The Yvonne Rainer Project at the BFI

Dance on Film – until 23 January 2011

From the Yvonne Rainer Project

It was a bitterly cold night on the Embankment, a kind of night that reminded me of that old cigarette advertisement, the one that concluded: ‘You’re never alone with a Strand.’ Struggling across Hungerford bridge with the wind tugging at my hat, while an oily brown Thames slid by beneath wasn’t at all appropriate as a precursor of what was to follow, beyond the freezing stallholders of the South Bank’s Christmas Fair and of no interest whatever to the skateboarding show-offs beneath the Queen Elizabeth Hall.

I was on my way to the preview of the Yvonne Rainer Project, an exhibit (free to enter and it’s on now) at the BFI’s Gallery – that space right at the back, to the left of the ticket desk, where arty things get shown to the real aficionados of film, and the darkness means often that health and safety is a concept of the past.

Yvonne Rainer is a giant of dance (if you believe the press releases), a legendary American dancer, choreographer and filmmaker, whose example is amongst the most influential on today’s generation of video makers and choreographers alike. This exhibition features three of Rainer’s works in the BFI Gallery and is accompanied by screenings of her seven feature films to be shown in the BFI cinemas. There is also a curated programme of the artist’s works taking place in December.

Watch out for the film in the little round gallery (the first space you are confronted with). There’s only comfortable space for four inside – the reason being that the BFI probably can’t afford any more chairs on casters, and that’s what you’ll need to watch this element of the exhibition, because the video projection moves round that circular wall – to watch it, you have to be permanently on the move. All this is fine if you are sitting on one of those special chairs. If not, best to don your shin pads immediately, and prepare to leap as that projection swings around.

The Yvonne Rainer Project is curated by Chantal Pontbriand, and concentrates on the transformation of ideas in her work, such as those of choreographers Vaslav Nijinsky and George Balanchine, composer Igor Stravinsky, thinkers such as Ludwig Wittgenstein and Sigmund Freud, and filmmaker Georg Wilhelm Pabst.

Names like those are redolent of my time at university and my pal Danny McLagan dozing peacefully on my shoulder. He always said that ideas made him sleepy. Perhaps that’s why he left to become a banker.

Among those attending is Alexis Stevens from Dance UK, choreographer Maddy Wynne-Jones, Lynsey Winship from Time Out, Denise Horsley and student Catherine Wood. I wish I had more time to watch. There’s a lot of substance here. The two main auditoriums have screenings lasting 45 minutes each, and there’s another space, the Atrium, showing her first feature film, Lives of Performers, from 1972.

(c) Brent Crude 2010

Fringe Report Awards – Nominate Now!

What better way to contemplate the season of goodwill than by thinking of all those performers, technicians, comedians and other fringe participants who have given you a particular thrill during the year. Then, when you’ve pencilled them into your final list (watch out for mince-pie stains and that you don’t spill the mulled wine), you can send them off to Fringe Report as your individual nominations for a Fringe Report Award.

The FR Awards are one of the few ways that the achievements of Fringe performers are ever recognised, and of course the night itself is also the excuse for a big party too.

You don’t have to think about categories or specific types of performance either – if you know a fireating sword-swallower whose act has gone down a storm, then let us know. Just tell us a bit about why you think your nominee should be receiving some special recognition. Click this link for more.

Party Night! The Fringe Report Awards

And of course if you’re a PR person looking after a youth brand or a charity that’s looking to recognise and reward the special demands of Fringe performance, then let us know too. We’ll show you how you can get involved for an outlay that makes sense to your situation.

In either case (to nominate someone or donate or sponsor an award or the party!) please get in touch with John. Nominations to nominations@fringererport.com; you can email him at editor@fringereport.com or you can click this link for more information. We’d love to hear from you!

