Welcome to Articulation’s last newsletter of 2019.
Here you will find information about shows and festivals coming soon in Scotland and the UK and a number of workshops taking place in the ‘workshop and training' month of January next year.
Best wishes, SJ Couzens, Co-ordinator for Articulation
30th November - 21st December
Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh
When wind and snow fill the sky and the fire has grown cold, relight the coals, warm the wine and turn up the wick of the lamp. We enter these tales in the shadows of night, but hopefully emerge into daylight.
Written in China centuries ago, Pu Songling’s Strange Tales are now adapted for stage.
Filled with intrigue, mysticism, magic, sensuality, and a dash of terror, Strange Tales will draw you into a world full of mischievous fox spirits, yearning ghosts and shapeshifting creatures where anything and everything is possible.
But be warned – unless you come to these tales with an open mind and brave heart, you may never be able to escape them…
Wasteland looks at how two different generations coped in the turbulent era of radical upheaval as industrial Britain fell and a new subculture emerged. As one generation grinds exhaustedly to a halt, the next generation heads into the illegal rave scene of 1990s Britain, where derelict warehouses and abandoned work spaces become home for a new community of music and dance.
"In 1994, the European Study of Deprivation named my home village of Grimethorpe as one of the poorest villages in Europe. As poverty and depression shattered through the village, the future looked bleak for my generation. The birth of the rave culture gave many of us the opportunity to escape these grim and grey realities and into a new world of expressive music and hard core dance. WASTELAND is my attempt at recapturing this pivotal time in British history when industrial Britain fell and a new sub culture emerged. I owe my passion for movement and dance to this time and the people who lived it." GARY CLARKE 2019
Directed by award-winning director Firenza Guidi, Lexicon is a world inhabited by quiet misfits and furious poetry, a world of magic, laughter and lightness.
A powerful performance as much as a wild celebration of the past, present and future of circus, LEXICON is a world inhabited by quiet misfits and furious poetry, a world of magic, laughter and lightness.
24th - 26th January
Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room
Master of technical innovation and manipulation Wes Peden was last seen in London as guest star in Gandini Juggling’s Spring at Sadler’s Wells for LIMF 2019. He returns with his new solo show, Zebra, whose aesthetic has been described as that of a futuristic chandelier with a sense of humour. Creating never-before-seen sequences of evolving shapes
and constellations with incredible new throws and catches, he transforms his props into mesmerising waves of movement and gives astonishing new life to vinyl records.
MagicFest presents another programme of close-up conundrums, mindboggling illusions, comic cabaret and other feats of the impossible. The festival features workshops as well as shows and ends with the illustrious Closing Gala, a fast paced performance of illusion, sleight of hand, circus and mind reading.
MANIPULATE celebrates and promotes visual and physical theatre, puppetry and animated films to its audiences of adults in Edinburgh.
MANIPULATE was created to bring the best, most innovative and challenging international theatre and film we could find to Scotland to entertain and challenge our audiences, and also to provide powerful inspiration and stimulus to Scottish-based artists, the better to inform their creative and technical ambition and excellence.
MANIPULATE has been named as one of Scotland's most interesting festivals has has developed a reputation for showcasing innovative work from around the globe in visual theatre and animation.
London International Mime Festival (LIMF) Takes place each January, its programme spans the spectrum of contemporary visual performance including live art, physical and circus-theatre, mask, puppetry, movement and object theatre.
Now in its 44th year, the festival welcomes 10 overseas companies join 8 British groups presenting World, UK or London premieres, including LIMF co-commissioned productions and workshops.
February 2020 welcomes the second edition of CirkusMania, filling the Stockholm region with circus.
The festival includes 10 days of performances for different audiences across various venues in the region. There will be family shows, circus night clubs, circus film, baby circus, openings and much more!
See Cirque du Soleil’s breakthrough ice experience, Crystal!
This spectacular show blends circus arts and the world of ice skating in a stunning new production that will take the audience on a journey into a whimsical frozen playground where ice skating of all kinds mingles with acrobatics and aerial feats.
Sensational puppetry from the award-winning team behind War Horse puts elephants back in the ring as never seen before, alongside a huge cast of the most unique, jaw-dropping and dangerous acts from all four corners of the globe. From strong men to contortionists, acrobats to musicians, knife throwers and much more, CIRCUS 1903 will amaze, captivate, and transport audiences of all ages to the mesmerising Golden Age of circus.
2:30pm on the 22nd December
Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Edinburgh
Handstand Workshop (level 1/1+) with Zinnia Oberski
This class will focus on techniques which help work towards a solid and efficient handstand. The class will start with a warm up and conditioning, then move towards balance exercises and working with a spotter to find the balance point while upside-down.
The Aerial Edge Foundation Course in Circus Arts is a carefully designed intensive course that ensures you reach your full potential over the 4-month period gaining strength, flexibility and technical ability in a huge variety of aerial, acro and manipulation circus skills.
This is like no other course currently on offer in Scotland.
This course will introduce and train you in a huge range of aerial disciplines such as rope, lyra, silks, straps, trapeze and more. You’ll also receive top class acro training in the form of acrobalance, acrobatics, handstands and banquine as well as so much more including a range of manipulation training in juggling, unicycling, tightwire and stilts!
Metamorphosis: The Animated Body
by Improbable Dolls
31st January - 1st February
Summerhall, Edinburgh
A workshop for confident dancers and physical/visual theatre practitioners which explores, in a cross-art context – the creation of new relationships between the animated film image and the performing artist. It will focus on the development of a character’s physicality and inner life.
Using Nataly’s animated film PAPER THIN as source material, you will also gain insights into the creative process employed to create her production MINA.
A workshop with leading puppeteer Gavin Glover for all inquisitive theatre practitioners - actors, dancers, puppeteers, physical theatre practitioners, film makers and directors – who want to discover the darker side of contemporary puppetry performance.
In this physically intense but fun workshop, we will explore the role of the performer and the puppet together, observe their relationship through some slightly disturbing scenarios and look at the emotions and the empathy that audiences can feel for a puppet. You will experiment with different approaches to using puppets, find the moment when they become a metaphor of ourselves, and then subject them to the many emotions we wish we could impose on those around us. But the puppets will stand up for themselves, they will answer, and they will fight back!
The Why Not Institute: How To Be A Stupid
Angela de Castro’s 10 day Clowning Workshop
6th - 17th January 2020
Venue in South London tbc
Clowning is an art of courage and discipline; not a technique but a state that needs to be explored fully. This course offers 10 days of serious and enjoyable aimed at developing the clown’s intelligence, and the confidence to use and apply this unlimited power of imagination in any creative or performance context.
‘De Castro’s gift is in bringing to the fore the sometimes very quiet voice at the centre of the artist’s being and expressing that. In an atmosphere as serious as it is playful, laughter and discipline lead to a connecting with inner truth and the principles at the heart of acting and of communicating with an audience. Experience the invigorating presence of an experienced performer who lives to share the joy and simplicity of the clown form and how it can so usefully relate to the art of acting.’ STEPHEN WISKER
A practical exploration of how we created The Strange Tale of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel, led by Paul Hunter. In this one-off intensive, you'll have the opportunity to explore the show in-depth with its director, with a particular focus on working without words, the relationship between the actor and musician, and sustaining a visual narrative.
Building the Chaos
8th - 9th February
A 2-day physical comedy performance extravaganza with Stephen Harper.
You will draw on clowning, commedia dell’arte and the work of Michael Chekhov to explore the technique and spirit required to create brilliant comic set pieces.
The City of Edinburgh Council has partnered with The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo to stimulate and support artistic and cultural projects that benefit Edinburgh and those who live in and visit the city. The Culture Project Fund will support artist-led projects in Edinburgh, that propose new ways of working to overcome barriers to accessing cultural activity.
This can be achieved in a number of ways, including: participatory activity and workshops; Exhibitions or Performances in new spaces across the city; collaborative projects between artists and communities or any other activity which demonstrably meet the purpose of the scheme.
Grants awarded are likely to be £5,000 or less, but organisations may be awarded up to £10,000 in exceptional circumstances
This fund seeks to increase the diversity of people in the arts, screen and creative industries. Applicants can seek funding to help them progress, develop their creative and professional practice, their capacity or to support them to take professional and creative risks. The fund aims to support 20 artists and has a budget of £350k.
The Fund is open to individual creative practitioners, organisations, groups and networks in the arts, screen and creative industries.
This fund will seek to prioritise applications from individuals who self–identify as sharing one or more protected characteristics defined by the Equality Act 2010; or from groups/organisations which are either minority-led or which focus on working with and for those who share one or more protected characteristics.
The Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries 2020-2022 programme provides a step-change opportunity for talent from socio-economic backgrounds that are currently under-represented across the arts.
Are you a leading arts or cultural organisation looking to support the next generation of outstanding artistic and creative talent, and tackle socio-economic diversity and inclusion in the arts?
The Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries programme is dedicated to supporting outstanding early-career artists, curators, producers and creatives to thrive, and working in partnership with leading arts and cultural organisations to discover how an inclusive, intersectional approach to recruitment, talent development and organisational change can future-proof their mission.
The Pleasance Theatre Trust:
Charlie Hartill Special Reserve
Deadline: 31st January
The Charlie Hartill Special Reserve is a designated fund to support emerging theatre makers and comedians in bringing their work to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The fund offers up to £10,000 financing towards the cost of presenting your show, which includes:
A guaranteed slot in the Edinburgh programme at Pleasance and programming option in the London transfer run.
Accommodation and Travel
Edinburgh Fringe Registration and brochure fees
PR and marketing support
Mentorship
Rehearsal, development, sharing and work space
Support to develop and deliver accessible performances (including the provision of captioned performances).
Awards for All Scotland gives out grants of between £500 and £10,000 to projects that bring communities, arts and sports together to enjoy a range of activities.
This is a partnership programme with Big Lottery Fund, sportscotland and Creative Scotland.
Supported projected include projects that encourage creative experiences within the community. This could include activities that:
Work with skilled and experienced artists, tutors or mentors
Partnerships with cultural organisations
Opportunities to experience new art forms, creative activities, cultures and languages
Paisley Book Festival: Seeking actors for promenade performance
Deadline: 5pm on the 3rd January
The Paisley Book Festival are seeking actors to take part in an immersive, theatrical walking-tour of Paisley’s town centre. The tour will be an opportunity for audiences to experience Paisley through interactions with book characters, who will breathe life and magic into locations around the town centre.
They are looking for between 2 to 5 actors who can embody the roles listed below and make them their own and are interested in seeing a mixture of ages, genders and ethnicities for any and all the roles.
Hidden Door Festival is looking for submissions from visual artists wishing to participate in a 10 day multi-arts festival which will take place from 9 - 18 October 2020.
The festival are looking for innovative projects across a variety of artistic disciplines including performance. They're particularly looking for projects which allow artists to develop and innovate their art practice. Applications are welcomed from UK artists at any stage in their career and particularly encourage new graduates and those who consider themselves emerging artists to apply.
Imaginate are inviting proposals from artists who would like to try out a new idea for children and their families as part of National Museum of Scotland's Family Day 2020.
Family Day is an excellent opportunity to be part of the festival, to try out a new idea and receive audience feedback.
Think about what would be interesting, fun, thought provoking or an unexpected artistic experience for them to come across. Due to noise, dialogue-heavy performance pieces or performed readings aren’t suitable. As the audience is often passing through, interactive and walk about or pop-up pieces work well. Short performances that gather an audience can work if based on visual, sound and/or movement.
Manchester International Festival (MIF) Job Opportunities
Director of Audiences
Deadline: 8th January Job role: To ensure that the organisation engages, increases and diversifies audiences and participants for both Manchester International Festival (MIF) and The Factory. Devise and deliver an audience development strategy. Oversee a comprehensive communication plan for the transition and journey towards The Factory and beyond.
Engagement Manager
Deadline: 2nd January
Job role: To develop and deliver a programme of activity at MIF21 and as part of The Factory’s opening season and ongoing programme of work curated and developed by Manchester residents. To embed greater public agency into the fabric of engagement activity at The Factory.
Director of Producing
Deadline: 8th January
Job role: To develop and manage MIF’s producing capacity and capability as the organisation transitions to running The Factory and beyond, providing leadership to the team.
The Festival Operations Manager will work closely with the AND team and project partners and lead on
the planning and implementation of festival operations and logistics in the run up to and during AND
Festival. This will involve being the main point of contact for operations and logistics during the festival
across H&S, event operations, ground transport for staff, audiences and artists, festival volunteers, and
festival hubs.
FESTIVAL PRODUCTION ROLES (FREELANCE)
AND is seeking to establish a highly skilled freelance production team to support on the delivery of the next edition of AND Festival. They’re looking for individuals with in the following roles to support on programme of exhibition, events, installations and film:
• Event Producers
• Production Manager/Lead Technician
• Technicians
Devoted & Disgruntled 15: What are we going to do about theatre and the performing arts?
8th - 10th February
Battersea Arts Centre, London
Devoted & Disgruntled is an opportunity for everyone passionate about the art to get together and focus on the question What are we going to do about theatre and the performing arts? It's a 2 1/2 day event where you set the agenda and decide what conversations you want to be part of.
The event uses an Open Space format. This means that attendees get to set the agenda themselves, instead of following a fixed timetable of speakers - anyone can call a session on anything, which means that the most important and vital issues and topics can be discussed on the day.
Call Out to Artists and Makers, groups and organisations involved with Circus, Street Arts, Physical Theatre - let us and others know about your work. Take your place in Articulation’s Directory on the Website by sending your information to info@articulationarts.org
Add to this Newsletter! Please send information about anything to do with Physical Performance together with a picture or a logo to articulationnews@gmail.com
Categories
News
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Training
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Performances
Festivals
Please can everyone send any info by the 20th of each month. If you can please include the category in subject heading so that it is easier for us to collate. Please also make sure that any info sent will still be valid by the last Thursday of the month.
