Cornish theatre company takes on Europe

From the archive, first published Friday 9th Mar 2007.

In only two years, a small theatre company from west Cornwall has made a big impact on the European show circuit, thanks to a large helping hand from UK Trade & Investment.

Bash Street Theatre Company managed to get an initial foothold in the European Festival scene at a trade fair in France in June 2005, thanks to UKTI support, and since then the bookings have been steadily growing. One of the recent shows visited by the company was the international Fira de Teatre in Tarrega, Spain, at which they won a prestigious street theatre award.

Company directors, JoJo Pickering and Simon Pullum, a former Packet reporter, will be collecting this 'Best Street Show' award at a special ceremony in Barcelona on March 19. The award - which includes a prize of 3,000 euros - is for the company's silent movie-style production 'Cliffhanger' an hour-long family show which features death-defying stunts and slapstick humour, performed to a live piano accompaniment).

"The nature of our business means that our potential customers often want to 'see' what they'll be getting before they commit," said JoJo.

"We wouldn't be working in Europe now if we hadn't had the financial support and business advice we've had from UKTI through its Passport scheme."

Mike Puzey, who has been working with Bash Street Theatre since 2005 said: "When the company first came to us, it was quite a challenge as we had never worked with this type of company before. However, just like any other company, Bash Street Theatre was looking to expand its business abroad by selling its unique 'product' and we're delighted our support and advice has proved so effective."