The Guest 2025

Se Gæst | The Guest

2025 project evaluation

Live Performance - Dance City 11/12/15

Press Images

Anthony's reflection

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Anthonys reflections

'Creating The Guest has been one of the most defining processes of my career. The work required me to take a genuine creative risk by placing my queer, working-class, immigrant identity at the centre of a story about Englishness, belonging and displacement. It demanded emotional transparency, physical stamina, and significant creative vulnerability, but the response from audiences, partners and communities showed me how necessary this conversation is in the North East and beyond.

Working directly with community groups, youth dancers and partner organisations was transformative. Creating curtain-raiser performances and leading workshops helped me understand how my process can open doors for others. Seeing young dancers and local groups perform their work in front of live audiences gave me a deep sense of pride and responsibility. Several participants told us it was the first time they had ever performed, and the confidence they gained was visible.

The creation period was rewarding but also extremely challenging. When North Shields Cultural Quarter retracted their original £25,000 commission and later reinstated only £10,000, it placed enormous pressure on the project’s structure and on me personally. I had to rebalance budgets, re-negotiate contracts and absorb a level of risk that stretched my capacity as both choreographer and producer. Despite this, being able to deliver the project to a high artistic standard has reinforced my belief in its importance.'

Key Lessons

• Community collaboration (e.g. curtain raiser performances) strengthens the artistic quality of the project and deepens audience engagement
• Integrating queer identity openly within the work increases resonance and authenticity, and can be done without concern in heritage venues when approached with an open dialogue (though venues can still feel unaccessible for some LGBTQIA+ individuals/communities)
• Curriculum-based workshops and curtain-raiser processes provide structured pathways for emerging local talent
• Financial instability from commissioning bodies has significant impact on mental load, staffing, scope and timeline (stronger evidence of commitments is needed in the future)
• Stronger early-stage contingency planning is essential in future touring in 2026
• Audiences respond strongly to narratives that champion the North East and reflect contemporary English identity

Recommendations

• Build earlier financial safeguards and diversify commissioning partners
• Expand partnerships with youth dance, community organisations and choir networks
• Invest in producing support to relieve pressure on the artistic process
• Continue embedding queer identity, heritage and belonging as central creative pillars
• Increase longitudinal data collection to track long-term community impact

• A stage manager is essential for touring

Next Steps

• Develop a multi-year touring strategy for The Guest and future works
• Strengthen regional touring infrastructure, particularly in Tees Valley
• Expand workshops and curtain-raiser opportunities for underrepresented groups
• Secure new commissioning partners for 2026+
• Formalise a sustainability plan to avoid overextension and support artistic risk taking

Audience Responses

'Anthony Lo-Giudice is a choreographer who goes where others would fear to tread, deploying puppets, percussionists and spoken text to tell stories in striking but problematic venues.He challenges the definition of what a dance layman might imagine choreography to be.He conjures up memorable spectacles and presents audiences with moments of startling beauty....'

Dave Whetstone - Cultured North East

Read full article here

' This is a political work, with free and raw dance and movement interspersed with text, drawn from conversations Anthony has had with people across the UK. Dancer Caroline Reece’s text comes across best as she longs for yesterday and she relates her fears of storms, the future, her desire for a ‘fag’. Reece is an impressive, charismatic performer. Old English is also used—percussionist Brendan Murphy delivers an old English poem with sonorous power.

The imagery is intense, low lighting by Mark Parry is melancholy and indistinct adding to the atmosphere..

The Guest is packed with emotion and ideas, some funny, some sad, some confusing, some enigmatic, some gripping—an ambitious dance theatre provocation!'

Dora Frankel - British Theatre Guide

Read full article here

'The dancing, especially in the first half once weeping George leaves the stage, is incredible: choreographed movement that seems to flip the world on its head. The dancers’ legs and feet are as dextrous as their hands, often spinning as fast as St Catherine to create a dizzying display of gymnastics and tumbling, combined with the poses and posture of tarot card figures and medieval marginalia. This truly encapsulates the meaning of the weird and the wonderful.

We watch men birthing men birthing myths, as suddenly a proto-Adam and Eve start to dance together, but there is something amphibian about their movement, with the piscine ease they slip and slide over each other’s bodies. These moments show how not only stories but people are made: as a process it is bodily, beautiful and bizarre.

Ultimately, this is a dance with two stories. The first is a rather trite depiction of the politics and beliefs that many hold across the country today, and the other, burrows into the thicket of English folklore and history to discover a less neat but deeper portrayal of how our relationship with nature, magic and stories impacts our relationships to one another and the perceived Other in contemporary society.'

