 photo by Matthew Andrews
Exquisite…It’s like a dream of a night in a forest. There’s a grace to this show that captivated and moved me.
★★★★ The Times
Those who lament the overbearing presence of the high-tech in children’s lives will be enchanted by The Forest.
★★★★ The Evening Standard
A set that would be at home in Tate Modern.
★★★★ The Sunday Times
A beguiling show that draws on small children’s capacity to play.
★★★★ The Financial Times
The Forest 2009 photo by Matthew Andrews
Meet the Team
Choreography, Design, Direction:
David Harradine & Sam Butler
Company Stage Management: Beth Hoare-Barnes
Design, Production Management: Ali Beale
Lighting: Hansjörg Schmidt
Music: Jamie McCarthy
Performers: Mariana Camiloti, Petra Söör,
Robin Dingemans, Sachi Kimura
Technical Stage Management: Bethan Mair-Hughes,
Sam Evans
A Co-Production Between
Fevered Sleep, Fuel and The Young Vic