In the Wings

Lessons in Articulation

2012-02-09T19:45:00.000+02:00

We have started the deep dive into Commedia dell'arte for real now... and it demands pieces of everything we have learned from the very beginning of this unbelievable journey! A cauldron of theatrical potential. It is terrifying. And exciting. At the same time. We are doing Shakespeare plays in the style of Commedia dell'arte... Hamlet, King Lear and Macbeth. What a thing. We have just started exploring the masks and the character types... and the level of style and articulation and vocal resonance they require is staggering. Eee.

We can learn a lot from children and animals! For Christmas I got a new lens for my camera from Nick... aah... and these are among the first photo's I took... Rupert and Coroline. Children and animals... Articulation naturals. Action reaction geniuses. Levels of tension perfectionists. And masters of 'play'. You can watch them for hours. And hours. Sigh. Missing home.

My nephew Rupert at bath time! Hey?! How cute!

Coroline... our mad black cat x

We break for out next holiday in two weeks and I am going home... to all my family... our pets... the sunshine. Can't wait! 16 sleeps. x

The human tragicomedy, Tragicomedia Umana...

2012-02-05T21:40:00.008+02:00

I have started writing this several different times... where to start. There is so much to say. About acting. About playing. About structure. About dramaturgy. About rhythm. But mostly about having fun. Seriously. So i'll start at the beginning of the process. The clay.

We ventured into making our own masks once again... but this time they were to be half masks or speaking masks... and this time we were to try go further with the form. Take more of a risk. But still without imposing your idea. And I think perhaps we have started to understand something of volume and form and amplification. Compared to the full mask we made these have stronger decisions in them... both in terms of form and dynamic. At least I think that is true. And so, it was with these masks that we began our exploration of Commedia dell'arte type theatre style... which, for our purposes of exploring human tragicomedy, means improvisation within a structure...

My mask mould...

Justin's mask. In clay he looked like Robocop - but in the end he was much slower and more stupid than that...
and very very funny! Boom!

Commedia dell'arte (Comedy of Craft) is considered to be the childhood of theatre... it was half-mask theatre that was developed in Italy in the 16th century... A series of improvised scenes or sketches built around a pre-existing structure or story out line. Meaning there are fixed points in the play that the actors know they are working within and towards. And their themes had to be accessible human comedy / drama. Because the most important thing was that these actors had to keep their audiences entertained or they didn't eat. We have a lot to thank Commedia dell'arte for... like the first women on stage... to name but one.

So... where best to start the exploration of human drama... where can one easily find comedy and tragedy? Family. Ah. Of course. What a riot. We developed scenes that contained some kind of familial relationship and therefore conflict.

In the commedia style of performance the safety net is that you have a prescribed structure, but then within this structure there is the freedom to improvise... trick your partners on stage by throwing in new lines... new movements... new reactions and so on... build... build... build... crescendo... until the next turning point in the structure. And you absolutely have to earn the turning points... or you have nothing. A series of turning points and crescendos... Because the play must go up... if it doesn't go up... it goes down. Obvious. It is. But do it. Ahhh. The freedom. The constraint.

Of course it took some days... weeks... to get there... but by and large we did. Even if, we could have gone further... we were starting to knock at the right door. At least. And a very important key to success in this style is... you have to have fun... but really and truly have fun. It is not enough just to act. Because there is no cleaverly written script with brilliantly thought-out lines and carefully constructed character arcs to fall back on. So you cannot act without playing. How exciting. It is. Because 'playing' somehow goes further than acting... because, as we are learning, it incorporates the audience and on-the-spot invention. If you only act it presupposes a fourth wall, but this work directly incorporates the audience response. If they like something, do it again. Develop it. You are in complicite with your co-actors and the audience. But, because you have the structure upon which to lean, everyone is relatively safe on stage... because not just anything can happen... but a lot can happen... because there are rules...

- Structure

- Listening

- Action and Reaction

- Rhythm

- Audience Response

- Crescendo

After a dreary nose dive of just about all of our performances Giovanni reminded us, that with this work particularly (but probably in all forms of theatre) having fun is firstly the right and ultimately the obligation of the actor. And this in no way detracts from the drama in the scene. Quite the opposite. It enables the drama to reach the audience. And that really is the point. Reaching the audience. And a fabulous insight from Matteo... Always end up! Even if you have a dramatic ending. Punch out. Boom.

So the point is that once you have a solid structure, it only works if you really are having fun... then you can play. And the work can really live. What an obligation. A light in the dark goes on. Structure. Freedom.

We ended up with crazy scenes that were really funny in some moments and terribly disturbing in others and moving and mad and tragic... These two weeks were Family and the next three weeks is Shakespeare. How brilliant. Seriously.

Andrea and I in our scene of woman in love with a hyperchondriac man who cannot and will not leave his house...
Helen: Ubaldo, you're so sick because you never go outside.
Ubaldo: I never go outside because I am so sick, Helen.

Helen: Perhaps luck will be on your side. After all it is a game of chance... and strategy...

The chicken made by Freya from the Farm House scene... Masks and puppetry. Cluck cluck!

So after our final public performance... and a grueling few weeks filled with battle and discovery we gathered in a warm bar for a glass of wine. And for some a game of uno. I can't play cards now. What are you crazy. This is theatre. And it really was fun... And it really was a struggle. All of it. Finding the body of the mask, the vibration... how to be light and fluid and grounded at the same time. The voice, but particularly the way of speaking which was much more legato than staccato, and Liz (our voice teacher) so cleverly pointed out my rhythm to me... which changed everything... the rhythm always has to be there - or purposefully broken - regardless of the characters sentiment. And then how to play the different sentiments through the body of the mask and not falling back onto your own body. It is so fragile. The state. The play. Whether it works or not. How can you play cards now!

Uno in the bar.

Walking home with Vika, the snow gently falling on Florence. Sadly not enough to throw a white blanket over the city. But enough to make the tip of my nose turn red. My breath visible in front of me. A glass of wine warming my belly. A spring in my step. Because this week, I feel more than learning something, I have somehow just began to understand something. Something important. I think. A rare and exciting thing.

Say something... Say something. Anything.

2012-01-22T18:25:00.005+02:00

Bye-bye silence and hello voice! We have taken the - rather large - step from full masks to half masks... from 'silent' masks to speaking ones. Exciting yes - but it is interesting how long it took to let - or get - the voice out - we kept forgetting. Literally. Oh god - I can speak. Say something... say something... anything! Right. What should I say? Eee.

There is something tremendously intimate about ones voice - it can be quite exposing if it is not masked so that it no longer feel like your own voice. In other words if you are not using a resonance with enough distance from your own speaking voice, it is very difficult to get into the state of the character you are looking for. Because it is in this distance that one finds 'play' - where you start to say things that you wouldn't normally say... but rather things the character would say... and in the rhythm that the character would say it...

Then, naturally, you need a body which is also masked with a specific shape and given a specific vibration or frequency. We did a lot of this with full mask. Full mask is all about physical state (among other things of course) - like how you stand, which part of the body leads and so on... Frequency is often inspired by materials... glass, rubber, wood, metal, oil and so on... Where, if you imagine that you are made of that material it effects how you do things. I, for example, have a better time playing characters with a high frequency, with lots of little fast erratic movements... I feel quite challenged by characters that are more grounded or more liquid. But materials really help you understand what you need to do physically without getting all psychological about the character. Where feedback can be - more wood - less rubber! And everyone understands what is required practically. How simple? Mmm.

So, put these together - a masked voice with a masked body with a specific vibration and you find yourself in an altered state... in the state of the character you are playing. Hopefully.

Sometimes you're lucky and you hit all three rather quickly - but more often it takes some time. Giovanni keeps telling us... once you are in 'the state' and if you fall into the creative flow and you are listening, it is the state that tells you what to do next. This is the endless endeavor of improvised work... What happens? What happens next? And then what happens?

It's not easy. Or simple. Because things that look easy and simple are actually very hard to find. And especially in mask. If you don't listen, often you panic, do too much, saturate your performance and ruin the scene. Which is not great. Obviously. And everyone is swimming around in soup. Wondering what went wrong.

But when it does happen, you have the opportunity to open the door to a whole other world... where firemen fall in love in a crazy piece of sketch comedy... where birthday wishes are lost in a moving piece of tragic comedy... or where typical human behaviour is revealed at the day on the beach. Dramatic depth can be found in the action of simple every day things. And it is in the action that the sentiment is revealed. And the action is seen through very strict action and reaction with your co-players. A delicate dance of technique and sentiment - and without one you don't have the other. Although more often than not we'll forgive lack of technique over sentiment. As Matteo says without sentiment your mask is nothing more than paper mache and elastic. Theatre. Poetry. Life perhaps.

Me in Matteo's mask playing Anne the fireman who falls in love guy whose house is on fire...
Mario, her fireman partner, reminds her that her life is fighting fire with Mario! Sketch comedy. Rocking.

And the thing is with mask, it demands such a high level of play - such a specific and clear state - in order to work. And either it works or it doesn't. That's it. It's completely unforgiving. Luke warm is not really an option. So the training is how to be so specific that the state does the work for you in a sense.

The first half masks we played were simple mono-directional expressive masks that Matteo made... with the most fantastically expressive eyes. Yay. They are wonderful! What fun. But because they are so simple and have such a specific dynamic - they are really not easy to play. You have to be so... specific! Yes. Ahhhh.

So yes... on this journey of mask work I think the thing that is becoming clearer, is in theatre ultimately everything is masked - even if you are not physically wearing a mask. Deep. In the end even the story is masked through theatrical transposition. If not - you might as well watch TV. Exactly.

All eight expressive masks... Matteo said that he has used these masks with very dramatic themes -
like war and exodus - how brilliant. Poetic. Clever. We're very lucky. Have I said that before. I believe I have.

Close up. Art.

Barbara who sang 'Happy Birthday' and moved everyone to laughter and near tears...
with Helikos director Giovanni Fusetti

in full swing... Happy Birthday!

Beyond and Before words

2012-01-08T14:57:00.001+02:00

I have returned to Firenze from a wonderful Christmas summer break in South Africa with a bit of tan... slightly sun bleached hair... my toe nails still painted... and the odd grain of beach sand held hostage in my bag. Relaxed. And ready steady go.

So, last term (and last year now!) we had the privilege of playing Matteo's own masks. The magic they capture when played on stage... their changing expressions that move you to laughter and tears in tragic scenes that walk the thin line between comedy and drama... like the day a woman leaves her husband for ever... or the day a mother is taken to an old age home not by her choice. The idea with full mask it to always remain before and to move beyond words. Well yes - because you mouth is covered. But, you have to earn the silence. That place where there is nothing more to say - because everything has been said. A moment in one of the scenes where a young soldier is leaving home for war... his mother places an apple in the pocket of his jacket, a random act of motherly kindness that makes you laugh and cry at the same time... as if he were going to boarding school and not war. But to do this is harder than one thinks... and terribly exciting if achieved. It is quite easy to fall into pantomime... which is... well... dreadful. So yes, whole pieces without a single word... where, with some - if not most - of the pieces, in the days that followed you really felt like you heard the dialogue, the sound effects, the music. The silence can be very very loud.

Vika, me and Barbara - the two daughters who force their mother to leave her house for ever. Oh the drama!

We also visited the Tuscan town Lucca... our dear friend Lucy's last Italian day trip... possibly not for ever... but certainly for the next little while... I wish you well with your next adventure Lucy... you shall be truly and deeply missed. Your bright smile even when things are going wrong... Your positivity that things will work out... and they do! Your inoffensive bum pinching... Your openness to constantly tell people you love them... But mostly - your brilliant comic timing. Yes, you shall be missed... Beyond Words! x

Where we walked on the old city wall of Lucca... Lucy, Me and Nicole

Vika on the old city wall

Nicole and Vika pointing to the famous tower, Torre Guinigi, in the distance which boasts real trees... like a hat.

From the tree'd tower...

Sarah on top of the Torre Guinigi...

Puccini's birth home

This one is especially for Lucy... Happiness Street!
Vika, Nicole, Lucy, Sarah and Freya

Make a wish... and send it up

2012-01-07T14:34:00.002+02:00

We welcomed 2012 in with a wish and a sky lantern... and watched them rise and float over the bay in Plett... It rocked. Happy 2012. May all the wishes come true.

Ella making her wish

Ella watching her wish rise up

Hugo preparing to make his wish

The moment when Annies balloon began to pull up...

Melie looking like an angel makes her wish

Jack watches his wish [in capital letters!] take off

Mask Making for Professionals

2011-12-11T22:05:00.002+02:00

All of our own home made masks... yes its true... can you tell?! To begin the epic journey of mask making and mask play we were tasked to make our own masks... to call on our own creative intuition and make a proposal, or a statement. And we did... It was such fun...

our creations!

My wonderfully bizarre mask which I had enormous fun playing.

So yes, we all made the usual and expected mistakes with our first masks, and from there we went into depth on understanding the face - form, plains, volume, colour. A nose is the consequence of two side volumes meeting... a mouth is the consequence of the top volume meeting the bottom... features are not added or stuck on at all... they emerge for the form that ultimately is the face... the whole face is the consequence of volumes meeting. Obvious. Possibly. But try do it.

Initially it is perhaps a practically confusing way to work, but poetically and artistically it is totally true. It is therefore very difficult - and ill advised - to decide beforehand the kind of mask you are going to make... Like deciding that you want to have a big nose or broad cheeks and so on. Rather, you 'simply' make the mask you are going to make... the form emerges, and it is - for the most part - out of your control. And then... of course... you have to hope that it works on stage and not as a decorative wall hanging!

Below are some pictures of the process of mask making. What an absolute privilege - Matteo, our mask making teacher, is an absolute genius.

From this... to this in a week! Weirdly there is something similar about them. How odd.

Vika and her two masks... isn't it amazingly wonderful!

Really! I am very excited to see what our third masks are going to look like.

Where I walked #3

2011-12-08T19:32:00.002+02:00

Sunlight bouncing off the windows and dancing across the Ponte Vecchio and the Arno. Saturday morning walk through Florence... Firenze Sogna gently playing in my head as I Christmas shop in preparation to go home in only a few sleeps time for a two week holiday... so excited! Family, friends and sunshine!

The cry of the gesture

2011-11-27T14:46:00.003+02:00

We had the wonderful Norman Taylor again for two morning workshops. Of course it was unutterably brilliant... Movement analysis... of course... mime. Articulation of the space. The space. Always with 'the space!' So we did the Le Coq articulation phrase - Make a cocktail.

1... see the cocktail shaker on the counter

2... open the hand out wide ready to take the shaker... the cry of the gesture...

...Norman calls this wide spread hand the cry of the gesture... I love that. It made me want to do it. That my hand spoke of a cry for movement. Ja. But when it comes to the technical side of this work... poetry really can see one through! And its funny with mime, things you normally know without having to think - like which way to twist open the cocktail shaker - simply goes out the window and everyone is asking... which way is open?! Something one never considers... or gets wrong... when opening a tap! As Norman with a wide smile and fixing his hair continues to say... You have to be a manic for the detail... don't miss a beat... be ridiculously big, in order to become small... in the same way that children learn to write big in order to write small...

AHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... ringing through the streets of Florence!

Because when you break it down the amount of detail in a simple movement phrase is staggering. I'm going to leave it at step 2 - The cry of the gesture.

That afternoon we did our Larval mask performance... With scrambled brains from articulation articulation articulation... we decided that when in doubt... articulate... and breathe! Our feedback was next time try to articulate the play rather than play the articulation... Of course... Which we did.

Go big to go small. Articulation.

me, Nicole, Vika and Lucy in larval masks

My alien!

We finished our home made masks! The amazing thing is they all seem to have soul. Yay. Even my alien! I know. You wouldn't really say it by looking at it. But it's true. So exciting. Of course Matteo helped everyone with reconstructive surgery and some much needed paint make-overs... in most cases to calm the masks and help them to come to life on stage. The mask proposes a physical form and a state which proposes specific play and brings the mask to life. Like magic. But if the mask is stuck... what Giovanni calls an expression mask rather than an expressive mask... then it is better to hang the mask on the wall and start again. The mask depending on how you play it physically has to have more than one emotion... and hopefully even several. The mask and the counter mask.

My sleeping profile

Following our personal creations... or our artistic statements... We have began the process of learning how to make masks properly... professionally! Starting with the profile of the face. After observing and drawing each other profiles, from a small lump of clay we had to create a three dimensional profile... As I was working on one side of the profile from the top down... Surprisingly she ended up looking like she was sleeping... with the weight of slumber. Let the form emerge. And it did. Art.

A pinprick for the light...

2011-11-23T23:56:00.002+02:00

Some of the basic principals of the stage are simply... action, reaction, listening, high level of energy, listening, breathing, listening, crescendo, listening, articulation of space, listening... simple. Sure. In theory. But everything we do here is improvised. Gets a bit trickier. And of course the wonderful repartee... 'The theme is the theme!' Meaning as soon as a character walks on stage a 'theme' is established... A movement theme like a simple example is, they can't sit down... or they are waiting... or they are impatient or what ever. As soon as a second character enters - at exactly the right moment - of course (because you were listening!) - that established theme must be developed from the dynamic between the two characters... Yes of course. Development. Obviously. But really, even spotting the theme, so that you can actually develop it, takes super duper skills in.... listening! Mmm. Giovanni continually tells us that we are 'doomed to play the theme!' So, if you don't feel what you do on stage and suddenly you change it... it stops working and the scene dies. You've killed the play. Basta. Over. Start again. Listening. So this is very fine and complex work. Art. Grr.

So there's that...

Now imagine placing brown bag over your face with a few pinprick holes punched into it and do all of the above... listen... act... react... clock the audience... articulate... breathe... develop the theme... technique... sentiment... listen! Ahhhhhh! And you can't actually see... never mind listen. Swan dive off the Duomo...

Enter... daa daaa... Masks!

The other wonderful repartee... 'of course it's impossible... now go do it.' And amazingly once you get over basically being blind... and have spent enough time looking at the mask and finding a shape with your body... and you breathe... play arrives. Essential play. Because most of the time you are pausing to 'listen' to what your on stage partner is doing so that you can react accordingly... hopefully. And you have no idea what you are actually doing. Because really you are blind. But you have to trust the form and the mask. Commit to the sense of play. And only then can the mask live. The mask really comes alive... seemingly changes facial expression with the actors changing sentiment. A grumpy face suddenly smiles. An arrogant face crumbles with sadness. An aggressive face is suddenly overwhelmed. And it is wonderful to watch. Every tiny thing is amplified. The smallest hand movement. A look. A breath. The everyday becomes epic. Matteo (movement teacher and mask maker extraordinaire!) keeps reminding us... inside a drop of rain is the whole universe.

And through the tiniest pinprick... light by which to play.

So... we have started this journey with larval masks, these are non-expressive masks, that force simple amplified essential play... non speaking masks that are very loud.

Photo courtesy of Helikos ... Larval Masks, the eyes of the mask are not the eyes of the actor... if you look closely you will see the pinpricks which let in the light!

At the same time as we burst open the door to this fantastic world we were also tasked to make our own mask without any help from each other or google... or whoever. I tried to imagine if I had never made a mask before... what would I do... and this is what I came up with...

one - a balloon

two - paper mache

three - an alien! yay.
four, the actual mask, will be in the next post.

Mmm... We get to play our home made masks next week in front of the public. Lucky public! Art... and crafts. What fun.

Cosi alla vita... Such is life

2011-11-13T21:56:00.003+02:00

Our first project for second year has been a wonderful journey of four weeks from observation to performance. An absolute luxury to fully focus in on one thing... The assignment was an 'inchieste' - an intense observation of something in life... the subject matter was left wide open for each group to decide on, so long as it was observable... and not for example 'the meaning of life...' The observation includes rhythm, form, dynamic, architecture, text, colour, sound, sentiment, images and so on... The idea behind the observation is so that one does not start from an ideology - meaning from what you think you know about the chosen subject - but rather to slowly discover it as it is, as truthfully as possible, and only then transpose it for the stage. The group I was in chose aging / old age as the subject... And really, I think this has been one of the most profound and moving experiences of my life.

We started very slowly... sitting in a corner cafe watching a lone old man in a faded red coat and a battered cap, sitting on his fold out chair outside his second hand book shop looking up and down the road, hardly moving, talking to the people who passed by or sometimes just to himself. A fixed point for the life teaming, swirling, hurtling past him. Within a few days we entered into another world. A side of Florence where no tourists go. Down winding cobbled Florence streets in through secret doors into an otherwise hidden world where people mostly over 70 line dance, gamble, rock n roll, play cards, sing and star in amateur theatrical reproductions of The Odyssey... which had Helena and I literally bent over crying with laughter until our stomaches ached. Naturally the whole performance was in Italian and I understood nothing and, of course, understood everything... The leading man, playing Odyssey, could not remember even one of his lines... the monster cyclops constantly forgot all his actions his entrances and exits... the fortune teller kept whacking her forehead to light up her 'crystal ball' which was one of those light-up bouncy balls kids love... the main woman, playing Penelope, delivered all her dialogue in the most fantastically melodramatic displays of theatrical performance I have ever seen. I thought I was going to die laughing. The singing mermaids in full wigs and tie on wooden tails... The show and tell dance moves. The chorus of directors on and off stage who kept shouting out when ever someone forgot something. Honestly. I just loved it. It was nothing short of wonderful. It was like we were let into a secret world behind the grey stone walls of Florence. If one is going to live to ripe old age, then the Italians are doing something right... staring as the leading man in The Odyssey... or still being lead in dramatic dance... seams like a fun way to enjoy the time.

We also visited an old age home... an impressive historical building with immensely high pressed ceilings, a massive crystal chandelier, an intricate marble floor... It was beautiful and tragic at the same time. They sat around like broken rocks, their once strong bodies bent with time and weathered by their past stormy lives... Finally giving in to gravity. Just sitting. Waiting. A tissue. A tightly clutched hand bag. A string of pearls. A neatly buttoned up cardigan. A cup of tea. A piece of cake. A quietly watering eye. A shaking hand. A song from their youth sang with no need of an audience.

There was one woman in particular in the library room who just sat there, every now and then she opened her eyes and asked for a mint... to which the others would laugh and tease her, as apparently she always asks for a mint. It was very moving... the bullying... the waiting. Why not just give her a mint.

The highlight of the old age home came just as we were planning to leave... an Italian performer arrived to deliver one of the songs from Dante's Divine Comedy. As soon as everyone finally settled down he began his wonderfully dramatic recital... people fidgeted... coughed... walked through the performance space... blew their noses... whispered...

'Which song is it?'

'I don't know, but definitely we are in Hell.'

A wonderful piece of dialogue that also made it into our final show.

The thing about observing like this all day for two full weeks... including the weekends and a number of evenings... was that what we were observing, as well as things we didn't even know we were consciously observing became insidious. Little things we saw began to creep in slowly and manifest in our individual performances as well as in the themes of the piece as a whole... the immense joy we surprisingly experience almost everywhere we went... the care in each and every gesture... the time it takes to perform simple tasks... the loss of choice... the solitude... a vital mind with a body that is giving up... this thing that old people carry their whole history with them, in the folds of the skin, in their gestures, in their gaze... and of course, ultimately the waiting for the end to arrive.

When we finally came to transpose all this for the stage, what was really great, and very important, was that we did not have a piece of parody, mockery or melodrama that in some way could have belittled the experience we'd had observing. We ended up with eight scenes and a through-line of the soul of old people that somehow connected them together. A poetry that was evocative rather than explicative. Ultimately bringing the audience right into the piece with this knowledge that one day we will all be there. Waiting for the end.

'Non si sa quando, non si sa dove, non si sa come... ma arrivera, e quando diciammo, benvenuta ti stavamo aspettando.'

'We don't know when, where or how, but it will arrive, and when it does we will say welcome, we have been waiting.'

A snap shot of the final scene... Vika, Lucy, Tara, Me, Helena, Alenka and Peter

Below are some photo's that I took whilst walking around Florence during our observation weeks... I will never look at old people in the same way. I feel I have been changed for ever. Like I have somehow in someway experienced the old person that I may become.

Such is life... one day you get old.

Where I walked #2

2011-11-12T10:48:00.000+02:00

We headed back to Il Progresso, the old communist headquarters in Florence and our old studio from last year. The first year students presented their creation there... 24 hours of Santo Spirito. This is also where I lived last year... so it was kind of strange and wonderful to be back in this part of Florence... the familiar streets, the people we made friends with in the cafe on the corner, the eccentric characters frequenting the communist bar... The first years have fully launched their Helikos roller-coaster adventure! So exciting.

Andrea, Dylan and Justin opposite Il Progresso, smoking and being cool on a tossed out sofa next to a line of smelly bins. Lovely!

Shooting Alex

2011-11-05T13:11:00.000+02:00

Event Client: Mann Made Media

Corporate Client: SAB (South African Breweries)

Event: Zenzele / Perfect Peak Roadshow (external audience)

Venues: Live show in Joburg | Video shows all across South Africa

My Role: Creative Head, Live Co-Script Writer, Live Theatre Director & Live to Video Director

On-set shots for another live theatre production for the medium of film. This is a roadshow that only has one large live show and the rest is a video rollout to smaller regions across South Africa. So once again - the video does not form a simple record but rather a stand alone tool of education through entertainment.

So, we shot in the Johannesburg township, Alexandra. I have a play called Weekend Special which is set on the dusty streets of Alexandra - and spending three days here on set was wonderful - there is such a vital life force and sense of community which in my opinion is just about not present in the suburbs. I mean - I don't even know who my neighbors are! For most of us, we never dare venture past the boarder between Alex and Sandton. This was one of the reasons for making the play Weekend Special... we take the show mostly to private schools in Johannesburg, and whilst entertaining these kids, we also transport them into a township setting - many of whom would possibly only have seen from the Highway as they drive past. This is all kind of besides the point... all i'm saying is being on set here, once again, reminds me of how diverse this city is. And of how much I dig it.

Below is my favourite moment in the video where old man Baba Sfiso rushes down the road to tell Bra S'bu what his competitor Ma Miriam is up to in her tavern... such fun.

Here are three images of the chorus led by the main character Ma Miriam doing their thing... a teaser to the rest of the show... which i'll talk more about soon. Rocking. Our live show is in Johannesburg towards the end of this month. It will also mark my last show before heading off back to Italy for second year at Helikos theatre school.

SAB Responsible Trader Roadshow

2011-11-03T18:48:00.000+02:00

Event Client: Mann Made Media

Corporate Client: SAB (South African Breweries)

Event: Educational Roadshow (external audience)

Venues: Live shows in Durban, Joburg, Cape Town | Video shows all across South Africa

My Role: Creative Head, Live & Animation Script Writer, Live Theatre Director & Live to Video Director, Animation Director

This has been the biggest show I have worked on... I think possibly ever! It was such an exciting and wonderful job to be a part of. Firstly the message rocked... we were to educate tavern owners, SAB's clients, all around South Africa on how to trade alcohol responsibly... If every tavern owner were to trade responsibly... this is how we stand a chance to change a community and ultimately an entire society. In South Africa alcohol abuse is a serious issue (as it is every where in the world...) and the core messaging was around compliance, customers drinking too much, pregnant women and drinking, underage drinking and drinking and driving.

Industrial theatre was the at the heart of the delivery medium... from there we filmed the entire show, carefully translating the live piece to fully work in the medium of film. This was such a great and wonderful challenge... the reason being that all too often filmed theatre simply does not work beyond a mere record of the work. However here the vast majority of our audience were only going to see the filmed version of the show and therefore the impact and educational out-take of these video's had to match that of live performance. And I believe we succeeded.

We had a cast of five wonderful performers. Hamilton Dhalmini played the tavern owner and the rest formed a theatrical chorus of workers in the tavern doubling up to deliver section specific monologues and role play scenes of... for example... 'how to handle a pregnant woman who comes into your tavern asking for a beer' ... and so on. On stage the chorus device was fabulous - keeping the show buoyant, engaging and ultimately educational. Education through entertainment at it's best. For the video version we used the chorus in a musical-type way, and therefore not a million miles from it's live counterpart... how wonderful - it was such fun.

Here are some shots of the live show and stills from the shoot. I'll upload a taste of the video's in a separate post. Rock on theatre entertainment for education. For me personally this is superb art... amazing actors working so easily on stage and in front of the camera with the same material... outstanding cinematography from Tom Marais - what a legend... Stunning narrative editing from Kirsten de Magalhaes - who totally understood where we were headed with this and then took it further... Mic Mann as Executive Producer who worked more weekends and through the night more times than I could ever... Bruce Sherwell the animator on the final impact animation - a force of talent who too worked unthinkable hours to create such delicate work. And finally Nick Warren the Creative Director at MMM who conceived, developed and sold this amazingly executed concept... without the idea, you have nothing at all. Of course there are many many more people who make a show this big happen.

So... a meaningful show. A rocking team. Yay.

Lerato Moloi on set as the chorus tavern worker... how pretty!?

Bongani Madondo on set as the chorus tavern worker... fantastic.

Hamilton Dhlamini on set as S'bu the tavern owner... rocking.

Bongani Madondo on set as Baba Sfiso in his final position... my favorite shot of the shoot... musical vibe!

Random of us getting ready... set up for a later green screen shoot... delightfully complex.

Tom Marais... another green screen positioning for later... what a wonderful dude... so much talent!

The audience arrives for our show in Johannesburg... bus loads of Tavern and outlet owners pored in.

Baba Sfiso comes to talk to S'bu in the live performance...

The chorus on stage!

The chorus getting the tavern ready...

Black Madondo at the end of his monologue...

about to be joined by the rest of the chorus in a moment of celebration!

An intoxicated customer wanting to buy another drink... in the 'how to' section.

The end of drunk driving in the 'how to' section where the drunk guy thinks the worker is trying to steal his car

- this was one of my favourite bits in the live!

Jessica at the end of her rather rousing and emotion monologue on Foetal Alcohol Syndrome.

Beautiful actress.

The wonderful Hamilton Dhlamini as S'bu in the live... come again!!

SAB Dinaledi Event

2011-11-03T18:47:00.001+02:00

Event Client: Mann Made Media

Corporate Client: SAB

Event: Launch (external audience)

Venue: SAB Warehouse

My Role: Script Writer & Concept development

Following on from the roaring success of S'bu in the Taverner Roadshow the next brief was to bring to life one of the other characters that he spoke of previously - thus really bringing to life the world of township taverns and the different characters and issues they each deal with. Bongani Madondo is a wonderful actor and James Cuningham directed it beautifully. Yay for great work.

Toyota... celebrating 30 years!

2011-11-03T18:45:00.000+02:00

Event Client: Mann Made Media

Corporate Client: Toyota

Event: Staff Briefing (internal audience)

Venue: Theatre on the Track

My Role: Live Theatre Director

One of the most wonderful things (and there are many) about Corporate Theatre work - that makes my heart beat faster - is the level of performer one gets to work with. On this event I worked with Hamilton Dhlamini and Mncedisi Shabangu. These two actors are like thoroughbred race horses with energy that fills and overflows from the stage over an audience and much much further. They played the part of two newspaper vendors, with such style and class and generosity, who told the story of Toyota's 30 years of market leadership... The vibrant and powerful script, written by MMM Creative Director Nick Warren, went through the 3 decades from the 80's, 90's and 00's touching on historical moments in South African history, world history and juxtaposed with Toyota's massive achievements in this time both locally and internationally. It is work like this, live performance in front of a widely non-theatre going audience where one sees the absolute power of theatre.

The very funny and extremely adaptable Deborah Da Cruz seamlessly stepped in at the last minute and took the flighty and very strict role of Floor Manager during the dress rehearsal when we realised we needed one... her job was keep things on track.

Nick moving screens around and re-positioning the very many cars that had to drive on stage at different times.

Thanks Mann Made - it rocked!

Where I walked

2011-11-01T09:10:00.001+02:00

It is fall in Florence. The leaves are returning to the earth. The wind is picking up. The promise of rain, ever present. Our first two weeks of being back at Helikos has been - mostly - dedicated to inchiesta... studying deeply a subject matter that interests you. A theme in life that you can observe. We have chosen old age. Whilst out looking for a rumoured bar where old men gather to play cards we stumbled upon this park... Autumn appropriately approves of our choice.

like bent old ladies with fabulous hair do's

Where I walked

The Mighty Baobab...

2011-10-30T14:53:00.000+02:00

Event Client: Mann Made Media

Corporate Client: Standard Bank

Event: Conference (internal audience)

Venue: Monte Casino

My Role: Live Theatre Director

We told such a rousing story about the origins of the Baobab... And how it came to spread it's seed all over Africa... It was beautiful. We did in a cinema with the massive screen as the performance backdrop... These were the backdrops... They are simple but on that enormous screen they were fantastic. Haunting music... dappled light... a beautiful script by Nick Warren... a stunning performance by Yule Mabhena... spectacular visuals by Tyron Janse Van Vuuren... It rocked.

One also remembers how utterly enchanting the baobab tree is.

The below image had nothing to do with the performance... but I just love it.

It's enormously satisfying to watch a corporate audience be enthralled by live theatre. Everybody loves a good story well told. Once upon a time... and everyone leans in.

Ciao Firenze...

2011-10-25T22:23:00.001+02:00

I left Joburg on a glorious sunny day and just about instantly felt as if I were in Europe - the Gautrain rocks... So yes, all the way from our wonderful home in Parkview, Johannesburg - where we are planting a brand new garden... Iceberg roses, Lavender... and a whole lot of other plants whose names I can't remember - the air is filled with the smell of Spring and the promise of Summer... The lanes and avenues of our little suburb about to burst with Jacaranda blossoms creating rivers of purple petals. But me I am off to Florence for my fourth winter in a row. Yes, from Parkview to Rosebank, the Gautrain to OR Tambo Airport to Frankfurt to Vienna and finally Florence... a long journey of trains planes and busses which eventually brought me to the little apartment I now share with Vika the Dane, Freya the Norwegian clown and Giulio the Italian yogi. My room is light bright small and happy. Even though the winter rain is settling in - I have a view of trees... an inner city park whose secrets I have not yet explored, but will - soon... I shall pull on my loud orange wellington boots and open my black polka dot umbrella and walk.

Year two has began - and I am delighted that this time it did not start with a couple of hours spent beneath a Mother Mary and Jesus painting on the corner of some road in a city I do not know, crying, waiting to be robbed. Lost. And alone. How much happens in just one year. And thank heavens for Blackberry Messenger! Rock on.

The brand new massive aeroplane that flew me back to winter.

On the run way in Frankfurt after my long and awkward attempt at sleep on the plastic airport chairs.

Flying over the Alps... now a somewhat familiar sight.

Palm Sunday

2011-10-05T07:58:00.001+02:00

Towards the end of my first Italian adventure last year - just as Spring was rounding the corner, Freya, Vika and I visited Prato on Palm Sunday... Apparently the Prato Duomo houses - one of many i'm sure - the belt of the Virgin Mary. No word of a lie - the sacred belt - Sacra Cintola - is only brought out on very special Holy (obviously) occasions - Palm Sunday is (sadly for us) not one of them - so we did not get a glimpse of the precious artifact. We did however experience the tail end of the Italian Mass and manage to get a sprig of the special Italian Palm

This is my new belt. A lot can be said about one by ones belt.

A day in Prato from Jenine Collocott on Vimeo.

I thought this fitting as Spring peers over the horizen in South Africa and I get ready to return to Italy...

Spring back into Winter

2011-10-03T10:32:00.002+02:00

In a few short weeks I shall be returning to Italy for my second year of theatre study and for my fourth winter in a row. Amazing. But true. Just when the sun is starting to beat down and Spring is well on its way... with the promise of a blazing summer filled with early evening swimming, flip flops, skirts and sunblock. Instead, i'm wondering around the final clearance sales for umbrellas, jerseys and tights... Audibly from my cupboard my summer dresses sigh. Outside we have finally taken the plunge and called the landscaper my sister has been talking about for far too long. We are in the process of getting a garden. With flowers and everything. Wendy - after she came to have a look at our mess of a garden - took a deep breath and searched for the right words... 'look I have to be honest - there's nothing much I can save.' That's okay we reassured her. It is very exciting.

Hanna and Hugo on the Christmas bed they made on the scraggly lawn (and our attempt at a Jasmine creeper at the end of the pool) - but never the less - cafe lights strung up with the odd lantern can make any garden enchanting. Even ours. Kids don't care. Memories in the making.

Roadkill Rocked...

2011-08-15T14:48:00.002+02:00

I am in Cape Town getting ready for a run of Dirt at the Baxter - yes it is terribly exciting! And I am taking a few minutes to up load this long overdue post.... Roadkill was staged this weekend in a gallery space supported by the Goethe Institut... called Goethe on Main. We were running technical rehearsals with the oh-so brilliant Strike Team while William Kentridge - next door - was working away with a host of artists on his next opera... it felt all very special and creative and stuff...

We had a short three night run... so we went through all the emotions... the terror of opening... the lull of second night blues... and the bliss of the final performance. James Cuningham who performed in it was so wonderful on the third night that I had a lump in my throat! Nick writing is just brilliant. Jenni-Lee's stage design was gritty and beautiful and plain enough to support James alone on stage... and of course Leah McCrae's team from Strike Productions created the most gentle and stunning lighting states that took the show to a whole new level...

A new show in the world. What a wonderful thing. And what fun was a gallery space... we painted the programme and the backdrop onto the wall... bolted our rigs into the ceiling... such fun... hung origami birds where the audience entered the space...

Thank you to the amazing team... Nick Warren, James Cuningham, Jenni-Lee Crewe, Deborah Da Cruz Meyer, Amelia Warren and of course The Strike Team with Leah McCrae and Goethe Instit. Rocking.

James, Nick and Deborah - ahh.

Nick and I - being corny!

Amelia's beautiful origami birds - which she spent so much time working out how to do... so pretty (people pinched them after the show!)

Our wall of credits - all the wonderful people on our team!

A late night tea party

2011-07-10T19:47:00.000+02:00

The brilliant and talented Alida Van Deventer sits and works late into the night painting butterflies and dragonflies. The stuff of childhood stories... when the beetles shine their shells, the centipedes put on a hundred pairs of shoes, the crickets play music and the butterflies and dragonflies dance dance dance.

Of fights and friendship...

2011-07-01T09:33:00.003+02:00

Bizcommunity wrote a fab synsopsis for Dirt...

"From the sap star actor Sam, with an ego the size of Everest, to the exhausted new father Grant, who's terrified of his post-natal wife, and to Wayne, a man whose life has fallen through the cracks but who hasn't realised it yet, Cairns inhabits his comical characters with hilarious effect and takes the audience on a journey of fights and friendship." Bizcommunity. Rock on.

We opened in an apparently very cold Grahamstown yesterday. We leave this afternoon.
I love this time of year.

Roadkill emerges

2011-06-24T15:26:00.002+02:00

Very exciting news... Roadkill is about to get up and start running! In the heart of Joburg... a man sets out on a jog to escape a minor problem and runs into a major situation... oh sinner man where you gonna run to... and on that day...

Roadkill written by oh so brill Nick Warren

With the super fab James Cuningham

Directed by Jenine Collocott... that's me

Goethe on Main [at] Arts on Main

Friday 12 August 8pm

Saturday 13 August 8pm

Sunday 14 August 2:30pm

Apparently just below William Kentridges studio - although I didn't see him through a windowpane working away behind his easel... so i'm not so sure...

A wonderful Gallery space... theatre shall be on display. Mm.

Yes this is main city life.

Left off the Highway...

2011-06-01T09:40:00.002+02:00

A few days ago I took off my wedding ring and typed in the coordinates for the Windybrow Theatre in Joubert Park to hand in my forms for the festival in June... Only to discover that the theatre is honestly one turn off the highway - and therefore not that scary a drive at all... They are in the midst of drastic restoration renovations. The inner city of Johannesburg... in the shadow of Ponte tower... a stones through from Hillbrow... lies a magic not-so-little theatre. So if you are brave - like me - I think you too should venture one turn off the highway and come and see this spectacular old theatre whose lights are being turned back on.

So, here when we're on...

Tuesday 14 June at 6pm

Wednesday 15 June at 7pm

The festival poster. How pretty. And funky. And Joburg.

Weekend Special... Christ Church from Jenine Collocott on Vimeo.
For those of you for whom it would take more than one turn off the highway to come see us... here is another little clip of the show we did for Christ Church high school. We adapt the play to perform it in school halls without lighting... and it works. If they can't come to the theatre - take the theatre to them xx

Ciao for now...

2011-05-23T13:10:00.003+02:00

Amazingly first year Helikos... International School of Theatre Creation.... came spiraling to an end with an action packed few weeks... or maybe months... of some of the most exciting theatrical tricks and techniques in what turned out to be stellar end to an amazing year in Firenze. So to recap on the steady slide to the finish line...

Characters! After months and months of running around our studio being blue, boiling water, baboons and blustering wind... we moved onto human beings... ooh... and the dynamics that us commoners call 'Human Nature.' This period started with the wonderful teacher Amy Russell from LISPA London... where we were introduced to the wonderful CLAP! technique... Moments in play where the actor interrupts their performance - with a literal external or a figurative internal clap - to consciously up their performance by doing something! In our workshop improvisations with Amy she would clap her hands and call out a characters name... that character had to say out loud what they were thinking and in turn what they thought they could do next. And the results were fabulous. It was such fun to discover that broad hidden world of potential action... That made the 'sense of play' sky rocket... the stakes raise... the tension build... the humor emerges... What can you do? Not what can you say! Thus keeping with the highest level of engagement. It was quite wonderful. Truly. On stage one can do what one only dares to think in life. And once you have done this for long enough, like 6 claps later, the counter character is revealed... or true character is amplified... So, if by nature you are chaotic - then somewhere hidden you are also ordered... If you are are against - then somewhere you are also for. Fascinating stuff. So our improvisations went to such beautifully bizarre places...

Like, for example, a quiet restrained woman climbing into the coffin when she can no longer bare the situation any more... a straight-forward boss bursts into song at the horror of having to retrench half her staff... and a woman trying not to let her true feeling show eventually starts throwing frustrated air punches at her provoker.

As part of this cycle in the programme we had to develop two opposite characters - Doppio Personagge - if you don't want to Be Italian about it... Such a blast. Arriving for class as a whole other person... Someone who really is, and really isn't you.

This is Rosemary - aristocratic, entitled, British, passive, above... and reluctantly kind. Enormously fun to play. According to Vika in a pair of ancle revealing black tailored pants and this oh-so fetching jacket I would be a hit... This is Denmark.

This is Maria - chaotic, loud, brash, common, against... and 'with' at the same time. Also loads of fun, but totally exhausting - continuously looking for the next distraction.

With our 'doppio personagges' we created scenes using paraventi or black flats creating a multitude of entrances and exits - we told the story of a dodgy health spa that unexpectedly comes under investigation for health and safety compliance... 4 actors... 8 characters... and one major crisis. Rock on.

During this time we went on weekend Spring day outing to the beach at Viareggio... if you ignored the rubbish strewn on the sand... it was quite pretty, with snow capped mountains rising up behind the buildings on the shore line. But mostly it was nice to be out... and not hiding indoors from the Winter rain. We spent most of the day wondering around the little town and eating ice-cream, but for the time we were on the beach we practiced the Le Coq 20 movements... mostly handstands... for our individual presentations... but more on that later.

For now, I'm back in South Africa and loving being home. Straight back into work - and straight back to the hairdresser! A luxury one cannot afford whist a student in Europe... and perhaps not here anymore either... I wanted to ask the hairdresser if she highlighted my hair with gold dust. But no. What is quite strange is how quickly one fits back in to the every day - almost like it never happened - like I haven't been away doing this amazing thing for 6 months. But I have. Everything changes and everything stays the same.

A lone tree on the horizen of a boring landscape

2011-04-12T12:43:00.005+02:00

This post has taken me a very long time to write. I am not really sure why. I started writing it on the 4 December when Sally left Florence after a short, or long, 7 weeks on the programme. I suppose then I couldn't work out what I wanted to say exactly. Sally was here for our first Norman Taylor movement workshop and we have just completed another four days with him... and I suppose Sally leaving and Normans poetry in movement are connected for me. Norman was here teaching us the Le Coq 20 movement sequences... these are mimed sequences that teach you about space, articulation, separation, suspension, force... and so on. All vital ingredients when constructing theatre... But Norman is no ordinary teacher. He brings a depth to the movements that transform them from a technical exercise into poetic genius.

