A Conspiracy Of Clowns

Don’t you just love those brief moments of synchronicity that pop out of nowhere? 

So, Neil Coppen posts this on his FB profile, and cos he’s an all round visual and theatrical magician, of course that’s an open invite to watch…and then get struck by the echoes and similar themed images in the short film with what we’ve been doing with QUACK!

The Forest (conceived, written, directed, and animated by one David Scharf for his Diploma thesis at Augsburg University) tells the story of Antonia, a young sassy 12 year old girl who daydreams herself away into a magical forest to escape the hassles in the real world. 

Sound vaguely familiar?  Too right!  And you should check out the imagery in the film and see there’s an incredible overlap between some of the imagery we’ve been playing with – imagination/fantasy vs reality, sucking out brains/soul/life force, and a strong need for independence and individuality.  Love it.  Love synchronicity and shadows!

Fab theatre maker friends from Joburg have just released the trailer for their show High Diving which made such a big splash (ooh, is that a horrible pun?  I surely couldn’t have been the first to do that…) at National Arts Festival and also Hilton Festival, and have no doubt will rock all of SA.  Shadow puppets for the show were designed and made by Standard Bank Young Artist of the Year for Theatre, Janni Younge. 

To my shame I missed it at both festivals, but here’s hoping to see them in Cape Town real soon, or at very least to return to NAF next year.  Please?!

Jenine Collocot, Deborah Da Cruz, James Cairns, Toni Morkel, Roberto Pombo, and all behind the scenes – rock on!  Awesome trailer!

So, we’re a week down, half way already through the run (hectic how time flies…) and we’re entertaining, confusing, and enthralling people, which is not a bad mix.  Not that we set out to confuse, of course, but we are aware we’re making audiences work hard when watching, and particularly for some hearing people, a play with no dialogue whatsoever, and a rambling, dream-logic web of narratives is challenging and confusing.  When we sort that out we’ll have a truly explosive form of expression on our hands.

But people are responding incredibly well, with people finding the mix of comedy, tragedy, full character mask, and some sublime visual imagery, very satisfying and enriching.

And the reviews are starting to flow:

Artslink calls QUACK! “…pushing the boundaries of theatrical exploration.  Quirky, and interesting, the detail in the design is incredible…It really is poetry in motion.” For the full review, click here.

Bizcommunity writes: “…extraordinary masks…a very evocative soundscape, sometimes almost unbearable in intensity…Do yourself a favour. Get to Quack and be surprised, moved, freaked out and entertained.”  For the full review click here.

The Lifestyle Show gives it 4 stars and calls it: “A vivid facade of visual stimulation…touches one in a special place, leaving the show bookmarked in one’s mind for a very long time. It shan’t disappoint –whether you’re young or old, it will leave you thinking and spark many interesting conversations afterwards.” For the full review, click here.

There are 5 shows left this week – BOOK NOW if you haven’t already.  Tuesday night (our fast becoming legendary “Twos-days” - 2 for 1 special) is selling like hot things, and bookings are picking up for the whole week.  50 bucks gets you a mesmerising experience.  Bring a friend.  Share that experience.  Call 021 448 2838 for tickets and info.

And with that, we finally open at The Intimate Theatre!  It’s been a hectic last few weeks, but now the stuff is done, and the show can now settle and find itself properly and we can truly test our progress and process.

The collaborators on the project have been stellar – truly amazing artists all of them.  What has been so great is their openness to continue developing and changing their initial designs as the show has morphed and changed.  So huge love and thanks to Janni Younge (masks), Leila Anderson (costumes – pictured above with the cast), Jesse Kramer (set and props), and James Webb and Brydon Bolton.  These guys rock, and the strange fantastical world of QUACK! would be nothing without them.

Last night kicked ass!  We had a full house of great people, members, funders, press, and long time supporters.  Leila designed a number of installations for the outside patio and foyer of The Intimate, and it set the mood for a great evening.

And the show?  Well, it’s finding its feet, and settling into its rhythms.  The cast is being fantastic and trying new stuff all the time, and one can’t wish for more than that.  It’s a challenging work – not so much in terms of its content, but its approach.  Like people say – it’s hard work watching the full show with no dialogue.  And it is.  We know that.  It’s hard work putting the whole thing together with no dialogue and so on.  But it’s a pretty unique and different experience all round.

Needless to say there’s room for improvement – there always is in this kind of work.  And the strength of ensemble work is also sometime its weakness – a number of storylines that try thread together and sometimes do, sometimes don’t.  Each show is a walk on a very thin tightrope, and some nights one’s on one side, the next on the other.  The tiniest thing can make or break it.

But that’s the thrill, that’s the challenge, that’s the life we choose to lead.

So here’s to the next week and a half, and may it rock as much as the first few shows have!

Wow!  How flippen awesome is this?  Janni Younge, our mask and puppet designer for Pictures of You and QUACK! has just been awarded the highly prestigious Standard Bank Young Artist of the Year Award for Theatre! That’s an amazing honour for her, and we are delighted at her recognition as a major rising star in the industry, as much as we are stoked to have collaborated with her over the last few years.

We first met Janni in 2003 when we were working for Community Arts Project (CAP) and  she was recently back from her training in France. Even then her obvious talent and passion for visual theatre and puppetry were evident.  In 2004 she designed and built us shadow puppets for our show Imbew’embi: The Bad Seed which we then developed further with her in 2005 as a professional show.  We watched her start rising through the creation of her own company Sogo Theatre and works like Elise’s Adventures in Congoland and Violet Rose Bite, as well as the initiation of the enormously popular Out the Box Festival, and designing for and working with Handspring Puppet Company, Magnet Theatre, and the Baxter’s production of The Tempest, among others.

We would have to wait until 2008 before we could book her to work with us again on Pictures of You and then came (and the developed version still upcoming) of QUACK!  It has always been a pleasure and a privilege.

Congratulations Janni – this is an enormous achievement for you and an inspiration for visual theatre makers everywhere.  May the following year be a bumper one for you and you achieve everything you so richly deserve. 

Beeg love from The Conspiracy and all of us at FTH:K!

For the press release of all winners, click here.

Yep, it’s true.  In 7 days time we’ll be previewing our new version of QUACK! Excitement round here is hitting fever pitch, and we’re working flat out to make this an awesome experience for all audience members.  BOOK NOW on 021 4482838, or email clowns@fthk.co.za and watch this space for some incredible offers, deals, and other surprises.

This was cover page of The Argus Tonight – a great write up by Zane Henry.  To read the text, go here.