Sealskin

are making their third visit to the

and this time they´re travelling from the UK by land.  As Gill Nathanson, co-director of the company explains:  “we´ve enjoyed the excitement of flying into Ruzyne but always have wondered what lies below the clouds.  This year we´re going to find out.”  multi story are used to travelling – not only all around the UK with shows for both children and adult audiences but also to Canada, the USA, South America and other European destinations.

A brother and sister have conflicting memories of their childhood.  Their mother told them a particular story – Sealskin – and told it often, this much they agree.  But why she told it, what it meant, and why the story still reverberates so much later in their lives – these are questions to be negotiated with care.  Their father´s death prompts them to re-tell their mother´s version of the traditional Sealskin tale in a quest to understand.  The play unfolds through a series of conversations, e-mails, bursts of dynamic story-telling, songs, images and sounds as brother and sister strain towards a resolution.  

“Sealskin draws us into a dream-like tale of blue moon nights and underwater adventure and contrasts this with the problems of communication in the 21st century. The juxtaposition of these two worlds is intricately balanced and, combined with superb acting, is a highly captivating experience.”  Behind The Fringe, 2009

multi story are hugely excited to be part of Prague Fringe Festival again.  Previous productions – Cassandra and Backward Glance  – won plaudits from the critics but it´s the Festival buzz that so excites them.  “We love this Festival”, explains Gill, “the energy, the extraordinary mix of shows on offer.  We always see as much as we can – it feeds us – and the organisers have kindly staggered our performance times so that we can catch every show.  We were inspired to set-up multi story by the Canadian Fringes and it´s great to find the same buzz in Prague.”

Sealskin plays A Studio Rubín throughout the length of the Festival.  Times vary.

Bill and Gill had worked together as members of Orchard Theatre Company from 1989 to 2000 – Bill as Artistic Director, Gill as Education Officer and as an actor.  Previous to that Bill both acted and directed for The Royal Shakespeare Company and Gill worked with a number of leading UK Theatre-in-Education companies.

In 1998 and 99 Bill and Gill toured to Fringe Festivals in Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Edmonton.  The experience of the Canadian Fringe circuit reminded them why they had become actors in the first place – the profound satisfaction of presenting a piece that you care passionately about to people who want to be engaged.  Somehow this straightforward ambition had got buried beneath the welter of funding applications and policy directives associated with running a subsidised theatre company.  

So Bill and Gill created multi story in order to re-find their joy in theatre-making.  

As the name implies, the company is centrally concerned with the enduring power of story – and with finding simple and direct ways of telling stories with a minimum of paraphernalia that, hopefully, fires the imaginations of audiences both young and old.

multi story play to a wide variety of people in a wide variety of circumstances.  They currently perform ten different plays for younger audiences and their families and eight plays for student and adult audiences.  Their work is often based on traditional tales or myths which are reworked into something quite original.

multi story have also built strong relationships with theatres and arts centres, rural touring associations and schools and colleges  across the UK.  multi story particularly enjoy presenting their work in festivals where they have the chance to revel in other peoples´ creativity.

multi story have been regular visitors to Canada and have twice toured countries in South America.  They have recently performed in Norway and Portugal and will be returning to the Prague Fringe Festival for the third time.  They find themselves in the happy position of being able to strengthen existing relationships whilst at the same time being free to respond to new possibilities as they emerge.