After Hours at the Polestar Club – UK pilot tour, spring/summer 2013

There’s a place where the physics of the auroral current meets the twists and turns of memory. It’s called the Polestar Club. Drop in and join us for the strange tale of a girl in space, life in the magnetosphere and the attractions of northbound travel.

Inspired by a field trip to the Arctic, writer Christine Watkins weaves myth and fact to tell stories that lead us on a cosmic journey through the magnetosphere, an intriguing heavenly phenomena that is essential to Earth’s survival in the universe. The performance includes original songs written and performed by musician Sianed Jones and live performance drawing by visual artist Maria Hayes.

After rehearsal and a preview performance hosted at Aberystwyth University the initial performance dates were:
Wed 12 June Aberystwyth Arts Centre www.aberystwythartscentre.co.uk
Thurs 15 August Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff www.chapter.org
Sat/Sun 17/18 August Green Man Festival, Brecon Beacons, Wales www.greenman.net

After Hours at the Polestar Club is a collaboration between Honeysuckle Direction and the Centre for Performance Research.
We acknowledge the generous support of the Science & Technology Facilities Council.
We are grateful for the support of Aberystwyth University’s Dr. Youra Taroyan, Institute of Mathematics and Physics, and Dr Jamie Medhurst, Head of the Department of Theatre, Film and TV Studies.

Christine Watkins has written for Welsh National Opera, Foursight Theatre, the British Film Institute, Feelgood Productions, Made in Wales, Pentabus and many others. She also writes and performs work with her company, Honeysuckle Direction, exploring the linked pathways of art and science. www.honeysuckledirection.org

Sianed Jones has worked as a composer/ performer/ collaborator with a vast array of artists from different disciplines, including recently The Royal Shakespeare Company. Her vocal research has taken her to Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgistan. www.sianedjones.co.uk

Maria Hayes is an artist and illustrator based in Blaenau Ffestiniog. She recently completed a PhD at Aberystwyth University exploring how to draw movement using both traditional and digital methods. Her work is held in private and public collections nationally and internationally. She also delivers workshops, courses and training in schools, galleries and Higher Education Institutions across the UK. www.mariahayes.info

The Science & Technology Facilities Council is one of Europe’s largest multi-disciplinary research organisations whose goal is to deliver World Class Research, Innovation and Skills for the benefit of the United Kingdom and its people – and for the world more broadly. www.stfc.ac.uk