Sally Boon
Mardyarts is a partnership between Sally Boon and Neil Broughton.
Sally trained as a dancer and theatre-maker at Dartington College of Arts developing cross-collaborative art practices whilst there. She explores the possibilities, which arise, when theatre and performance art converge. Asking the question – what is performance? What is art? She achieves this, directly, through her alter-ego Queenie Tea.
Neil is an artist, musician, soundscapist, theatre maker and filmmaker who trained at Dartington College of Arts. He works in a diverse range of mediums and genres.
Sally and Neil are absurdists who make performance, which does not fit neatly into a category.
Queenie Tea is a provocation. She does not follow the rules. She is often mistaken as a children’s entertainer but she does not tolerate children! Queenie Tea is celebrating her 12th year of ‘being’ and Mardyarts, are committed to placing Queenie in a variety of performance contexts, enabling diverse audiences to encounter her, thereby furthering the ongoing development of the concept of ‘Queenie Tea’. Queenie Tea raises questions surrounding the notion of ‘What is Art?’. She understands that she is an artistic concept embodied in a ‘character’.
The Palimpsisters combine Neil's musicianship and Sally's skills as a dancer.
Drowning Not Raving is their current work that has been perfomred at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2022 and Dartington College of Arts October 2022
The Palimpsisters are keen to work in collaboration with other experts/artists. Particularly, experts from other fields. Their first collaboration has been with Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy.
Queenie's Tea Party - December 12th 2019
In October of 2019 Sally and Neil entered Queenie Tea into the parlimentary race to become the next local MP for Loughborough.
Queenie has been rather quiet since the COVID Pandemic but has been seen out and about at Art events both locally and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
On The Verge
Mardyarts toured a number of performance pieces between 2006 - 2010. Performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe under the name of On The Verge.
