tidy carnage puts Motor Neurone Disease in the Spotlight

I’m going to start this post with an apology: I apologise to anyone who has sent me a Press Release in the last couple of months. I have responded to some of you, but not been able to reply to all of you. I have been busy as both an Actor and Graphic Designer, so I haven’t been able to find the time to blog - even about the productions I’ve been working on - but keep the releases coming!

Apology over, Kelly Smith, producer of 'dream//life', contacted me with details of the show, currently running at The Bike Shed Theatre in Exeter and it sounded really interesting, so here’s a bit about the company and the show.

Helen Cuinn in 'dream//life'

Tidy carnage, is a new theatre collective from Glasgow, who merge new writing, movement and multimedia, and their current show, 'dream//life', is at The Bike Shed Theatre until Saturday 20th July. It’s a moving account of one couple’s experience of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and has been developed in collaboration with Motor Neurone Disease Scotland.

Director Allie Butler was initially inspired by a piece of creative writing entitled ‘A Day In The Life’, written by someone with the condition. She further developed the piece by researching and talking to people who have MND or care for those with it. Performed by Neil John Gibson and Helen Cuinn, 'dream//life' became a piece, not explicitly about the illness, but about a relationship affected by it. The piece has been supported by Ovalhouse in London and The Arches in Glasgow, where the company presented early work in progress showings and received feedback from the venue, community and charity to enable further development. This development process certainly seems to have worked, as Arthur Duncan has given them a glowing review on Remote Goat: http://www.remotegoat.com/uk/review_view.php?uid=9970

Neil John Gibson & Helen Cuinn in 'dream//life'

The company has been in residence at The Bike Shed Theatre for the last two weeks and is collaborating with the local branch of the national charity, Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA), the only national charity raising awareness and money for research into MND and support for those affected, to raise awareness and support. Although the screening of the documentary film, 'I AM BREATHING' and their Q & A session have passed, there is still an opportunity for audiences who want to find out more about and support the charity, to do this, as there is a stall in theatre’s Café Bar where you can read and take away information.

Helen Cuinn in 'dream//life'

If you like their work, then you can also catch some of their work in progress before they leave Exeter. As part of their residency at the theatre, tidy carnage are collaborating with local writer Cally Hayes to create a new piece of Theatre. 'writer//collaborator' will be developed over a few days as the company give sections of text the tidy carnage treatment and then perform what emerges as scratch showings 18th-20th July (see the Bike Shed website for details).

You only have until Saturday to catch 'dream//life' in Exeter, but if you like the company’s work, then make sure you watch 'writer//collaborator' as you have the opportunity to be one of the first people to experience and provide feedback on their next show.

Links

The Bike Shed Theatre
tidy carnage on Twitter (@tidycarnage)
'dream//life' Remote Goat Review 
Motor Neurone Disease Association Website
I AM BREATHING Website
Ovalhouse Website
The Arches Website

Fertility Objects: What's it all about?

Fertility Objects is the fourth production from the new-writing company Butterfly Psyche Theatre and starts at the Rondo theatre in Bath this Wednesday (20th June 2012). As I follow some of those involved on Twitter, I thought I'd find out more about the production.

The poster for Fertility Objects

Do you know a couple who are ‘trying for a baby’? Or suspect you know a couple who are? As you get older, the answer seems to be ‘yes’ on most days of the week. Fertility Objects is a play about three such couples who have hit a few bumps on the journey to parenthood and have ‘broken down’. They are trying to keep going and through the course of the play we discover if they will succeed in reaching their destination.

Image ©Lisa Hounsome 2012

The play is written by Alison Farina, Butterfly Psyche Theatre’s Artistic Director, and directed by Hannah Drake, the Rondo's resident Intern Director (and winner of the Elsa Roberts Prize for Directing). It is a deeply personal and delicate subject for many, but, as part of her research, Alison held interviews with men and women who have been affected by fertility issues and she had this to say about the experience:

“I was struck by how many people were affected by infertility and was moved by how many of these individuals were so supportive and encouraging of the project. It is such a personal and even taboo issue, despite its commonality and is rarely discussed openly. The challenge with this kind of subject matter is making a show that’s emotionally engaging without being a sob-fest, but I think we’ve cracked it!”

Alison Farina, Writer of Fertility Objects

Image ©Lisa Hounsome 2012

According to Japanese tradition, if a person can fold 1000 Origami cranes, they will be granted a special wish and designer, Natalie Remington, has incorporated this tradition into the design of the show:

“Our set design is based on the idea of Origami mobiles; since this show is about people wishing for a baby, we thought the idea of making the 1000 Cranes for them was both appropriate and poignant.”

Natalie Remington, Designer for Fertility Objects

The beauty of Theatre is that it allows you to explore emotions and situations that are close to you and also opens windows on to new experiences. Both reactions to a production can inspire questions and after the show on Wednesday 20th June, Butterfly Psyche Theatre are giving you the chance to get some answers. There will be a post-show discussion with the team from the Bath Fertility Centre, including Medical Director, Nick Sharpe Matron/Fertility Services Manager, Helen Kendrew, an Embryologist and their centre Counsellor (this event is free and will take place just after the performance).

Image ©Lisa Hounsome 2012

With a subject matter close to many people’s hearts and a cast consisting of Oliver Millingham, Shane Morgan, Justin Palmer, Jenny Johns, Anna Westlake and Fleur Ward, it’s firmly on my list of shows to see this week.

The show runs Wednesday 20th - Saturday 23rd June (8pm) at the Rondo Theatre in Bath and links for booking and further information can be found below.

Links

The Rondo Theatre

Bath Box Office

Butterfly Psyche on Facebook

Butterfly Psyche on Twitter

Bath Fertility Centre

Hannah Drake

Natalie Remington

Looking for Love in Script Space: An Interview with Gareth Jandrell

If you haven’t been to ‘Script Space’ before, it’s a fantastic opportunity to watch a series of rehearsed readings of short plays selected by the Tobacco Factory as part of their development programme. It’s also an opportunity to get involved and give feedback in a Q&A session with the actors, directors and writers.

Working with new and emerging writers, the third and final ‘Script Space’ of the 2010 season is happening this Sunday (27th June) at the Tobacco Factory.

I caught up with one of the writers, Gareth Jandrell, author of ‘Ache’ and asked him a few questions…

Can you tell us a bit about ‘Ache’?

”It's about four people who attend a speed dating night at a less than salubrious pub. It's a grimy, dingy venue but they're still looking for love, they're still hoping for something to happen. They're all funny and charming and caring, it's just it hasn't quite happened for them yet, so they end up here, tonight.”

What inspired you to write it?

”I walked past a terrible pub that had a chalk board outside that said 'singles night: come and meet that special someone.' (Which actually appears in the play) and I thought 'imagine trying to find the love of your life there', then I thought 'why not? Why not there, it's as good a place as any' and then slowly these characters who find themselves in a completely unlikely setting suddenly having to get along with each other appeared, trying to make the evening bearable, trying to make conversation and maybe, just maybe, trying to find even more than that.”

How did you find out about ‘Script Space’?

”There was a posting on the BBC Writersroom website and I had the play finished and in a moment of madness I thought I'd apply, not thinking anything of it. Then I found I'd been shortlisted, then that my play was going to be performed. A totally unexpected treat. To be at a great venue like the Tobacco Factory is a huge opportunity, let alone with a play which I enjoyed writing so much. I can't wait to see how the audience respond to the piece.”

Which comes first, the play or the development opportunity? By this I mean, do you already have an idea for a production (or maybe even an initial script) when you apply for an opportunity like ‘Script Space’ or do you see an opportunity/competition and start thinking of a plot so that you can enter?

“The play comes first for me. I think if you write to the opportunity you loose the drive which is behind the piece. For me, you write the play then if the right opportunity comes along that's amazing, it was meant to be. If you do it the other way round you risk writing things you never set out to write, and then end up being judged by them later on. You don't want to end up having to justify writing something you never actually believed in yourself.”

Looking at your previous success, you’ve already had some of your short plays performed in places like the Soho Theatre and The White Bear and now you’re working on a full length play, which will be read at The Southwark Playhouse in July. Is this your first full length piece?

“It's the first one I've fully developed with a production company. Luckily Ugly Sister Productions took a chance on developing a short play I wrote last year and now it's in good shape thanks to their dedication to it. So much of writing is people believing in your work and Esther and Julia at Ugly Sisters took a huge chance on me and I hope it works out for them, I owe them a lot.”

Do you remember your first piece of ‘creative writing’?

”My God, yes. I wrote a lot of angsty 'woe is me' unrequited love poetry as a teen. I still have it. It's terrible. Terrible. They say you learn from your mistakes. I learnt this: never show a girl a poem you have written about them. It's not romantic. It's weird.”

Why do you want to be a writer? What drives you?

“I don't know. When it's going badly I think I'll give up, tell all my friends I'll give up, go into a Heathcliff-esque brood. Then I'll think of a bit of dialogue or an idea for a scene or get angry about the world and start writing again... Until I get a rejection letter then the cycle starts back up... That's what great about schemes like Script Space - it gives new writers a platform for their work and the confidence to press on with their writing, as I will. Until the next rejection letter...”

Name one play you think everyone should read in their lifetime…

”Love and Money by Dennis Kelly. Incredible. Dramaturgically immaculate. Not a wasted word, and each syllable relates to the theme completely. His only mistake was to write it 3 years too early. Read it now, you'll assume it was written yesterday. A masterpiece.”


If you want to see ‘Ache’, then head ‘Script Space III’ on Sunday 27th June at 1.30pm, entry is £3. For further information visit the Tobacco Factory Website