Skinning the Cat (1988 - 2002)
Biography
Skinning the Cat (1988-2002) was a pioneering all-female aerial company from Bradford, founded by Rebecca Truman in 1988.
Rebecca graduated with BA (Hons) in Art & Design in 1988 and this same year she was commissioned to organise a fashion cabaret and perform a trapeze show by the Bradford Festival in the Wool Exchange. She joined Cathie Sprague to deliver this project, which became the basis of Skinning the Cat and marked Rebecca’s debut as a professional performer. Over the years, Rebecca trained as a professional performer in circus schools in London and Paris while Cathie, who had been teaching printmaking, puppetry and circus, in Bradford in the early 1980s, enrolled on the RA RA ZOO’s circus skills course in 1986, where she trained on the trapeze.
Overtime, Cathie became an all-round performer learning Chinese juggling, fire manipulation, acrobatics, diabolo and clowning. She worked with Skinning the Cat between 1988 and 1991.
Skinning the Cat emerged at the time when experimental circus was still in its infancy and aerial acts outside the circus tent were particularly rare. The name of the company came from a trapeze move, which is an ironic statement against the use of wild animals in circus. Skinning the Cat’s first show challenged the use of wild animals in circus by using the concept of animalistic physicality in their performance and becoming the animals breaking free.
Skinning the Cat was a pioneer contemporary circus and the first company in the UK to tour an aerial rig. They were among the first exponents of the corde lisse routine in the UK and they inspired many new circus companies and became the forerunner of contemporary circus.
Within a year of its formation the company was touring around Europe to critical acclaim. Under Becky’s artistic vision the crew designed and made their own costumes and set pieces, additionally they managed all aspects of their tours from show production to rig construction. Between the 1990s and the mid-2000s, the business grew from strength to strength leading the way in experimental aerial theatre techniques in contemporary circus.
In 2002, Rebecca created a special show for the Millennium Dome and she was made artistic director of the Commonwealth Games Opening and Closing ceremonies in Manchester. This same year Skinning the Cat received a grant from the Arts Council to develop what would become the final touring show, entitled ‘Rubicon’.
Skinning the Cat featured in some of the most prominent festivals and events of the time, including; Glastonbury, London International Mime Festival, Circus of the Streets, Covent Garden Piazza, Leeds City Varieties, Stockholm Water Festival, the launch of the Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart, Aurillac Showcase Festival in France, Tarrega Showcase Festival in Spain, Moscow State Circus, The Rheinhalle Köln in Germany, launch of the Tall Ships Race in both Edinburgh and Amsterdam, launch of the BMW car in Portugal, Sabena Airlines and the opening of the Channel Tunnel. Additionally, they held a residency at the Millennium Dome.
Skinning the Cat was dissolved in 2002.
Found in 68 Collections and/or Records:
Fest Quest 93: Festivals in the Yorkshire and Humberside Region programme, May - November 1993
Films, 1988 - 2008
Films showing Skinning the Cat shows.
Financial records, April 2001-March 2002
Financial records of the Skinning the Cat company from April 2001-March 2002, including business account statements, transaction receipts, invoices and travel tickets.
Fold-out programme for Le festival Furies, c1997
Châlons-en-Champagne, France. Colour illustration of a clown with white-and-yellow background and black type on the cover when folded, with running order of each day, black and white and colour photographs of the acts with purple, black and orange type giving short descriptions, and commercial advertising.
Grec Festival d'estiu de Barcelona programme, 25 June - 16 August 1997
Abstract black line illustration on white background on front cover, inside list of events and black and white and colour photographs of performers and information, 56pp.
Grec Festival d'estiu de Barcelona programme, 1995
Abstract black and yellow line illustration on blue and red background on the front cover, inside list of events and black and white photographs of performers and information, 48pp.
Grec Festival d'estiu de Barcelona programme, 25 June - 19 August 1998
Photograph of a wooden peg on orange background on the front cover, inside black and white and colour photographs of acts and performers with information and list of events, 59pp.
Handbill: Circus of the Streets, 18 - 23 September 2001
Sheffield. An edited colour photograph of a man wearing a red t-shirt, blue trousers and rollerblades bursting through a brick wall, with red and yellow type giving the event name on the front, and on the reverse colour photographs of various performers and yellow, red and white type giving the festival name, description and contact information.
Handbill: Firebird Aerialist, c1994
Black and white photograph of Rebecca Truman during a Firebird performance, and the performance name in white type on the front, and on the reverse white type describing the act and performer, and contact information, on a black background.
Handbill: Firebird Aerialist, c1994
Black and white photograph of Rebecca Truman during a Firebird performance, and the performance name in white type on the front, and on the reverse white type describing the act and performer, and contact information, on a black background.
Handbills
Flyers advertising Skinning the Cat shows.
International Festival of Visual Arts: Theatre Festival programme, 9 November 1996
Green and white type on green background on the front cover, inside lists of events and white and blue photographs of companies and performers with text, 26pp.
La Piazza Theater festival International Augsburg: Pressespiegel letter, 4 October 1993
A letter addressed to Becky Truman and photocopies of press reviews from La Piazza '93, inside a La Pizza colour paper folder, 24pp.
Leaflet for Varieté Rheinhalle, 1994
Cologne, Germany. Leaflet with white type on blue background on one side and white type on a green, red and purple background on the other, featuring colour photographs of the performers and descriptions of their acts, including Eric und André, Bob Bramson, Trio Gaspar, White Diamonds, Donimo, Michael Genähr, and Becky + Rachel, a floorplan of the venue, ticket information and contact information.
London International Mime Festival programme, 14 - 29 January 1995
London. Gold type in red box above a photograph of Rebecca Truman and a caption in white type on a black background on the cover, inside a running order of the festival, introduction, black and white and colour photographs of the acts with descriptions on white and black pages, workshop and box office information, featuring Skinning the Cat on page 25, and a festival diary on the back cover, 31pp.
Newark and Sherwood District Council presents: Reclamation, 11 June 2000
Newark and Sherwood District Council presents: Reclamation, 11 June 2000
Newspaper Cuttings, 1988 - 2005
Various scrapbooks assambled by Rebecca Truman containing press articles an other information about Skinning the Cat and a magazine containing an article.
Palatino - Die Tour '96: Die Comedy und Musik, Varieté, Kabarett & Artisten Show, 1996
Germany. Silver border and colour photograph with blue type giving the tour name, black type above and below giving a description of the tour, three logos on the bottom with a white background on the cover, inside black and white and colour photographs of the acts with short descriptions in white and black type, with a fold-out colour page in the centre, featuring Skinning the Cat on page 4, and tour dates and locations on the back cover, 15pp.
Photographs, c1989
Black and white and colour photographs and postcards from performances by Skinning the cat, rehearsals, stage set-ups and others.