Of All the People in All the World, the internationally acclaimed performance installation by leading theatre company Stan’s Cafe, is coming to Farnham Maltings this week.

This marks the first opportunity to experience this fascinating work in Surrey, following a worldwide tour from Birmingham to Buenos Aires, Leeds to Los Angeles, Truro to Tokyo and more.

Of All The People In All The World uses rice to express thought-provoking statistics.
Of All The People In All The World. (Karen Stafford)

The installation visualises human population statistics through extraordinary landscapes made entirely of rice.

With each grain representing a single person, and with performers continually developing the display, labelled piles of rice bring to life statistics such as the populations of towns and cities, the number of doctors, people born each day, and more.

Always evolving, never static, the installation invites the public to contribute their own ideas, suggesting statistics they’d like to see ‘in rice’.

Over the years, these have included the number of people who have swum the English Channel, the capacities of famous stadiums, and how many queued to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II during her lying-in-state.

A scene from Of All The People In All The World.
A scene from Of All The People In All The World. (Ed Dimsdale)

The work often reveals thought-provoking juxtapositions, from the world’s billionaires beside the number of people living in refugee camps, to the number of Africans enslaved in the Transatlantic Slave Trade, or those who died in the Holocaust.

Peter Glanville, chief executive of Farnham Maltings, said:"We are delighted to host 'Of All The People...' at Farnham Maltings.

“It feels amazing that this show, born in Birmingham, having been to Cairo, Buenos Aires, Adelaide, and Los Angeles to name a few, can be enjoyed here in Surrey. This is a unique opportunity to enjoy a highly acclaimed, truly international piece of work - free to enter - that has impacted people across the planet.”

James Yarker, artistic director of Stan’s Cafe, said:"We can’t wait to get to Farnham Maltings. We’re keen to learn about the town, to meet people and explore what the place is all about.The plan is to combine all this with what’s going on in the wider world at the moment and come up with a unique version of the show especially for you."

Of All the People in All the World will be presented in the Great Hall at Farnham Maltings, from 11 to 15 July. Audiences are invited to pay what they can.

For further information, visit: www.farnhammaltings.com

The rice used in this performance is sponsored by Tilda and will return with Stan’s Cafe for future performances.