Programming

“An oasis of experimental theatre that brings exciting & challenging performance to Bridport” 

Audience member

As well as being a creation space we have tended to host a couple of performances a month from artists that are not on a jam-packed touring schedule around the country or region. Our aim is to programme contemporary theatre, experimental/new work, often near the start of its inception, and often not as part of a tour*. Unusually for a theatre we only programme between 1 – 3 performances per month, to work around the space being used for residencies and to work within our administrative capacity (we are staffed 1 day/week). 

Some of the artists we’ve had here include: the TransScripts team from NY, TiVO La Resistance, Trygve Wakenshaw, Hilary Chaplain, Anna-Helena McLean, Ridiculusmus, Clout, Spitz & Co, Mechanical Animal, Greyscale, Greg Wohead, Desperate Men, Smoking Apples, Outer Circle, Mr & Mrs Clark and many more. We aim to build a strong relationship with the artists and companies that visit, and like them to feel they have a creative home here. Many of these artists have returned or asked to return, which makes us and our audiences very happy! 

Click here to see a list of creatives who have performed here

So far since opening, we’ve welcomed the following artists (* and hosted in residency / ** and premiered) and their shows:

 

2011

  • La TiVo Resistance* (New York)
  • Slightly Fat Features*
  • Heron
  • Soap Soup Theatre in Little Red Riding Hood

 

2012

  • Bethany Jameson
  • Tribo de Pesada
  • Trifle Gathering in A Curious Evening of Trance & Rap
  • Prodigal Theatre in The Tragedian
  • The Churchfitters
  • The Amazing Mr Smith

 

2013

  • Full Beam Visual Theatre in My Baby Just Cares For Me*
  • Love the Lyric fundraiser
  • Can There be a Political Theatre? talk by Ronald Muldoon
  • ’Owdyado in Wrongdoings & Wake Up Calls at the Stop-off Motel
  • Norwich Puppet Theatre in The Tinderbox
  • Soap Soup Theatre in The Snow Baby

 

2014

  • The Magdalen Whitewash by Beaminster School students
  • Bridport FM Story Sharing
  • Electric Swing Circus
  • Charlie Bicknell in A Darker Night
  • Soap Soup Theatre in The Pixies Scarf (2017)
  • Spitz & Co in Gloriator* / **
  • Company of Angels in I Peaseblossom, I Caliban
  • Matt Harvey in Wondermentalist
  • Bethany Jameson in Rendezvous a Paris
  • The Hyper Gig fundraiser
  • Paul Lucas Productions’ Trans Scripts* / **
  • Saikat Ahamed in The Tiger & The Moustache
  • Heron
  • Multi Story Theatre in Almost Heaven
  • Frank Wurzinger in Goodbye Gunther + a clowning & physical theatre workshop
  • Greg Wohead in The Many Apologies of Pecos Bill (house)
  • O’Shea & O’Gaukroger in We’re Dead Serious. People Just Keep Laughing
  • Keith James in Time Let Me Play
  • The Wahoos and The Sometimes & Forever Band
  • Story Pocket Theatre in Arabian Nights

 

2015

  • Is a Political Revolution on the Cards? Lib Dem fundraiser
  • Musique a Trois in Soiree de Gala
  • The Devil’s Violin in The Forbidden Door
  • Smoking Apples & Little Cauliflower in CELL (house)
  • Noisy Oyster in Three Billy Pigs
  • Greyscale in Gods Are Fallen And All Safety Gone (house) with a writers and actors workshop with the director Selma Dimitrijevic
  • Weymouth College Acoustic Music Night
  • Niki McCretton in Wormhole plus physical theatre workshop
  • Trygve Wakenshaw* in Kraken and Nautilus** and Squidboy and His Best Of
  • Mechanical Animal in The Temptation of St Anthony * / ** (plus various workshops, open rehearsals and associated music performances)
  • Scriptwriting for Children’s Television masterclass by Kate Scott
  • An Evening of Flamenco Dance by Salud Botella
  • Ethnic Contemporary Classical Orchestra
  • Le Navet Bete in Extravaganza (with a Masterclass in Stupidity)
  • The Cabinet of Living Cinema in Theatre of the Wandering West
  • Soap Soup Theatre in The Owl & the Pussycat’s Treasury of Nonsense
  • BridLit Kids **
  • Trifle Gathering in The Alternative Office Christmas Do
  • Matthew Robins in The Matthew Robins Christmas Show: Flyboy is Alone Again This Christmas plus puppetry workshop

 

