Ready steady...

In a few minutes we begin our journey to Grahamstown... The National Arts Festival is one long drive away... it is cold and dark and the cats know something is going on!  'Can I come?' said the cat to the harp.

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Dirt revisited.

A week in Cape Town of re-rehearsing Dirt for the Perth Fringe Festival next week... is coming to an end.  What a lovely thing to revisit the show after quite a long time... Taking it further and further... Defining the characters more and more... Making it clearer and clearer.  What fun.  Rhythm.  Resonance. Vibration.  Physicality.  Six characters, two dogs... and go.  Yesterday we went to visit Simon and Helen from the Kalk Bay Theatre to chat about our new project.  Here is James making the short steep trek up the hill to their home with the most wonderful view of the sea.

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The bell tolls

Summer in Johannesburg is quite something when you haven't seen it for as long as I haven't. I feel like on every corner I turn there is a tree packed with pink or yellow or red flowers. Avenues of leafy Oak Trees blocking out the sun... a parade of light and shade. It fills my heart. But I shall no doubt long for the breathtaking buildings of Florence that stand majestic around just about every corner. Towering towards the sky. Like this one. The church of Santa Maria Novella. The bell that tolls. The cold air. The cobbled streets.  Like all brilliant art, if there is beauty and substance it will last. For centuries.

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A late-night baking bash

As has become a school tradition, each year the Scandinavian students celebrate Santa Lucia... Freya makes the most delicious glug and Vika bakes... and here we are inventing different patterns and shapes with the dough.  A real baking bash in our little kitchen late at night.  The next evening the school studio was plunged into darkness... bar the flickering of so many tea candles... and Freya told us the tragic story of Santa Lucia.  This year Georgia and I were the Lucia brides...  As we are both pursuing other paths and leaving Florence.  We stood, the two of us, holding our single white candle as everyone launched into the Lucia song... doing our very best to sing in Danish, Swedish and Italian... and if there was English I don't remember it.  By then I was trying not to cry.

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Page 56.

It is one thing to be a fun fearless female on-line... But to be in the actual magazine is so very exciting... And here we are on page 56. I'm next to Bridgette Hartly Olympic bronze flat-water sprint kayaker and next to her is Kashveera Chanderjith the first SA deaf chartered accountant. I am wearing a Red Valentino dress. Ah. If I could change an answer it would be career highlight - what is there was edited a lot... as my answer was too long... Doh. But also edited to lose what I meant to say - but who can blame them they're not in my head. On reflection. What I would say now as my career highlights to date... Returning to study a master course in theatre making with genius pedagog Givanni Fusetti in Florence, Italy. Secondly, the success of my most recent play Sunday Morning and working with the brilliant Nick Warren and James Cuningham as writer and actor respectively. May 2013 be as Fun and Fabuolus.

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2012 High

As 2012 quietly draws to a close... Our yearly family tradition is to reflect on our highs and lows of the year we are about to leave behind... And our dreams for one that lies ahead. Right up there on my list of the very best of 2012 is performing as my clown 'Fiona van der Walt' with 'Andromeda' ...Barbara's clown. However the universe colluded for these two unusual friends to meet and share what they think of the world... I am delighted. And very grateful. Here we are in our secret underground rehearsal room with The Harp preparing our song for the crescendo of our show. How lucky we are.

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A life time walking

Matteo said in a recent movement class that you can see family in the touch. In the way two hands come together a whole history is revealed. A vibration in the background. Simple. Beautiful. True. Like in the way these two old ladies... in perfect unison, arm in arm, sisters perhaps... cross Piazza della Repubblica. And off they go. Not for the first time today. A life time of walking together.  Right there, in the background.

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Through the streets of Florence

We have started running.  No.  I'm not even kidding.  Through the streets of Florence.  Once a week.  Besides the stitches and the faint taste of blood ... and the majority of the group who find it easy! ... it is actually fun.  Yes.  It's true.  Ready steady go.

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Knock knock.

As winter slowly begins to stretch her arms and pull us in close...  and low cloud hangs heavy over Florence threatening rain.  I ventured out for a Saturday afternoon walk to clear my head, and two artists ventured out to paint two lions head door knockers... It made me think of the mime walk argument... that goes something like 'Its all very well to have brilliant walking technique, but where are you going?'  ...Its all very well to accurately paint identical door kockers but where do they lead?  As Barbara says...  Knock knock.  Who's there?  ...we'll see.

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Ciao Newspaper Man

Last night our movement studio was turned into a little puppet theatre.  Visiting Australian puppeteer Jenny Ellis took us through her wonderful work and then we made our own newspaper puppets...  Trying as best we could to apply a few puppetry principals - giving the figure weight, breath and articulation.  It was such fun...  It was a short workshop so the work we did for each other was totally improvised and totally funny.  These crazy little figures coming suddenly to life.  This is Vika, me and Barbara and our little dude... Ciao Newspaper Man.

