Grand Opening of the FlipFest is a huge success!

The Flipfest Grand opening began today, kicking off with the Director's picnic in the Joe H Makin courtyard!

Audience gathered for the 'Director's Picnic' as our very own Outta the Box bold and eccentric characters engaged with each other over a picnic of Strawberry jam sandwiches! The Directors (Caitlin O'Neill, Kitty Lee Cooper, Alex Medlicott, Todd Wilson, Warren Tutt, Jack Coooper) of the Outta the Box Festival shows took it in turns to enter the picnic and attempt to direct the other characters using their own rehearsal techniques. Each character proving to be contrary and failing to cooperate with a direction style that

was unknown to them! The whole palaver turned quite comical when musical director; Todd Wilson entered and attempted to resolve the whole situation with a ‘happy-go-lucky Kev style’ scouse sing-a-long! Jack Cooper added to the fun trying to out do Kev's musical director; with his own truly 'Trojan' musical endeavours (including the largest drum the Joe H has ever seen). Amonst the madness, 'Betty the tramp' of Kev sneakily scoffed up all the jam sandwiches, leaving the picnic goers angry and hungry! Production manager Bethany brought the picnic to a close and put the egotistical (and I mean the ‘characters’ of course…) cast in their place! Well done Miss Sproston, it’s safe to say nobody, not even James Leighton Masters (President of the Riot Club 'Posh') will be getting on the wrong side of the FlipFest team!!

The Festival then took a ‘flip’ to a weird and wonderful (and of course very valid and educational) general knowledge lesson with Flipper; Deborah Nesbit, FlipFest’s number one mascot. Flipper enthralled us all with her estranged and hilarious ‘factual’ information which had the audience in an uproar, a FlipFest take on ‘cards of humanity’!

Risk assessment pro’s Corey James Harbinson, Amy Mossop, Hannah Kelly and Bethany Sproston were on point with their super ‘risky’ duck pond… in the wonderfully entertaining ‘Hook a Duck’ event which involved willing audience members being directed to retrieve one of the very cute (yet impossible) plastic bobbing ducks. The successful candidates won a prize (a giant inflatable yellow banana – who could resist!). Jo Tasker was around all day to provide face paints for the wild and wonderful audience, tutors and students making use of her artistic skills!

To add to the excitement within the Joe H courtyard; Danielle Edwards entertained us all with her Flash Mob surprise! Third years and second years joined her in the courtyard to boogie on down to Mark Ronson’s popular tune ‘Uptown Funk’.

Spirits were high after the polished and funky routine, as everyone gathered in the Blue Bar ran by our very own Jake Schofield and Ellie Bickle. They invited us in to a fabulous and scrumptious cake sale, all proceeds going to Whitechapel centre. Everyone was invited to write up their hopes and dreams in the bar, forgetting any current Uni stress and coming together as one, the energy was positive, the students moods were lifted… for the time being anyway! Cheers Hannah Kelly and Bethany Sproston – our wishful thinking is down to you guys now – no pressure!

The balloon release proved this last analogy, everyone gathered in the courtyard to release our hopes and dreams into the air, across the cobbled streets and terraced rooftops that parade the streets of our stunning Georgian architectural area! (A few failing to lift off the ground and getting stuck in trees… let’s pretend we didn’t see those ones…)

Hell was let lose upstairs in the green room for the Tug of War event, in which teams of Drama students competed against each other to prove who was the ‘strongest’ (most competitive) to win the title! The prize being a playfully coloured inflatable sound system, that quite ironically made the ‘strongest’ competitors of the event look like amateurs compared to our resident ‘tunez in the makin’ DJ Gary Plunkett a.k.a DJ Gazza Pee. (His words not mine. Haterz gonna hate.)

To top the day off, the FlipFest team organised a stand-up comedy charity fundraiser in the Fly in the Loaf, acts included: Olly Leigh, Liz Barker, Alice Corrigan, Hannah Plant and Ashley Russell. Greg Kearns was our Compere for the night, and a special mention goes out to first year Gabby Booth for co-hosting and helping to arrange the night! All together the event raised £306 to support Gabby Booth's Sky Dive, raising money for the Jamie Bulgar Foundation!

Day one of FlipFest was an overall success, Bethany, Hannah and the beautiful team who have made the festival possible have promised us a positive, fun-filled (and at times slightly weird) festival to follow! Watch this space for more crazy acts!

By Alice Phillips

More Pictures from the Grand Opening:

Directors picnic; cast of 'Kev':

Face painting in the courtyard:

FlipFest production team:

'Hook a Duck' winners; Nikki Pritchard and Todd Wilson:

Tug of War: