Stroud holds day of the dead (From Stroud News and Journal)

Stroud holds day of the dead

THE vivacious and colourful setting of the Mexican celebration, the Festival of El Dia de los Muertos - or the Day of the Dead - is to be brought to life in Stroud's Subscription Rooms this week.

Horse+Bamboo Theatre's sparkling, outrageous new production, A Strange (And Unexpected) Event, recreates The Day of the Dead in its own unique, diabolically inventive way.

Horse+Bamboo are renowned for using masks, music, animation and having a very distinctive style of high quality visual theatre.

This new show is based on the life of the illustrious Mexican artist and printmaker Guadalupe Posada. It's the evening before the Day of the Dead. As night falls, the spirit of Jose Guadalupe Posada rises out of the ground, dressed in a shroud. The riotous events that follow hurtle uproariously through the life of this extraordinary man and hero of the people.

Horse+Bamboo's show is well named; A Strange (And Unexpected) Event depicts earthquakes, giant snails, skeletons riding bikes and getting married, bold heroes, mad assassins, red devils, miracles, death, revolution and resurrection.

A Strange (And Unexpected) Event, feted in the national press, is brought to the Subscription Rooms by Prema, Uley's arts centre. It takes place on Thursday, March 17 at 8pm.

Tickets, which are available from both Prema and the Subscription Rooms' box offices, cost £8.50 or £6.50 concessions.