The Art of Athleticism

Some of us dream to dare: to jump head-first into a completely new experience, to throw away inhibitions, to push ourselves out of our comfort zones. For Lauren Hendry, she took this ethos to heart: literally jumping, javelining, and sprinting her way into a completely new challenge: the Tetra-Decathlon.

For those unaware, the Tetra-Decathlon is a highly demanding fourteen event track-and-field competition, taking place over two days. From never having stepped foot on a racing track, to competing with 12 other women in the World Championships, this is Lauren’s real-life experience, told by her, through theatre.

How do you jump over the hurdles of your own mind, in a quest to push your body to its limits?

Hendry herself comes from a performance background, performing contemporary circus work. This show seems an organic expansion of this practice, another manner in which the art of athleticism is explored. Directing is Jenna Watt, who has been described as ‘One of Scotland’s most interesting performers and theatre makers’.

Through this story, not only is the physical prowess of competing in such a gruelling competition emphasized - and not even only the fact that she went from never having run, to running on a global scale. These are important aspects of the story, but what they reveal to us opens up deeper themes and questions beneath the surface: what drives us to compete? How do you jump over the hurdles of your own mind, in a quest to push your body to its limits? Where is the line between breaking down, and picking yourself back up off the floor?

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Jump into a new experience and head along on Tuesday, the 7^th of August at 7:30pm. Tickets are £5 and available on Eventbrite or on the door, at Strathearn Community Campus, Pittenzie Road, Crieff, PH7 3JN.