The Phoenix

A small scale walkabout performance created by Helen Anthony with Andrew Purvin, The Phoenix is a beautiful and musical bird structure built around the performer’s wheelchair. The bird enchants onlookers, offering jewelled eggs to children and charred roses to adults.

We hope to develop a larger scale version of this performance for 2010 and are looking for promoters who are interested in working with us as commissioning partners, using performances in 2009 to build a relationship betweeen The Phoenix and your event or location.

Heavens Above: An Astronomical Mobile

Originally commissioned for both Oxford and Middlesbrough’s Winter Light Festivals, Heavens Above: An astronomical mobile is Walk the Plank’s most recent mid-scale creation. Images of the sun, moon, globe and stars combine to create an astronomical delight as they are lifted above the audience and accompanied by music and fire effects. This mobile structure is a beautiful and mesmerising display, perfect for animating City Centres by day or at night.

The scale and length of this show can be further defined by optional pyrotechnic and processional elements, please contact us to discuss your requirements.

The Emperor and the Tiger

The Emperor and the Tiger, a firework folk story created in collaboration with Kinetika, features a magnificent mechanical tiger, colourful carnival dancers, and fabulous firework effects. The greedy Emperor wants his taxes, and the people must pay. An original soundtrack with spoken narrative, and magical special effects animate the tale of the Emperor, and the Wise Man who persuades him to change his ways with a little help from the Tiger, before a firework finale lights up the skies.

Large-scale outdoor theatre designed for up to 20,000 people, the show was originally commissioned by London Borough of Tower Hamlets. A daytime processional version of the show is available, with an associated programme of carnival dance workshops to create carnival sections that support the Emperor, and the Tiger, each of which has its own battery PA. Contact Kinetika for more details of the daytime show.

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Gulliver’s Boom Box

An impressive, giant mobile Ghetto Blaster acts as a music system and performance stage for this high energy street dance show. A collaboration between Walk the Plank and Company Fierce Dance Theatre, with support from Jonzi D, the show is engaging, theatrical, and delights everyone who sees it. The Boom Box is a time tardis which houses dancers who burst out of the speakers, or rise up on hydraulic platforms, demonstrating the highest level of choreographic artistry to illustrate the decades: from the soul filled 70’s through the 80’s era and the birth of rap music to the present day. Company Fierce can work with a group of local young people to enable them to perform within the Youth FM section of the show.

The show was originally commissioned by X.trax and the Without Walls Street Arts Consortium.

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Le Jardin Flambée

An enchanting garden of fire, flames and special effects, tended to by pyro gardeners. Watch as the plants, flowers and trees are brought to life with the gardeners’ magical watering cans. Originally commissioned for Heat the Streets in Blackpool, part of the Showzam Festival.

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Art Car Parades

In 2007 Walk the Plank created the UK’s first ever Art Car Parades, bringing an American concept to the streets of Britain and allowing British artists to re-imagine the car…with an emphasis on sustainable energy sources. The first Art Car Parade took place in Manchester, and included a musical milk float, a pedal powered Lamborghini, a mosaic adorned Tiki Love Truck and an electric car made out of recycled furniture.

The vehicles were then transformed with light, fire & special effects as they visited Blackpool’s famous Illuminations, part of the Festival of Light, and several new commissions were unveiled including Gladys, the green goddess fire engine, Halibutmobile, and a dragon car, created by young people working with artist Shane Johnstone and the Illuminations engineers.

On New Year’s Eve 07 the Art Cars travelled north to take part in the Glowmobiles Parade, part of the NewcastleGateshead Winter Festival

Most of the vehicles are owned by the artists and are available to make appearances at events and festivals: to date they have been seen at the Henley Festival, Preston’s No Car day, the Big Chill and FEAST festivals..

Further Art Car Parades are due to take place in 2008 and 2009. For more information visit our dedicated Art Car Parade website www.artcarparade.co.uk.

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In the Dhol Drums

A processional music show, inspired by the north Indian dhol drum, created by the Dhol Academy and Walk the Plank. A giant, mobile dhol drum (3m x 5m) is processed through the street, flanked by drummers and 2 stilted characters that interact with the audience. On arrival the drum is confronted by an assembly of motionless, silent drummers …after a call and response between drum and drummers outside, it bursts open to reveal more drummers inside. The drum becomes a three tiered stage on which the percussive finale is performed, accompanied by pyrotechnics and pre-recorded music.

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Dhol Drums in the Dark

A larger scale nightime version with a soundtrack by composer Kuljit Bhamra, featuring his bhangra version of the Bee Gees ‘Staying Alive’, is also available to create a fantastic finale for a mela or festival.

The Tower of Light & The Tower of Fire

Three Lighthouse Keepers bring the 15m tower to life, lifting buckets of fire as pyrotechnic effects erupt from every level. As they dance a hornpipe in the silver rain, a spectacular firework finale lifts off.

Designed for land or water – stadium, town square, park, dock or harbour For 5000-15,000 people, depending on the site. Duration 25 minutes. Originally commissioned by the Tate, Liverpool, the show has toured to 25 festivals including international events in Singapore, Portugal and Canada.

A new Tower of Fire show has also been developed in 2008, which had its debut at Blackpool’s Heat the Streets Festival.

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Lantern Processions

We create lantern processions as part of wider community celebrations, or as part of an event. We can facilitate workshops with school and community groups: for participants, the experience of making and carrying a lantern as part of a procession can be wonderful, and for spectators it can look magical and offer a powerful symbol of unity for the wider community.