The UK’s only physical performance festival exclusively for young people, produced by Highly Sprung.
This year the Physical Fellowship presents Odyssey Re-Imagined, each evening features a programme of original physical performance work from local schools and youth groups inspired by Homer’s classic text the Odyssey. Each evening finishes with a headline show from Highly Sprung’s youth group Sprung Advance Plus- S(He).
Odyssey Re-Imagined is an opportunity for young people to discover and celebrate ancient epic stories that bridge the past and present, reality and legend.
Inspired by Homer’s Odyssey, the festival brings to life tales of bravery, war, and resilience—echoes of battles fought millennia ago that still resonate today.
The Physical Fellowship festival invites young people to experience the drama of these ancient narratives, find new meaning in classic tales, and explore how they continue to shape our identities and perspectives on challenge, journey and the influence of war in changing the course of people’s lives.
It is impossible to ignore the presence of current conflicts and their influence on our lives, Odyssey Re-Imagined uses the past to develop a better understanding of these experiences. Physical performances, devised by young people, explore ancient tales which still serve as cautionary tales, symbols of hope, and paths to empathy in turbulent times. Reflections on ancient histories providing the opportunity for us to become advocates for peace.
Odyssey Re-Imagined presents shared human stories where the past informs the future, and ancient heroes light our path forward.
Headline Performance: S(He) by Sprung Advance Plus
History remembers Helen of Troy as a beauty, a prize, a catalyst for war. But what about the battles she fought after the fall of Troy? The choices she was never allowed to make? The voice that was stolen from her?
Sprung Advance Plus dares to rewrite the narrative. Inspired by Homer’s The Odyssey, S(He) unearths the untold struggles of women in ancient texts and the silences that echo into today. Through powerful movement and raw storytelling, this performance challenges the way history—and the world—sees women as they grow older.
This is more than myth. It is a rebellion against the past. A call to arms for the present. A question that refuses to be ignored: If you were a man, would they listen?
Expect to be moved. Expect to be challenged. Expect to see Helen as she was never allowed to be—fierce, flawed, and fighting to be heard.
This is S(He). And this time, she gets to tell her own story.
Now in its 16th year, the Physical Fellowship was established to give young people the opportunity to explore their understanding and experience of physical theatre.
Physical Fellowship elevates the talent and creativity of the next generation of physical theatre practitioners. It recognises the specific needs and training opportunities required to support the development of physical theatre, as part of our national arts sector.
This unique festival provides opportunities for young people to experience physical theatre by seeing, doing, and making. Providing routes into further participation in the artform and supporting aspirational young practitioners and producers. It provides space for young people to perform on the professional stage, to take part in workshops with leading physical theatre professionals, and access inspiring careers information. Bringing together the future of physical theatre in one space.