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Physical Theatre News - August 2008 Playspace: Features: Networking: Artmedia: Artmedia News Welcome to the August 2008 edition of the Artmedia physical theatre newsletter, your e-publication with an Australasian focus and a global perspective, now in its seventh year and reaching over 2,300 subscribers.
It's been all go since last month with my Dance Sisters project, and we
are now producing the podcasts for the online game. Any of you on
FaceBook or Bebo can become a friend of Moana and Pearl the singers from
the Dance Sisters and keep up with the game as it develops. If you are
on Facebook search for
moana@artmedia.com.au and
pearl@artmedia.com.au or on Bebo go to:
http://moana_star.bebo.com and
http://Pearl_beat_my_B.bebo.com
In the Sponsorship this month we welcome Circus Kumarani and the 2nd NZ Community Circus Convention. Circus enthusiasts from all over NZ and overseas are invited to Dargaville to take part in and enjoy the Workshops/Forums and Shows, exploring the magic and wonders of Circus Arts, open to “All ages and Abilities”. A local success story initially, Circus Kumarani are widely recognized across NZ. The convention is to be held the 5th – 7th of September 2008. Education is this year’s focus, acknowledging worldwide research on the benefits of circus arts programs in schools.
In the Playspace section, bookings are coming in for the summer Clown
Retreat in Wanganui and the Price Buster
deadline on this course is in a couple of weeks, so book your place now
to get the best deal on this fun workshop. Remember you can find
information about my teaching on my Angels Can Fly site at
www.alanclay.com We have recently
moved web hosts and we will gradually be getting the new blog going and
re-posting the podcasts.
In Networking we have information on a Dancers Performance Laboratory in New Zealand. As part of the Dance Your Socks Off festival in Wellington, this performance lab with American Andrew Marcus and New Zealander Juliet Shelley is being held Saturday and Sunday, September 20th - 21st. Pay by August 22nd for the early bird rate. In Christchurch, the Body Festival, which celebrates dance and physical theatre, is being held September 25th - October 12th. They are offering 18 days of workshops, performances, film installations and parties. And in Auckland, Cherry the Clown is looking for replacements during his/her absence. This requires general clown skills and balloon animals. In Melbourne, Australia, two Puppet Building Workshops for adults are on offer from Naomi Guss. The first has already started, but the second workshop begins August 31st. Places are limited to 10 a session, so book early to get in. Also in Melbourne, Feet Theatre is looking for great improvisors to work the streets in two different shows. This is a paid gig. Rehearsals begin September 20th. A Leisa Shelton Mime Intensive is being held in the Perth metro area, December 1st - 5th. This introduction to the physical language of theatre integrates the spirit of the Corporal Mime training developed by Etienne Decroux. Adelaide Fringe 2009 is now open for artist registration. Artists can register their events online until October 10th. In the USA, the Phyzgig Festival in Portland, Maine is calling for variety performers to take part in this annual celebration of the spirit of vaudeville. The festival runs from December 26th to 31st. Application deadline is September 1st. In Boulder, Colorado, Sublime Stupidity - An Introduction to Red Nose focuses on giving birth to your clown. This intense weekend workshop with Elizabeth Baron is being offered August 22nd - 24th as part of the Boulder International Fringe Festival. Class size is limited to 12 people. A new aerial training space for individual or group use is now available in New Mexico. The Peñasco Theatre, a project of Wise Fool, is only 19 miles from Taos. They also offer aerial and stilt classes. And in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Clown Alley 44 will present a nine week course in clowning starting in September. In the UK, Danuki Theatre in London requires physical
theatre performers for their next touring production "Blagophony". If you
have a passion for working as an ensemble and expression through movement
then this could be the opportunity for you. Applications for the audition
workshop close 26th August. Kompany Malakhi in Bristol is holding dancer
auditions September 20th for their next touring production integrating
physical theatre, contemporary dance and film. We aim to provide an avenue of communication for the physical theatre community, so send us information for inclusion in this newsletter, and please also forward this to someone else who may be interested. Artmedia Network News New on the Artmedia site, our Physical Theatre blog features current Physical Theatre news items. The Artmedia blog is designed to provide you with timely information on auditions, opportunities, festivals and training as a supplement to our monthly newsletter. As the blog develops a strong readership, we intend charging for this service, but grab your chance now to post your items for free. This site regularly gets 6000 visitors a month and we have a strong community of interest in physical theatre and electronic publishing.Our links page on the Artmedia site had grown so long that it was hard to find any one link, so we have now split the links into seven pages, one each for Festivals , Training, Resources, Circus and Clown, and Physical Theatre, and two pages of Performers links. On the Artmedia site you can find links to performers, companies, resources and festivals all over the world, and you can also subscribe to this newsletter. The newsletter archive includes all issues for the past seven years. Check it out at: http://www.artmedia.com.au/news.htm Theatre LOTE (pictured left)
provide innovative Bilingual Performances for schools and festivals.
