Archive for September, 2007
Motionplymouth deadline
We all know that the (more middle-aged) navigators of the good ship PRSD love a little bit of disco pop. And it is for them that we point out the cheery little number that is on D+CFilm at the moment.
It is for the rest of us to take note that tomorrow is the closing date for your Motionplymouth film entry. You’ve no time to post that film, best get down there and shove it through the door, or email it to
The world would be a much worse place were it not for Kevin Jarvis’s intergalactic pop video Across The Universe. Get that entry in now.
Posted by Cptn
September 30th, 2007
Add comment
The LunchBox # 1
In the same week that Gordon Brown ditched his pretensions to socialism by glad-handing Lady Thatcher at 10 Downing Street, I became aware of the existence of a group called the Socialist Health Association.
According to their website, the SHA exists to: ‘promote health and well-being, social justice, and the eradication of inequalities, through the application of socialist principles to society and government.’
And to which end it: ‘is affiliated to the Labour Party, the only political organisation which is prepared to entertain this agenda, and which has any prospect of delivering it.’
The SHA is currently involved in an attempt to re-model Clause 4 of the Labour Party’s constitution, in order to stress the party’s (cough!) ‘democratic socialism’.
This, presumably, is the same ‘democratic’ party that holds a majority in the UK government, despite the fact that about two-thirds of the electorate did not vote for them.
And the same ’socialist’ party that takes donations from venture capitalists, participates in imperial wars of aggression, sells arms to dictatorial monarchies, pushes NHS privatisation, and is presiding over an ever-increasing gap between rich and poor.
The SHA would appear to be living in a fantasy land if they believe the UK Labour Party can be described as ‘democratic’ or ’socialist’.
Despite their worthy aims (and they are indeed worthy), the SHA – like the Trade Unions – is doing more harm than good to the cause it espouses by its continued affiliation with the morally bankrupt and increasingly Thatcherite Labour Party.
If the SHA placed any real value on its professed ’socialist principles’, it would have disassociated itself from the Labour Party a long time ago – like most socialists already have.
What price a principle?
Posted by freeluncher @ Talking Liberties
September 29th, 2007
2 comments
All that jazz
Here at the PRSD, we’re quite keen on turning human tragedy into entertainment - add singing, dancing and jazz hands and we’re sold. Our high-kicking, board-stepping reporter Marika Visser took a look at Chicago, coming to Torquay’s Princess Theatre next week. Here’s what she said:
‘A story of murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery and treachery - all those things we hold dear to our hearts’. These opening lines launched a phenomenon: Chicago.
Tabloid darling Velma Kelly is the desirable vaudeville star. Roxie Hart is the cute chorus girl, who dreams of fame on the Twenties stage, and both are murderesses vying for media attention from the Cook County Jail with the help from their shared lawyer, the suave Billy Flynn.
Chicago, the musical, was based on the 1926 play by Maurine Dallas Watkins and written by the team of Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse with the score composed by John Kander and the lyrics by Fred Ebb.
This UK tour is directed by Walter Bobbie and is choreographed by Ann Reinking, in the distinctive jazz-hands style of Bob Fosse.
Ian Kelsey stars as Billy Flynn, who has appeared in Casualty and Down to Earth (filmed in Dartmouth). The fame-craving Roxie Hart is played by Haley Flaherty (Saturday Night Fever, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Grease on the West End) and Velma Kelly is Dawn Spence, whose other musical roles include Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Cats and the UK tour of Anything Goes.
With loads of awards since it first opened at the Adelphi Theatre in 1997, the film version picked up six Oscars, including Best Picture and even one for hoofer Catherine Zeta Jones - now that’s going some!
You can catch Chicago at the Princess Theatre Torquay in October 2 -13.
Posted by Marika Visser
September 28th, 2007
Add comment
We’ve been asked to highlight some of the great opportunities for all you drama types out there, so if you’re into performing arts and are a theatre maker or practitioner, read more below the line, fill in the details and get involved. You’ve only got yourself to blame.
The P2P workshop programme is a series of skill development workshops delivered by practitioners for practitioners. Delivered by Exeter’s ScriptunScript and Dartington’s Creative Enterprise, P2P has three main aims:
1. To invest in the south west’s performance artists by creating paid opportunities to disseminate practice.
2. To deliver a range of skill development workshops that offer great value for money.
3. To create a workshop network that supports career development and promotes collaboration.
P2P is in its second phase of development. Please find below a brief questionnaire that will help to shape the P2P workshops. I’d be grateful if you could fill in this in and return it to us so that we can better understand what you need from the programme.
If you have any questions about P2P or would like to submit a proposal, please contact Madeleine on .
