Taking Flight

* WATER’S FLIGHT: September 4 & 11 Have you waited with bated breath for the doors to finally open? Well, the moment has come – absorb the music and the rhythm building to a crescendo of expectation in an exciting performance specially created for this occasion.

Music, storytelling and dance weave together in a compelling magical ritual to bring the new Pegasus fully to life. So be part of this historical moment and join in the celebrations.

* ALL YOURS: September 7-10 A special Pegasus guide will take you on a tour that tells a story about people, Pegasus and the seed of inspiration that is cultivated when they are brought together.

Around every corner a new tale is told, a mystery is revealed and host of characters waiting to welcome you.

* TASTER WEEKENDS Over two weekends Pegasus will open its doors to anyone who wants to try out a new – or forgotten – skill.

September 4 – Dabble in music technology with musician Alex Hehir and make your mark on Pegasus with sculptor Lane Sanderson.

September 5 – Power up with some high energy street dance with Em-J and get creative with some hands-on printing to make your very own Pegasus screen-printed item.

September 11 – A stand-up comedy masterclass for 16 year old upwards with Francesca Martinez and a hip hop rapping session with Urban Music Foundation.

September 12 – Asian and African dance taster.

* DANCING OUTSIDE THE BOX: September 17-18 A triple bill of entertainment from Cecilia Macfarlane’s innovative dance company Crossover, featuring dancers of all ages. The show will open up with an as yet unnamed piece – it’s that new – which will celebrate the individuality of the company’s members over the last eight years. This is followed by a specially commissioned piece performed by six mothers and daughters plus six fathers and sons, who pose the question If I Were You. It will end with BOX, a piece exploring how institutions both support and restrict us.

* THE VANISHING HORIZON: September 24-25 Using luggage, maps and paper aeroplanes, Oxford-based Idle Motion move from the pioneers of aviation to one woman’s discovery of her past, journeying through crowded airports to silent skies.

The Total Theatre Award nominated company has been creating visual and physical shows since 2003 and have successfully taken two productions to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

* BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Throughout October October is Black History Month and Pegasus is joining in with the festivities. Events will include story telling and cultural celebrations of Black and African heritage.

October 9: SEX, LIES AND HISTORY (Performance): Poetry and drama with music and percussion, as Khadijatou Doyneh soulfully explores words and rhythm.

October 8-9: SEX, LIES AND HISTORY (Workshop): Try your hand at lyric writing, drumming and making music with Khadijatou Doyneh.

October 17 - NORDESTINO: A whole day of Brazilian Carnival arts workshops with music, dance and crafts.

October 21-22- FINDING BEULAH: A branch new production, written by one of Pegasus's former Oxford Youth Theatre members. It is a compelling black love story that asks, is heaven a place inside us or a physical place on Earth?

* MARK THOMAS COMEDY MASTERCLASS: October 2 A unique opportunity to learn from one of the UK’s top activist comedians in a day-long workshop. Mark is well known for his radio and TV shows as well as articles in national and international newspapers and magazines. His most recent tour was devoted to collecting ideas for The People’s Manifesto published last year.

* PERCUSSION WORKSHOP: October 3 Radiohead drummer Philip Selway leads a special session in percussion for under 12s. Learn how to create amazing rhythms from this world-famous musician.

* EVENING WITH FRANCESCA: November 13 Francesca Martinez, the award-winning comedian and star of BBC’s Extras, performs from her hit shows together with new material. Personal, hard-hitting and hilarious – this is chit-chat free comedy for the heart and head. Her sell-out dates include Hollywood, New York, Cape Town, Sydney, Dublin and Edinburgh.

* ALICE IN WONDERLAND: November 25-27 From the tranquillity of a sunny Oxford riverbank, an inquisitive Alice leads audiences down the rabbit hole into a mysterious wonderland of the imagination. Oxford Theatre Company with Pegasus proudly present a branch new musical version of this much loved magical adventure.

* GENIUS: December 2-3 One of Europe’s leading performing arts companies of artists with learning disabilities, Oxfordshire-based Anjali Dance Company returns to Pegasus with a double bill of brand new dance theatre.

T4TWO takes place in a secret eugenic laboratory, where the lens of Anjali’s microscope shows a cocktail of humour, glamour and insolence, spiced with a drop of insanity.

Moon 67 invites you on a mission to the outer reaches of the solar system to investigate a mysterious moon, where five less-than-perfect astronauts struggle with zero gravity, potted plants and each other as they swing from loving to fighting in the shadow of an all consuming box.

* CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA: December 4 Oxford’s hip hop and street dance masters Messy Jam tear up the floor with two mesmerising performances to inspire and refresh young and old alike.

First up is The Wiz of Ox, performed by the Messy Jam’s youngsters and youth troupes. Following will be Street Dance The Music, performed by the older Messy Jam troupes.

* THE NATIVITY: December 15-18 The appearance of an angel begins a dangerous journey with kings, shepherds, mothers and soldiers. Based on The Second Shepherd’s Play and the famous Medieval Mystery cycle, this new production will revisit the terror and beauty of the Christmas story. This is the first in-house production by one of Pegasus’s own groups, so it will be a very exciting moment to witness.

* For more information on any of these shows and events, go to pegasustheatre.org.uk or call 01865 722851.