http://www.theatrelote.com.au Our website deals still provide great value. For one page on the Artmedia site, it is just Aus$20 a month, or Aus$30 for as many as you want, so contact us if you want to promote your work on a site which features search engine referrals direct to your page, and over 1,600 links from like-minded sites. We have also recently started a new publishing service, where we do your website at your address. On this deal it is just Aus$40 a month to maintain and promote the site, no matter how many pages you have, and only Aus$20 a page set up cost. Sponsor: 2008 NZ Community Circus Convention - Circus Kumarani, Dargaville, New Zealand
Dargaville
"Circus Capital of New Zealand" to host 2nd NZ Community Circus Convention Circus Kumarani, situated in Dargaville, (home of the Kumara and just 2.5 hour drive from Auckland), is a community-based charitable trust that teaches circus skills to its many members, some of whom have varying disabilities. It is a unique concept to our shores and opened its doors in 2003 under the directorship of Thomas Hinz, a long-time Circus Performer/Teacher (and founder of Circus Fantasia, a creative space in Rostock Germany). Although Circus Arts is a fairly new concept here, internationally the benefits have been well documented, particularly in Europe where Circus skills are taught as part of the everyday curriculum in many schools. Such benefits are that Circus Arts help to develop physical dexterity and motor skills as well as to help improve self-esteem, confidence and interpersonal skills.
The team at Circus Kumarani wished to spread their knowledge on the
social, artistic and educational benefits of Circus Arts and so started the
annual New Zealand Circus Convention in 2007. The convention is aimed at in
particular: schools, organisations for people with disabilities, artists,
local councils and national government, but of course anyone and everyone is
welcome. The vision for this year’s convention is to develop a forum where
information can be exchanged and a place to discuss and develop new
ideas/projects in the field of circus arts. Through this convention we aim
to establish a nationwide network promoting and discussing the benefits of
circus arts to the development of children and young people in our country
and how it can help with social integration. There will be a forum where you
can listen to and debate with national and international keynote speakers.
As well as a forum to exchange information, discuss and develop new ideas
for new projects in the field of Circus Arts. We are delighted to have Key note speakers Paul Woodhead and Alan Clay, who along with our guest speakers guarantee a most interesting/informative and enjoyable convention! Paul Woodhead is Circus Arts Consultant for the Australia’s Western NSW Region. He will speak about the Youth Circus programs and research findings on Community Circuses worldwide. In 1991 Paul founded Circus West, a school based Circus program working to achieve personal, social and cultural growth in students, staff and schools through the medium of Circus Arts, which led to about 80 schools (and growing) starting their own Circus Arts programs. Alan Clay is a Professional Clown and teacher for 30 years, author of Angels Can Fly, a Modern Clown User Guide, and founder of Playspace Studio, a physical training centre, which gained international recognition for a uniquely irreverent Australian approach to clowning. We expect a diverse range of delegates and
representatives from Youth, Health and Education organizations, Government,
Creative Spaces, Community groups and professional performers. Registrations
have already started, so please contact us on
info@circuskumarani.co.nz or
download registrations form/program from
www.circuskumarani.co.nz .
