Over the years, February 11th has seen its share of momentous events: the release of Nelson Mandela after 27 years; the births of Joseph L Mankiewicz, General Noriega and Dennis Skinner; the victory of Thatcher over Heath for the Conservative leadership; Michael Johnson's indoor 400m world record; the deaths of Rene Descartes and Lee J Cobb; the signing of the Yalta agreement by Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin; and the acquisition of power by Ayatollah Khomeini. I could go on. Now, February 11th sees the release of the first Volcano Newsletter of 2004. Enough said. Click on things for web links.THIS IMAGINARY WOMAN continues its UK and Ireland tour throughout the Spring, and also visits Malta in April. Incredible though it may seem, there are people who have not yet seen the show. They know who they are, and can put right this embarassing state of affairs at one of the venues below. Wed 11 February Roadmender, Northampton 8:00pm 01604 604222 Tue 16 March Unity Theatre, Liverpool 8:00pm 0151 709 4988 Sat 20 March Quay Arts, Newport, Isle of Wight 8:00pm 01983 528825 Sat 3 April Ammanford Miners Theatre 7:30pm 01269 595427 Tue 6 April CPR Giving Voice Festival, Cardiff 8:00pm 01970 622133 Fri 23 & Sat 24 April Malta Sat 1 May The Hat Factory, Luton 7:30pm 01582 878100 Weds 19 May Borough Theatre Abergavenny 7:30pm 01873 850805 Fri 21 & Sat 22 May The Helix, Dublin 8:30pm 01 700 7000 Mon 24 May Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar 8:00pm 094 902 3733 Wed 26 May Roscommon Arts Centre 8:00pm 090 662 5824 "If you've ever felt the bitter bite of loss, this can't fail to move you" NME **BUY THE CD!** The CD of the music from the show is now available, and has had rave reviews from NME and The Independent on Sunday. With a full colour 16-page booklet featuring all the lyrics and loads of beautiful images from the show, it looks as good as it sounds. You can buy it through us and read the reviews here. WELSHING is a new play about the plight of Middle Management in Wales, by controversial Welsh playwright Dic Edwards. If all goes according to plan, we will workshop Welshing later this year, and this will culminate in a new production. Dic's recent work includes the libretto of an extraordinary opera entitled Manifest Destiny, the story of a would-be suicide bomber who wants to avenge her Palestinian father's death but ends up in US custody at Guantanamo Bay. Find out more at www.dic-edwards.com. ROMEO & JULIET (An independent inquiry) The company is currently planning an unusual new version of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, to tour the UK in the Autumn. Known previously for deconstructive adaptations of the Sonnets and Macbeth, Volcano now turns its attention to this sprawling and unruly romantic tragedy. Although (rightly) thought of as a love story, Romeo & Juliet is also a story set within the context of a long and bitter feud - a Hate Story. Volcano will present a contemporary hate/love story, drawing parallels with latter-day ill-fated lovers and the squabbling of powerful interests over their not-so-private affairs. Shakespeare's language in Romeo & Juliet is at its most diverse. Volcano's Romeo & Juliet will follow and extend these innovations, exploiting language in all its diversity: it will be funny, crude, dangerous, banal, sublime and beautiful, devastating and deceitful. An excessive, experimental show with video, kissing and fighting. "These violent delights have violent ends" PAUL & FERN IN ZAGREB We'll be sending our Artistic Directors to Zagreb, Croatia later this month, to work with Matko Raguz of Teatar Exit on workshop auditions that we hope will lead to a production of Pinter's The Lover when they return later in the year. This British Council assisted project follows on from Fern's residency at Teatar Exit in April 2002. WORKSHOPS & RESIDENCIES Volcano's Artistic Director Fern Smith, along with long-time Volcano associate Gill Lyon, have just returned from a two-week teaching residency in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Gill is a state-registered Dramatherapist, and we were able to offer a Dramatherapy workshop alongside the physical theatre classes. "I enjoyed everything and am very grateful to British Council and Volcano Theatre for these unforgettable days", said one of the participants. We hope to return before too long. In partnership with DACE and Amman Valley Enterprise, Volcano presented a Voice workshop last month in Ammanford, led by the inspiring teacher and performer Frankie Armstrong. Entitled "The Right to Speak", the workshop concentrated on exploring the voice and developing confidence through vocal expression. Those who work with Frankie invariably want to work with her again, and we hope to offer more workshops, led by her and by other leading voice practitioners, as soon as possible. Keep an eye on the news page for more of the same. For those more interested in movement and dance, our colleagues at the Centre for Performance Research are bringing Wim Vandekeybus's renowned company Ultima Vez to Swansea to lead a workshop at Swansea Institute on 28 & 29 February. In this workshop participants will explore and confront the company's energetic vocabulary through floorwork, "partner" and "contact" work, and movement as a 'theatrical act' rather than as a 'technique'. The Ultima Vez workshops are open to dancers and/or actors or people with training in other physical disciplines. Outrageously good value at £50 (£25 discounts). For more info, or to book a place, call CPR on 01970 622133. |
| volcano theatre web site: www.volcanotheatre.co.uk |
| e-mail: volcano.tc@virgin.net |
Tuesday, February 10, 2004 |
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