Arts 2012

Once again our Arts programme will be broader this year including cinema, PG-rated comedy, commissioned theatre, artists at work, illustrators, graffiti artists, spoken word, circus, cabaret, storytelling, computer artists and animators. Most of these will be holding workshops so you can have a go yourself and will be creating work that evolves over the weekend.

Teesside University - School Of Computing

Teesside University has an international reputation for courses in animation, games and computer graphics turning out students of such calibre many have gone on to work for the likes of Pixar. Lecturers and students will be on site giving workshops, demonstrations and basically creating cool stuff from scratch, details below.

Stop frame animation Aardman style

Our new friends from Teesside University providing insight into the process of producing a stop frame animated short from inception to the finished film with ample opportunity to get involved yourself.

Green screen video production

With a mobile green screen rig tucked under their arms the Teesside boys (and girls) will endeavour to place you and your friends in all sorts of made up places, like the moon (who knows) and we'll try our best to host all the videos online afterwards.

3D modelling

If you thought Photoshop was difficult to master try adding an extra dimension. With tons more skill and speed than our inhouse selftaught 3D clown the Teessiders will be modeling all sorts, monsters inevitably, or anything else you could imagine in 3D, like, anything.

Silent Cinema - Nosferatu
Accompanied by Darius Battiwalla

More monsters, sorry. Nosferatu is a silent classic based on the story Dracula. The twist is that Darius Battiwalla will accompany the film on piano in the finest tradition of the silent film era. Two chances to catch this performance over the weekend.

Cinema - Monsters

Monsters is a great film. But what blew our mind about it is the way in which it was made which you'll know about if you've seen the extras on the DVD. Guerilla film making at it's best, filmed on location in South America with a crew of four or five, two actors and getting the locals to play the rest of the cast. Brit director and CGI whiz Gareth Edwards puts it all together on a tiny budget. With any luck we'll have someone from Vertigo films to describe how it was made.

Cinema - Monsters Inc
Build a 3D monster workshop

An early Sunday morning classic to plonk the kids in front of followed by a workshop from our friends at Teesside Uni who will be showing you how Pixar make these critters. Furtastic.

Cinema - Last Shop Standing
Talk by Graham Jones

Based on the successful book by Graham Jones of the same name. 60 minute documentory Last Shop Standing is celebration of the unique spirit of comradeship and entrepreneurial ingenuity that has enabled so many record shops to keep operating successfully against the backdrop of massive changes in the music industry.

James Priestman's Great Book Of Poetry

Hailing from Chiswick in West London, famous for the world's most expensive high street butcher, please welcome James Priestman and friends. James will be holding our hand as we take our first tentative steps into the world of poetry running great family poetry workshops including considering the differences between lyrics and poems, writing your own Monster poem and constructing Twitter poems using less than 140 characters to name a few.

David Stephenson - Artist Blacksmith

Nobody could fail to be impressed with David's work last year so we've asked him back. There's nothing like having a bespoke piece of jewellery made in front of your very eyes for a couple of quid as lots of folks found out.

Spray Creations

We've seen quite a lot of this sort of super quick art recently, it's really exciting to watch. With spray paint, simple stenciling and the odd smudge here and their Spray Creations create brilliant art in the blink of an eye.

Paintlab

Where our craft workshops steer clear of paint (we have to overcome this phobia, collectively) Paintlab have no such fear. The centrepiece of their paint and paper world is a custom centrifuge thatt doesn't require anyone getting repetitive strain injury like our smaller version at home.

Oliver's Mum's calligraphy workshops

Oliver's Mum's calligraphy workshops were booked solid in our first year and after a year off (making plasticine aliens) she returns. Margaret is also our resident signwriter. Expect her to be interrupted when someone needs a site sign writing but marvel at the old school skills.

Duncan Kendrick's Bush Crafts

Considerably less annoying than Ray Mears professional survival expert Duncan will join us to teach some of the basics of surviving in the wild.

Dave Simpson & Anthony Clavane
Has Football Lost Its Soul?

Anthony Clavane (author of 'Promised Land') in conversation with Dave Simpson (author of 'The Last Champions: Leeds United & The Year Football Changed Forever',out in May) about how football has changed since the formation of the Premiership, asking whether the modern game has become so disenfranchised from ordinary fans its lost its soul.

Ian Clayton

Author of 'Bringing It All Back Home' ('One of the best books on popular music ever written' - Record Collector) talks on our relationship with music, and his personal odyssey from India to the Missisippi Delta in search of the perfect beat.

Dorian Lynskey and Boff Whalley
Has Pop Still Got A Political Voice?

Dorian Lynskey (author of '33 Revolutions Per Minute: a History Of Protest Music) in conversation with Boff Whalley (of anarchist pop group Chumbawamba) about whether pop still has a political voice, reflecting on a history of protest songs from Bob Dylan and Marley up to Plan B's recent Ill Manors.

Greentop Circus Cabaret

Friday night's family show will be hosted and curated by the Greentop Circus. Bringing together their own unique brand of acts including comedy, circus, cabaret, variety and dance from one of the UK's leading circus venues and training centres. Our big top will also be rigged for some exciting aerial acts.

Comedy - Pappy's

With a brand new show for 2012, PG rated comedy does not get any better than this. The jokes from last year are still firmly planted in the heads of our kids. 5 star comedy.

Comedy - Patrick Monahan

Winner ITV's 2011 'Show Me Funny' we welcome comedian Patrick Monahan to the Big Top bringing his trademark hyperactive and freewheeling charm.

Comedy - Barbara Nice

Expect a friendly, inclusive atmosphere with home truths, great timing and unique comic insights into the human condition. Barbara Nice is the comic creation of Janice Connolly – 'Holy Mary' from Channel 4's acclaimed 'Phoenix Nights' TV series.

Comedy - Martin Mór

With numerous appearances on radio and television, Martin has worked at all levels of the industry; being a warm up man, devising and performing his own television show, and writing jokes for some of the biggest names in British comedy.

Harris III Master Illusionist

Harris returns with a bigger show on a much bigger stage. Harris is a big deal US illusionist and we're delighted to have him back for 2012 with his full show, and like we said last year, more Paul Newman than Paul Daniels.

Best Joined Up

Our resident graffiti crew - a collection of the best street artists in the North of England. Mixing classic street styles with fine art, a mash-up you could say. Creating artworks before your very eyes on Saturday and running workshops on Sunday.

Guerilla Theatre by The Flanagan Collective

This year we have invited The Flanagan Collective to write a weekend long bespoke theatre piece for Deer Shed Festival and basically mess with your mind in our woods and elsewhere. Be afraid.

Matt Pattinson's Doodle Walls

Illustrator friend of the Deer Shed Matt Pattinson returns this year to run the four towering sentinals that are our doodle walls. Matt will of course be adding to the wall himself with his own distinctive take on our Monsters theme.

Jon Reed's Comedy Workshop

Award winning comedian Jon Reed introduces you to the art and secrets of stand up comedy. Primarily a writing workshop, there is some performance involved, which requires no experience, simply the willingness to participate in the aim of the session - achieving your first minute of Stand Up Comedy.

Spike and Sponge's first time a coconut

A Sunday Market in the Big Top Circus Tent brought to you by the fragrant Spike and Sponge. Bringing you a wide variety of arts, crafts and vintage wares all from local Yorkshire artists.