By Dan Thompson
The rise of the robots is the subject for November’s First Friday at Marine Studios.
The free evening will feature two performances from Robert Poulter’s New Model Theatre, an exhibition of work-in-progress on a new graphic novel by Richard Houghton, a demonstration of the studio’s 3D printer, and an exhibition celebrating robots in literature.
First Friday was founded by Marine Studios in 2010 and happens on the first Friday every month. Traditionally, First Friday is the day for galleries to open new shows, for talks and workshops connected to exhibitions, and for the town’s arts community to show off what they do best.
Marine Studios have often themed the events around ideas that the studio’s resident designers, artists, and writers are exploring. Ramsgate resident Robert Poulter has been a regular contributor, with shows performed in his handmade miniature theatre in the studio’s meeting room.
For November’s event Robert Poulter’s New Model Theatre will present new show ‘R.U.R.- Robert’s Unruly Robots’, inspired by Karel Čapek’s 1920 play R.U.R, from where the word robot came. Čapek’s robots were more like todays androids, and this is the theme of the show, as a pair of undercover agents try to find the source of the robot rebellion.
It will be presented in a double bill with ‘7-3-7 or Magic Meddling in Mankind Magicians’, in which alchemists and mad scientists try and create new life out of old life. The two shows have a combined running time of around 40 minutes.
Alongside the two shows and other exhibitions, First Friday will see the opening of the new Margate Writers’ Room at Marine Studios.
The room is a partnership between Co-relate, design firm HKD and Kent Poetry CIC to create a dedicated work and development space for writers in Thanet. It will provide a hub for the area’s emerging literary ecosystem to grow. It will provide five desks for writers, and a programme focused on training, skills, and professional development.
First Friday happens on Friday 3rd November at Marine Studios, Albert Terrace, Margate. Doors open at 6pm, with performances by Robert Poulter at 7pm. Admission is free.
For more information about Marine Studios and the new Margate Writers’ Room, visit www.marinestudios.co.uk