Sally, the wonderful wild woman from Tasmania, packed up her family... her two year old, her ten year old and her partner and moved to Florence... like the rest of us, in the pursuit of art, to study with Giovanni Fusetti. She got a grant and that was it. The work itself made her squeal in delight, stare in awe, cry and laugh and gasp. But the work-day hours, being in a new country with her 10 year old going to school in a foreign language and the relentless winter rain that kept her two year old consistently indoors, made it impossible to stay. For us in the Southern Hemisphere this is not a childhood. Sunshine, bare feet, swimming pools and gardens make childrens hearts soar and the price of Italy was too high. Sally often spoke of what it meant to be an artist and a mother. The Divided Heart, a book she often spoke of, talks of the belief that to be an artist and a mother one of them has to fail. Sally said that the fact that she is a mother is the very thing that makes her a better artist. And it did. Sally was not afraid of life, of taking risks, of moving... on and off the stage. Italy didn't work out for her and her family - not the art.

Being here is really not easy. At all. I miss my family desperately. But not being here is as difficult. Telling stories is not something you want to do. It's just something we do... And then we move... In and out of each others lives. And for now I am telling part of my story in Italy... my family are telling theirs in South Africa... and Sally her's in Australia.

Norman spoke of the verb in movement sequences, clear of any judgment or interpretation... so if you are doing the wall for example (that is miming climbing a wall) and you use only the verbs in the sequence... to rise... to suspend... to pull... and so on... Something else emerges. Because the verb itself has no opinion. And only when we have no opinion can we know how to say exactly what we want to say on the stage... and in life. So we study pure movement to allow the movement speak of you - Rather than you speaking of the movement. And of course neutral movement is impossible. But every now and then there is a glimmer of the beauty and force behind the personal chaos. Norman says that people wait to see your movement because somehow is speaks of who you are. And the movement must be dynamic... creating the wind in the ice skater sequence... the weight in the weight lifter sequence... the force in throwing the discus... Brought to life with vital accents. Like a boring landscape, and every now and the there is a tree, a rock, a bush, a sun set.

On Saturday after the full days workshop I sat on the bridge looking at the Ponte Vecchio one side, the sun setting behind just another church on the other, the deep blue Spring sky above, the river Arno still beneath me, the rush hour traffic streaming past, and I know that I am not European. And I remember the horizon on the salt plains in Botswana... that goes on for ever. Where the heat is the kind that lets you see the air. Where the yellow sand on the bare landscape stands up straight in the wake of the passing landrover - there is no hurry to return to the cracked earth and wait for another lift which may not come. From in the vehicle a little girl looks out the window and doesn't realise, it's not just hot, it's Africa hot. A lone lizard on a broken rock watches as the dust returns in a slow waltz. And so we move.

Norman told me the French bible states... in the beginning there was the verb.

The pic from our first workshop with Norman. Where Sally did the movement of throwing the discus... but was really replaying the story of her life in verbs. Ready for the next part of her story. Sally, here's to boring landscapes and the odd spectacular thorn tree.

Old images of landscapes from the photographic museum where I spent a day off... looking at an exhibition of war photographs. Another kind of movement.

Weekend Special at the Windybrow Theatre

2011-04-07T20:47:00.000+02:00

This week I got the very exciting news that my play Weekend Special will be performed at the Windybrow Theatre in Joubert Park... the daring dangerous heart of Johannesburg... in the shadow of Ponte Tower! So excited.

Weekend Special is set on the streets of a Johannesburg Township. It tells the story of the relationship between a daughter and her single young mother, her best friend and the local gossips... And the actresses Deborah and Yule rock. I made it especially to perform for a youth audience - where it does really well. It's relevant, it's funny, it's wacky - They dig it. In South Africa we don't have a massive theatre going audience - and by taking good work into schools we hope to convert even just a few to darken the doors of theatres in the future. Mmm.

I'm your Weekend... Weekend Special! from Jenine Collocott on Vimeo.

This was the show we did for Dainfern College and one of the students in the front row filmed it - I think she did a fab job!

The shows are on the 16 and 18 June 2010 at 6pm - Come! Yay

Breathe in...

2011-04-03T21:21:00.007+02:00

We completed the massive journey through the abstract... neutral mask, elements, materials, colours and poetry... to arrive at human characters. Yay. And human emotion. How exciting. And it was... albeit really weird in the beginning... mind bendingly brilliant.

We started with breath work, which when used in therapy is called re-birthing or regression therapy. However when used in a theatrical context brings about fantastic and totally surprising creative results. Connected breathing and movement takes one into a trance-like state where emotions swirl, and it is this that is channeled into performance... one could say that all performance, all creativity, is channeling emotional energy and that this is an extremely vivid visceral experience of that.

I'll try and explain it as best I can... Firstly we all stood around breathing together... and because I'm not the worlds most gung-ho 'let's all stand around and bare our emotions to each other' individual, I initially found it quite difficult. But soon enough it stopped feeling personal and the work began. So yes, there we were, doing a bit of heavy breathing connected to specific organic movement and ultimately sound... all with the gentle guidance of Pol and Imanou who are breath masters from France. So it's all legit and brilliant. Breathing is a doorway into the unconscious world... blinking and breathing are the only actions of the conscious and the unconscious mind... but blinking yourself into and altered state is not really as viable an option. So yes, breathing takes one to the door of the unconscious. Knock knock. Who's there? Hello emotion. And it's amazing. We breathed and connected what came up to the theatrical world of grotesque characters... meaning how far could you push a character, amplify an emotion, and remain believable - like the human craziness you see every day if you dare to look... for example, a mad man on the street who shouts and spits and has lost all sense of himself... or a wild woman of the night whose ego has no boundary... or a spoilt adult throwing a wild unreasonable tantrum to get what she wants... or a tyrannical man who needs to state his claim on being a man. Life in extreme forms. After the breath work, once we were open and on the precipice of the unconscious if you like, we played these extreme forms in a way that each performer somehow disappeared behind 'the mask' of their grotesque/extreme form... a kind of theatrical shape-shifting or shamanic-type performance. In the same way that we all have a clown we all have a grotesque form... and perhaps many. We gathered in an intimate circle in our studio each exposing a amplified wild character that lives within us. And we laughed until we cried and sometimes we cried until we laughed. But most of all we breathed for what in a fleeting moment felt like for the first time. And we grew expanding ourselves in every direction.

And this, while not so far away the rest of the world - Egypt, Lybia, Japan - is falling apart. Humans. Nature.

As Giovanni said we dare to be creative with the time we have... Who knows what happens tomorrow.

Nick came to visit me for a week in our break... It was completely wonderful we spent a day in Bologna, an amazing Gothic city, where we climbed a terrifyingly high, frightfully narrow tower whose only purpose, however many years ago, was as a show of wealth... Italian men, seriously.

The Neptune fountain in the main square in Bologna - the four mermaids around him sprouting water from their breasts represent the only four major rivers in the world known at that time.

Nick and his favorite indulgence... drinking coffee x

We spent a day in spectacular village, San Gimignano, where we wondered up and down the beautiful cobbled streets amongst a vast number of boastful towers pushing against a determined ice cold wind wishing that the sun was out and that we could sit on a little bench looking out on the rolling Tuscan hills and drink red wine and eat cheese. Instead we found ourselves in a cosy little coffee shop drinking delicious coffee and eating pastries.

For the rest of the time we were in Florence... The Duomo (beware the Christian God!), Santa Croche (where all the big guys - Dante, Michelangelo, Galileo - have their tombs), San Lorenzo, The Uffizi... oh and the Damien Hirst exhibition 'For the Love of God,' in Palazzo Vecchio. An exhibition of a single art piece, a diamond and platinum covered skull, a real human skull yes. It was wild. We walked up a short ramp lined with information about where the skull was brought, who it is believed to have been... and so on... at the top a serious looking security guard pulled aside a heavy black curtain and we entered into a tiny pitch black room with a single dim spot light hitting the jeweled skull in a brilliant spangle of refracted of light that honestly you have to see to believe how beautiful such a macabre thing can be.

Nick in Italy from Jenine Collocott on Vimeo.
We wondered around holding hands, eating alot, drinking more, talking about theatre and planning the future. Breath out. x

A Turtle's Birthday

2011-03-20T16:07:00.003+02:00

In the second week of animals... I finally played a Giraffe... and I think perhaps in my previous life I may have been a Giraffe. In fact I'm sure of it. Animals give one a very specific physicality - ah obviously - and that instantly brings a sentiment to the actor which gives a delightful sense of play to performance... like, for example...

Status - a Giraffe out ranks a Bulldog. Amplified emotion - a Turtle is instantly vulnerable and somehow tragic. Behavior - a Monkey cannot help doing the very thing she's not supposed to do.

That week for our creation we told a story of a Giraffe mother whose Pig and Hamster daughters ruin their Turtle Grandmother's birthday. Flirting with tragedy on the edge of comedy... We performed it at an open evening to the public. Animals are understood in all languages. Even Italian. What a luck.

That week I was thinking about mime... Mime is a fascinating thing. And a difficult thing. Playing pretend. Creating that which is not there... in the mind of the audience. Our piece started with the Giraffe setting a table. The table was of course mimed. So there is no table... obviously... that's why it's mime. Matteo, our wonderful movement guru, was talking about mime and about the fact that you cannot as an actor stand there, on the stage, and tell yourself... 'I can see the table... it's right there...' Because it isn't right there - there is nothing there but the space... where the table should be. If the table was physically on stage and then you took it away the space where it was is real. So if you, the actor, can see the space of the table, then the table is real in the mind of the audience. Mime is like magic and it's because the space is real. Art.

Matteo does a Shakespeare play in the style of Commedia dell'Arte every year with a group from England and this year he is doing... A dream of summer in the middle of the night. Poetry.

Giraffes at Pistoia Zoo, Italy from Jenine Collocott on Vimeo.

The Giraffe at the Pistoia Zoo that I studied for movement. I put upbeat music to it but i'm not sure it goes a long way to make it a less grim than what it was. So moving on to happier things...

That week I made Koeksisters... I really did. The syrup and everything... I went on line I got the recipe and then the lovely Sarah Foster helped in her somewhat more equipped kitchen and that Friday there was a little South African Afrikaans cuisine in the Progresso, the old Communist headquarters in Florence where our studio is. Strange.

Aside from the one or two that were a little too crisp... they were really quite delicious. Mmm.

Stolen from Africa, India, America and brought to Italia...

2011-02-20T18:10:00.003+02:00

The zoo in Pistoia was very old and very sad.... the two elephants kept in a space about 5m by 12m were quietly resigned... the Jaguar continually pacing up and down looked totally tormented... so did the Bear... the lonely or perhaps bored Tiger was wondering around... the Giraffes were often agitated, and compulsively licking the metal fence... the Rhino just stood there and every now and then rubbed his horn on something metal, changing its shape in a desperate cry for help... the one Zebra, a herd animal, alone in the smallest of enclosures, running along the fence visibly going insane... the Sea lion just kept swimming around and around and around by himself. I know these are all projections... but it was tragic. Viewing the world how it is - and not how you would like it to be. The goats were very happy. At least. Yay. And very funny. As were the peacocks who marched around freely, and often with their tail feathers fanned out skwaaking the odds...

Our assignment was to study the animals for movement purposes. Starting with the state of the animal... the animals vibration which comes from their stillness and their articulation... animals are always in movement sentences. When they stop they are ready to go. When they go they are ready to stop.

From there, studying and imitating their extremities and finding ways to transpose these for the stage... ears, tongues, whiskers, tails, hoofs, arms, legs, hands... How they each touch the floor... An Elephant is so light for being so very dense. The mouth movements... Giraffe's for example are extremely animated and expressive.

Finally their side and or vertical undulation when moving... and their relationship to the ground... which often shows who is the hunter and who is the hunted. The Jaguar is energetically much closer to the ground than a Goat... and the Jaguar is going to win!

I spent most of my time with the Giraffes and the Indian Elephants... they made me think of Botswana, where I grew up... and where I spent countless days and nights in the bush... seeing Giraffe elegantly pluck leaves from the tallest trees, and turn to look at you, the stranger in the Landrover, pause, and then continue unquestioningly chewing and blinking... I cannot count the number of times I have seen a massive herd of Elephants cross the road and then immediately and silently disappear into the bush as if they were never there... Or gigantic herds of Zebra and Wildebeest migrating across planes kicking up mountains of dust and causing the earth to rumble. Just normal. But it's not just normal... That wild animals live totally in the wild.

The grace and elegance of the Giraffes and Elephants, even besides being in criminally too small enclosures, put a lump in my throat. I of course focused on these two to transpose for the stage. However in that weeks creation I ended up playing a Chicken! Which was fun. A lot of fun. Chickens are crazy. So yes, a Chicken that checks into a hotel run by two carnivores. Mmm.

It's never too late to change your childhood...

2011-02-13T20:45:00.004+02:00

Onward from colour and deeper into the wide open world of The Abstract... where anything can happen. My favourite place. Mmm. This is connected in some way to the fact that theatre - all art - is somehow much much bigger than than you. The story itself has it's own vibration in the space which is far greater than if it were simply your story, that you were improvising, you... the person in rehearsal room wondering what the hell to do next. And then if you have really connected with this sense of 'play' the story starts to write itself. Abstraction is a key into this... the driving force of a character. So yes... from colour and into music rhythm rhyme and words...

The onomatopoeic quality of words in different languages - that on the surface of it you don't understand - is astounding. There is a part of you that does actually understand. We moved poetry by Finish, Danish, Slovene and German poets... through movement provoked by the poems we touched the sentiment of the words, we then had to say what we thought the poem was about... with astonishing results.

With Norman Taylor movement master... amazing man... we had another 4 day intensive workshop... we started off with the mime movement of the weight lifter and it was all rather straight forward. Mime technique 101. So you too can pretend to be like those scary athletes that just about pick up the weight of their houses and rise it above their heads... like those women who look, well, a bit weird really. Of course it was not this simple. Norman divided the sequence into three parts... a beginning middle and end...

We then had to think of a moment in our lives, an event, that had this structure. And then, of course, we had to move it. Only we knew what we were doing - there was no dialogue - wonderfully bizarre. Modern dance gone a bit wrong. In pairs we then performed for our partners who wrote the poem of our abstract movements... totally off the wall.

The wonderful Freya did her movement piece for me and the poetry simply pored out... in what Norman best described as rhythmical and lyrical... the verse of a song... in a heart-wrenching melodrama! I moved for Freya and she put pen to paper in what came out as sparse surrealist poetic genius! I'd publish them here... but I won't. Even though they were brilliant... with far reaching emotional depth!

That weekend we went to Pisa to see the Miro exhibition and passed this wall... by a lesser artist perhaps... or perhaps not... but none the less...

"It's never too late to change your childhood." I liked that.