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A puppet and a ping pong ball

Choreography with ping pong rackets ping pong balls a mini ping pong table and a puppet... The most wonderful lighting design... Great music... And a bit of philosophy made for a rocking night out to the theatre this weekend in Florence.  A Dance Tribute to Ping Pong. Rocking.  My best bit was the glow in the dark ball choreography.  Also the theatre hosting the festival was brilliant... A ting hole in the wall door that lead to a secret garden with lush green grass for a starlit pre show drink.  The theatre itself somehow had a perminant festival theatre feeling. I loved it.  I want one.

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Blue sky backdrop

The sun is shining in Florence... And we (Vika and I) ate Gelato (from Grom - rocking!) on the steps opposite Il Duomo (as eating on Il Duomo steps is illegal - for real) ...to celebrate being back in this amazing city.  Back at Helikos.  Back to being students.  Back generally.  For the last time... In this way at least.  There is something so exciting about that...  A feeling that you really have to take everything in.  Like this church.  For example.  And we have began in full swing with theatrical territories... starting with Pantomime.  More on that soon.  Yay.

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Hello Italy

Joburg to Rome via Addis Abbaba.  And finally Firenze.  The old man sitting on the pavement outside the corner cafe is still there.  A continuous fixed point.  The old woman with the pink hair, the fur coat, the lace gloves and the gold takkies passes me. On her way to anywhere.  I lug my now very heavy suitcase to our apartment past the Madonna and child painting which three years ago, at the beginning of this massive journey, I stood beneath crying.  24 hours later and I'm back in my old room.  The familiar sound of wheels on wet tar.  A church bell tolls.  A distant dog barks.  Third year has began.  Hello Italy.  Ciao Firenze.

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On the front porch

Nick has been complaining recently that we never take pics anymore... So as a gift I booked a Spring shoot with the wonderful Browyn Stewart from Heart and Soul Photography... This was amoung the sneak peak pics she sent in the middle of the night.  Ah.

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Hilton High

We arrived at the Hilton Festival after hours in the worst traffic jam from a massive accident to watch the brilliant Paul Zerdin open the festival. So great. Then onwards to our technical get in which was smooth and professional - Roamy our stage manager and technician and her team rocked. So aside from our first show where a lone builder decided it was a good time to bang right outside the theatre door... We had a rocking time.

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My festival highlighted was 'Three Little Pigs' with James Cairns, Rob Van Vuuren and Albert Pretorius directed by Tara Notcutt.  Fresh.  Brave.  Funny.  Rich.  All that.

The N3 billows with veld fires... welcoming the imminent summer.

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Sad to to say goodbye... Next for Sunday Morning is our second run at Theatre on the Square from the 16 - 27 October.  Although I shall be in Florence by then.  How quickly the time goes. 

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The Ugly Ducking Marionette Move

I took my niece and nephew to see the Chinese Fujian Marionette Art Troupe the other day at the National School of the Arts... a kind invitation from my friend Mark Hawkins - as we couldn't make their proper performances. They were amazing.  Truly wonderful.  My favourite moment was when a troupe of little dancing fat girls as if by magic suddenly became a troupe of dancing princess...  I kid you not.  Before our very eyes.  It was amazing!  Yes - that and the drunk guy picking up and pouring real liquid into a teacup and then picking up the teacup and drinking until he was so drunk he passed out!  Magic before your eyes.  How lucky we were to see them.  Masterful talent.

Photo Credit:  Gregg East

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The Last Show

The Last Show... is certainly not the last show from these fabulous people...  I went to see the formidable Toni Morkel and the wonderful Roberto Pombo in their new show 'The Last Show' at PopArt... to raise funds for Roberto's return to school, Helikos, in Florence Italy.  A worthy cause!  There were so many things about it I just loved... the costumes for one... Toni's speech about being eaten in a cave... Roberto's speech about the end of the world and how rad the new iPhone is.  Very funny.  I look forward to the development of this show!

This is a pic of Toni and Rob that I got off Toni's facebook page... how cool?

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Lights up

My first favorite tweet from our physical tweet board at Theatre on the Square.  I also love the lights. x

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Post-it Pose

James and I in front of our physical tweet board after the opening of Sunday Morning at Theatre on the Square... The skyline of joburg made from post-it pixels... where people are asked to write why they love Joburg (You can check them out on twitter @jeninecollocott #sundaymorning #whyilovejoburg). Our opening was full and lovely... Thank you Daphne Kuhn for all your work and enthusiasm x

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Twins

Yesterday we brought two new friends for our lounge.  Yay.  and Yay.  The night before last we were wondering past a shop in Parktown North for Sushi and seemingly as though through the shop window came... psst.  hey psst.  you.  yes you.  We stopped.  We looked.  We listened.  And the next morning here they were. xx
 
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