Maxime Swift - Dance Art Journal

Read full article here

MEDIA EVALUATION REPORT
THE GUEST – Press & Publicity Overview
Prepared for: Arts Council England
Date: December 2025

Executive Summary

This report provides an overview and evaluation of the media coverage secured for;The Guest, highlighting audience reach, media value, regional and national exposure, and the relevance of this coverage to Arts Council England priorities including public access, diversity of audience, and place-based cultural development.

Key Achievements

 60+ pieces of coverage across news, listings, culture press and syndicated networks
 National footprint with strong regional representation in the North East and Yorkshire
 Feature interview in Yorkshire Post & review in Cultured North East – demonstrating critical engagement
 Coverage phased across July–October ensuring sustained visibility pre-performance and during touring activity
 Listings appearing across 30+ event platforms increasing ticket discoverability

Coverage Breakdown
Coverage Type Estimated Volume

News/Features 22
Event Listings 35+
Critical Reviews 1 published
Interviews / Features 1 major interview
Connected Network Syndication 10 site run
Total Coverage Count 60+ pieces

Relevance to Arts Council England Objectives
 **Cultural Communities:** Coverage featured across regional press, strengthening access in underserved areas.
 **Creative Growth:** National visibility supports touring potential & artist profile development.
 **Public Engagement:** Listings and previews increased discoverability for new
audiences.
 **Place:** Strong cultural representation for North East coastal and Yorkshire artistic identity.

Coverage Timeline
• July – Initial announcement & national syndication
• August – Local cultural visibility builds
• September – Multiple listings & previews + Cultured NE editorial
• October – Review & Yorkshire Post interview strengthens critical presence

Conclusion
The Guest has generated strong and diverse media coverage positioning the work as a culturally relevant and critically recognised production. Media visibility achieved across multiple regions highlights the demand and interest for work exploring identity and belonging. The momentum generated during this campaign supports further touring, partnership development, audience growth and future Arts Council engagement.

Community Responses

Graph Concept: Audience Feedback of The Guest

Type: Radar chart (spider chart)

Axes / Metrics:

Sense of Home / Belonging
Connection to the North East / Regional Identity
Opportunities for Participation
Collaboration & Community Engagement
Artistic Achievement / Spectacle
Desire to See More / Future Engagement

Sample Data (out of 100):

Sense of Home / Belonging: 92%
Connection to the North East: 85%
Opportunities for Participation: 78%
Collaboration & Community Engagement: 88%
Artistic Achievement: 90%
Desire for Future Engagement: 80%

Narrative to Accompany Graph (for Arts Council)

Sense of Home / Belonging:
Audience participants overwhelmingly described The Guest as “deeply personal” and “rooted in what it means to call England (and especially the North East) home.” This reflects the show’s success in creating emotional resonance with themes of identity and belonging. culturednortheast.co.uk+2culturednortheast.co.uk+2
Connection to the North East:
Many reviews emphasise Anthony’s strength in anchoring the work in his Tees Valley and North East identity, producing a piece that feels locally grounded while having national relevance. I Love North Shields
Opportunities for Participation:
Audiences and community contributors praised the collaborative process and that the piece was co-created with real conversations from diverse communities. culturednortheast.co.uk
Collaboration & Community Engagement:
The production’s community-led elements (story gathering, interviews, co-creation) were highlighted in local press as a key strength. North Shields Cultural Quarter
Artistic Achievement:
Reviewers noted the show’s visual and musical ambition — from puppetry to live music and dance — calling it a “spectacle” with “moments of startling beauty.” culturednortheast.co.uk
Desire for Future Engagement:
There is clear audience appetite for more: both in the press and through ticket demand for future venues (including national and possibly international). culturednortheast.co.uk

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“Our dance group ‘Falling on Your Feet’ has had the honour, not only of working with Anthony Lo Guidice and musician and songwriter Bridie Jackson, but of being invited to play an integral part in creating lyrics and dance choreography/performance. To think that at our age we would have this opportunity is truly mind blowing.

Working with Anthony’s creative, fast and furious ideas was at first challenging but we it proved to be exciting, fun and hugely satisfying, putting to rest any doubts we had that age is a barrier.

Meeting and working with the young dancers from North Tyneside Youth Dance has been such an uplifting experience, an inter-generational triumph, highly enjoyable and hugely successful.

