Blood Show

Ocean Hester Stefan Chillingworth

12 - 23 Nov

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Information

Time: 8pm, 8:30pm

Tickets: Pay What You Can (Recommended Price £12)*

*all orders will be subject to a transaction fee of £2.

Running Time: 60 mins (no interval)

Age Recommendation: 14+

Seating for this event is unreserved, however a note for those who sit in close proximity to the performance, please be advised that there is risk of potential splashes of fake blood (machine washable). There will be plastic ponchos made available on entry for audiences who wish to protect their clothing.

This event takes place in person in our Members Bar

Commissioned by Battersea Arts Centre, Chapter Arts Centre and Colchester Arts Centre.

In a room somewhere, two people are locked in an endless gory fight.

In a cyclical feat of endurance and precision, Blood Show is a raw, euphoric choreography between 3 figures and 75 litres of fake blood. A call to action to put what’s inside on the outside and defend against a violent gaze, Blood Show questions rebirth and how we all carry our ghosts with us.

Blood Show is part of artist Ocean Hester Stefan Chillingworth’s The Extinction Trilogy. Three works (Monster Show, Blood Show and Nature Show) present a slow experiment in masking performers and trying to delete humans from the stage, in order to make us think more about our curiosity into what people ‘really’ look like.

‘Powerfully and unashamedly clever’ WhatsOnStage

‘Smart, brave and rebellious’ Exeunt

‘Super smart, I couldn’t take my eyes off it’ Culture Wars

Reviews for previous work

Credits

Blood Show is commissioned by Battersea Arts Centre, Chapter Arts Centre and Colchester Arts Centre. Additional support from South House. Originally commissioned by Cambridge Junction (Stobbs New Ideas Fund) and Old Diorama Arts Centre. With support from LIFT and Arts Council England.

Created and performed by Ocean Hester Stefan Chillingworth, with Craig Hambling and Tim Bromage
Fight Direction: Craig Hambling
Music Composition and Arrangements: Tim Bromage
Design: Naomi Kuyck-Cohen and Joshua Gadsby
Producer & Production Management: Laura Betty Haynes
Stage Manager & Production Management: Weronika Dwornik
Assistant Stage Manager: Derek Penny
Production Support: Bertie Hodd
Blood development: Bloody Stuff Ltd
Additional Costume Fabrication: Carmen Hanna
Make-up Consultant: House of Bendy
Sound Design Support: AJ Turner and Nik Rawlings
Voice Support: Andrea Lewis
Dramaturgy Support: Gemma Paintin

Original songs ‘Devil of Wythville‘ & ‘Richmond Park‘ copyright Tim Bromage 2019

With thanks to Karen Christopher and CJ Mitchell (South House), and Helen Mugridge. Special thanks to Ann Duff (without whom.).

Biographies

Ocean Hester Stefan Chillingworth

Ocean Hester Stefan Chillingworth (they/them) is a trans, non-binary, Queer artist whose works runs across performance, installations, texts and film. The things they make often play with language, duration, mischief and confusion. Their practice is one of inbetweenness and overlap which celebrates liveness and slippage. They are interested in the grey areas in life, and their work is committed to undoing things which claim to be fixed.

They have been a Fellow of The Birkbeck Centre for Contemporary Theatre. Previously they were Thinker-in-Residence at the Live Art Development Agency, Jerwood New Playwright at The Royal Court Theatre, Creative Producer (Participation) for Forced Entertainment, Lecturer in Drama and Contemporary Performance at Manchester Metropolitan University, and from 2008-18 they were Artistic Director of GETINTHEBACKOFTHEVAN performance company.

Monster Show (The Extinction Trilogy, Part 1) is also currently touring.

Kelechi Anucha

Kelechi Anucha is a Lecturer in Literature and Environmental Justice at Manchester University. Her doctoral project explored narratives of death and dying as part of the Wellcome-funded Waiting Times project. She is co-lead of the Black Health and Humanities network and a member of the Mad Feeling Collective, an interdisciplinary research collective looking at explorations of madness on TV.

Access

PRE EVENT INFORMATION

This event takes place in person in our Members Bar. This space is on the first floor, with step-free access via a lift.

If you have booked a ticket you will receive an email from us before your performance detailing important information about your visit.

PERSONAL ASSISTANT/COMPANION TICKETS

If you require the assistance of a friend or helper to attend, we can make a free ticket available for your companion. You can book access companion tickets online or contact the Box Office to book by emailing access@bac.org.uk.

To book a free access companion online:

log in to your account here
go to ‘Other preferences’ and tick ‘I require a personal assistant/companion’.
Choose the performance, date and seats you would like and if you add at least 2 tickets to your basket, then one of these will automatically become free.

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Audio Described Performance: Friday 22 November. Audio described by Dot Alma.

Content

Simulated violence
Fake blood

Pre-Show Information

Blood Show – Audio Described Introduction

Blood Show – Audio Described Introduction – Text version (Doc)

Blood Show – Audio Described Introduction – Text Version (PDF)

All performances will be Relaxed. We invite you to make yourself comfortable and move around if you need to and if you need to leave the performance at any point you will be allowed to return to the space when you feel ready.

VISIT OUR ACCESS PAGE

Gallery

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We want our shows to be as accessible to as many people as possible.

We offer tickets to most shows on a Pay What You Can basis throughout the year.

Tickets for performances in 2025 start at £9.50, and we have recommended pricing to help you choose a price that works for you.

We know that ticket price is a huge barrier for some. If you can afford to pay the recommended price or more, choosing to do so supports those that can’t. It makes it possible for us to continue to offer Pay What You Can and welcome those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend.