Race Dog Is Run

Just finished the halfway point for the rehearsals for "Race Dog". We ended with a run for a small audience of friends. Folks seemed to enjoy it though there was some confusion as the set and puppets are only mocked up. I think the story, flow and characters are in good shape. We're exactly where we need to be: we have a shape and approximate timings and a musical and movement language we're pleased with. The crew now know exactly what set, puppets, costumes need to be made and what they need to do.

If all goes well, when we get back together in January for the second half of rehearsals, all the stuff will be done (like that's ever happened in the history of theatre). We'll be able to find the performance of each of the new makes, put them into the shape we have, run it a few times and we have a show. That's the plan anyway.

It's been a very pleasant and sane stay here in Denmark: a very reasonable rehearsal schedule (9 am to 3 pm, M-F), working with artists who know their stuff and know how to work together, working with a company who already trust me as director, not having the stress of an opening which is coming too soon and having the use of my own flat. It's almost like a proper, grown up person's life. But here's the best bit--I'm back home today and then I'm on holiday! I've been full-on, project after project since March or April. It's been a great summer for Thingumajig but, hellfire, I am so looking forward to striding out for a few days with my wife and my dog and thinking about absolutely nothing except what's for dinner and where to pitch the tent.

Day Off in Århus, Denmark

Just had good look around Århus today. The original intention was to see what I can see of the Festival but actually, I mostly had a great time just looking around the shops and people watching. The streets were packed with people having a nice time despite the occasional rain. Saw some fun automata by the river. There were loads of bands and some street acts and a battle of teen bands which was part of something unfortunately titled "Smells Like Teens." I understand the Nirvana reference but I think they really should have checked with a native English speaker before going to press.

There was this great solar-powered PA on a bike cart creating a moving dance party with some very Scandinavian dancers in green. It would have been right at home with the colour trail we did in Liverpool or at Burning Man.

Also happened on a great exhibit by Søren Behncke who works with cardboard, manipulated street signs and other common artifacts of world. He just seems to have a good laugh at high art and culture. Loved this cardboard truck and the road kill. Here's a nice video of a barn he made sing a pop song.

But really, my favourite bit was looking around all the little shops full of very clever but largely unnecessary household designs. The Danish love design and going into a shop of kitchen, bathroom, office supplies is just pure eye candy.

No, I take it back, the best part of the day was this exhibit by the Danish National Parks which featured the diversity of the country's flora and fauna by giving free samples of food you can find at the parks: salmon, shrimp, elderberry wine, venison, and even a shot of vodka infused with some wild herbs (gotta love this country--you'd never have a family-friendly kiosk of park rangers giving free shots of booze in the states or UK). And as an alternative to marshmallows, they had buckets of bread dough for you to make your own bread on a stick over the BBQ--it was delicious.

Race Dog--End of Week Two

Just finished the second week of rehearsals of "Race Dog", the new play indoor/outdoor mask play I'm directing for Theatret Thalias Tjenere. We've sketched out the entire play and finished the week with a run through. Of course it's very rough and there's probably a scene or two which needs to change in a major way but actually, we're not so far off. It ran about 38 minutes which is very close to the target time of 40 minutes but the whole play is very fast. Lots of characters, quick changes and sudden mood shifts. One minute it's silly fun, the next it's touchingly dramatic then back again. I think there's certainly plenty to hold the attention of an outdoor crowd but all the rapid changes creates a hectic job for Loz Kaye, the music director. But having moved this far in two weeks gives us a whole week to tweak and flesh out the story and characters in our remaining week of this first half of rehearsals. We'll be in great shape by the end of this leg.

Weekend off! Time to walk around Århus and see a bit of their festival. (But also, I need to catch up on some other work including designing a crocodile puppet.)

Den Store Bastian

After a solid and satisfying first week of rehearsals of their new show "Race Dog", I went along with the Theatret Thalias Tjenere company to see "Den Store Bastian", the play I directed for them two and a half years ago. They were performing as part of a festival in Randers. They were set in the middle of the town square had a healthy crowd of festival goers and walk-ups. It was such a pleasure to see how the play has settled. The story and the blocking I know so well is still there but the character and the "business" has evolved. The audience seemed very engaged, entertained, and frightened--not easy to to do in the middle of a town centre. Even I was laughing out loud and I knew what was coming next.

It's big shoes to fill. We want this next show as good as or better than Bastian. I'm sure it will be visually exciting and the story is in fairly good shape. We need to dig a little more into the heart of the piece and find engaging characters and a bit of substance. I think we're on track but it's so hard to know what you have until you have it. Or don't.

On a completely random note, I've met some interesting characters here at my inn including an American professor in Europe for the first time who's at a technical writing conference and a Norwegian athlete who is here for the freediving world championships. I just met the man who can swim farther than anyone else in the world on one breath.

Race Dog--Rehearsals Begin

I'm back in Denmark for the next three weeks where I'm directing the new play by Theatret Thalias Tjenere. It's working title is "Race Dog" and it's about a star-crossed love between dogs of different breeds and class. It's a bit of fun but hopefully has a meaningful resonance pointing out the ridiculousness of the racial intolerance which is sweeping through Europe. The company's directors are the proud dog mommy and daddy of a very cute pug so guess which breed the most of the main characters are. (I suppose it's no different to the main dog character in "A November Day" who looked uncannily like our Panchan.)

The first day of rehearsal was setting up the goal posts for these three weeks (I'll be back for the second half of rehearsals in January 2010) and having a bit of a play with the masks which are half done. All three of the performers are very experienced and have worked together for many years so it all works very quickly and effectively. The characters where spilling out as soon as tried on the masks. I had to stop myself from blocking the scenes straight away as I want to make sure we have plenty of exploration before we set anything. Such a pleasure to work with people who know their craft.

I directed their last play ("Den Store Bastian" or "Slovenly Peter") which has been a big success for them. They are performing it this Friday so I'm looking forward to seeing how it's evolved in the two and a half years since I saw it last.

Colour Trail

Kathy and I spent the weekend as one stop on the Colour Trail, a hands-on art activity for kids created by the Liverpool Lantern Company for Art on the Waterfront on Albert Dock Liverpool, produced by Walk the Plank.

We borrowed some gamelan instruments from Gong Fusion (a former gamelan/Western fusion band in Hebden Bridge) and had kids play a song on them based on a colour dot code. It was good fun though the first day it choose to rain as we were setting up and again just when we were taking it down.

There were three other carts: one which introduced the trail and had a maypole dance, a colouring and dress-up cart, and a messy painting cart. As you can see, we got off easy as far as set-up and clean-up.

The Liverpool Lantern Company were also part of the Saturday night spectacle. They made these lantern ferris wheels on bikes and on the cart and loaded them with lanterns made in open workshops. We paraded these in to start a remarkable performance which featured a brilliant light, video projection and music show on the Port of Liverpool building. I've never seen such large video projections (apparently 6 synchronised projectors) and images and animation so cleverly coordinated with lighting and sound. At moments, it looked as if someone was painting the building then laters coloured dots where dancing all over it.

There were also dozens of street acts that were performing all weekend such as these illuminated bike characters. Loads of art. Always a good gig working for the Liverpool Lantern Company--looking forward to the Halloween Carnival.

"A November Day" Showreel

Finally had a chance to make the showreel for "A November Day." After such a big push to get it up and running last year, I suppose when we had finished our tour, I was ready to move on to the next thing.

However, we are proud of the show and want to keep performing it. Without much booking energy, we've been able to get three gigs this autumn: Norwich Puppet Theatre, Gulbenkian in Canterbury, and a puppet festival in Italy! Take a look at this, our show in Italian. Neither of us have been to Italy so we're going to stretch out the trip a bit so can have a look around. You need to have some perks for being poor puppeteers.

Skeletons Warming Themselves

Here's a LINK to an extraordinary piece of mask/film designed by one of my favourite theatre artists--Julian Crouch. It's part of series of films by Philip Haas (Angels and Insects) commissioned by the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas based on the painting by James Ensor.

Julian Crouch is the designer/maker who is a part of Improbable Theatre and the director/designer of Shockheaded Peter. When I was but a wide-eyed midwestern boy, I saw 70 Hill Lane and Spirit and then Shockheaded Peter on tour in Minneapolis. I was absolutely blown away by these shows and how they used objects and puppets in such refreshing ways to get to emotional truths so quickly and clearly.

As I approach creating new works, I find myself quoting favourite, inspiring works. These most often happen to be works by Bread and Puppet, Figuren Theater Tübingen and Improbable/Julian Crouch. My secret pleasure is, since moving to England, I find myself alongside several of the artists who worked on Shockheaded Peter (Jo Pocock, Tony Cairns, Kevin Pollard, Phil Eddolls)

Photo credit: Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas. © 2009 Kimbell Art Museum.

Stockton Carnival!

After three very intense weeks of teaching workshops, going to loads of rehearsals of community arts groups and some very long days of making, it's done. It rained quite a bit at parade line-up and during the parade but it graciously stopped right before the finale started. The finale went without a hitch. The performers, the music, all the big makes it all came together (maybe even better than I expected). All the organising and all the rehearsals paid off. I felt very proud: it was the first time the carnival ended with this sort of finale and many people seemed to really appreciate what I brought to it.

I was also pleased the way these kite birds turned out. With directing the finale and being one of the workshop leaders, it was a bit ambitious to make 3 giant puppets (at first I was planning to make 4) and the last one only really came off the clay a day and a half before the event but they looked great. I think because I haven't really had the time in any of this year's projects to make giant puppets (except in Denmark but they were collectively made so that doesn't count), I was hungry to make something big and fabulous. But it would have never happened without Kathy working crazy hours with me that last week, the tremendous papier mache help of two local teenagers: Ryan and Rose, and having a very patient and good natured dog.

Kathy and I really enjoyed batiking the costumes. I've done a little here and there but never mixed up the dyes and such. It's such a fast and forgiving technique to make glorious colours and light flowing movement.

This stork which is really a one-use, rolled cardboard and bamboo puppet turned out quite nice--good movement and lots of character. It's nice to make a few things quickly and just let the roughness give it character. I suppose between the Kite birds and the rough and ready stork, I was showing off my Bread and Puppet lineage.

During the carnival parade itself, Kathy and I played in the Hebden Bridge Handmade Samba Brigade which was great fun. We had a small but lively crew, two stilters, eight drummers and Veronica. See more photos HERE.

Stockton Carnival--11 Days to Go

Week and a half to go and it's starting to look colourful at the Stockton Carnival workshops! Here's a toy bear head and a helter skelter by Morwenna Catt, a Bradford artist who makes some amazing work. (Her website and blog are well worth a look. I especially like the x-ray animals and the latest Bradford Lord Mayor's Parade which she made with fellow carnival artist Duncan Burnett.)

I finished one of my banner workshops. Here are sun banners by Stockton Imagination. They are watered down acrylics on cotton.

And here is a lovely shot of Shirley Wells, another of the carnival artists making her Dreams fairy who seems to be enjoying her hair treatment.