From poetry and text to a nose dive into music. Where once again Norman started off with mime sequence of climbing up and jumping off a wall and then putting that into the very strict 59 step chase sequence. But soon enough that turned into the most fantastic piece of choreography set to music... with different tempo's, off beats, slow motion, double time, reverse action, repetition... the studio was instantly turned into a unusual dance hall with a host of newly inaugurated movers improvising the 59 steps together. One moment we were laughing and the next moved to tears. The theatrical space is indeed much bigger... even in a heated studio, smelly with sweat of hard work and exposed with bright light. My favourite was Dire Straits... 'we've got to move these refrigerators, we've got to move these coloured TV's...' It reminded me of my childhood. Long trips across South Africa from Botswana to Cape Town. The seaside. Even though this was a funny sequence I got a little lump in my throat.

Pisa was wonderful... we started the day with the amazing Miro Exhibition and then we were shown around by Julia who lives in Pisa... and she told us fascinating things... like this one. The Joan Miro exhibition is in Palazzo Blu. The fact that it is blue is very important as no other building in the whole of Pisa is anything but orange - terracotta - yellow - that's it really. So yes this building was painted blue by a very important man who temporarily changed the rules so that he could impress his mistress... what a romantic guy. You have to admire the Italians.

Another man, a very long time ago, was locked up in this building... one of the small windows at the top. A wealthy man. Tragically he was locked up with his kids. Not sure why. And the man in due course ate his kids. Lovely.

Then she took us to this divine authentic little restaurant where we ate traditional - vegetarian! - delicacies. And touched up our lipstick.

Compulsory cheese when visiting Pisa.

Freya - being Freya x

Exciting work. Exhilarating day out.

Lost in a world of art...

2011-01-24T00:16:00.018+02:00

We moved into the wonderful mad world of colour. More specifically, how a colour moves... mmm... We discovered through abstract movement improvisations that there really is general consensus of how a colour moves... the crazy order of red... that knows exactly what it is doing even though it is kind of random. The horizontal lines of green... that gives structure and organises space. The wild energetic bursts of yellow... that gives itself away tirelessly and relentlessly. So now we are able to give fantastic arty feedback like, 'there's too much purple in that blue,' and everyone agrees. To the outside listener... that fly on the wall who's rolling his eyes... we must sound completely pretentious.

The point of this abstract work lies in the dynamic that is within the different colours - and it is this gives life to art... all art. Visual and expressive. Push and pull - expansion and compression - heavy and light - high and low - fast and slow - a moment of suspension.

Out of this - just when we thought it couldn't get any more abstract - we had to chose a painting by a master artist whose work compelled you in some way... and then through abstract movement we had to bring the painting to life... the colour, the dynamic, the architecture and ultimately the sentiment that painting leaves you with. The feeling that sticks to you.

We chose Munch... Not The Scream luckily. Although the work was heavy and really quite hard that we did want to scream rather often. Munch completely freaks me out. Makes me feel uncomfortable. His work is frightening, horrific, tragic and depressing. And of course we chose a totally down in the dumps painting of a woman looking out of a window at a world she is apart from... well that was my sentiment at least. And so we moved it. We found a balance between abstract and figurative - where we each found a moment to manifest her... her look, tying the knot in her gown, putting on lipstick, pinning up her hair. The rest of the performance took us through a whirlwind of colour, perspective lines, window frames, brush strokes... evoking a world out of which the figurative images could appear... and in some way to tell a story of a woman standing on a veranda looking out a window - not just any window anywhere - a window in Munch's world. From here we developed a linear narrative that contained within it the dynamic and the architecture that the painting had given us... the painting provoked the writing. Completely divine.

A movement studio transformed into an art studio...

That weekend on a manic colour high - we caught the bus to Siena. So pretty.

Cultural experiences with Vika - the Danish Queen - are simply divine. She's somewhat of a history book... filled with wonderful facts that enrich sight seeing tremendously. So this is a statue of the Wolf who brought up two orphan brothers, Senio and Ascanio who founded Siena. Apparently sons of the famous Remus (who founded Rome along with his twin brother Romulus - quite a family)... anyway the twins got lost somehow... and were luckily found by this Wolf who brought them up as her own cubs. But apparently this cannot be true... because actually it was the Romans who founded Siena... Yes... How spectacularly dull to change a perfectly believable story with fact. So now this bizarre statue of two young boys suckling on their Wolf mother is a rather regular sight on the cobbled streets of Siena.

A lone tree fighting for the smallest promise of sunlight in a city of high art and architecture... but a bit bereft of nature.

The Duomo of Siena... it's black and white... the one in Florence is green and white... thanks Vika. I would have missed that.

The old city wall.

The floor of the Duomo... you know - like where you walk. But hey we have loads of trees in the city... and Elephants... not in the cities... but you know what I mean. The Italians don't have Elephants. Elephants rock.

Middle age music books. With detail you cannot imagine and real gold detail - obviously.

On the ceiling of the glittery gold room that houses the massive music books... this is a classic image used to show the style of dresses back in the day... thanks Vika. Vika would like to dress like this on a daily basis. But that would be weird.

Freya and Tara in another of the many meeting rooms in the City Hall with grand chairs that looked very much like place for very serious wedding vows.

The main reason to visit the City Hall... two fresco's showing good and bad governance... this, in the good governance fresco, shows 'Peace' reclining on a pillow hiding the armor that has no place in a society at peace with itself. But should peace not be possible... at least they know where the armor is hidden... that's all I'm saying.

Tara, Vika, Lucy and Nicole looking out over Tuscan hills... an ice cold breeze picks up as the sky slowly begins to change... Vika sighs and announces 'This is Africa.' Yes, perhaps. If you have never been to Africa.

The sun sets. A fab day in Siena. Yay.

2011... begins...

2011-01-16T11:52:00.038+02:00

The sun rise over the Alpes from Zurich to Firenze... ahhh...

At the Zurich airport I rode on a train with no driver and on this train-lift thing there was a sound scape of cows and birds... no really. It felt like being on the set of The Island.

I arrived back in Florence after a glorious break - of family, hand made Christmas cards, lanterns, wishes, gifts, sunburn, paddle skiing and far far too much food!

Back and straight into it... playing 'boiling water' on day one - yip - boiling water that 'spaghetti' gets thrown into... and cooked. Of course. It was fun. Bizarre. But fun. After finding the material dynamic we tried to turn it into a narrative scene of tragedy... A funeral. It almost worked... but it couldn't help but be funny. A mourning party of stiff rigid spaghetti strands weakened and softened by the bubbling and boiling-over grieving duo of water... Being funny is hard. Not being funny is also hard. Being abstract... a wonderful way of approaching a scene.

The kids on holiday. Missing them. A lot. Actually.

A Wedding in Wonderland

2011-01-11T09:39:00.008+02:00

Deborah got married. From the little yellow brick road, the mad hatter blowing bubbles, the flower beds filled with spotted mushrooms to the tea garden filled with thigh widening hip spreading delights daring us to 'eat me,' flower filled tea cups, secret books awaiting stolen thoughts and lots and lots of keys... it was wonderful. Her dress was breathtaking. Her goofy manner in the dress made me laugh and cry. Her mother gently guiding her down from the side of the mountain with her vale catching the bits of greenery took my breath away...

Congratulations Deborah and Thurston. I am delighted I could be there to share the little that I did with you of this very special day. x

welovepictures: Our favourite wedding pictures of 2010 - Part Two

2011-01-10T20:47:00.001+02:00

Just in case anyone forgot our wedding... he he... here we are featured again. I think we should all go back to the Eastern Freestate this May... Hang up some bunting and drink Champagne. Mmm.
welovepictures: Our favourite wedding pictures of 2010 - Part Two: "love, welovepictures"

Ahh.

Entering the silence...

2010-12-04T14:03:00.010+02:00

It felt like in far too little time - just as we were beginning to fall in love with neutral mask - learning how to revel in it's silence - we were saying adieu. Neutrality is not something one achieves but something one continually strives for - a blank page of endless possibility. It was so much fun. Disappearing - just briefly. Anonymity becomes addictive.

We have now entered a silence of a different kind. The elements. Earth. Wind. Fire. Water. For dynamic rhythm, emotional resonance and scale... nature dwarfs that which ones limited experience can offer. It is very exciting. Journeying through the elements... finding the motivation, the narrative moment, when fire burns out and gives way to smoke rising from a pile of ashes... In the improvisation the audience witnesses a woman left by her love who turns from fiery fury to nothingness, as she tries to understand what has happened. All the actor has done is allowed fire to burn out and become air. Or a revolutionary leader drumming up the masses for action. Fire motivating a chorus of water to walk with the destruction of flooding river and arrive at the fence and stand with the rooted solidarity of trees... We will not move. Change is inevitable.

The elements rock. That's all I'm saying!

These pics were taken while we were in the Groot Marico - where nature dominated our intimate 2-day family get away.

3 days with Norman Taylor... What is Mime!

2010-11-27T20:25:00.017+02:00

The studio at Via della Chiesa... Florence.

In life you move through space... in theatre you move space. Like the genius of a sculpture when the statue appears to move - of course it doesn't move... it's the space around it which does. Like magic. To take the audience into an imagined world where they can dream.

Norman Taylor - master of movement, brilliant teacher, very funny, a musician with his timing... British. And we had a 3 day intensive workshop with him - How lovely indeed!

The word mime means to imitate... like a baby who watches for months the big people moving around until one day he mimes them... and walks. Or when someone has a distinct speech pattern and we adopt it when chatting. Quietly and subtly we are all mime artists... this is how children learn. The other day Ella, who is 5 years old, was sitting at the kitchen table eating sushi and drinking champagne when her mom found her - now that's mime, if a little scary xxx

When we were in the forest and on the beach, Giovanni said that when we watch waves, or look up at a tree... we change. We begin to imitate them, and this is mime. We are not the same when we look at the ocean. Mime is not theatre without words. Mime is theatre of movement and gesture... Giovanni would like to call it shape shifting but feels that might not be the best advertising platform for the website. This is therefore all theatre... Physical Theatre... who knows. I think its just theatre.

The gesture is born with the idea... that was what was so amazing about Normans classes - so much time was spent analysing what the students did whilst we listened to him... so what appeared to be 'getting sidetracked' was very much at the heart of the lesson... the analysis of everyday gesture. It was completely remarkable and totally fascinating. You don't have to make anything up - life is packed with good idea's - we have to learn to observe better! Norman kept saying... i'm not going to teach you anything you don't already know - you just don't know that you know it yet.

So, he taught us to row the boat, lift the bar weight, climb the wall, jump, cut the sugar cane, rake the grass, dig a hole... and throw the discus! By the end of the second day he took one of the girls in our class and asked her to do the movement of picking up the weight, without 'dropping' it and to move straight into the rowing the boat sequence. As she did he narrated... and his words informed her movement... You see it and move towards it, you accept it, you make it your own, you change and without dropping it... once you have accepted this path and made it your own, you are ready to steer your life along... as which point she pushed off in the boat sequence. It was profoundly moving and the mistakes didn't matter. The narrative and the sentiment of the movement brought a silence that left the audience awe struck for a moment in a brightly lit, heated little studio somewhere in Florence. It was wonderful.

Mama's Bakery from the courtyard - whose chocolate chip cookies have settled many a sugar low...

Don't look down, don't prepare, you are fine as you are, the floor is there. The space is what matters... Norman Taylor. Yay.

in nature... in Tuscany

2010-11-24T15:43:00.005+02:00

We had an amazing wonderful unique experience about two weeks ago - or one week ago - or just the other day... it's not important... what is important is that we went to the beach, the forest and hot springs in Tuscany. All this - as part of our exploration of the neutral mask - the horizontal... the sea, the beach, the horizon; and the vertical... the majestic hauntingly stunning beach tree forest. The springs were much less about analysis of movement and much more about relaxation - a gift from the school - that - and fantastic authentic Italian dinner... but that was much later.

Let's start at the beach...

So you can imagine there we all were, about 24 of us 'finding our vertical and horizontal' - you do this, of course, by "undulating" your body from your feet right up to the top of your head - so that you are the tallest you can possibly be - and as neutral as you can possibly be... tucking in bums that stick out - stretching chests that are sunken down - pulling back shoulders that are slouched forward... and so on. The undulation is a primal movement that we have have been doing from the early days when we were in the sea and then finally on the land wondering around on all fours until... after a few million years or so of evolution... we stood up... the undulation is still there - part of our core movement (unless you are in the army). So there we were, all 24 of us on this deserted drift wood stricken remote beach undulating to the crashing waves, imitating their erratic rhythm... studying the tragedy of the wave that wants to get to shore but will never make it. The wave does not retreat defeated it simply goes back as the next one approaches, with the same need to move forward... and like this, the tragedy of the wave continues. Why? Because. Neutrality!! Grr. It's so simple and so complex.

I felt a little like I was in the opening scene of Calendar Girls... But I couldn't think of my own cuttingly brilliant witty one-liner! And then of course I really got into it... The sea is like that - can take you to another world if you look at it for long enough. We then ran through the shrubbery and along the beach with the same intention as the waves... to move forward. Without judgment. Without comment. Without looking back. Neutrality. Ooo. It was fun. It was like being a kid again. Being present to the simplicity of what is happening right now. Not looking back. I had to work very hard to control my facial expressions - which I have become painfully aware of.

We then moved on to the forest, and it was all misty - which I thought made it even more special. The energy of trees. And with the mist - it was like being in childrens story - if you go down to the woods today... and all that! Here we studied the trees need to go up, how they grow in order to facilitate their continued growth - with their branches either filling the space if there is space, or their trunks growing tall and thin and bare in order to pass the branches of another in an effort to try and reach the sun... and make it! In this, is the tragedy of those trees that will never make it - but there they are - vertical. Of course we 'found our vertical' in the forest - rooting our feet on leaf stricken earth and undulating in front of these towering giants and bending back to see the very tops... in a sense we were becoming trees. It was wonderful and bizarre and terribly moving actually.

The photo's of the beach are courtesy of KT and this forest one, Sally - thanks guys x

Nature has the rhythm we wish to learn inherent in it - the gap in a tight forest where the next tree finds it place - a fat solid rock sitting between skinny trunks - the wave that retreats as the next one heads for shore, sometimes quickly, sometimes not. It was a special day. How this applies to our studies. Well. This is neutrality - or part of it at least. Rhythm. And the desire to move forward. Ya. Okay. I don't really get it either - well I kind of do.

We then moved on the the hot water springs - after you've gotten used to the rotten egg throw back memory to that standard 7 science lab experiment smell - it was fabulous - and seriously hot! The best part is that it was totally dark. Just a bright half moon peering out from behind a thin cloud.

A month in Firenze

2010-11-14T14:20:00.012+02:00

Giorgia who works in the Helikos office and was so wonderfully helpful when I arrived - a stunning Italian woman... she is standing next to Giovanni. This was on my first day here - one month ago - when we went on a historical walking tour of Florence (of course my camera is still broken so I don't have any new photo's) - The rest are just pics of Florence taken on that first day as well...

