What does it mean to be a man or a woman? Is gender innate or is it nurtured?

Award-winning physical theatre company Rhum and Clay are touring their game-changing show TESTOSTERONE, created as an exciting collaboration with darkly comic transgender theatre writer and director Kit Redstone, after a critically acclaimed and award-winning run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August, presented as part of the British Council Showcase. 

TESTOSTERONE will be shown in Almaty as part of Otkrovenie Theatre Festival with support from the British Council. 

Note: the show is not appropriate for children under 16. 

Date: 12-13 February

Time: 19.00

Venue: Transforma theatre space

TESTOSTERONE combines storytelling, comedy and physical theatre – with the powerful writing and true story of transgender performer Kit Redstone – this show offers an intimate, life-enhancing glimpse into Kit's unique perspective on life, love and laughs. It also tells a powerful story about gender itself, charting Kit's own experiences as a new man stepping for the first time into the world of masculinity. The show sets a benchmark in inclusive theatre and inspiring others to take up the cause. At the forefront of the UK's transgender theatre movement, Kit's work is leading the way towards making more inclusive and respectful theatre.

Kit is in an amusing and unique position, having transitioned from female to male in his early thirties, he has experienced adult life on both sides of the gender fence, giving him the opportunity to notice what differences there are in how he is treated by society - what he gains and what he loses by becoming a man. However, his biggest challenge comes when he enters a male gym changing room for the first time and is confronted by masculinity in all its forms - the good, the bad and the ugly. What kind of man will he be when he finishes changing? With this refreshingly honest and irreverent physical theatre comedy by critically acclaimed company Rhum and Clay and darkly comic theatre writer and director Kit Redstone, they explore the epic path that we all have to take when trying to forge an identity.

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www.rhumandclay.com

Rhum and Clay

Born at Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris in 2010, Rhum & Clay is led by artistic directors Julian Spooner and Matthew Wells. They are passionate about finding interesting new stories and bringing them to the stage. They tailor the style and approach of each show to the story they are telling. They collaborate with writers, musicians, dancers, designers and anyone with an interesting story to tell. This makes every Rhum and Clay show a complex harmony of the varied voices in the rehearsal room.

They are an associate ensemble of New Diorama Theatre and Redbridge Drama Centre. Recent productions have include Shutterland (ZOO 2011), Strange Wild Song (Bedlam 2012), Jekyll & Hyde (Watermill 2013), Hardboiled (Watermill 2014) and 64 Squares (Underbelly 2016). Rhum and Clay have recently received ACE funding to create their next show Electronica, which will be an exciting collaboration with the National Theatre & RSC writer Tom Morton-Smith, portraying the story of the inventor Theremin and his influence over modern music. This will be an exciting step up for the company from small-scale touring towards making mid-scale work.

Kit Redstone

Kit Redstone is a London based writer, director and performer of playfully bombastic theatre. He is one of the creative directors of Vacuum Theatre - a cross-disciplinary troupe making cutting-edge meta-theatrical work. He also works freelance and collaborates as a writer and director with other companies and practitioners around the world. As a transgender man, Kit is particularly interested in the performance of gender and who we are versus what we want to be. Kit balances absurdist comedy with heartfelt explorations into what it means to be human. Kit believes that art can be a major force in social change. Most recently he has written 'TESTOSTERONE' with Rhum and Clay Theatre Company and 'The Word Was God' which was a commission from Schauspielhaus Graz which returned to the theatre by demand in May 2017 after an initial sell-out run. He is currently dramaturg for 'Skin' by award-winning Dance Company 201.

REVIEWS

"Rhum and Clay have come of age" Lyn Gardner, The Guardian

"a daring, funny, brilliant play" ★★★★★ A Younger Theatre

"a striking piece of theatre that is as entertaining as it is insightful" ★★★★★Reviews Hub

"a really impressive and important piece of work." Total Theatre

"This is a strong and important production that’s also highly entertaining." ★★★★British Theatre Guide
"Playful, energetic physical style... this personal story is a heroic exercise in theatre." ★★★★★Edinburgh Guide
“Showcases voices rarely heard on stage.' ★★★★★WestEnd Wilma
‘Awe-inspiring...gives us a terrific understanding of the process of self-realisation, carried out before our eyes.' ★★★★★Culture Whisper
'Makes you stop, think and question.' ★★★★★London Theatre
"Quite probably one of the best shows you will see at this year's Fringe" ★★★★The Quotidian Times
"This is a show for our time… and about time." ★★★★To Do List
"With Testosterone, Rhum and Clay have proven themselves to be one of the most exciting and engaging theatre companies currently working in Britain." ★★★★Broadway Baby

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