My Handbag, Dominique Oliver

Dominique Oliver's Handbag

Many ladies might prefer a dainty, sophisticated neutral handbag to accompany them to work each day. However I prefer to change my handbag with my mood! I will match my clothes to the job I am going to do that day and the handbag will similarly reflect the mood I need to be in to get through the day. So today I have by beloved blue asnd pink hearted ‘travel-bag’. This bag is only usually used for special occasions, like travelling away for a weekend or taking on-board a plane as hand luggage when I leave the country. I associate the bag with taking a day off and the potential of doing NO work. It has a

Dominique

colourful print all over and is made by one of my favourite clothes brands ‘Animal’ – who make surfing and ski-ing wear, which I love to wear eventhough I can’t surf or ski! The bag has a secreted vanity mirror in the top pocket. and opens-up like a mini suitcase – with a zip all the way around. There’s something satisfiying about opening-up the ‘lid’ to reveal the bright pink interior with sectioned pockets for my pens, ipod, psp and other fun accessories that I only ever have time to use on holiday. So recently, as I have been less able to take time-off from running around at work to go on holiday, I have taken to using the bag when I have an afternoon off to meet new people or relax a little. It’s a bag I love, but it mustn’t be over-used or its magic will disappear and it might become just a regular ‘work-bag’ like the other ten in my cupboard!

(c) Dominque Oliver 2010

Dominique Oliver’s ‘Zasar’

Zasar, by Dominique Oliver

Zasar is what I call Mauritian Piccallilly. As my Mother was born in Mauritius, Mauritian food has been a big part of my life. I like to eat zasar in a nice big cheese sanwich on thick white bread, but it is really intended for use as a salad or chutney to accompany rice dishes. All the chopping of vegetables involved, put me off until recently – when I finally started to make the dish myself, rather than nag my poor Mother to make it!

Ingredients
2 large carrots
1 handful of green beans
1/4 of a red or white cabbage
1 small red onion
2 tablespoons of mustard seeds
2 tablespoons of chillis (dried or freshly chopped)
1  tablespoon of fenugreek seeds
1 tablespoon of turmeric poweder
2 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons of olive or sunflower oil
salt
pepper

Directions:

Chop all the vegetables into thin strips.
Put all the mustard seeds, chillis, fenugreek seeds, turneric powder, garlic and half the oil into a pestle and mortar and make a thick paste.
Heat the remaining oil on a medium heat in a large frying pan or wok.
Add the onions and paste and fry gently until the onions become soft.
Add all the vegetables and stir into the paste.
Warm the vegetables through, ensuring they are all covered by the paste.
Remove from the heat before the vegetables become soft.
The vegetables should remain crunchy.
Then pour everything out into a large Tupperware container.
Eat some warm, but leave the remainder out to cool down for about 2 hours , before placing in the fridge to use as a pickle for up to a week.

(c) Dominque Oliver 2010

National Youth Theatre – Now Recruiting

Young actors, technicians apply now

Matt Lucas and Daniel Craig are both National Youth Theatre alumni

The National Youth Theatre is now recruiting for next year’s company, offering young people nationwide the chance to follow in the footsteps of Daniel Craig, Matt Smith, Orlando Bloom, Matt Lucas, Catherine Tate, David Walliams, Dame Helen Mirren and many more – all of whom once tread the boards with the NYT.

The NYT has an exceptional reputation for discovering epic talent and producing exciting, innovative theatrical productions in leading venues across the UK and as far afield as China.

But it’s not just stars-in-the-making the NYT is on the lookout for – they’re also on the hunt for behind-the-scenes technical talent.  Alongside acting, applications are invited for costume, lighting and sound, scenery and prop making, and stage management courses.

The closing date for applications is 7^th January 2011, with auditions and interviews taking place at venues across the country in January and February 2011.

Everyone who applies will be offered the chance to try out, regardless of previous experience. Applications are open to anyone who will be aged 14 to 21 on 1st August 2011.  Members of the company who have completed the initial course are eligible to audition each year for productions until they reach the upper age limit.

For more information and to apply online, visit www.ideastap.com/nytapply

Graft launches at the Pleasance

New Initiative for Theatre Writing

The Graft launch event was an enthusiastic, varied and well presented evening, successfully celebrating the importance of new writing in the fringe arena. As a new writing collective seeking to construct a community of artists and audience, their inaugural affair certainly proved they have the determination and support needed to get words off the page and onto the stage.

The Pleasance Theatre provided an apt venue for this new fringe outfit, and could barely contain the masses that turned out to root for these artists’ latest enterprise. It was obvious that the majority of attendees were connected in some way to the various writers, directors or performers involved and, in a world where new writing is often poorly graced with much attention, demonstrated that an creating a large network from the inside out works. I sincerely hope this continues to be the case for the Graft collective, and that their outfit grows and matures as they endeavour to continue to create a forum for new writing.

