On January 18th, the talented Seamas Carey will give a free performance at Falmouth Rugby Club.

The show is an hour-long, 7:30-8:30pm.

Seamas explained more about the performance:

In a nutshell, it will be: "An interactive history lesson about ancient Cornish (and eventually British) folklore customs and rituals, told through the medium of a Japanese game show."

In an even smaller nutshell: "Think - Takeshi's Castle meets The Wicker Man."

Most of the ancient pagan traditions that we celebrate today are based on the themes of sex and death (the main subjects that occupy us as humans). Yet how can we explore and deconstruct these massive topics and rituals through the medium of a Japanese game show using large inflatables?

Let's find out.

Cornwall is full of weird and wonderful traditions. If born here, you grow up with an unavoidable awareness of these customs. Festivals roll on year in - year out. They mark the passing of time, they welcome in a change of season, they remind us who we are and act as community healing. Yet do we really know what they mean, or how they've changed over time to suit our purposes?

Some traditions are under threat and some have experienced revivals. I want to investigate the interesting difference between a re-enactment and a "living, breathing" annual custom.

Most festivals in Britain have Celtic pagan roots, related to seasons or fertility, and just as the coming of Christianity saw these ancient rituals re-appropriated for the church's own purposes, I wonder how some customs now will face up to the ever-changing landscape of racial politics and gender identity issues.

Most events aforementioned are heavily dominated by binary gender options (normally men) and some have seriously questionable racial connotations. How will they stand the test of time and will these communities accommodate the modern world?

Similar to my work with Men Are Singing (the alternative Cornish male voice choir) I want to look at something that is as old as the land itself, and question why we still carry out these strange rituals, and most importantly: why we still need them? This approach seemed to profoundly resonate with Men Are Singing audiences, who praised our challenging of male voice choir stereotypes, and inclusion of topical subject matter.

I want to structure Pagan Pandemonium with a youthful, anarchic and accessible game show framing device, which will involve copious amounts of dancing, live music and audience participation. So much so, that by the climax of the piece - the audience will no longer be watching passively, but taking part in their own personal ritual, which they will have devised as a group during the performance.

The show will be performed in the round and instantly the audience will be invited to join in in a series of fun and ridiculous activities related to ancient customs. However, the show should be entertaining enough to enjoy from the sidelines if you don't wish to join in.

The design of this piece will be heavily based upon audience interaction; therefore it strictly needs to be made with an audience. We shall have a limited preparation and making time (prototype props will be made out of cardboard) so the games and routines can be worked out on a trial and error basis.

Heavily inspired by the lengthy "work in progress" process that stands up comedians such as Stewart Lee uses, we shall deconstruct the show as it's being made by getting the audience to rate what scenes they did and did not enjoy. Tying in with the game show construct, these will act like live feedback forms if you will.

Possible outcomes of the show will be discussed with the audience as it's being performed, like an open debate. This is a line of work/comedy I have been playing with for a while now and would certainly be a step in a new direction for me as an artist.

The concept of this show aims to appeal to two types of audience: If advertised correctly it will hopefully draw in a crowd who are familiar with Cornish history, who are well acquainted with cultural traditions and understand the immediate references being discussed in the show.

On the other hand, because the subject matter is being modernised, re-contextualised and made more democratic for a younger generation, I hope this will draw in a more vibrant mix of young and old. The publicity artwork will incorporate ancient well-known folklore, mixed with sports/TV/game show references.

I want to turn rural village halls, normally frequented by older people, into places of cultural, cross-generational, historical mayhem.

I want to target locations in Cornwall that have a close geographical connection to a ritual or custom. I will invite audience members before the show to share with me their local traditions and how they feel about it. We shall discuss how we could (if they wanted to) build it into the show.

Finally, this show will be funny, well constructed, thought-provoking and most importantly: a piece of quality entertainment. I hope by offering a limited run of free performances in rural areas, we can make the show as accessible as possible.

Inviting the local public into their village hall, to discuss their own folklore seems to me, to be the best way of engaging with the community. Therefore it should be hilarious, interesting and leave people knowing more about their own local history than they expected.

To see more about Seamas' work, click the red button below.