48 hrs

thou shalt not say i can't
thou shalt not say no
thou shalt not be unkind
thou shalt not die

thou shalt not not take my calls
thou shalt not not speak to me
thou shalt not not make thy peace
thou shalt not die



21:00 hrs 10/09/09 - 21:00 hrs 12/09/09: 48 hours

12 performers
1 choreographer
1 director
1 production manager
1 deputy stage manager
1 assistant stage manager

a rehearsal room
a car park: green street car park
a car
a 70 minute performance / production / experience

• opening sequence
• meet and greet
• thou shalt not - craig
• first kiss
• thou shalt not - yildiz
• afghanistan
• thou shalt not - dan
• toy boy
• thou shalt not - aaron
• car nick
• thou shalt not - janette
• suicide
• thou shalt not - nathan
• fix
• thou shalt not - andy
• do you get it
• salsa
• thou shalt not - fran
• shoplift
• thou shalt not - rachel
• male rape
• thou shalt not - lucy
• thou shalt not - lawrence/gary
• finale
• plain song - yildiz
• closing sequence

Photos: Bruce Liron

48 hrs : the company

Photo: Bruce Liron

gallery

What can you do in 48 hours?

Fly to Australia and back?
Knit a jumper?
Prepare an Indian meal?
Sail to Italy?

But can you creat a dynamic and original piece of theatre from scratch?

An experiment in time!



opening sequence


suicide


fix


thou shalt not


did you get it

Photography: Bruce Liron

of being

Agapanthus africanus /  "Peter Pan" / Lily of the Nile

Image: Pender Nursery, Inc.

How do you begin to cast 39/possibly 42 young people from 140+ auditioning? Only one-in-four possibilities and thus three-in-four potential disappointments for people.

The criteria is complex, almost indefinable, and changes slightly from person to person because of the mix of natural skills, neverland skills, personalities and presence: 'of being'.

What has impressed was the incredible commitment of body, voice and thought; the listening, the watching, the thinking - the concentration and focus; and everyone's ability to communicate something so very honestly and refreshingly. Everyone laughed a lot! A good sign.

You got a great sense of the responsibility and prestigiousness of it all.

This year there were two-hour workshops onto which people had booked themselves - thus doubling the play time. This meant that time pressures were completely dispelled together with the self-imposed and imposed pressures of auditioning.

These did not feel like auditions. They were definitely workshops with the by-product being the casting. This was incredible. There was even a great sense of self-selection - v. complicated to explain.

There were many, many young people who we did not know and a handful who were in Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast.

Tonight we meet to put in place our three teams: THE NANAS, THE CROCODILES and THE MERMAIDS.

not yet knowing

The autumn begins this bank holiday week - on 1, 2, 3 September - with seven, two-hour workshops to discover the 39 young people who will play in South Hill Park's Christmas production of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan.

This will be a hat-trick experience, having directed Aladdin in 2007 and Beauty and the Beast last Christmas, building on the achievements of all at the theatre these past 25 years.

Three teams of 13 young people are needed - in each: 6 lost 'boy' boys, 6 'girl' pirates and a Michael. The excitement of "not yet knowing" the outcome of who these actors will be is perhaps a life-blood of the theatre experience (for all present): the not knowing; the having to make it up; going with what is offered up; making decisions that you don't know you want to make - all generate and create an emotional / intellectual / physical / adrenalin rush.

Other known ambitions this bank holiday week include:

• two production meetings for Peter Pan - set design and costume design
• a production meeting for 48 hrs which is in 13 days - but there is still one performer to cast
• a trip to Edinburgh next weekend to experience Peter and Wendy by Mabou Mines - but how this is possible, time-wise, who knows
• a funeral - but there is a clash here with auditions (another death!)
• gallery and theatre trips in London
• catching up with some very old friends in London on Bank Holiday Monday - tomorrow
• preparations for Claw
• Britain - zig-zagging between Reading, Bracknell, London and Edinburgh

This week is an official lieu-week but there is much to achieve before it all ends!

invisible swine flu

Photo: Matthew Hotton

youtheatre / jersey arts centre / royal square / 24 / 25 / august / 13:00 hrs / health promotion / swine flu / catch-it / bin-it / kill-it

invisible theatre / very visible theatre / street theatre / guerilla theatre

war of the worlds / the day of the triffids / invasion of the body snatchers / dr. who / pandemic spectacle

the first ever choric sneeze / 10 choric sneezes / crawling along granite stone / across royal square / one two-year old laughing and playing with performers amidst the noise on 24th / beautiful / one senior citizen aghast at young people on 25th / confused / but funny

a poignant / witty / dramatic / truthful / spontaneous / public information drama / happening / improvisational / trigger happy theatre

haven't laughed so much since jonny-beetroot

the admiration / the respect / the energy / the noise / the theatre / of 13 peeps crawling over seagull-poo'd granite

the impact was subtle / daring / striking / and we didn't get arrested / but there was applause / surprisingly / after each

mr moonbeam / spy-like / made me laugh

favourites in my mind

HAYWARD GALLERY
Southbank Centre
23 June - 6 September 2009

Keith Tyson
LOCKED OUT OF EDEN (2009)
Viewing the Children Playing in the Garden
from the Safety of My Cerebral Fortress (detail)
Photo: Roger Wooldridge

Charles Avery
UNTITLED (Eternity Chamber) detail (2007)
Photo: Blaise Adilon

Chiharu Shiota
AFTER THE DREAM (2009)

Charles Avery
UNTITLED (Bejewelled Hare) (2009)

Yayoi Kusama
DOTS OBSESSION (2009)