Trestle Theatre Company is a professional theatre company specialising in

mask A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practic ...

and

physical theatre Physical theatre is a genre of theatrical performance that encompasses storytelling primarily through physical movement. Although several performance theatre disciplines are often described as "physical theatre," the genre's characteristic aspe ...

. Currently based in a renovated chapel in the city of

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

in the county of

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

, England. The company creates its own masks, performances, workshops and training, sending the masks nationally and internationally.

History

Beginnings

Trestle Theatre Company was founded in 1981 by Sally Cook, Alan Riley and Toby Wilsher, three graduates from the BA Performance Arts course of

Middlesex Polytechnic Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated MDX) is a public research university in Hendon, northwest London, England. The name of the university is taken from its location within the historic county boundaries of ...

, and the support of John Wright, their course leader. Their initial plan was to tour the country with a pop-up trestle stage at markets and local fairs, following the blueprints of many internationally renowned ''

Commedia Dell'Arte (; ; ) was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is also known as , , and . Charact ...

'' groups (hence the name trestle). However, this mode of performance proved impractical, but the name stuck to symbolize the group's original ambitions. Joined later by Joff Chafer, the company continued to tour nationally, and eventually internationally, and develop its distinctive story telling style: combining mask, physical theatre and

puppetry Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets – inanimate objects, often resembling some type of human or animal figure, that are animated or manipulated by a human called a puppeteer. Such a perform ...

Touring

Trestle's strength came from its touring work; not just touring festivals and theatres nationally, but travelling internationally, visiting 17 countries in the first 10 years. Trestle's first few shows were produced in full helmet mask, most successful were the trilogy of shows looking at the trials of growing up: ''Crèche'', ''School Rules'' and nd'' ''Hanging Arou mr sally also went for a picnick and thought about another play (later all three were to be all included under the name ''Hanging Around'') and had several revivals, touring for 12 years after their initial production. Trestle's touring has continued beyond the early nineties, the majority of the shows visiting the width and breadth of the nation, and continuing their ambition to tour internationally, adding countries such as Uzbekistan, America, Canada, Ecuador and most recently touring an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's ''

The Snow Queen "The Snow Queen" ( da, Snedronningen) is an original fairy tale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It was first published 21 December 1844 in '' New Fairy Tales. First Volume. Second Collection'' (''Nye Eventyr. Første Bind. Anden Samli ...

'' around India.

Trestle Arts Base

In April 2002 the touring company set up home in the Hill End Hospital Chapel, a refurbished chapel of the old psychiatric hospital and one of 4 buildings designed suitable for continued use. In 2004 artistic director, and founding member, Toby Wilsher left Trestle Theatre to work as a freelance director and writer and Emily Gray was placed in the role. Since the new directorship, Trestle have continued to evolve their physical storytelling techniques past mask work in an effort to expand their repertoire and establish themselves within their new venue.
Between 2007 and 2009 Trestle collaborated with three international companies to share techniques: * ''Little India''; working with theatre company ''Little Jasmine Productions'' the residency culminated in a performance based on a story from the

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...

. The process concentrated on rhythm techniques,

Mudras A mudra (; sa, मुद्रा, , "seal", "mark", or "gesture"; ,) is a symbolic or ritual gesture or pose in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. While some mudras involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers. As wel ...

Vedic chant The oral tradition of the Vedas (Śruti) consists of several pathas, "recitations" or ways of chanting the Vedic mantras. Such traditions of Vedic chant are often considered the oldest unbroken oral tradition in existence, the fixation of the Vedi ...

s and the

Raga A ''raga'' or ''raag'' (; also ''raaga'' or ''ragam''; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. The ''rāga'' is a unique and central feature of the classical Indian music tradit ...

system of emotions and how they're used in performance. Work from this residency was later used as inspiration for the production ''The Snow Queen'', produced by '' The Unicorn Theatre''. * ''Lola: the life of Lola Montes''; Working with Spanish dance company ''Increpación Danza'' Trestle worked on flamenco skills to produce the show which fused theatre, dance and live music, telling the story of the infamous 19th century dancer,

Lola Montez Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, Countess of Landsfeld (17 February 1821 – 17 January 1861), better known by the stage name Lola Montez (), was an Irish dancer and actress who became famous as a Spanish dancer, courtesan, and mistress of King Ludwig ...

. Work and training with Increpación continued to produce a second show, an adaptation of

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

's ''Birthday of the Infanta'', in association with ''The Unicorn Theatre''. * ''The Glass Mountain''; working with Polish practitioners from companies such as ''Piesn Kozwa'' and ''Gardenizia'' to explore physical and vocal techniques, specifically the singing-storytelling technique: the technique of combining physicality, voice, text and song. This collaboration inspired the second production ''Moon Fool; ill met by moonlight.''

Partnerships

Trestle Theatre Company have worked in artistic partnership with several companies and organisations such as: *

York Theatre Royal York Theatre Royal is a theatre in St Leonard's Place, in York, England, which dates back to 1744. The theatre currently seats 750 people. Whilst the theatre is traditionally a proscenium theatre, it was reconfigured for a season in 2011 to offer ...

- York Theatre Royal is a grade II* listed building over 250 years old. Working mainly as a producing house in their two auditoriums, the York Theatre Royal also has a dedicated education and taking part department. Alongside Trestle Theatre Company they are working on a project called ''On Our Turf'', a project which brings theatre and the arts to smaller market towns across Yorkshire. * Small Nose Productions - Small Nose are a theatre company that work in clowning and mask work, producing shows (most recently in 2013 an adaptation of

Aesop's Fables Aesop's Fables, or the Aesopica, is a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a slave and storyteller believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 BCE. Of diverse origins, the stories associated with his name have descended to ...