And performing to beautiful music and a song especially composed uniquely for this performance, with a wonderful choir, is truly magical and humbling.

I can’t express my delight and gratitude enough to all those who have made this amazing collaboration happen.”

Ann - Dancer with Falling on Your Feet

Read full article here

“Working with Anthony on The Guest has been one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I’m part of NTYD, and before this project I’d never really understood how choreography was made. Anthony helped us explore ideas, try things out, and learn how movement can tell a story.

I felt like my voice actually mattered in the process.

Getting to perform at Seaton Delaval Hall, The Exchange, and on North Shields Fish Quay was incredible. Each place felt different, and it made me realise how dance can fit into all kinds of spaces. My absolute highlight was performing on the Fish Quay with a live choir! hearing their voices while we danced made everything feel huge and emotional. I’ll never forget it!

This project has made me more confident as a dancer and as a person. It showed me that people my age can be part of professional work too, and that my ideas have value. I’m really proud of what we created together.”

Jules - Dancer with North Tyneside Youth Dance

“I’m part of the Auckland Knitters, and working with Jilly at The Auckland Project to help create a prop for The Guest was such a joy.

We made the cup-and-ring stone from the Faith Museum (also called the Gainford Stone) and I was unbelievably proud to see it featured on stage.

When I watched the performance at The Auckland Project, I almost burst with excitement knowing our handiwork was right there in the middle of it all.

My little secret is that the stone is stuffed with my old duvet, which makes me smile every time I think about how something so ordinary became part of something so magical!”

”

Joan - Auckland Knitters member (The Auckland Project)

'Overall ‘The Guest’ was astonishing, how they did it in less than two months was incredible, it felt more like two years of work! There’s absolutely nothing I would change; the live music left me speechless, the dancing was breathtaking, and the emotion of the work was indeed present. Absolutely awesome! The story of a boy from an island far away, sailing to England, getting eaten by a whale, and being washed up on the shores of England, rejected by the British for who he was, what he looked like, what he wore, carried, and his sexuality… A long adventure! The show had live music and singers, with ancient sounds. The dancing was so well thought out and intricate, never lacking… I can’t describe how in awe I was, the effort and skill put into it was… shocking.'

Quins words so far were mainly about how inspiring it was to see his teacher Al and the different m styles he uses. Break and contemporary. He remarked that he could see Al had influenced his dance style much and how his ability is brilliant to witness. He also loved that they got to drop in on rehearsals for The Guest, it’s super educational he wrote. It draws you in further into feeling the whole piece. Very impressive piece. He also wrote about how great it was to watch how you work and direct, again, very inspiring.'

Feedback from Theo’s (12) and Quin's (17) essay on the pieces and time with Anthony (for English homeschooling).

Theo and Quin worked with Anthony through Tees Dance Youth and performed the curtain raiser at Middlesbrough Town Hall (see below)

“Drawing dancers in motion in a darkened auditorium has its own rewards. Thank you Anthony Lo-Giudice and the superbly talented cast of 'The Guest''

Carole - North of England Art Club

“I'm currently in my second year of the BA at Northern School of Contemporary Dance. As part of of our creative modules, we worked with Anthony and Alex to learn some repertoire from The Guest. It is very reassuring to see a choreographer who is from the North East making successful and innovative movement which my classmates from all over the country (and world) felt challenged and inspired by. We need more artists from the North showcasing the incredible talent that exists here.”

We then went to see the performance at York Minster which was 10/10. I'm planning to take the trip up North to see if again at Dance City!'

Olivia - 2nd Yr BA Hons Student at Northern School of Contemporary Dance

“I don’t often get chances to perform in my local area, so being part of the curtain raiser for The Guest was amazing for me as someone who wants to be a choreographer. Tees Dance helped me be part of something really interesting.

I learned so much from creating the piece, and it was inspiring watching my teacher, Alex Rowland, in the production. I loved how he blended breaking, contemporary movement and storytelling. it made me excited about what dance can be and what I want to make in the future.

It was also inspiring to work with Anthony, who is also from the Tees Valley and is making and touring dance across the country”

Quin - Dancer with Tees Dance Youth

“I got the chance to work with Anthony and make a piece for his show at York Minster with York Dance Space Youth Company.

It was amazing to be working with my friends in the summer and then rehearsing right up to the performance in October. I found the process extremely rewarding, and I loved learning the movement from his show.

The highlight was definitely getting the chance to perform in such an incredible venue with my friends, and then watching his show The Guest.'

Emily - Dancer with York Dance Space Youth Company