The night was constructed as a showcase of the many writers they already have on board, and therefore the performances were concise and diverse, including theatre, performance poetry, music, and opera. The encapsulated moments taken from full length plays were well chosen to give an accurate idea of the overall essence of each complete work. The issues addressed in each piece were as assorted as the style, and touched upon parental love (or lack of it), dynamics in the workplace, faith and sexuality, to name but a few.

All the pieces were written by women, which gave the evening a feminist edge. This may seem a little one-sided as a collective but, in an area that is still partially dominated by the male mind, sought to readdress the balance somewhat. Unfortunately, the scripts themselves fell slightly short of the mark, and although showed obvious promise through structure, comedic and musical ability, were rooted in clichés that failed to raise any new innovative angles on the female or human condition.

Nonetheless, the Graft launch was a thoroughly enjoyable evening that was well organised, directed and performed. Their ensemble is strong in number and support, and I am confident that, with time, occurrence and the shelter of this proactive troupe, the writers will flourish.

Writers

Amy Draper; Jackie Kane; Carolina; Anna Portch; Jasmin Howard; Debbie Kent; Beatriz Echeverri; Lauren Monaghan-Pisano; Natalie Wilcox; Columbus Giant; Reen Polonsky; Vivienne Rowdon; Laura Hocking; Susan Crothers.

Directors

Clare McKenna; Jackie Kane; Simon de Deney; Amy Draper; Tarek Iskander; Bobby Brook; Scott Le Crass; Robert Wolstenholme; Clare Betney.

Performers

Felicity Davidson; Emma Brown; Richard Woolnough; Martin Aukland; Ann Gillespie; Karlyn Stephen; Rebecca Hewett; Rosalie Jorda; Anna Brook; Chandrika Chevli; Sam Mannox; Charlotte Whitaker; Denise Mack; Stephanie Farrell; Angie Fullman; Matthew Barker; Katie Lightfoot; Laura Jackson; Andrea Miller; Damian Quinn; Law Ballard; Vivienne Rowdon; India Fisher; Helen Matthews; Emily Randall; Dionysios Kyropoulos; Eleanor Briggs; Susan Crothers.

Costume and Set Design – David Woodhead

Set Design – Anna von Eicken

Photography – Cat Garcia

Lighting and Stage Management – Adam Burns
Design Assistant – Leigh-Anne Gilbert

Venue – Pleasance Theatre
Date – Monday 8^th November 2010

(c) Tracy Keeling 2010

The Guardian Blog talks theatre money

The Guardian’s Theatre Blog has been talking corporate funding. Here’s what the paper’s Chris Wilkinson has to say, with a lot of very big numbers being revealed!

“We begin this week by raising a glass to Guy Yedwab of the Culture Future blog. Yedwab is discussing (or perhaps toasting) the role that alcohol plays in creating theatre. He was intrigued by the news that Punchdrunk have recently cut a deal to promote Stella Artois. He points out that this is really “just a symbol of the relationship the arts have today with alcohol. I’ve joked about it before, but the young theater companies I know are basically in the debt of the alcohol industry. We get people to come to our fundraisers through the lure of alcohol, among other things.” Far from being nervous about this kind of corporate sponsorship, he explains that he is currently trying to arrange something between his own theatre company and an alcohol distributor and points out that one of his “favorite art groups”, Fresh Ground Pepper, has “kept its commitment to not charging tickets largely through its sale of alcohol – and here I am jealous that they’ve got the hook-up!”

Cast and crew of 'Yard Gal' from the Oval House receive their Fringe Report Award

“Although it should never be seen as a substitute for public funding, this kind of creative approach to fundraising is going to become ever more important. As arts organisations struggle to make ends meet, not only are they going to have to think laterally about where they get their income from, they are going to need to cut their costs as well. It is this fact that makes the recent revelations about the astronomically high pay for the top executives at the Royal Opera House all the more shocking. Aleks Sierz explains that: “Tony Hall, the ROH’ s chief executive, earns more than £390,000 a year while Antonio Pappano, the conductor and musical director, earns £630,000.” And he goes on to point out that “the truth is mind-boggling: at a time when lots of small arts groups are facing an end to their subsidy, which is often less than the salaries of each of these individuals, the ROH fat rats are shamelessly racking it in!”

Needless to say, Chris’s views aren’t (necessarily) those of Fringe Report Uncut, but if there are any potential sponsors, donors and supporters (whether producers of beer or not) out there, then the Fringe Report Awards might be a good place to come. A valuable youth audience, an amazing platform for PR, celebrities? (Well, minor ones). The Fringe Report can give a bored PR almost everything a brand could wish for, at a bargain-basement cracking price that’s probably less than a lunch for the MD.

