TOYFEST
One night, every year, in an old and dusty toy store, a group of inanimate characters are brought to life to play a series of wild and amusing games. ToyFest is filled with child-like innocence, slick grooves and a punchy score. As the jewel in the crown of Rambert School's 2023 Summer performances at the Linbury Studio Theatre of the Royal Opera House, ToyFest gained critical acclaim and had audiences on their feet.
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Direction and Choreography: Kel Matsena and Anthony Matsena
Composition: Anthony Matsena, Harvey Burke-Hamilton and Emre Culuk.
Music: Pistache - Aurélie Saada
Design: Kel Matsena and Anthony Matsena alongside the company
Lighting: Kel Matsena, Anthony Matsena and Gary Trow
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Things move fast. In every sense of the word. A sort of cross between live video game and cartoon, it features an unseen gamemaster who announces the options, each new game chosen by the participants. - SeeingDance
We go out on a high with the funny Toyfest by Kel Matsena and Anthony Matsena. Think Coppélia, think Toy Story films. And I think Crystal Pite’s Revisor, Betroffenheit, The Statement, and Hofesh Shechter’s SHOW. Eleven dancers in a variety of zany costume, designed by the choreographic pair and the students, run amok to a hip hop beat. - British Theatre Guide
They can do serious, but for Rambert they created the riotous, vastly entertaining Toy Fest, which brought the performance to a gloriously zany end - Culture Whisper