Poster designed by Ken Spathaky advertising Ra-Ra Zoo performing The Gravity Swingat the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, 1992
Poster
1992 (made)
1992 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Ra-Ra Zoo was an influential British new circus company founded by Sue Broadway, Stephen Kent, David Spathaky and Sue Bradley who met in August 1984 when performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Sue Bradley was one of the founding members of Circus Oz.
With a combination of 1980s' alternative comedy, street performance and circus skills, and influenced by the agitprop and political theatre of the late 1960s and '70s, they first appeared in London's East End at Malcolm Hardee's infamous Tunnel Club in London's Blackwall, and did their first full-length show Juggling With A Social Conscience in January 1985 at Battersea Arts Centre, as part of the London Mime Festival.
They went for the next ten years, touring successfully abroad and playing several seasons at the Hackney Empire after its reopening in 1986.
Combining a Mondrian-style grid with a beckoning white-faced clown in a suit, a romantic 19th-century swinging white-faced cross-dressed lady, anatomical torso and coin-tossing magician's hand, Dave Spathaky's intriguing poster superbly reflects the surreal and fast-paced entertainment Ra-Ra Zoo's audiences could expect.
With a combination of 1980s' alternative comedy, street performance and circus skills, and influenced by the agitprop and political theatre of the late 1960s and '70s, they first appeared in London's East End at Malcolm Hardee's infamous Tunnel Club in London's Blackwall, and did their first full-length show Juggling With A Social Conscience in January 1985 at Battersea Arts Centre, as part of the London Mime Festival.
They went for the next ten years, touring successfully abroad and playing several seasons at the Hackney Empire after its reopening in 1986.
Combining a Mondrian-style grid with a beckoning white-faced clown in a suit, a romantic 19th-century swinging white-faced cross-dressed lady, anatomical torso and coin-tossing magician's hand, Dave Spathaky's intriguing poster superbly reflects the surreal and fast-paced entertainment Ra-Ra Zoo's audiences could expect.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Poster designed by Ken Spathaky advertising Ra-Ra Zoo performing <i>The Gravity Swing</i>at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, 1992 (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Printed ink on paper |
| Brief description | Poster designed by Dave Spathaky advertising Ra-Ra Zoo performing The Gravity Swing at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, 1992 |
| Physical description | Photographic, pictorial and typographic. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | Associated Production: Ra Ra Zoo, The Gravity Swing. Company: Ra Ra Zoo. Crucible Theatre, Sheffield. 14.5.1992. Performance category: circus theatre. Designer: Spathaky, Dave |
| Summary | Ra-Ra Zoo was an influential British new circus company founded by Sue Broadway, Stephen Kent, David Spathaky and Sue Bradley who met in August 1984 when performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Sue Bradley was one of the founding members of Circus Oz. With a combination of 1980s' alternative comedy, street performance and circus skills, and influenced by the agitprop and political theatre of the late 1960s and '70s, they first appeared in London's East End at Malcolm Hardee's infamous Tunnel Club in London's Blackwall, and did their first full-length show Juggling With A Social Conscience in January 1985 at Battersea Arts Centre, as part of the London Mime Festival. They went for the next ten years, touring successfully abroad and playing several seasons at the Hackney Empire after its reopening in 1986. Combining a Mondrian-style grid with a beckoning white-faced clown in a suit, a romantic 19th-century swinging white-faced cross-dressed lady, anatomical torso and coin-tossing magician's hand, Dave Spathaky's intriguing poster superbly reflects the surreal and fast-paced entertainment Ra-Ra Zoo's audiences could expect. |
| Associated objects |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.2547-1995 |
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| Record created | July 30, 2010 |
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