) and supportive workshops. * VIDEOfeet - VIDEOfeet work with film, graphic design, illustration, sound design and web design. Based in St Albans they have collaborated with Trestle Theatre for work on their website and trailers for some of their previous productions.

Productions

Recent productions

* ''The Rachel Project''. Trestle teamed up with Small nose production to share the story of Mrs Rachel Lewy. Funded by Arts Council England and Lewisham Council. 2018-2020 *''Hertfordshire's Hidden Heroines''. Funded by the Heritage Lottery Communities Fund, 2016. *'' Yarico The Musical''. Developed by Carl Miller and directed by Emily Gray. Played at the London Theatre Workshop from February to March 2015. *''The Deadlies''. Directed by Emily Gray. March – May 2014, UK *''The Snow Queen''. Written by Anupama Chandreshekar, Directed by Rosamunde Hutt; Unicorn Theatre: 23 November 2011 - 8 January 2012. India Tour: August 2012. UK Tour: April–June 2013. * ''The Man With The Luggage''. Written by Lizzie Nunnery. UK Tour: 21 September - 10 December 2011 * ''The Birthday of the Infanta''. Written by

, adapted by Carl Miller . UK Tour: 2 March - 5 May 2011, and 22 December 2011 at Trestle Arts Base. * ''Moon Fool revamp Ill Met By Moonlight'' Based on ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'' by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, produced by ''Moon Fool''. Trestle Arts Base: 28 February-17 March 2011. * ''Burn My Heart''. In collaboration Blindeye, novel written by

Beverley Naidoo Beverley Naidoo is a South African author of children's books who lives in the UK. Her first three novels featured life in South Africa where she lived until her twenties. She has also written a biography of the trade unionist Neil Aggett. ''The ...

, adapted by Rina Vergano. UK tour: 21 September - 13 November 2010. * ''Twelve Fifteen'' Written by Anna Reynolds. Trestle Arts Base: 24–25 July 2010. * ''Moon Fool – Ill Met by Moonlight''. Based on ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' by William Shakespeare, produced by Trestle Theatre and created by Moon Fool. UK tour: 3 February - 17 April 2010. * '' The Glass Mountain (Szklana Góra)''. Written by Anna Reynolds. UK Tour: 24 September - 14 November 2009. * ''Lola: the life of Lola Montez''. Written by

Esther Richardson Esther Richardson (born 1974) is a British theatre director and script editor. She directed an adaptation of Stephen Poliakoff's ''Breaking the Silence'', and ''A Pair of Pinters.'' In 2016, she was appointed the artistic director of Pilot The ...

in collaboration with Emily Gray, Ricardo Garcia, Ramón Baeza and Montse Sánchez. UK tour: 17 September 2008 - 1 April 2009. New Town Theatre, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe: 9–30 August 2009. * ''Little India''. Written by Nina Patel and Anna Reynolds. UK tour: 27 September – 10 November 2007. * ''Beyond Midnight''. Written by Diane Samuels. 3 August - 25 November 2005. * ''The Smallest Person''. Written by Timothy Knapman. 4 August - 4 December 2004. * ''Tonight We Fly: The Story of Mark Chagall ''. Written by Darren Tunstall in collaboration with Toby Wilsher. UK tour: 14 August - 24 October 2003; January - April 2004. * ''The Adventures of the Stoneheads'' Written by Toby Wilsher. 28 June 2002 – 1 March 2003.

Significant earlier productions

* ''Crèche / School Rules / Hanging Around''. 8–22 October 1983. A series of humorous sketches produced in full helmet masks, looking at young people. From children in a playgroup to a group of unemployed punks. Together, these three could be considered almost as a triptych looking at the hardships of growing up. These three shows later went on to tour internationally over 10 years.

Services

Trestle Masks

In the early 1990s Trestle gained funding from the Lindbury Trust to produce a set of masks for distribution to encourage individuals and communities to engage with this new take on mask theatre.

Workshops and school work

Alongside the masks, Trestle also provides workshops in both mask and physical theatre, and can be booked for commercial business training and team building. With drama facilitators across the country Trestle aims to be able to bring workshops to schools and theatre companies; Trestle Theatre Company also runs INSET days at the Arts Base for teachers and facilitators to attend and engage their skills.

Facilities

Trestle Arts Base has the following facilities: * 125-seat theatre. * Mirrored dance studio space * Front of house meeting/rehearsal space * Cafe/Bar All spaces are fully accessible to any disabilities, and care is taken to accommodate to any needs. Regular community arts group at Trestle Arts Base include: * Trestle School of Drama: drama groups for all ages specialising in Trestle's very unique style https://www.trestle.org.uk/trestle-school-of-drama * Story Tent - Story telling that incorporates stories, song and arts & crafts for young children. * The Dance Studio - Providing dance training for young people aged 12 months to 18.

Outreach Projects

Trestle’
School of Drama
runs weekly drama sessions for ages 4-18, to help kids find their creative expression in a positive environment. Additionally, Trestle’s communit
Inclusive groups
run weekly Dance Now, Sing out, Act Up sessions that encourage engagement for participants with all abilities. All groups are funded by Neighbourly Charitable Trust, Herts Community Foundation and Councillor Dreda Gordon Locality Grant. Trestle also conduct
a wellbeing workshop (M-ask
using theatre techniques for young people in partnership with Dacorum Borough Council, MIND in Mid Herts and the Herts Community Foundation.