Up Down Man
Myrtle Theatre Company
Choreography and performance
Up down man was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. The play was about what happens when a person with down’s syndrome grows up and seeks independence.
“This is who I am – my name is Matty Butler. I'm not a child, I'm twenty nine years old. I like foxes, badgers, dancing, eating dinner, going bowling, Eastenders, dancing and foxes. I'd like a friend. Maybe Angel from Buffy. And we'd go on holiday and live together and have dinner and go dancing. I'm not a child you see. I'm twenty nine years old. My name is Matty Butler. This is who I am. And I like foxes.”
The long awaited sequel to the internationally acclaimed Up Down Boy, once again starring the gifted and charismatic performer, Nathan Bessell as Matty Butler – Up Down Man asks the question that faces every parent of an adult with a learning disability….
What will happen when I'm not here?
Written by award winning Brendan Murray with live music, original choreography and mum in the cupboard, Up Down Man is funny, provocative, moving and a show that could change the way you see the world.
“The single time when the solo work is as effective as the large dialogue scenes is with Bessell’s dance sections. By using a different kind of language these passages support what the audience has already seen without repeating it. Abstract movement seamlessly slips into comic mime in a mirror of the mixed tone of the show, perfectly choreographed by Bryn Thomas who joins Bessell in a beautiful duet.” review in exeunt magazine.
Guardian article about the project here.