Grace Murdoch and Cheap Date - Hall for Cornwall

Company Mission Statement

Cheap Date are a combined arts company working with dance, speech, theatre, sound, comedy and mixed media. Based in Cornwall, they rummage through the intricate simplicity of just being here. The company through hilarious, honest explorations of everyday life give an audience chance to have a unique experience with space for their own questions and stories.  Offering unique performance experiences, touring work and educational workshops.

Biography

Founded in 2013 Cheap Date have created multiple works with UK and international acclaim. From losing your virginity and the brutal awkwardness of dating ‘How We Lost It’ 2015/16. This production gained the company a reputation for personable, hilarious, honest work through dance, speech and sound.  Touring the UK and featured at Edinburgh Fringe 2016 with roaring success including a feature in British Comedy Guide.  ‘Little Women Big Balls’ 2016/17 exploring the undeniable contradiction of endless possibility and everyday reality through flying balls, sports commentary, 6-year-old sports days and dancing netballs.  This work took Cheap Date around UK and overseas to Swedish audiences. ‘Stairs’ 2019/20, a family friendly series of short stories and poems performed on a transforming, rotating staircase with original texts by Luke Wright and Taran Spalding-Jenkin.  Dirty Words originally conceived in 2020 looks at the power of language and communication, a filthy fumble through looking at our dirtiest words. Incorporating stand up, movement, music, speech and video. Dirty Words had been restaged and heads to Edinburgh summer 2023.

Individual Artist Statement

As a freelance director, choreographer and dance leader. I love creating theatre and movement for a wide range of performance genres from theatre, contemporary dance, opera, comedy, community and professional work. Working across the UK I have a love for text and movement coming together to create memorable, cheeky performance whether in a more traditional theatre space or site specific.

Individual Artist Biog/(s)

Originally from the North, Grace slowly worked her way down South, falling in love with Shakespeare as she spent her teen years in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Having trained at Falmouth University, she is now Director of Cheap Date, a combined arts company who aren’t afraid to tell the awkward truth about our everyday lives, with comedy, speech ,movement and sound. She also runs Murdoch Design, with her husband Nick, creating bespoke sculptural pieces/sets for theatre, public spaces, TV and film.  As a freelance artist Grace finds herself working on a wide range of collaborations and projects including: Falmouth University, The Minack Theatre, ICON Theatre, Tête à Tête Opera, Trebah Gardens to name a few. Grace also passionately enjoys her work with young people and the community across the UK. Enjoying the connection with text and movement, humour and physicality on stage.

Current Projects

At present I’m working on an original piece of contemporary movement for the Minack to be performed at the end of June in collaboration with Kevos Music. We’re working with Philip Glass’s Glassworks and Bryce Dessner’s Murder Ballades, to be performed live accompanied by a beautiful professional ensemble of dancers and Falmouth University’s youth dance company – Propeller. Cheap Date are reworking Dirty Words to head to The Pleasance at Edinburgh Fringe 2023 and beyond. I am also working on a variety of youth projects including over 10 primary schools across West Cornwall coming together to perform celebrating the global environment and creatures from around the world.