Pieminister pie
Bristol’s Tobacco Factory plays host to a brand new initiative to help bring new, top-notch writing to the city.
‘A Play, a Pie and a Pint’ has been going down a treat in Glasgow and this month heads to Bristol, for the very first time. Described by The Scotsman as “One of the most magical theatre initiatives of the last decade,” ‘A Play, a Pie and a Pint’ does exactly what is says on the tin: have a pie, sup a pint, watch a play. What’s not to like?
The Tobacco Factory trialled lunchtime theatre last autumn, when it presented a small-scale production of ‘Digits’, one of the winning plays of its Script Space new writing competition. Now it’s back – with two cracking new plays – ‘The Room in the Elephant’ and ‘Faith Fall’ – with lunch from two of Bristol’s best independent food and drink companies, Pieminister and Bristol Beer Factory, included in the ticket price.
‘The Room in the Elephant’, which runs from September 18-22, is written by Bristol writer Tom Wainwright. It is inspired by the story of Bristol artist Banksy scrawling “This Looks Like An Elephant” on a worthless water tank in LA, turning it into a priceless work of art. Those in the know rose in unison to salute the artist’s latest comment on homelessness – the metaphorical “elephant” in the room. An inevitable land grab subsequently followed and the water tank was taken away. But someone had been living there. For seventeen years. And in a cruelly ironic twist of fate this man was now homeless. Because of Banksy. Or so the story goes. The Room in the Elephant presents a tramp in tinseltown, a character in search of his own story. A compelling solo show part rap, part myth, part tribute to Dirty Dancing, it asks how much should the truth be allowed to spoil a good yarn?
‘Faith Fall’, which runs from October 23 – 27, is a play by Frances Poet. It explores the relationship between reporter Adam and his girlfriend Christina, who met at a faith healing. A taut and compelling story of guilt and deceit, Faith Fall explores what happens when you let the devil in.
Audience members are invited to the Tobacco Factory theatre foyer for lunch 45 minutes before curtain up, where there will be a choice of Pieminister pies, with a bottle of Beer Factory beer or a soft drink on the side. Audiences will then make their way down the road to the Brewery Theatre for the show, which will be about 45 minutes long.
Showings take place during lunchtimes and evenings with tickets starting at £8 – including a pie and a pint. More info at www.tobaccofactorytheatre.com
Judging by that picture, they're rather stingy with the gravy.