It is amazing to me to think I have been here for one month already - or one month only! Time is so elastic. One day can feel like a week and a month like a day. So much is happening in every moment... clowning, neutral mask, mime (bad mime!), improvisation (ya...), voice, creation - we really are first year students - everything feels is so completely new to just about everyone. And it's really quite difficult. I have actually started doing extra lunges in the morning - no really it's true - to try and build up strength to be able to do the exercises!

We are all somehow searching... or rather trying to break through... to understand neutral mask... which is the focus of this year - There is something wonderfully mysterious about it. It is a mask that has no specific expression - The Man and The Woman. If I understand even some of the essence of what we are doing - it is that we have to be in the space with the potential for action before there can be anything. So to carry no physical story that tells of a future or a past. It feels fundamental to theatre... storytelling... creation in general... but it is wildly difficult. In many ways I find neutral mask much funnier and somehow more tragic than clown work. The mask puts a magnifying glass on every tiny 'defect' in your body - something that you have been carrying your whole life and you didn't even know it was there - slumped shoulders, a crocked back, contained chest... These things tell stories... and as Giovanni says it is this that we are looking to iron out - like pulling out a crumpled piece of paper. The paper will never loose its folds completely but by pulling it will look more like a piece of paper than crumpled ball... ya. For example, I have gained about 3 or 4 cm's in height (some people say 6 cm's but I think they're exaggerating). It's strange - but something in this is the key... out of neutrality everything is possible. I don't think any of us really get it - but slowly we are starting to head in the right direction - at least I think we are. Clown work is run pretty much in parallel - the more you know your clown (your clown who loves the crumples and the folds!) the more you know where to locate your neutrality and vice versa. The work is extremely moving - it has a therapeutic edge - it is not therapy - but there is an element of having to look at yourself and move through emotions that do inevitably arise. It is almost like a micro 'uncrippling' of the body and it is amazing to watch. That something so small, something that you wouldn't even notice in every day life, is so extremely visible if you look properly. Perhaps this all sounds like mumbo jumbo - but it is amazing to me.

I am not learning to be a clown - like I often joked about in South Africa before I left - I think because I couldn't quite believe I was off to do this crazy thing and leave Nick and the kids - I am learning about creation - about theatre - about more than theatre. It is extremely exciting.

On Friday night we found the most wonderful pizzeria and ate delicious Margarita pizza's (one with salami)... possibly the best pizza I've ever had in my life. I thought a lot about Melie and Jack whose favourite pizza's are Margarita's - with olives or ham! - simple and delicious. I walked home and brought pistachio and chocolate gelato. It's amazing the freedom of walking. At night. Alone.

Wonderland Awaits

2010-11-13T11:39:00.008+02:00

Deborah's fantastically fabulous wedding invitations - it is really going to be a wonderland wedding! And I won't be there. I am so gutted. I will still be in Italy - which is exciting - but perhaps less exciting than getting married. Sigh. But I can only imagine the wonderful detail, love and flare she is going bring to this very special day xx Thurston is a lucky guy!

postcards and pretties: {real wedding} jenine + nick

2010-11-02T09:32:00.001+02:00

Ah - Postcards and Pretties loved our wedding! Yay! Go and check it out - such a fab blog x
postcards and pretties: {real wedding} jenine + nick: "today's real wedding captured by {we love pictures} is full of charm and personality that i'll let the bride jenine tell you herself abou..."

Thinking of Home

2010-10-30T11:42:00.005+02:00

When I left the Jacaranda trees had just started showing off - Joburg became a delightful canopy of purple. Missing home a bit. It's cold in Florence - and you have to walk far to see trees!

Camera Condensation

2010-10-26T18:12:00.007+02:00

I have been in Florence for one week! It feels very much longer... On Monday morning it rained and I discovered I have a leak in my room - right over the only table in the room - right over the spot I put my camera down. So my camera is broken. It won't turn on - the Italians in the camera shop all just looked at it and shook their heads. I am devastated! My camera! So my luck follows me...

These are photo's taken on Saturday while I was walking around by myself after a rather large night on Friday - i'm starting to settle in. The one of the crucifix was strange. I was walking in the center of Florence and accidentally walked through these massive double doors into this church that was totally dark except for the spot light on the crucifix. I sat down for a while and enjoyed the calm that comes in places like these.

The course is cool - we have started clown work - interesting - very interesting - It is so hard to write about it - it will only sound random - so i'll save the detail of that for my diary! But we stared by looking at what story your natural body tells - and it is fascinating. We put on the neutral mask - this is so you cannot use your face to tell a story. Truly it is fascinating.

Firenze by Night

2010-10-24T12:04:00.005+02:00

I walked home and this is what it looked like. Clear sky. Full moon. Chill in the air. It didn't look real. I felt like I was on a massive theatre set and any moment a chorus of chimney sweeps were going to burst out in musical unison.

Love Lock

2010-10-22T12:44:00.005+02:00

There is a somewhat unusual tradition in Florence of locking your love - with a padlock - to any chain - or piece of secure metal - or on a railing - or anywhere you like really - people in love from all over the world... securing their love for one another all over the city with a little hunk of metal. Nick if you are reading this - look out for a padlock and be sure to bring it along x

Florence

2010-10-19T11:43:00.012+02:00

I'm thinking I should have taken Nick's advise with the one line.... Sorry... 'Scuse... do you speak English... could you tell me... what am I doing here?!

We had our first improv class - I died. They say the death of the 'actor' is worse than actual death - this being that you still walk around with your wounded ego. Sigh. So it begins. I also cried. But a lot of us are doing that. Blubbed more than cried I think. It seams everyone has given up much to live in this impossibly beautiful frighteningly expensive city - Florence.

Our mad tour guide on the day I arrived - I couldn't understand her - even though see was speaking English... I think! x

I live just down the road from this square. I live in Florence - still feels like a lie - or a dream - and that i'll wake up just now.

I spent my first hour in Florence under this faded Mary painting on the wall - standing on the corner - lost - with no phone - hoping I was in the right place - tired from a night thinking the plane was going to crash - it didn't luckily - worrying that i'd be mugged I looked so BRAND NEW - so I took out my iPod and tried to look cool. I don't think it worked. I missed Nick - so I put on my dark glasses so the 'robbers' wouldn't see me crying.

The view from my flat - which I pay far too much for - but there is a view - and it's very sweet - and the window is not tiny.

I'm in Italy - Florence - at acting school - yes this is all true. I have lost sense of time - it feels much longer than it has been... The journey has began. We'll see.

Bosmans back garden

2010-10-14T20:31:00.006+02:00

Walking across slippery rocks in shallow rapids... swinging from a long rope to bomb the murky river... sitting quietly on a jetty watching the cunning fish circle the bait with not a bite to be had... rowing a canoe and gliding to the sound of wind in the trees... a jumping fish mocks the fishermen... playing monopoly for hours... walking in heat... looking at the brilliant purple of the Jacaranda trees... drinking orange juice with ice blocks... an afternoon sleep... lifting the toilet seat with your foot for those sneaky scorpions... eating koeksisters, home made bread, milk tart.

The Groot-Marico... You can see why Herman Charles Bosman lived here. So would you.

'Hey, you!' says the sunflower to the sun
Just like that,
In tones of mockery,
'Hey, you!
Where's your stem?'

http://zar.co.za/bosman.htm

Steven Johnson: Where good ideas come from | Video on TED.com

2010-09-27T14:04:00.001+02:00

Steven Johnson: Where good ideas come from | Video on TED.com

Interesting inspired stuff... now you too can at least know where they come from - even if today... you don't have one!

Something to remember

2010-09-23T11:38:00.003+02:00

(image via: http://ffffound.com/)

our little play

2010-09-23T10:46:00.005+02:00

Yesterday morning we all tore through to Krugersdorp, the St Teresa's... which is far from Parkview... to do our 'little play' Weekend Special for a bunch of matric girls. Kay - who arranged it - described how she came to discover Weekend Special... Deborah told her on a previous schools show that we have a 'little play' and she should watch it sometime as she may be able to help us sell it to schools. Kay thinking she was doing Deborah a favour came to watch our little play... she laughed like a drain and then cried till her shoulders shook. Since then she has sold us a number of shows - Thanks Kay. Spread the love. x

Rocking Hilton...

2010-09-22T12:43:00.006+02:00

We went off the the Hilton Witness Arts festival this last weekend... where Dirt was totally sold out... there were people sitting in the isles and along the sides of the stage... impromptu theatre in the round... lovely. How divine to perform for such a massive amount of people... We arrived just in time for our technical rehearsal sans step ladder... Which we forgot in Joburg. Of course. The theatre rocked and the technician / stage manager Romi also rocked. We achieved all of our lighting stages... AND... we had a programmable lighting board. Very rare. Very cool. We plotted lights, did our run through and then hit the hardware stores in search of a new step ladder. James made me listen the AC/DC THE WHOLE TIME! DADADADAAAAA... THUNDER!!!!!! Gr angry music. Mm. But he assured me that he would stop as soon as we found the ladder.... 10 HARDWARE STORES LATER. I ate chocolate and mock headbanged.

It was freezing cold oh-so. The night before I had gone out for dinner and was told that it was like 40 degrees in Hilton and that the people were passing out from heat exhaustion. I didn't take a coat. I totally forgot that Hilton's weather is schizophrenic... It was so cold I brought a jumper and got Nick to pack my coats (he was arriving the next day). The next day was so hot we could hardly breathe! I mean - what is that?

Nick arrived... just in the Nick of time... Qwa Qwa. The ladder with the AC/DC soundtrack had to painted black... of course it did... and well - it hadn't actually dried. Nick arrived from Jo-burg 10 minutes before our first show with the original forgotten ladder and saved the day... or show.

The Witness newspaper said that 'The piece is sometimes crude, but it is always funny — often very funny indeed.' Margaret von Klemperer

It was a big weekend. I had my birthday there as well - and got spoiled rotten by Nick - brought a vintage hat at the flee market - played to a full house - received massive applause - all in all a very very good day.

We also saw some amazing amazing theatre. Particularly Tree Boy... a complete feast of visual delight. I just loved loved loved it. Beautiful work by a massive and highly creative team lead by Neil Coppen.

Tree Boy - photo by Sian Cohen

Now we are back in Johannesburg in the throws of work... But the distant sound of applause is still with me. The AC/DC ladder is living out his death metal torchered life, alone, in the back of the Hilton Boys Theatre, in the dark... Quietly drying. Thunder!

Love Some...

2010-09-13T10:03:00.006+02:00

Designer biscuits... seriously... in fantastic packaging - polka dots... pink ribbon... I can look at this for long. We had them at our oh-so-fab-and-sophisticated event for Standard Bank that I did with Mann Made Media.

http://www.lovesome.co.za/

Italy is just... over there.

2010-09-01T16:38:00.005+02:00

I leave for Italy in a month and a half. Today Nick asked how my Italian is going - which of course it's not going. He said I need to know a few things like...

'Where is my school?'
'What am I doing here?'
'I am a clown'

And of course...

'...no thanks, I'm married'

Yes - well. I got my visa. I also got a tiny flat 'in the middle of Florence'- that's what it said on the lease agreement - eee - and i'm staying by my self - feels strange - of course for small whack of money! But it is in the center of Florence - how fab. There is still so much do - learning Italian being just one of them. Sure.

Right now the light is dancing on wall of our brand new super fabulous kitchen wall. Light from our soon to be well-used crystal-clear swimming pool. Summer. It's my favourite time of day. It's my favourite room in the house. I'll miss it. We spend a lot of time here.

Little corners of our kitchen... I wish I cooked more... or at all really.

Opening Dirt

2010-08-30T08:54:00.016+02:00

So I arrived in Cape Town early on Wednesday morning, last week, for the opening of Dirt - which Nick wrote and James acts in - at the Kalk Bay Theatre... James collected me from the airport in his new super cool super outrageous seeing glasses - which I spent about 30 mins trying not to stare at them to work out if they were seeing glasses or sunglasses... or both... until eventually he said... so these are my actual seeing glasses... Yes. Quite. James is fantastically bizarre and that's one of the many reasons why we love him. James is also the only actor - or person for that matter - who arrives at my house at 4am to pack the car for the Grahamstown Arts Festival dressed like MacGyver... yellow army pants, Swiss army knife housed in what looked like a tool belt, and a head lamp... yes... a head lamp... on his head. But I'm talking about Cape Town. Right. So opening night... what a ride as always... We spend hours in the day rehearsing with the lights, props and music... After a fab intro from Simon Cooper...

Fade to Black and... go track... Error! Er... okay... eject CD... and go... Erroooor... eject CD... GO... ERROR... change CD - to old one with music transitions that are too short - Go track... Phew! Theatre. Really. That's perhaps why we love it.

So besides not having enough music to fully cover the blackouts > a few misplaced props > the odd late cue > a dropped line here and there >>> we got a standing ovation - followed by a whack of fab reviews. Cape Argus gave us 5 stars and said Nick's writing was brilliant - The Sunday Times said James is a genius and gave him a massive pic.... looking fantastic!

Yes this is the picture. How rad?

I also met super brilliant Director Lara Bye at the opening... And I think I gushed. Well I know I gushed. All over the place. But so would you if you'd seen 'London Road' and 'I Claudia.' What's that little puddle on the floor? Oh right it's me... Blind. I think.

welovepictures: // Autumn Wedding

2010-08-15T10:19:00.001+02:00

welovepictures: // Autumn Wedding: "Nick & Jenine Oranje Farm Free State We had the pleasure of shooting our second wedding at beautiful Oranje Farm, just outside the quaint l..."

The best room in the house

2010-08-10T20:58:00.005+02:00

Our new bathroom... steam, bath salt, candle light, red wine... long days of madness in the wonderful world of eventing and theatre. It's been a long wait. It has been worthy wait. I plan of having many fantastic idea's in very pretty room. When stuck on a plot point... go bath!

Up and away...

2010-08-08T11:11:00.018+02:00

The brilliant and talented Alastair Findley came around to show us all 'how to make your very own hot air balloon'... and we did and it rocked and Jacks school project is going to be fantastic... brightly coloured tissue paper disappearing into the bat black night.

The best of fest 2010

2010-07-04T08:11:00.005+02:00

I am about to leave Grahamstown - for another year - and I wanted to quickly talk about what was the best of fest for me. Honestly it has been such a brilliant year - it is rare that you get to see so much really good stuff... inspiring - bar raising - moving... and all that.

