Desmond's Rural Touring Story

Back in July 2016, through Night Out rural touring scheme in Wales, Neuadd Dyfi hosted circus theatre company Circo Rum Ba Ba and their show “L’Hotel”. Here, promoter Desmond George explains the circumstances that led to booking the show along with some fantastic images from the day…

(All Images in this post are taken by Keith Morris, provided by Night Out)

Promoter Des George with Circo Rum Ba Ba

We had a delightful evening with L’Hotel in the Neuadd Dyfi this July. A super Audience of all ages locals and holiday makers but that isn’t the story. The story is about how they came to entertain us…

In spring 2015 I was invited by ACW Night Out scheme to attend the NRTF conference in Norfolk, thoroughly good fun and an eye-opener to what was out there. So much to see and sample and easy to miss something . I was just going to get afternoon tea and Stickies’ when Peter Gregory prodded me (metaphorically) have a look at L’Hotel. Foregoing a cream doughnut I joined a small but spirited audience outside and in a 15 minute showcase a seed was sown.

Time rolls on…spring 2016 looking for a midsummer show…the notion of L’Hotel surfaced, emails back and forth possible dates agreed. Then the question what size are your stage doors? What size is the apparatus that forms L’Hotel? Emails back and forth, confusion over centimetres, millimetres, inches, meters, what are you measuring? There seemed to be a tenth of a millimetre between a positive and negative outcome that it would work or not. To avoid any doubt I cut a rod the exact size of our stage door and popped it in the post 48inches and 6mm long…conclusion…it won’t work.

Circo Rum Ba Ba on stage with the set that almost didn’t fit in the venue

Two weeks later, mulling my disappointment with a colleague, the question why not bring it in this way was posed. What way? This way. Through the garden, through double doors, up a flight of steps, through double doors 2, across our studio, through double doors 3, across the corridor, through double doors 4 and onto the stage. Out with the measuring stick and conclusion yes it will work. More emails back and forth and booking made!

On the day, a team to provide the muscle, a simple block and tackle, scaffolding boards, poles, and an operation similar to the Earls Court Military tattoo gun carriage all went like clockwork.