The Tree Rings
Malvern Cube
Friday 3rd February at 7pm
Saturday 4th of February at 2:30pm
University of Worcester
Monday 6th February at 7pm
Off the back of a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and UK tour of The Endling, Malvern Cube’s resident theatre company Strange Futures Theatre returns with their new production The Tree Rings.
Matt Simmonds and William Moore are joined by a collection of emerging artists and community collaborators, directed by Jane George.
Trees hold stories, in more ways than one. They hold memories and myths. The rings within a tree’s trunk are also story archives of changes and events in our environment. What if they could tell you those stories? What if a tree could ring you? Strange Futures bring their unique brand of quirky humour and physical theatre, plus live music, animation, and stunning visuals, to tell the story of a boy’s relationship with a tree, decade by decade from the 1950s to the present day, combining a childlike delight for magic and myths, with insights into the growth of the environmental movement over the last 70 years.
In the development of The Tree Rings Strange Futures have worked closely with Animation and Drama Students from the University of Worcester, Students from New College Worcester for those who are blind or visually impaired, a weekly community writing group based at The Cube, and early career performers William Husbands, Eliza Thompson, Sophie Keeble and Alex Lake.
When asked about the show, Director Jane George said “The show is about actually trying to see the world around us. To notice. To care. It’s about tree huggers and tree protestors and extraordinary trees, and it’s about ordinary people who remember the tree they climbed as a child and it’s about how if all the trees in the world held their breath, well… we wouldn’t stand a chance, would we? We need trees.”
When asked about the company’s return to residency Matthew Simmonds said “We’ve had some great success over the last year, especially at Edinburgh, but we’re really looking forward to being back at The Cube!”
Tickets for both performances at Malvern Cube are available from https://www.malverncube.com/ticketed-events/ at a cost of between £3 – £5. Tickets for the University of Worcester performance can be found on https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-tree-rings-performance-by-strange-futures-tickets-509466216167