Published 29 March 2023
To celebrate South Hill Park’s 50th anniversary as an arts centre, we have teamed up with The Lexicon and Bracknell Forest Council to bring our first ever two-site promenade performance to Bracknell.
Starting at South Hill Park and finishing at The Lexicon, the audience will move through several different locations, for the Follow the Yellow Brick Road performance, combining storytelling, participatory theatre and visual arts.
Based on Frank L Baum’s book The Wizard of Oz, this modern adaptation will take the audience on a spectacular theatrical journey. Audiences will join Dorothy as she meets the Scarecrow, the Tin-Man and the Lion in Munchkinland at South Hill Park. The friends then embark on a quest to defeat the Wicked Witch, with the help of the Good Witch, in the Emerald City situated within Princess Square at The Lexicon.
The intrepid travellers learn the true meaning of friendship on their journey and reaffirm that there really is ‘no place like home’. Written and directed by Mark Hooper – with staging and production by South Hill Park’s creative and technical team – the show promises a truly interactive and immersive experience, with several surprises along the way.
Sue Boor, Head of Marketing at The Lexicon says
“We are delighted to be part of South Hill Park’s first promenade performance. In addition to the final acts of the show taking place at The Lexicon, we will also be running a free Follow the Yellow Brick Road journey throughout the town centre, with fabulous prizes to be won.”
Susan Halliwell, Chief Executive of Bracknell Forest Council said
“It has long been an ambition to bring together these two outstanding destinations and the council is thrilled to support another fantastic show from the South Hill Park team.”
At the end of the performance explore the visual arts installation by Peta Jacobs. The pod on Braccan Walk North (opposite River Island) will include mirrors, printed prisms and lenticular prints create playful, colourful and illusory images. With every movement, what you see will change, colours and shapes appear and disappear, a rainbow whirlpool pulses and spins, and reflections shift. Look at the art work, can you locate the Yellow Brick Road? Can you find the Emerald City? Can you discover the Rainbow? Can you see the Enchanted Forest?
This family friendly show is suitable for all ages, and performances run from Thursday 17 to Sunday 20 August and Thursday 24 to Sunday 27 August 2023 with relaxed performances on Saturday 19 and Saturday 26 August at 11am.
Running time approx. 2.5 hours including travel between South Hill Park and The Lexicon. Tickets cost £5 each including FREE parking at The Lexicon (Braccan Walk Car Park)
Between 24 Jul 2023 - 02 Sep 2023