2016

  • Ridiculusmus in Give me Your Love *
  • Publick Transport in We Are Bronte
  • Buddug James Jones Collective in Hiraeth followed by a Twympath dance (house)
  • Babigloo’s Concert for Babies and music workshop *
  • Ellie Westbrook in Territories * / **
  • Noisy Oyster in Higgledy Piggledy Pie
  • Spitz & Co in Glorilla and comedy theatre masterclass
  • Pickled Image in Fireside Tales with Granddad
  • Weymouth College Music Students end of year show
  • Knuckle & Joint in Black Hoods Cabaret and masterclass in puppetry manipulation
  • Anna-Helena McLean workshop The Acting Voice in partnership residency with Bridport Arts Centre *
  • Hilary Chaplain in A Life in Her Day and masterclass in physical comedy *
  • O’Shea & O’Gaukroger in The Good Stuff
  • Trygve Wakenshaw in Squidboy and His Best Of
  • An Evening of Improvised Music From Around the World by various musicians, local and national
  • Ruth Mitchell in Homeward Bound and writing workshop using site and autobiography
  • SharkLegs in The Inevitable Heartbreak of Gavin Plimsole * / **
  • Acrobatic Adventures and Serious Mischief in Compact Cabaret
  • Pharmacy Collective in The Enchanted (pre-Edinburgh) * / **
  • Encounters – sharing of young people’s work (TCFT)
  • Smoking Apples in In Our Hands
  • Clout in Feast and masterclass in character development
  • The Pretend Men in Police Cops
  • Heron
  • Roisin & Chiara in Wild at Heart
  • Mumblecrust Theatre in The Tale of the Cockatrice * / **
  • Salud Botella in An Evening of Flamenco
  • Bridport Literary Festival children’s events

 

2017

  • The Cabinet of Living Cinema in The Kingdom of Paul Nash
  • Liz Hart in Mummy Monster
  • Michele O’Brien in Mothers & Daughters * / **
  • Greg Wohead in Celebration, Florida
  • Half a String in A Heart at Sea **
  • Soap Soup Theatre in The Pixies Scarf
  • Tunde Jegede in Emidy and a creative music workshop
  • An Evening of Improv from Around the World – music
  • Summer workshop programme
  • Scott Turnbull in Where Do All the Dead Pigeons Go?
  • O’Shea & O’Gaukroger in The Way I Look plus a workshop in Physical Theatre and Characters
  • Story Pocket Theatre in Storyteller, Storyteller (house)
  • Puppetstate in Leaf by Niggle (house)
  • Victoria Hole’s Charleston workshop
  • The Gatsby Gang et al in The Lyric Prohibition Party
  • Martin Maudsley, Charlie Fuge and Declan Donnelly in Meet the Christmas Creatures *

 

2018

  • Mumblecrust Theatre in The Tale of the Cockatrice and a puppetry workshop
  • Victoria Hole’s Charleston workshop
  • Noisy Oyster in The DaSilva Marionette Circus
  • The Pretend Men in Police Cops in Space
  • Roisin & Chiara in Folie a Deux
  • Victoria Hole’s Jive workshop
  • Shon Dale Jones in The Duke
  • 2Magpies in The Last Resort
  • Kieran Luxton and AUB graduates in He Taught Me *
  • Shapeshifter Productions in Resonance
  • Edinburgh Comedy Previews
  • Dreadnought SW in The Cause and Writing a Rebellious Sound workshop *
  • Noisy Oyster in Dangerous Dave
  • An industry introduction to books and TV led by writer Kate Scott for 14-18s
  • Frank Wurzinger in Me! Me! Me! Plus a two day clowning masterclass on play and presence *
  • An Evening of Clowning double bill, by Chloe Mantripp & Sven Hopla
  • Sharing Memories Safely, masterclass by Richard Crowe
  • Richard Crowe in Over the Wall Picking Apples * / **
  • Mr & Mrs Clark in E.A.R. + a masterclass on how to start the devising process *
  • Jack Britton in I Used to Hear Footsteps (house)
  • BridLit Kids: 2 authors present their books
  • BridLit Fringe – 3 events
  • Laughs at the Lyric begins Nov 2018
  • Hersong – a celebration of women’s spoken and sung voices – fundraiser *
  • The Arranz Ensemble in Steamboat Bill
  • The Matthew Robins Christmas Show + shadow puppet workshop *
  • Tori Reed album launch and fundraiser for the Lyric **
  • Can-can workshop by Vic Hole

 

