Performance
At The Arts Institute
From cutting-edge theatre productions to inspiring contemporary dance performances, The House is host to a variety of acclaimed choreographers and multi-award winning shows open to the public, all year round. This state-of-the-art performing arts centre is located on the University of Plymouth campus, in the city's central quarter, adjacent to the The Box and The Levinsky Gallery.
The Arts Institute is committed to delivering a diverse programme of contemporary performance. Previously featured companies include Askash Odedra Company, Vincent Dance Theatre and National Youth Dance Company; as well as works devised by renowned choreographers including Didy Veldman, Stuart Waters and Hagit Yakira.
Highlights from the archive
The Kaspar Hauser Experiment
5 October 2022 | The House
In 1828 a strange boy appeared in a town square in Nuremberg holding a note claiming to have been held in a darkened room for 17 years. But who was he really? Conman? Orphan? Or an abducted prince caught in the middle of a political game?
We invited you to the court of Nuremberg to witness key testimonies from those who knew him best, you heard the conspiracies and rumours that surrounded him, and watched Kaspar try to uncover the facts.
Van Huynh Company presents Re:birth
by Dam Van Huynh
23 April 2022 | The House
The award-winning creator of ĐẸP, UK based choreographer Dam Van Huynh returned with Re:birth – a personal experience of rediscovery. The performance unravelled a recollection of visual impressions and sensations, a memory book whose pictures and stories long forgotten begin to resurface, a distortion between memories and dreams. Movement responds to a field of light, sound and voice to illude the senses.
BLKDOG
by Far From The Norm
1 December 2021 | The House
“fierce, pounding, unisex movement derived from hip-hop modes”
The Sunday Times
Vital and gripping, BLKDOG is Botis Seva’s haunting commentary on surviving adulthood as a childlike artist. A genre defying blend of hip hop dance and free form antics, BLKDOG explores the inner battlefield of an ageing artist trying to retain his youth.
With music from long standing collaborator Torben Lars Sylvest and performed by Botis’ powerhouse company Far From The Norm, BLKDOG searches for coping mechanisms in the ultimate hunt for acceptance.
Photography: Camilla Greenwell
Jane Mason - Night Flying
12 March 2020 | The House
"Night Flying created some intriguing imagery and performance states, it invited its audience to become curious about this world and our relationship to it, to notice those small things, a smile, how things move, a moment of connection, but also the feeling of being part of something much larger than us and regaining a sense of wonder."
Ruth Way, Associate Professor in Theatre and Performance
Drawing on ideas related to deep time, the night sky and landscapes of being, Night Flying is a duet with longtime collaborator David Williams. Together they explore a constellation of associations related to memory, change and wonder.
Eden’s Cave Company - Forests
14 February 2020 | The House
Championing the interplay between movement, song, cultural heritage and symbolic imagery, Forests places both performer and audience at the centre of the urgent question of how we relate to the natural world.
Frith is sick, she can’t stop drawing pictures of forests, and there’s the strange figure she sees in the mirror. But when Tura, her husband, begins searching for a cure, a chain of interwoven events unfolds, plunging the figures on a voyage that reaches into the mythic heartland of our woods and the wildernesses that live there.
Created in 2016, Eden’s Cave Theatre Company is a laboratory theatre, based in the Forest of Dean, that develops work and teaching over extended periods to bridge connections between theatre, community and the natural world.
Traverse Youth Dance Platform
Passionate about bringing dancers of all stages in their training together to make a truly aspirational programme of live performance, in partnership with University of Plymouth, Exim Dance Company invite youth companies from a range of backgrounds to present their work in a professional environment.
This annual event aims to celebrate the skill and creativity of young dancers across Plymouth, Exeter and Cornwall and is an exciting opportunity to perform at the University’s state-of-the-art theatre, The House.
The House, University of Plymouth
The House
The University of Plymouth committed £7 million to building The House, a purpose-built theatre on campus.
A state-of-the art building, this award winning facility is a fully accessible building with a 200-seater auditorium, a studio theatre and rehearsal spaces.
More from The Arts Institute
Word is...
- . "Raw energy, fury, vigour, passion. You can feel the energy of a whole community of people" Barbican Theatre (on The Aakash Odedra Company)
- . "Veldman sure knows how to pick all the right ingredients for a dance show" Dance Tabs (on The Knot)
- . "A gently fascinating interactive world...it's funny, too" Time Out (on Beowulf)
- . "One of the brightest companies in British Dance" The Times (on Anjali Dance Company)
Contact The Arts Institute
The Arts Institute, Roland Levinsky Building, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA
The Levinsky Gallery, Tuesday – Friday 10:00-17:00 and Saturday – Sunday 12:00-17:00 (closed Mondays and Bank Holidays)