Janni Younge's new piece 'Obororous' is like watching moving art - it is SO beautiful honestly - making me very excited about the next project. Picture by Nicola van Rensburg

'London Road' by Nicolas Spagnoletti, directed by Lara Bye... wonderful beyond - the acting - the script - the direction - the simplicity of it all. Picture by Nicolas Strouchen

'Karoo Moose' by Lara Foot - fantatic - energetic - poignant - an absolute treat to watch. A massive cast - a hundred props - loads of costume - stax of singing - beautiful directorial choreography. Picture by Camilla Marsh

'Kaput!' by James Cunningham and his brilliantly talented cast - Women being men - revolving doors - cut-out puppetry - sardines - very very funny fantastic beautiful work. Picture by Dominique Little

'I Claudia' with Susan Danford, directed by Lara Bye. Subtle stunning performance and directing - wonderful set and sound design - I laughed and I cried - a lot. Brilliant script.

'Butcher Brothers' by Sylvaine Strike (Director) and Daniel Buckland (Story) - Fantastic full mask work - wonderful sound track - brilliant set - funny funny performances - really beautiful.

'Breed' directed by Brink Scholtz featuring Andrew Buckland. Another great ensemble piece - wonderful set - a big talented cast! Funny, moving... just fab really.

So that's it for this year - now home time.

High Diving is truly inspired... says M.C.

2010-07-02T17:25:00.008+02:00

Grahastown was a bit tough this year - there were no people for one in the first week of the festival - grr. It may have been the soccer - it may have been that the 15 days of amazing was a failed experiment - it may be the recession - who knows - all I do know is we (us and just about all the shows in the first week) played to very small houses whatever the reason... The other contributing factor was the publicity - teenage bloggers and slightly odd reviews don't go a long way to getting people pushing their way into the theatre - so you can imagine my delight we we get a proper review by someone who could completely see the merit in what has been a really successful show - albeit late for Grahamstown 2010 - good well thought-out criticism can never be too late. So here it - this is what was said about our fab play - which may have had it's last showing... mmm... or not...

M.C. Roodt: High Diving is back for a second season at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown.

Spliff, rock ‘n' roll, fashion and a single wooden bench indefinitely ‘borrowed' from a student rehearsal room anchors this contemporary tale of love, loss and fear in a South African metropolis. It has not lost its ability to poignantly contextualise young love in a generation jaded by disembodied modes of communicating desire.

Maralize, played by Deborah Da Cruz, is caught between her desire to establish herself in the publishing industry and her fear of the big city. Urged by her mother she moves to Johannesburg where she meets the failed ping-pong champion Michael, played by Roberto Pombo. Falling in love, their new shared dreams are threatened by the reality of success and fear.

High Diving fuses together cinematic imagery, physical theatre and the archaic art of shadow puppetry to cast the fleeting resonance of youthful dreams on a backdrop that supplements director Jenine Collocott's script. The dark humoured script allows the decisions that the young lovers make to play off against the pseudo-sensible, yet equally outrageous, ideals harboured for them by their parents. You start to wonder if sensibility is nothing more than an age appropriate dream that can easily turn in to a stifling nightmare.

The shadow puppetry designed by Janni Younge provides you with emotive dreamscapes that effectively deconstruct the illogical decisions of the characters and prove them to be sensible when dreams take precedence over cautionary guidelines for contentedness. The result hilariously points out what gets lost in logical reservation and what is to gain from taking a leap of faith.

The trend to combine the theatrical medium with that of cinematic projection is cleverly corrupted by the dichotomy in High Diving. The hand cut shadow puppets standing in for machine made communication authenticates the intentions of the characters and reunites the projected image with the immediacy of stage acting as a medium. The production utilises the forgotten predecessor of film to emotively elaborate on the significance of the unknown into which the characters plunge in order to obtain self-fulfilment.

Toni Morkel steals the show with her impeccable character transformations. Her detailed nuanced performance of, amongst others, a drunk, a prude and a trashy urban housewife allows you to completely forget that it is the same actress as you submerge yourself into the spectrum of the middle-aged female roles she portrays. Morkel penetrates to the essence of women redefining themselves after their children have left the home.

High Diving is a truly inspired play that revives the tale of the dreamer in a manner that acknowledges the symbolism that holds dreaming in our day and age. It finds first love in downing six tequilas and wisdom on the impartial screen of a cellphone.

High Diving is on the Fringe programme of the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown and is performed in the Glennie Hall theatre.

High Diving was written and directed by Jenine Collocott. The puppetry was designed and performed by Janni Younge. The members of the cast are Deborah Da Cruz, James Cairns, Roberto Pombo and Toni Morkel.

M.C. Roodt
Arts Writer
roodt86@gmail.com
079 038 2687
http://roodtmc.withtank.com

Shot M.C!! Oh and of course photo credit goes to Sian Cohen :)

Grahamstown 2010 thus far...

2010-07-01T08:17:00.006+02:00

It has been a successful Grahamstown 2010... thus far... High Diving won an Ovation Award... Dirt has been really received rather well... and there is interest to take it to the Hilton Festival as well as a possible run in Cape Town... we don't know yet about 969 in Joburg... but yay! Very exciting to have new work that people dig!

We have our Making Mandela play reading this afternoon - it has been such a wonderful process having the play read by professional actors and brilliant Rhodes students - it's sounding really fab - I think anyway... but we'll see how this afternoon goes. Had an interview on SAFM - that was cool - quite sure I said daft things - but hey.

Other fest bests... 'Karoo Moose' - wowser what brilliant rousing theatre. 'London Road' - what a script what fantastic performances what stunning direction. 'I Claudia' - I was still spontaneously bursting into tears hours after show. Tonight I'm seeing 'Kaput!' and cannot wait... and tomorrow i'm seeing the wonderful Janni Younge's new piece. It as been truly a wonderful festival. Rock on

Deborah and Rob in High Diving

James in Dirt

High Diving into Dirt

2010-06-14T17:14:00.003+02:00

Our fabulous Grahamstown posters for High Diving and Dirt. I cannot actually believe we leave this Friday - eek! Quite nervous - excited - pressed for time! Of course we also have a public reading of Making Mandela. If you're anywhere near Grahamstown come watch between games, drinking, live music, flee market shopping...

farting in public

2010-06-13T20:32:00.005+02:00

Ella on the right - being deadpan. Lara - making up for both of them ;)

Ella let one rip in the shop the other day - Renee: 'What do you say Ella?' Ella: 'I've said all I need to say.'

in my other life - this is where i live

2010-06-13T20:08:00.004+02:00

Inspiration for our entrance hall - wall paper - I love it.

We have to paint our kitchen! Wood is oppressive - but painted white - sigh!

I have a dream of my own studio - In my dream it looks like this.

Images from http://pinterest.com

autumn love in the Eastern Freestate

2010-06-01T18:16:00.011+02:00

We got married beneath the most enormous willow... it had fallen over and had just kept on growing... we stood in front of a forrest of cotton wood trees... the light dappled in through the tree trunks and falling down leaves... the landrover that brought us to the forest was the very same first series I grew up riding around on as a little girl in botwana... I walked to the most haunting and moving version of 'some where over the rainbow...' amazingly it stopped raining just as we arrived... It was beautiful. I cried. A lot. And I wore red shoes.

Dance me to the end of love...

If ever you get the chance to go to the Eastern Freestate. Go.

wedding pictures... the bridal party takes to the stage

2010-05-31T09:46:00.013+02:00

A sneak peak at a few of our fabulous pics taken in our photo booth - or the love booth - or on the stage - where cross dressing abounded, theatrics unfolded, young love blossomed, and a whole load of good fun was had by all... give them a stage and they will give you a show!

Our fabulous artist friends Alastair and Jeanette were literally finishing off painting the back drop on the grass outside the reception barn... using the Freestate Mountains that surround the farm house for authenticity... colour... shadow...

'was that my cue?'

'and they lived happily ever after...'

'ahhhhhhhhhhh.... ahhhhhhhhhh..... ahhh!

'this conversation is over... for now'

'yes hurry along... we're ready'

'we could stay like this for ever...'

'we just got hitched... yes I know'

'cheeeese'

'oh honey... they want to take our picture'

'thank you and goodnight, you've been a fine audience'

a family portrait of the Collocott-Warrens

2010-05-26T07:07:00.012+02:00

button badges. Mm.

2010-05-25T13:38:00.007+02:00

When looking for button badges simply go to http://www.buttonbadges.co.za/ - but of course! How simple. Yay. Grahamstown is 4 weeks away. There is much to do. Get our marketing in order for one.... Finish the script for Dirt for two... Edit the Mandela play for three... get High Diving back on it's feet for four... Oh. Presure ding ding ding da da ling ding. We got chosen for the NAC play reading at the festival this year with Making Mandela. Very exciting. Yay.

High Diving around the country...well Joburg & Cape Town...

2010-05-14T07:36:00.003+02:00

After a long silence - there is much to talk about... We took High Diving to Festival of Fame in Joburg and Out the Box in Cape Town...

Starting with Festival of Fame

This was our second experience at this super cool Fest for school kids... Our first year was last year, we took Weekend Special, and during one of our performances the cool kids in the back row let off two stink bombs - i'm not even kidding! Can you cope! I'm laughing now - but I wasn't laughing then - between mock charging and the hideous smell of rotten eggs is a tiny room with no windows and in the middle of summer! Beautiful. Not so funny!

But Festival of Fame 2010 I am happy to report went by stink-bomb free - the only hiccup was that we were given a strange time slot when the visiting schools had already left, so leaving us the odd loitering student and few die-hard theatre enthusiasts who had ventured to a school room in Braamfontein to watch a play. Mncedisi Shabangu being on of them - what I know about theatre is you often have to select whose criticism you take on - Mncedisi is one of these people - if you're lucky enough to have seen one of his shows or actually been lucky enough to see him breath in and out on stage you'll know what I mean. He came to watch and left immediately without a word - aaah he hates it! Enough to break my heart. But happily no - got to love gmail chat - we chatted and he loved it! Yay.

Out the Box Festival...

Cape Town rocks - people go to the theatre and are friendly and there's a theatre community and dress well... however... and just so that everything in not only perfect... they drive slowly and really dig performance art! Two things I cannot understand! Right so... Our play was well received - except for one rather bitter blogger - but other than that we got big claps and standing ovations. We also saw some fantastic shows... rock on... but most excitingly I attended the Handspring Puppet Company workshops.

What a luck!
Hey?
No really.

It was - well - wonderful. A group of 13 or so bright eyed enthusiasts with Adrian Kohler a bright eyed genius... rummaging around their workshop sawing, cutting, gluing, sanding... all to make a control that will - one day in the not too distant future - manipulate a head and a pair of wings.

Oh and of course not to forget - the fabulous moving joints shadow puppets we made on day 1 - with brilliant 'pull back' mechanisms - so that when my very elementary Giraffe bends to eat - it automatically stands tall when I release the control - how cool - Oh the joys.

So - we had three days in their - Basil & Adrian's - workshop - it was like being in the bowls of THE THEATRE seeing the place where magic is made by - well - brilliant people. We also got to see - and play with - the duck - yes the very same duck - from War Horse - West end smash hit soon to be Broadway smash hit! As if that wasn't enough we then got to play with their other precious puppets from shows like Tall Horse - as you will see in the very short AV clip - in a two day manipulation workshop. 5 whole days. So yay.

Check out the video... the footage in order of appearance...
1. The students banging away in the Workshop
2. Adrian demonstrating a finished head mechanism
3. The actual mechanism I made... although you can't see the whole thing!
4. The fantastic Duck from War Horse... but if you look carefully you will see - the foot is the wrong way around! v. funny.
5. My fellow enthusiasts trying very hard to manipulate a very large and awesome puppet from Tall Horse

So I came home from Cape Town inspired and rejuvenated... Thanks also to all the lovely warm and welcoming people I met! Yay. Oh and yes we were nominated for a 2010 Handspring Puppet company award for visual theatre in the category of Best Design - we didn't win - but we were nominated.

Wedding plans are a marching

2010-04-29T12:07:00.011+02:00

I'm getting married next week and my to do list - as the cliche goes - is getting longer. I have met and connected with such lovely people along the way....

Firstly, and in no order, We Love Pictures - two fabulous Pretoria based - soon to be Cape Town based - photographers, Travis & Maike. Really their stuff is so good - check it out they are also on blogger - welovepictures. Maike also has a blog with the coolest title... love made me do it! So for the 'ding dong bells are going to chime' we are making a theatre photo booth. How cute... cos like Nick and I both make theatre.... Alastair Findley - Groomsman extraordinaire artist and general enthusiast for the big day - is painting the backdrop. x

Okay.

Donna the lantern lady in Hartebeespoort - check out her stuff on www.skylanterns.co.za - so pretty. And she's so lovely & helpful & well priced...all things we do love.

Then Fiona's for fabric. Really everyone bangs on about the Oriental Plaza but I say bring on Fiona's Randburg - its simpler and easier - not vast and rambling. Although I did break out and eat a whole load of cheese and onion samosas and I got some fabric from the OP - but really for material... Fiona's rocks... 100% cotton, granny printed... I will post pictures - that I will - after the BIG day. Shh.

My dress of course - which I collect ON SATURDAY- tomorrow - very excited - by Abigail Betz - we share a birthday - weird hey... 18 September. I have a new found love for beautiful clothing... www.abigailbetz.co.za ... you will too!

'Everything's going so well' - Zidler, Moulin Rouge

Then of course Oranje Farm - the venue itself - where we're getting married like - Elsa the organiser is helpful and efficient and creative and also very very nice. She managed to get the little purple flowers I wanted after thinking that she couldn't. Mmmm.

Another fab Freestate find - another lady named Elsa - the wife of the owner of Cafe Moulin in Clarens - go there - is doing my cake - oh my cake! Wedding cake. Icing. Strawberry's. Truffles. She makes the best cake i've ever eaten. Pictures pictures pictures - oh the secrecy of a wedding. Shhh.

Today i'm going to collect our engraved wedding rings - how kitch?

I love it.

Oh wowser I nearly forgot - the golden egg - my invitations, name places, table numbers, seating plan - designer printer person... Marisa! What a find. I can put my invitation here - cos - yes the cats out the bag - we're getting MARRIED! So is so so so amazing and talented and sophisticated and elegant and yes - well priced! www.bespokeonline.co.za

After literally weeks of - how are we going to light the venue - crisis - the fab photographers gave me such a fab idea... and idea the lighting shop in Parkhurst is going to realise - how helpful. They have these specific light bulbs i've been looking for, which, apparently, you can't get anymore. Well, the good news is, you can - in Parkhurst. Pictures.

And finaly - I think - Grant from Croft & Co in Parkview - ex-owner of Scuzi - is helping us get delicious wine. If you ask they will help.

That's all for now. I think that's quite enough.

Out the Box

2010-03-17T08:24:00.005+02:00

Out the Box is only a few days away now - very excited - Cape Town, Theatre, and - so extremely excited - Handpring Puppet Company workshop.

We'll be there with High Diving - but there are stax of brilliant shows on which I am very excited to watch!

Clowns & clouds

2010-03-03T11:25:00.006+02:00

So much is happening. Firstly - we have settled on a date. At around 4pm on the 8 May 2010 - I will be Mrs Warren. My name as I've always know it - Jenine Collocott - will become my stage name. How bizarre. And of course we broke our diet spectacularly! After deciding where we were going to get married it was impossible to just go home sit on the couch, sip water, and nibble on a dry pro-vita...