2019

  • Story Café – Dominic Kelly in The Big Blind (first Story Café at the Lyric)
  • Triple Bill of work by AUB graduates
  • Laughs at the Lyric continues monthly
  • Ellie Westbrook in Big Berg
  • Scratch & Spit starts Feb 2019 then bi-monthly – Spillage by Stewart Taylor
  • Outer Circle Show, plus hula hoop and juggling workshop * / ** (Germany)
  • Story Café: In the Deep Heart’s Core
  • Christian Russell-Pollack in Utopia: Under Construction
  • Aftermirth daytime comedy club for parents
  • Scratch & Spit: One Foot in the Rave
  • Trifle Gathering in N:Dless
  • Story Café: The Green Road
  • Ged Stephenson & Leela Bunce in The Library of Lost Memories
  • Edinburgh Comedy Previews
  • Scratch & Spit: My Cloth Eared Heart
  • Bryony Moores O’Sullivan in She Speaks
  • Richard James’ South West Coast Laugh
  • Pest Productions in Theresa May’s Farewell Tour drag night
  • Story Café: Into the Marvellous
  • Summer Puppet Making Workshops
  • Scratch & Spit: Panda-monium
  • Matthew Robins & Hester Goodman in Requiem for the Hatters
  • Desperate Men in a street theatre masterclass and A Double Bill of Desperateness*
  • Tom Glover in A Glover Not a Fighter
  • Natalie Reckert & Mark Morreau in Natalie Inside Out
  • Circo Ridiculoso in Frankenstein for Kids
  • Story Café: Branwen
  • Scratch & Spit: Door to Door Poetry
  • Mumblecrust Theatre in The Time Machine
  • NOS Three in Blooming Out, Friendly Ever After and a clowning masterclass *
  • Story Café: Winter Fest
  • Half a String in Under the Frozen Moon

 

2020

  • People’s Puppet Project R&D *
  • Matthew Robins in NICE
  • Chasing Cow launch **
  • Scratch (no Spit) – full length scratch only night
  • Charlie Bicknell in The Latest Show
  • Michele O’Brien in The Ark and Dove
  • Tunde Jegede, Sunara Begum & Yumino Seki in Who Am I
  • Scratch & Spit: Dry Season by Kat Lyons
  • The Thelmas in Ladykiller (with house)
  • The Rat Affair in RAT
  • Magdalena and the Mystical Birds, live streamed album launch *

We have a core loyal audience for work presented at The Lyric. We are proud to invite audiences to see the work we programme with them in mind, and for them to come and be part of the development process for artists, to watch a work in progress performance and give their feedback which may help inform your work. Audiences always enjoy a post-show Q&A and often stay behind after a show to discuss the work they’ve just seen. There is a strong depth of engagement with artists and their work among our audiences.

We encourage visiting professionals to hold masterclasses and workshops in writing, puppetry, acting, clowning, physical theatre and many other aspects of working with the stage. These are open to anyone who would like to have a go, alongside a mix of those who are working in the arts or are amateur or semi-professional. They are great sessions and always welcoming of new faces, and every participant so far has really enjoyed the experience of being part of one of these.

Ticket prices tend to be fixed at £12 for shows, and masterclasses vary on their length and therefore price; most often they have been 3 hours, with a ticket price of £20, for between 10 – 20 participants depending on the nature of the masterclass and at the artist’s discretion. As the Lyric is a completely unfunded organisation we work in partnership with all artists that come here, and work on box office splits.

We can send you the hire rates and ask that if you are in receipt of funding or applying for funds, that you include a portion for your residency hire. We can offset the remainder as in kind support.

The Lyric is not kitted out like some state of the art theatres, but what our theatre has in spades is character, an exceptional acoustic, some very reasonable kit and flexibility to adapt technically complex shows. Please ask us for our venue spec for full details. Ideally we would like you to be technically self-contained as we do not have an in house technician, however do speak to us if your show cannot do without technical assistance as we have willing volunteers and some freelance technicians we can link you up with, depending on the complexity of your requirements.

*A note on music programming
We are regularly approached by music promoters and musicians looking to either programme a gig or a regular music night here. As a rule we don’t programme music. Why not? Simply – because our focus is firmly on theatre and physical performance. There are a number of venues programming music in town and nearby, but very few in the wider region programming high quality/experimental theatre or offering a dedicated creation space. We are therefore predominantly interested in working with artists who create devised theatre and in puppetry, physical theatre, visual performance, circus and innovative children’s theatre. We aren’t ruling out music altogether – we do sometimes programme events with music, but it has usually been a one-off ‘curated’ event which won’t be replicated elsewhere, or as part of a multi-artform event such as storytelling or with live animated projections. 

“The Lyric…provides a tucked-away…creatively free space for small theatre companies to experiment with new works…and to ‘try them out’ on Bridport’s open, receptive, but critically astute audience. And then, off they go to Edinburgh festival or wherever, taking a little bit of the Lyric with them into the world.”

Audience Member

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