Want to find out more? Email john@fringereport.com for details!

Awards Stack Up for the Finborough

and downstairs is now an OPEN wine bar

The Finborough Theatre has become the winner of three major recent awards.

In addition to its earlier Empty Space Peter Brook award 2010, the theatre has also received the Writers’ Guild New Writing Encouragement Award 2010 for artistic director Neil McPherson, and Pearson’s Catherine Johnson Award for best play for playwright-in-residence Anders Lustgarten.

Finborough’s Neil McPherson is a past Fringe Report Award winner too.

Perhaps the best news though for patrons of the tiny theatre is that the bar to which this theatre is attached has now re-opened.

The Social Network, a film by David Fincher

Chantal Pierre-Packer goes in search of the story of social networking

It may be the thing that keeps you up at night and the thing that you cannot wait to go and check.  If you aren’t on it, you feel that you need to be on it and you crave the view over and over.

“Facebook me” is as common a phrase as “Hoover the stairs”.

People upload their lives onto it, invite people to events or form communities of people with similar views or interests.  There is a vast array of games on too, some of which seem quite addictive.  With game progression reliant on completing tasks or having a certain number of ‘friends’ and new items to be found, there is a lot of general fun to be had.

If you are out in the real world and see a tree or piece of grass and think, “click to harvest” (users of a certain farming game will understand), you may just be using it a touch too much.

But whatever your interest, there’s no denying that Facebook is a worldwide phenomenon.  That’s why The Social Network works.  Facebook is fascinating so why not watch a film about it to inspire you to achieve your dreams also?

The story starts with Facebook founder Zuckerburg in the present day, in a room undergoing court proceedings being sued by various people, over the site.  The film is a series of flashbacks, which go through his time at Harvard, secret societies, wild parties, friendships and all that’s in between.

Facebook came to life, according to the film, because Zuckerburg and his friends wanted to be in the cool crowd.  The Facebook site was sent to the right kind of people and not too long later it became a global phenomenon.

Jesse Eisenburg plays Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook.  Andrew Garfield plays Eduardo Saverin, Zuckerburg’s friend, who had a dispute over financial matters with him, over Facebook.  Justin Timberlake plays Sean Parker, the co-founder of Napster and the President of Facebook.

Jesse Eisenburg portrays Zuckerburg as a social misfit blessed with a high intellect.  Usually, he just says what he thinks without regard for the consequences.  Cue girlfriend break-ups and hurt friends.

Andrew Garfield plays Saverin as the cooler half of the pair.  He has the manner and the moves to make it all look better to those outside their circle.  Justin Timberlake is Sean Parker. He gives Facebook its gloss and glamour to make it all cool.  He is cool; he is well connected and gets the things in motion that need to happen if Facebook is to reach its potential.  But his involvement has varied results, not all positive.

This is a well conceived film that is well delivered.  It is entertaining and fun and makes you think about your own ambitions and how to make your dreams comes true.

The focus is on friendship and loyalty, and what happens when these things are forgotten in favour of more superficial monetary values.  It’s a good night out.

Status update: saw The Social Network today.  I clicked to *like* it )

(c) Chantal Pierre-Packer 2010

reviewed Tuesday 9 November 2009 / Notting Hill Coronet, London

Special Arcola Theatre Nights: Celebrate the Old and Support the New

Be part of Arcola’s new future.

Very special performances of the Cradle Will Rock this December

Help to celebrate Arcola Theatre‘s 10th anniversary, say goodbye to the Arcola Street location and help support the conversion of the new theatre space.

There will be two events during the run of The Cradle Will Rock, on Thursday the 9th and Friday the 17th of December. Tickets for each event are £65 and include:

Pre-performance drinks and appetisers (7pm).

A ticket to attend that evenings performance at 8pm along with a free programme.

Post-show drinks and buffet, special guest hosts and cabaret performances from members of The Cradle Will Rock cast.

The opportunity to win a range of gifts – holidays, dinners for two, exclusive Katharine Hamnett shirts, exclusive Anthony Gormley shirts, invitations to the first ever performance in the new Arcola Theatre Space and more.

Recognition as an Arcola Theatre Supporter on the wall of the new building.

You can buy tickets for these unique events or upgrade tickets purchased for another performace of The Cradle WIll Rock by calling the box office on 020 7503 1646.