Presented by The Lowry + Word of Warning as a WTF Wednesday

In Brief

An inspiring solo for all those who got picked last, but know there’s more to give.

Venue + Booking Details

Date: Wednesday 2 October 2019, 8pm
Venue: The Lowry (Aldridge Studio), Pier 8, Salford Quays, M50 3AZ
Tickets: reserve online, then Pay What You Decide (suggested donation £5) by cash or card after the show.
Box Office Tel: 0161 876 2000 (The Lowry)

Access Information

Age Advisory: 12+ (parental/guardian discretion).
Warning: includes mild swearing; for specific content warnings please click here.
Duration: approximately 1 hour (no interval).
Features: spoken English, with more tbc.
Specific age + access info: please get in touch with us by emailing info@habmcr.org or call 0161 232 6086 during weekday office hours.

More

Featuring running, hurdling, jumping, throwing… a tetra-decathlon is 14 kinds of daft.

Having never been for a jog around the park or even set foot on an athletics track, Lauren signed up to the World Ultra Multievent Championships — committing to learn fourteen track and field disciplines from scratch, and then compete in just 600 days.
As she runs, jumps, and throws herself into a world of serious amateurs and comedic coaches, Lauren discovers that winning is not simply about crossing the line first.

Charting her journey from couch to competition, Tetra-Decathlon questions the psychology of sport and what drives us to compete… A joyous exploration of coming last, and then coming back for more.

Q&A

Following a short break after the show, audience members are invited to ask questions about the work and Lauren’s experiences of training + competing in the tetra-decathlon.

Who are they?

Lauren Hendry set up The Production Shed in 2013 to grow contemporary circus across the UK by working with companies making great work on a small scale. Previously she trained at the National Centre For Circus Arts and set up So & So Circus Theatre, with whom she created and toured shows for six years.

Director Jenna Watt returns to WoW following 2013’s Flâneurs.

What people have said about Tetra-Decathlon

…a lovely, affecting piece on what it means to take on a seemingly outlandish task, to try, to fail, to try again.
Fest Mag
…Hendry’s simply structured but impressively sweaty 60 minutes asks some piercing questions about failure and success, amateur and professionals, being a hero and being a fool and why we keep going against all the odds. It may not leave you as breathless as its protagonist, but it does keep you gripped.
Lyn Gardner, The Independent

Credits

Writer + Performer: Lauren Hendry | Director: Jenna Watt | Designer: Claire Halleran | Composer: Scott Twynholm | Movement Director: Ema Jayne Park
Co-produced by Showroom in association with Macrobert Arts Centre. | Supported by Festival 2018 (the cultural programme of the Glasgow 2018 European Championships) and by Creative Scotland, Tron Theatre, The Work Room + Tom McGrath Trust.
Image: Mihaela Bodlovic

Websites

tetradecathlon.com | theproductionshed.com | @tetradecathlon | @thejennawatt