The world premiere of AFTER THE RAIN, a specially commissioned production featuring globally acclaimed French circus collective Compagnie XY and a local ensemble of artists (spoken word, acrobatics, music, parkour) will be taking place on Sunday 27 and Monday 28 August in the Guildhall Square in Derry.
Inspired by the people and communities of the city in sustaining 25 years of peace-building since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, ‘After the Rain’ explores physical and spiritual resilience in the face of obstacles. This will be Compagnie XY’s first ever work produced on the island of Ireland and is one of only two new works produced by this 40-strong collective of acrobats. The other for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The production, two years in the making, included a visit by Compagnie XY to Derry in September 2022 where they delivered a surprise week-long series of pop-up performances across the city. Over five days, Les Voyages Derry-Londonderry interacted with thousands of city residents in their neighbourhood parks, shopping centres, pubs and local hairdressers before a moving reunion event in St. Columb’s Park.
Those acrobatic performances marked the beginning of a journey, getting to know the people of the city, building trust and collaborations; it involved the city’s citizens interacting with the troupe in a series of encounters during their everyday lives- being carried, lifted and falling into their arms – each interaction a unique and uplifting experience for those involved.
AFTER THE RAIN sees Compagnie XY, in collaboration with local artists, return to deliver a one-off performance inspired by the resilience of the people and the city like no other seen before.
An Imperial War Museum (IWM) 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund commission in partnership with Ulster Presents at Ulster University, it is co-produced by In Your Space Circus and delivered in association with Circusful and Institut Francais.