posted on 09 Jan 2023

The Horse + Bamboo Poster Book

When I’m out and about scouring the charity and junk shops for books, one of the things I enjoy most is stumbling across a publication or piece of printed ephemera that I’ve never seen before and introduces me to things I’ve never even heard of. Publications like this might cost just a couple of pounds but taking them home to find out what they are makes the spending of such a small amount of money well worthwhile – even if they turn out to be something I return to the world of charity shops almost immediately.

One of my better finds is The Horse + Bamboo Poster Book. It’s a giant paperback – there was no hardback – measuring 43cmx30cm that celebrates the theatrical productions of a community theatre group calling itself Horse + Bamboo. It contains 10 full page reproductions of the woodcut posters that were produced to advertise the plays they put on, accompanied on the verso page by endorsements from the audiences they’ve played to.

There are scant publication details inside but by reading the introduction it’s possible to work out that this must have been printed around 1992:

“For a group which has been together since 1978, Horse + Bamboo are relatively unknown, normally steering well clear of arts centre, festivals and cities. Horse + Bamboo belong outside the mainstream of British theatre, having its roots elsewhere – as part of the most universal of all theatre traditions – the magic folk theatre of puppetry, masks and other playful objects.

This booklet contains posters and other wood and lino prints, most of which were produced for specific events or tours. Collected together they are a momento of 14 years work.”

I’m glad to say that a cursory search of the internet reveals that The Horse + Bamboo theatre project still exists – indeed seems to have evolved. In this poster book they describe themselves as :

“…the only horse-drawn theatre in the British Isles. The horses pull the theatre from village to village. They keep our feet on the ground when the work takes us in other directions.”

But judging by their current website, these delightful bucolic days of itinerant theatre has been given up for a much more established community presence:

“Horse + Bamboo was formed in 1978 by a small group of artists, musicians and performers led by Bob Frith.   Our purpose was to take visual, musical and predominantly non-verbal theatre to places largely neglected by conventional forms of theatre, playing to audiences from a wide range of backgrounds.  Since 1978, the company has toured as a puppet theatre company across Lancashire, the UK and Europe with performances aimed at young and adult audiences.   The name derives from the use of horses to pull a caravan when touring, which was a central feature of the company’s work from 1979 to 1999.   

 In 2006, the company has developed our base in Waterfoot, Rossendale into a community space and theatre.  Our building, a former slipper factory and old liberal club, is now a 90-seat venue that delivers a regular programme for the community, performed by visiting artists as well as the Horse + Bamboo team. 

Within our building, we also house our Creation Centre, a space for artists to collaborate, create and share their work.  It comprises a rehearsal room and fully-equipped making workshop alongside technical and digital capacity to research, develop and fully realise creative ideas.”

I love the fact that this poster book celebrates a more romantic and idealistic period of the theatre group’s development and the artwork here feels like it owes a real debt to the radical European theatre of Brecht and Weil and their collaboration with German Expressionist artists.

The current Horse + Bamboo website makes no mention of this poster book and I can’t find any other mention of it elsewhere on the internet – but I’m not especially good at thorough searches and so there may be something tucked away somewhere. But I can’t find any other copies for sale and so my £2.50 investment feels like an amazing snip.

I’m delighted that the theatre group has found a way to survive and flourish but I’m even more delighted to have this souvenir of their early days. 

 

Terry Potter

January 2023