There will be plenty of on-site entertainment, variety shows and so much
more. Bookings are essential. Join the movement and contact Circus Kumarani
now. Circus Kumarani & Creative Centre, 14 Parenga Street, Dargaville, New Zealand. Phone/Fax: 00 64 9 439 5152 Playspace: Summer Clown Retreat - Wanganui, New Zealand
Summer Clown Retreat - Wednesday 14th to Sunday 18th, January 2009 (5 days) Grab your chance to get away from it all and reconnect with the playful, inquisitive, cheeky, clown spirit in a beautiful outdoor setting, overlooking the mouth of the Wanganui river. Clown is empathic, 'feeling with' the audience, and it is also playful, open to the impulses in each moment, and this workshop will train and develop these skills through improvisation exercises. Each day will start with a yoga warm up and participants will work physically to free themselves from patterns and to connect with their emotions.The workshop is aimed at those with a professional interest in clown. It is suitable both for beginners and for those with experience, and it functions best with this mix in the class. There will be a minimum of four and maximum of eight on the workshop. The fees include six nights accommodation with kitchen facilities. The Clown Retreat is held in a secluded studio within reach of west coast beaches, bush walks and jet boat or canoe expeditions, but still handy to good coffee and all the facilities. NZ$500 Price Buster (by August 31st) NZ$600
Earlybird (by November 15) NZ$700 Full. Including 6 nights accommodation
with kitchen facilities. (All fees and deposits are non-refundable) email:
clown@artmedia.com.au
to hold a place or make enquiries about this workshop. Feature: Angels Can Fly, a Modern Clown User Guide Angels can Fly includes a mix of fiction which follows the adventures of ten clown characters, some personal clown anecdotes from clowns around the world, a total of 50 practical clown exercises, and some theory on the nature of modern clown. The book is available on order through bookshops and online stores in New Zealand, Australia, America and England. You can find the paperback on Amazon by following this link: http://tinyurl.com/9nrwj . This month we continue a series of excerpts from the book,
with another of the clown exercises, one that you can each try in your own
time. "Clown is a fascinating, diverse, complex and exciting art form, which has existed around the planet for thousands of years. Like any art form it has to evolve to stay relevant to the culture nurturing it, and at the same time, and by its very nature, clown teases and turns upside down the cultural patterns and boundaries around us." Check out more information at: www.alanclay.com where you can still get a free copy of the e-Book. Networking
"Performance Laboratory with Andrew Marcus (USA) and Juliet Shelley
(NZ), Wellington, NZ, Sat 20th - Sun 21st Sep 2008. Full payment is
due by Friday 12th September. As part of Dance Your Socks
Off this performance lab will provide dancers with
practical skills to deepen and expand their dancing selves: their
physical language and vocabulary, their choreographic/creative
tools and their confidence in performance. Each day will begin with
a warm-up which draws from an anatomical awareness of the body.
Students will learn to integrate the skeleton, muscles and soft
tissue as sources of support, speed and expression in their dancing.
From there, students will learn and practice a variety of structures
and forms for solo, duet and ensemble dancing, both in improvisation
and performance settings. These include Sensation and Form, Physical
Eye, Physical Ear, Authentic Movement, Exit, and other compositional
and movement scores. There will be an informal showing of work open
to the public on Sunday 21st @ 5.30pm. $100 for the weekend; Early
bird payment by August 22nd: $90; Danz members: $90;
Concessions/Students: $60." Andrew Marcus and Juliet Shelley. Find a
link to Dance Your Socks Off under Festivals at: http://www.artmedia.com.au/links9.htm
"2008 Body Festival, Christchurch, New
Zealand, September 25th - October 12th. Celebrating dance and physical
theatre with workshops and performances. Another year brings another
Body Festival and this year promises to continue our tradition of
cramming as much dance and physical theatre as we can into 18 days of
workshops, performances, film installations and parties. Workshops
include Static Trapeze, Contact Improvisation and Wu Tao Dance. Keep
your diary free! See our website for full details or contact the
festival office. Find a link to The Body Festival under Festivals at:
http://www.artmedia.com.au/links9.htm
"Clown Wanted for Kids Parties, Auckland, New Zealand. Applications close 20th August. Hi, I'm going to be out of Auckland till the end of the year and I'm getting lots of calls for clowns. The work requires general clowning skills, the ability to do a show and balloon animals. Payment is NZ$120 per hour. So if you are an experienced clown and would like extra money, please send me a cv and description of your show." Cherry the Clown. Email: cherrytheclown1@yahoo.com
"Puppet Building Workshops with Naomi Guss of Puppets in
Melbourne , Aus. First session begins August 9th. Second
session begins August 31st. Always wanted to make your own
professional-looking puppet, but didn't know where to start? Start
here! Learn how to make your very own muppet type puppet, from
scratch! Over six weeks, you'll learn the basics of puppet design,
building with foam, puppet design, and methods of operation. Best of
all, you'll get easy-to-follow worksheets, so you can make your own
puppets at home! No patterns are used, so your puppet will look the
way you want it to!! And of course, you get to keep the puppet you
make! Week one, you'll learn all about the basics of puppet design
and then we'll work on your own. Week two: safety, materials and
tools, and then we'll make the mouth of the puppet and the head.
Week three, we move on to facial features, and week four we'll add
the puppet’s body and neck. Week five we add limbs, and finally in
week six we deal with costuming: and you get to learn some simple
puppeteering. You don't have to have craft experience, just
enthusiasm! Places are limited to 10 a session, so please book early
to get in! The workshops are for late teens and adults only. For
more info and to book online, please visit our website." Naomi Guss,
Puppets in Melbourne. (Photo right © Naomi Guss: sock/muppet
cow) Find a link to Puppets in Melbourne under Resources at:
http://artmedia.com.au/links8.htm
"Performers/Improvisors Wanted, Feet Theatre ,
Melbourne, Aus. September 20th - 29th. Feet Theatre is looking for great
improvisors who can take to the streets with only a simple structure to
protect them. They must invite participation from the audience and turn
them into a show, creating playful experiences for all to enjoy. We need
performers for two different shows being performed September 24th to
28th, with rehearsals September 20th to 22nd and travel on the 23rd and
29th. The first show is called The Film Crew. We send out a camera man,
director, producer, boom operator and a prop assistant into the
festival. They don't know it yet but the festival goers are the cast.
The second show is called The FeetBus and you can learn all about it and
my contact details on our web site. This is a paid gig." Timothy Monley,
Artistic Director, Feet Theatre. Find a link to Feet Theatre under
Physical Theatre at:
http://www.artmedia.com.au/links4.htm
"Leisa Shelton Mime Intensive, venue TBA (Perth metro area), Australia. December 1st - 5th. This is an introduction to the physical language of theatre developed by Leisa Shelton. The practice integrates the spirit of the training developed by French master Etienne Decroux (Mime Corporal). It aims to create a path toward contemporary theatre practice in which the physical language of the actor is pre-eminent. The one week intensive will focus on technical training, encompassing body articulation, the study of counterweights – to push, pull, lift, carry the weight of objects, ideas, memories – and an investigation of displacements/walks through both character and situation, alongside improvisation. This approach to performance opens up the performers potential to amplify the gestures of life around us, to slow down and accelerate time, and to work with both metaphoric and literal relationships to objects and space, creating a heightened theatrical language for contemporary theatre practice. The workshop is open to actors, dancers, writers…all who are interested in developing a rigorous, investigative practice. Cost: $385.00 GST included. Contact Flying Heart Productions for more information." Hardey McMurrick, Co-Director, Flying Heart Productions. Find a link to Flying Heart Productions under Training at: http://artmedia.com.au/links7.htm "Artist registrations for Adelaide Fringe 2009 are now
open! The Fringe is urging all artists to register to participate in the
largest Fringe Festival in the southern hemisphere. From August 1 to October
10, artists can register their events online. We encourage all artists
wanting to take part in Adelaide Fringe 2009 to go to the Adelaide Fringe
website, check out our early bird discounts and register their event to make
sure they don't miss out. The great thing about the Fringe is that any
artist who wants to take part in this massive celebration can – and we
welcome everyone! Artist registrations are open from Friday 1 August and
close on Friday 10 October 2008. Adelaide Fringe 2009 will run from 27
February to 22 March. For more information please visit our web site."
Michelle Fotiou, Marketing Manager, Adelaide Fringe.
"Clown Workshop with Elizabeth Baron, Boulder International
Fringe Festival, Colorado, US. August 22nd, 23rd, &
24th. Sublime Stupidity - An Introduction to Red Nose is an intense
weekend workshop with a focus on giving birth to your clown. The
workshop is being offered through the Boulder International Fringe
Festival at Naropa University. Class size is limited to 12
people. The tools we use to help you discover and begin to play as your
clown are drawn from myriad Mask and Movement-Theater techniques and
traditions. Participants will be asked to listen to themselves and to
the reactions of the ‘audience’ (the rest of the class) with the intense
curiosity of a scientist. Through the workshop, participants will gain
the skills and insight to create in the moment, based on this
‘listening.’ They will also laugh a lot, quite hard, and probably be
moved to tears by the other clowns. This blend of rigorous technique and
laughter combines to birth and nurture the first days of play in the
lives of each participant’s clown. Cost is $165. Visit the Boulder
Fringe Festival website for more info and registration details."
Elizabeth Baron. Find a link to the Boulder Fringe Festival under
Festivals at:
http://www.artmedia.com.au/links9.htm
"Aerial Training Space, New Mexico, US. Need to get away and still keep up on your training? Or need to get away to work on some training? A beautiful aerial training space is available for individual or group use. The Peñasco Theatre has been a project of Wise Fool since the fall of 2000. Surrounded by National Forest and mountains, the Peñasco Theatre has 19 feet high ceilings and adjacent living space. It's located 19 miles from Taos, and one hour from Santa Fe. Aerial and stilt classes are also available. For more information and contact details please visit our web site." Alessandra Ogren, co-founder Peñasco Theatre. Find a link to The Peñasco Theatre under Training at: http://www.artmedia.com.au/links7.htm "Clown Classes, Clown Alley 44, Kalamazoo, US, September. Alley 44 will present a nine week course starting in September in clowning for interested people ages 10-and up. (Ages 10-15 must team with a parent.) Our instructors have over 100 year experience combined. Class will be held in Old Central high school, at the corner of S. Westnedge and Vine in Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo Community Education sponsors this course. Please visit our website for registration information." Jerry ' Choo Choo the Clown' Herdegen, Clown Alley 44. Find a link to Clown Alley 44 under Training at: http://www.artmedia.com.au/links7.htm "Physical Theatre Performers Required, Danuki Theatre, London, UK. Applications close 26th August. Danuki Theatre is an international live and recorded arts organisation which creates performance combining raw physicality, visual wonderment and eccentric honesty. The company are currently opening up the opportunity for physical performers and dancers to join the organisation for their next season tour production "Blagophony" which has just been scripted by a collaboration of new writers all over the country. If you have a passion for working as an ensemble and expression through movement then this could be the opportunity for you to join another successful Danuki Theatre tour. Please send us your CV's with covering letter, telling us about your training, experience, skills and generally what kind of person you are and we hope to be able to offer you an audition workshop to demonstrate your ability and potential to work with Danuki. We hope to select a new group of performers to work with our current ensemble, to be performing in late 2008 and 2009. All our performers will be professionally contracted with good rates of performance and rehearsal pay through our private funding. Please email your application details to director dan-alex. Don't hesitate to contact us should you have any questions." dan-alex, Danuki Theatre. (Photo left © Danuki Theatre) Email: danukitheatre@googlemail.com Dancer Auditions, Kompany Malakhi , Bristol, UK. Auditions 20th September. Kwesi Johnson’s Kompany Malakhi require 3 exceptional dancers; 2 male and 1 female dancer for their next touring production integrating Physical Theatre, Contemporary Dance, Parkour, Urban Dance forms and Film. Applicants should have completed 3 years of professional dance training. A high degree of agility and adaptability will be required. Street dance, Parkour, Breakin', Funkstyles, gymnastic skills and touring experience are an advantage but not essential. Audition: 10.00-17.30 on 20th September. 'Call backs': 10.00-18.00 on 21st September. Rehearsal dates: 15 - 20 December 2008 and 5 January – 15 February 2009. Touring in February, March and May with possible autumn 2009 dates. If you are interested in auditioning, please send footage of your previous performance experience on CD, DVD or a link to uploads on youtube or myspace, along with your C.V. and pictures link. Please visit our website for more information and contact details. Find a link to Kompany Malakhi under Dance at: http://www.artmedia.com.au/links4.htm "Call for Comments and Proposals for Fresh Circus Seminar, Europe, September 1, 2008. Circostrada Network is organising a European seminar to work on a better structuring of circus arts, to be held on September 25 and 26, 2008. The goal of this brief period of reflection and exchange is to formulate a series of concrete recommendations to create improved structuring and recognition for this artistic sector on the regional, national and European levels. In order to facilitate discussion of both the specific and cross-disciplinary issues involved in our sector, the correspondents of the Circostrada network have chosen six themes: Access to the circus profession; The creativity and innovation of the contemporary circus; Technical regulations involving circus tents; Knowledge of and access to information; Diversity and intercultural dialogue; Production and distribution of circus works. As part of this process, and in order to take into account the many diverse European realities, we are asking artists, companies, and operators of the circus arts, as well as of the performing arts in general, to send us their contributions in order to share their experiences and difficulties; talk about best practice policies; formulate proposals in order to improve the current state of the sector; reflect on the way in which the contemporary circus contributes to cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue, creativity and innovation, as well as international relations within Europe. We would be grateful if you would participate in this call for contributions by sending your answers, comments and proposals before September 1, 2008. Please feel free to help us distribute this call as widely as possible by sharing it with your collaborators and partners: every contribution counts! These contributions will fuel our debates during the seminar, and the proposals formulated by the sector will be discussed, reworked, and sent out to various institutions on the local, national and European level. To download the questionnaire please visit our website." Circostrada Network Team. Find a link to Circostrada under Resources at: http://www.artmedia.com.au/links8.htm Artmedia Services
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