So instead we found a charming cafe - Cafe Moulin - on the High Street in Clarens, with buckets of roses lining the the doorway and drank two bottles of Uitkyk Sauvignon Blanc and devoured a massive and mouth-wateringly delicious cheese platter.

We then drove home to the backdrop of the most wonderful sun set - with music blaring - and chose the song for our first dance. How are those clouds?

Today - in fact not 10 minutes ago - I brought my ticket to Florence Italy where i'm going to live and attend a clown school for 6-months. Helikos under the guidance of the wonderful teacher Giovanni Fusetti. This is us at the workshop that CHANGED MY LIFE!

Of course Nick is not coming with me. So... married women alone in the world. Then while I was typing this my phone rang with an unrecognisable number - Peter from the National Arts Council South Africa - they funded the scripting of our new play 'Making Mandela' and he would like to put it forward to the board for an official reading at the Grahamstown Festival which could lead to production funding.... eeee! We start re-rehearsals for High Diving for the Festival of Fame in Joburg and for Out the Box in Cape Town. Rock on. Out of interest my natural clown (and we all have one - we are born with it - like our height - and our personalities) is a flirt. A stupid flirt. Love that.

She Dresses

2010-02-25T11:22:00.005+02:00

I have a dress! It totally rocks! I'm delighted! I can't wait to wear it. Again I'd post it - but that would be telling. I have a dress from a sensational shop! I have a She Dress! The shop assistant calls all the dresses 'She!' - like they're living and breathing and sighing on the hangers - scouting out the buyers who dare to enter - gossiping amongst themselves about being far to small for that waist line!

'She's a beauty...' 'Oh she's made of raw silk...' 'She goes for quite a lot...' 'Oh she's well she's different...' Could I try Her on please? 'She won't fit - she's from Fasion Week.' Mmmm. I know. That's why I'm on diet! But luckily for us the designer was in the shop yesterday - after I'd tired on all the same She dresses from the day before - the designer burst through the door bringing sunshine with her. Don't get me wrong the assistant is really sweet and not condescending - I just... Well... I was very happy to meet the designer. I continued trying on dresses to various ohh's and ahh's from Renee, Joy - the bridesmaids - and the Designer. If the the dresses were in fact girls - many of them were in stretched agony - begging to be taken off! Raw silk, lace, intricate hand beading, satin... I can't describe how beautiful they are.

Everyone said that when I put it - or Her - on I'll just know. I kept thinking - maybe I do know, maybe this is it, maybe I'm being difficult... But... Too Catherine Zita-Jones... Too Florence Nightingale... Too princess poof... Too bizarre... Too expensive... Too ordinary... Maybe I'm in the wrong shop.

So as we're leaving - there hanging by Herself on the cupboard with no-one to talk to - the one that the day before was... 'oh she's very small...' But today the designer luckily caught my longing glare and must have heard Her (the dresses) silent cry 'Pick Me...' So I tried it on - or didn't try it on - held it against me is a better description for what I did... and placed my order. Even with the fascist diet... She's far to bloody small - he was right. I have a She Dress...

Can you please stop calling it SHE! Okay - I have a dress. A wedding dress.

I have work, I need to do it. But who can focus when you have a brand new friend.

The Freestate, getting married, going on diet

2010-02-23T18:00:00.005+02:00

2010 - wowser - it feels like the millennium in South Africa - everyone is giving the recession the middle finger and getting on with it. The mood rocks. Living on the edge rocks. Joburg rocks. Getting married rocks. Getting married - I have been whisked off the shelf - dusted off - and ring placed firmly on my finger. Singing pop music after one too many... 'Well if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it...' has paid off. So now it's venue venue venue - dress - flowers - wedding bands - guest list - mmm.

I went to the Freestate - for anyone who thinks they know the Freestate but hasn't actually been - it is spectacular! You should go. It's the best kept secret. Working farms - nothing like being surrounded by cows, sheep, tractors and mountains...

Farm 1 - under a massive Oak Tree - the fabulous woman, who has never hosted a wedding on her farm and that really appeals to me, is so enthusiastic that she's willing to plough fields, grade ground and build steps anywhere on her farm!

I love the simplicity.

Farm 2 - A wedding venue yes - but also a working farm. Nice. Very Nice.

This is the barn - where people drink dance and make many an inspiring speech

Farm 3 - Also a working farm

The barn has massive doors to pull open and let in the light

The shadows stretch as our day draws to a near end.

Thanks Freestate Farmers - choice rocks.

As for dresses - we went to a shop yesterday and saw the most amazing dresses - the most stunning of all for ONLY R18,000 - i'll have two! Who spends that much on a dress??? The sweet shop assistant then offered to make the dress without the raw silk - without the intricate beading - without the chiffon from India... all lovely offers to make you feel cheap and like the only one who can't see that this is The Big Day. So we left. Sad. But how lame really?

We started fat loss lab - but more on that another time - vomit - or not vomit - because there's not enough to actually vomit!

So to end off - I arrange events all day, every day... gala dinners, corporate theatre, conferences, video's... It's what we do when we're not making theatre theatre... I never really thought this would be me. But here I am arranging the one event that I really want to attend.

Before Shots

2010-02-23T16:05:00.004+02:00

So today we got into our swimming costumes and took before shots. OMG - I cannot say how shocked I am. I much prefer the image in my head. I'd upload a photo - but I won't do that do you. Who ever you are.

The diet starts in full. We lost the pitch - grr - beautiful 7m by 22m screen with shadow play... Gutted. But it does mean that we can set the wedding date. 8 May 2010. 3 Months to drop the jodhpurs that have grown out the side of my legs!

The little old lady and woman on the shelf...

2010-01-13T20:46:00.005+02:00

Between a number of high pressured corporate theatre rehearsals, an animated movie, my sister buying a house up the road... today there was a small crack in the day where I made two finger puppets. I made two old ladies... must be something lingering in the back of my mind that longs for short term memory... knitting... history...

Pic of the year 2009

2010-01-03T15:27:00.012+02:00

I can't believe Christmas has come and gone - and we're into 2010! 2010 - South Africa - Soccer - Work work work - write - go to the gym you lazy thing - yoga - yes yoga - sunblock. Mmm. So Chirstmas went off rather well - lots of cheer, bubbly, gift giving, gift getting. New Years at home in our lovely garden with giant sparklers pointed up to the star lit and fantastically blue night sky to wish upon a Blue Moon. Jack wins coolest wish - to be a champion knife thrower and to go to Egypt and to buy a funky necklace whilst there - now it's over to the universe - lets see what you come back with. As is tradition we chose our favourite pics for 2009 - to be famed and hung in the passage - as well as entered our submission for pic of the year.... these are the contenders...

Family Portrait by Jack - we walk Lulu (the dog obviously) at Emmerencia Park. On this day, Jack had his camera and very carefully balanced it on a concrete bin and hit the timer - whist we were all waiting and smiling Lulu went to sniff the camera - and snap.

Jack in the flowers by Amelia - this was runner up with one vote. We took Nicks mum who was out here for a month from England to the Cradle restaurant - very near to the Cradle of humankind... we ate far to much fantastic food in what is a most beautiful place - and only 30mins from Johannesburg.

Amelia by Nick - looking as beautiful as ever on the outside furniture having set the table for Christmas dinner.

Nick preparing to dive by Jenine - and the winner by 3 votes! It reminds me of a Wes Anderson movie - this one gets to be in it's own big frame. Happy 2010.

The pirates who stole Christmas

2009-12-15T09:33:00.012+02:00

My phone bill came to an astronomical amount over December and January - I think much of it had to do with the fact that I was trying desperately to upload a video that I made with my Niece and Nephew - a task that is still incomplete! But you'd think I was running an empire and not a little blog!

A kind 'reader of queries' suggested that I upload my video to Youtube and then share with Blogger - yes I will do that and thank you stranger and friend. But here's what the phone bill fuss was all over... As an early Christmas present I went to the fantastic Parkview toy store down the road and brought hand made fabric puppets for my niece and nephew... There was much excitement about the little lone parcels under the brightly decorated tree - presents that they could open Right Now - being still 'so many sleeps till Christmas!' With a choice of Pirates, Doctors, Nurses, Goldilocks, the Three Bears, Lions, Crocodile's, Giraffe's... we made made up a story... starring Ella (nearly 5) and Hugo (just 7)... a simple event driven puppet show... this is the first of what is sure to become The Pirate Adventure Series... 'Crocodile and the Three Bears.' Hugo thought up the title and most of the storyline. I just had to remind them about the point of each scene. They drew and coloured in the scenery... The concept of 'rehearsing' was just too bizarre - so total improvisation is the only way to go - I love youth... incorporating dialogue, setting, movement - even a sneaky fart - into what is a divine little story of the naughty pirates who tried to steal Christmas. For our first 2010 adventure - we're planning The Pirates trip to the Moon and Mars!

What we meant was Senior Primary...

2009-12-05T09:55:00.006+02:00

We arrived at Botlhale Primary school one very hot morning in Gaborone, Botswana - there is nothing quite like the Botswana heat - its dry and close - as if the sun were almost touching you - fine dust sits in the air the way salt hangs in the air at the coast. And it's 6am.

Our two cars packed to the roof with props, set pieces and costumes... We were shown into the school hall where the performance was due to take place in about an hour. I casually checked the number of students... and - just cos I'm pedantic - the grades of the students. 150 junior primary students! The average age was between 5 and 7... We had never performed to such a young audience. We set up as quickly as possible and reworked the show - to completely simplify the story line.

We were competing for their attention not only against the heat, with the fairly complex story line, but a small bird had managed to get itself trapped in the hall and flew from window to window desperate to get out... but amazingly we managed. I love in the small clip we got on my stills camera - hence the quality of the footage - how they all go quiet when 'Theodore' tries to get 'Lerato's' attention.

It was such a liberating show actually... we were able to do things that you can't normally do - like ask the kids if they're following the story... let them ask questions in the middle of scene... negotiate who is going to come up for the audience participation...

It was fun - but the show is still really for older kids!

Youth Theatre Rocks...

2009-12-03T11:17:00.002+02:00

This is a small movie from the performance we did yesterday at Dainfern College in Johannesburg. The students filmed it and did the lights and the sound. Such fun!

Hannah Montana Gone Bad

2009-11-29T11:46:00.005+02:00

So we actually did it – we made THREE movies in FIVE hours… for Amelia's Birthday party...

It started on Friday afternoon with two broken toilets – lovely. Some unsuspecting plumber received my frantic phone call… we have a birthday party tomorrow with 16 girls and two broken toilets... As quick as a flash he’s at the house – I’m rehearsing and Nick’s working… Half an hour later he’s fixed the one toilet (only he hasn’t cos it still leaks like it did), and the second he can’t fix because he can’t turn off the mains – apparently there’s no tap… You’ll have to call the council ask them to turn off the water… uh okay. And he’s gone – having dug a large hole around the garden tap – which is literally 2 feet away from the actual tap he was looking for but some how missed! Nick pointed out the sneaky tap to me when he got home at 7pm – as they say ‘if it was a snake…’ So we started the day with two broken toilets, and ended it with two broken toilets and a bill… But all is not so tragic - we have the loo in the office, the one in Amelia's room leaks but what's a bit of water, and as for the one in the passage... well two out of three is not bad...

Saturday morning starts with the expected pre-party anxieties, last minute shopping, and very important questions... is there enough food? sweets? stuff? Where will we get a replacement birthday cake for the one we baked has flopped? What drinks do we have for the adults? Never mind the drinks do we have any glasses? What about the prizes? Oh and the third camera?

So after we've brought all the extras, collected the third camera... comes the most important question for a YouTube party... where to hang the projection screen for the evening viewing...

Outside? Inside? Definitely outside. Yes it's a blazing hot day with not a cloud in the sky and there's a lovely big projection wall where we can hang the screen. Right. Nick: So I'll nail the sheet right here... into the 1cm wide water pipe. Nice. So now there's a small water fall running down the wall and onto the patio floor. Super. It's Saturday. It's 2 hours before the party is due to start. Nick is off to the hardware down the road for HELP... I'm still setting up the studio's... Tick-Tock.

After what felt like a 5 hour long 30 minutes Nick is back and playing Bob the Builder and blow torching the wall. Jack is shooting a pellet gun. Lulu is barking. Amelia is asking if everything is going to be okay. Agnes is mopping the small dam that is formed where everyone is expected to sit. The tortoise is still nowhere to be seen. And the cat is shouting the odds. The torching done and it's time to test if in fact we'll have water for the 16 girls about to arrive. Tick-Tock.

What was a gentle waterfall is now a full on fountain that sprays right over all the seats... almost in slow motion... Everyone is tasked to fill every bucket, basin and bath. Nick is tasked with periodically going around and flushing toilets. Ding Dong.

The girls all arrive and Nick gives a fabulous funny brief welcome and introduction. It starts with watching some super cool YouTube video's to get everyone in the world... and ends the the key insight... Nick: I only want a B minus today - not an A plus - here the silly the mad and the stupid rock! And the three teams go into production...

1. Brainstorm the story

2. Draw the storyboard

3. Make the puppets and backgrounds

4. Rehearse

5. Shoot the movie

6. Participate in a crash course of editing

7. Edit

8. Export the movie

9. Create the DVD

All activities where closely monitored for time to ensure that by the time the parents arrived at 7:30pm for the viewing we were ready.

7:30 and we're still editing. Ding Dong - the parents start arriving. I hurry everyone up and start to export, create the DVD and up load... 15 minutes says the computer 'estimated time remaining.' Nick is making the critical decision - for the second time - Inside or Outside? The clear blue sky is now pregnant with low hanging cloud. Outside - it's not actually raining! '10 minutes estimated time remaining.' The parents are here... everyone is waiting and the computer spits out the DVD... 7:50pm.

And we're rolling - everyone rolls around in laughter and amazement at what has been created in 5 hours... we have a fabulous funny awards ceremony and amazingly 8:15pm and everyone is gone. The heavens opened!

I uploaded all three to YouTube... Here is 'Hannah Montana Gone Bad' which won best movie - it is super cool.

Rock on.

I am a Vampire

2009-11-28T09:17:00.002+02:00

Today is Amelia's 12 birthday party - and we are having a Youtube party... we are setting up 3 'studio's' with loads of material for them to create their own puppets to tell their 1 minute story and enter the WWW! 3 camera's - 3 computers - 3 teams... 5 hours!

This is the movie Amelia (my almost stepdaughter) and I made (with the help of Jack, Melie's brother - responsible for the garlic... Hanna, Melie's friend - responsible for the Vampire girl... and Nick - responsible for setting up the camera and the story) in almost 5 hours... so today we have to be much more on the ball with time.

Gone are the days of Kissing Catchers... Musical Statues... Truth and Dare... bring on Youtube!