Tony & Ray Find Their Feet

An ordinary workday. Two ordinary men. One extraordinary dance-off!  

Tony and Ray are two unassuming men of a certain age with a job to do – but nobody said work had to be boring! As they get to grips with a squeaky floor, they find themselves getting distracted by tools, movements, dance and rivalry. But will they still be friends by the time they clock off? 

Tony and Ray take us on a journey of eccentric dance and clowning about that is unexpected, uplifting and undeniably funny. 

Inspired by the Vaudeville and variety acts of the past, it is performed by seasoned veterans Jon Hicks and Matt Rudkin – two late-middle-aged men who are surprisingly quick on their feet! 

Access

This show is non-verbal making it accessible for d/Deaf audiences, and for visitors who may not use English as a first language.

There will be benches available to sit on during the performance at 12.20pm on Friday.

Where to see it

Tony and Ray will be popping up at various places throughout the weekend. 

Friday

12.20pmOld Town Hall (map point 9) (benches available) 

1.15pmFountain Square (map point 3) 

2.30pmPiccadilly, outside Regent Theatre (map point 6) 

4.15pmOld Town Hall (map point 9) 

Saturday

12.20pmPiccadilly, outside Regent Theatre (map point 6) 

1.15pmFountain Square (map point 3) 

2.30pmPiccadilly, outside Regent Theatre (map point 6) 

3.45pmOld Town Hall (map point 9)Old Town Hall

Two middle-aged chaps in porkpie hats, shirt sleeves and short apron tied at the waist are performing what look to be some flamenco-inspired moves, up on their toes, backs arched, head to the side, with their left arms high in the air and their right curving in low down. Behind them on the grass and in front of the large tree is a hodgepodge of props including two-wheeled trolley covered in cardboard on which hang their jackets and an old-fashioned style radio, and a large striped pole with a pulley on one end.
Two men are dressed in drab workwear consisting of a shirt, tie and slouchy jacket (pen in breast pocket) topped off with a pork pie hat. An apron peeks out beneath their jackets. They are clowning about on a grassed areas surrounded by trees. Tony, on the left, is holding a broom in one hand and pointing with the other with his right leg lifted and bent behind him in some funky dance move. Ray, on the right, is holding a battered red ladder and had his left leg through the bottom rung of the ladder as he looks to be hopping.

Credits

Made with support from Out There Arts and Arts Council England. 

Life’s a Beach

Life’s a Beach is an interactive, fun and playful observation of family life at the beach. 

Using their unique style of dynamic, graceful dance/circus fusion, Joli Vyann (Timeless, Big Feast 2023) invite you to take a trip that will be familiar, nostalgic and funny. Think holidaymakers settling in amongst locals, the uber-preppers, the totally unprepared, the sandy sandwiches and melting ice creams, and don’t forget greedy seagulls! 

Life’s a Beach will be a joyous – if not a little chaotic – window into a day at the beach that also sensitively weaves in more serious notes such as affordability of holidays and second homes raising local house prices.

Access

Life’s a Beach can be enjoyed as a purely visual performance.

Where to see it

Catch Life’s a Beach on Saturday at different locations. This is a moving performance and lasts around 30 minutes. 

11.30am: Piccadilly (map location 6) – Lower Piccadilly 

2.25pm: Potteries Centre, outside River Island (map location 1) 

A man and woman are on the concrete promenade behind a pebbly beach at high tide. The woman, dressed in black-and-white work clothes, is standing with one foot on the man’s bent knees, and the other over his right shoulder. He is holding her leg as they lean back, counterbalancing. The man has casual sports clothes including a bum bag, and both sport yellow bucket hats, a beach toy, and a giant smile.
Two acrobats are on a sandy beach with calm blue sea and sky behind them. The woman is casually standing on the man’s shoulders. She’s smiling out from beneath the oversized seagull’s head headpiece that she’s wearing, with he hands out either side in a shrug. The man is holding a red-and-white lifebuoy that has ‘Life’s a Beach’ written on it. To their sides are a little fabric breach hut in striped and spotted patterns, and white windbreakers with questions written on including ‘Who do you go to the beach with?’ and ‘What do you do on the beach?’