Yours,
Madeleine Vose
Artistic Director
ScriptunScript / Theatre Upstairs.
www.theatreupstairs.co.uk
Cat Radford
Creative Enterprise Advisor
Dartington Creative Enterprise
Dartington College of Arts
Totnes
Devon
TQ9 6EJ
e.
t. +44 [0]1803 861783
f. +44 [0]1803 861685
www.dartington.ac.uk/pages/ccep/index.html
1. Please give a brief description of your area of theatre or performance practice:
2. What stage in your career do you consider yourself to be? (please choose one only)
Student/training Emerging Established.
• 3. Are you interested in P2P as
A participant A facilitator
4. Which of the following areas would you like to see explored?
Planning/Delivering workshops Cross collaborations Directing
Voicework Applied drama Drama therapy Devising
Women in Theatre Movement/dance Comedy Mask work
Other: (Please specify)_________________________________________
5. As a participant, which of the following brackets represents good value for a one day workshop in an area of interest to you?
£5 - £15 £16 - £25 £26 - £35 £36 - £45
6. If you are a facilitator, what would you normally charge for a one day workshop?
7. The workshops are planned to take place between mid October and early December. As a participant, would you prefer to attend on
a weekday or a weekend?
As a facilitator, would you prefer to work on
a weekday or a weekend?
Thank you for your help. We will be contacting you again soon with more details of the P2P programme. Please add your details below and email your responses to :
Name:
Email:
Telephone:
Postal Address:
Postcode
dca’s mission is to be at the centre of education, research and development in contemporary performance arts and provide opportunities for creative contributions in a changing world.
We provide teaching, research and reach out to business and the community in the fields of arts & cultural management, choreography, music, theatre, visual performance and writing.
September 27th, 2007
Now you’re Talking
Remember we told you about Talking Liberties - a rather excellent bloggy site with a winning line in righteous outrage? You know, the site that gave a Mendacity Award to the Plymouth Herald’s Tristan Nichols?!
Well, from Saturday, the person behind Talking Liberties, is gonna be scribbling a weekly column for PRSD.
Yes, there may be no such thing as a free lunch but there’s definitely a freeluncher (in lower case, if you please), and he’s mad as hell and writing for the People’s Republic.
Don’t get us wrong, there’s still plenty going on over at Talking Liberties. It’s just we wanted a slice of the freeluncher magic for ourselves.
We think he’s great and reckon you will too. Check out his first column on Saturday. It’s gonna be the talk of the bloody town!
Posted by Thin White Duke
September 26th, 2007
Add comment
All included
Oh, how we’d like to be bring you the exclusive on the new word on inclusion - but it seems it’s already on the Open Hearts Open Minds site.
Billing itself as ‘a fresh perspective on how to make a difference’ and saying there’s ’something for everyone, whether inclusive working is written large in your job title or not’. Job title? Now who’s being exclusive?
It’s worth a look just to remind yourself of what inclusion actually means even if that does mean dodgy exercises with pieces of paper pinned up to make a ‘wall’.
Posted by Cptn
September 25th, 2007
Add comment
Eyes have it
To tie in with last week’s opening of Tarantino’s Death Proof, Nucleus Films
has released Grindhouse Trailer Classics - a two-hour DVD compilation of cheesy, sleazy and violent movie promos and trailers from the golden age of exploitation cinema.
Flip over to D+CFilm to watch the trailer for They Call Her One Eye. That’s not very politically correct, is it, viewers? The movie should be named They Call Her Visually Impaired. That’s a lot nicer.
Posted by Thin White Duke
September 25th, 2007
Add comment
Trophyism
You may remember that last year the People’s Republic of South Devon was up for a Plymouth Media Partnership Innovation Award. You don’t? Well let’s not dwell on our past failure (the winner of our category was the stonking Plymouth Music Zone, who we would have lobbied for had we not been bigging ourselves up).
The organisers are looking for someone to design the trophy, which should have an emphasis on innovation, and the deadline’s looming. Check out the innovations catalogue, whoops, the Plymouth Media Partnership Media Innovations Award site for more details.
Just time to tell you about a special trophy for the Two Short Nights film festival at the Exeter Phoenix (sponsored by the Dr Jeckyll to our Mr Hyde, D+CFilm). It’s designed by the wonderful Helen Snell, and will be out for all to see at the awards ceremony, if not before…
Posted by Cptn
September 25th, 2007
Add comment
Keleher wins
Remember last year’s Art Farm Project? Sure you do – sour milk, piles of Wellies, et al. Well, one of those who was part of that show has gone on to win the Exeter Contemporary Open (eco). Anna Keleher’s Evolutionary Space images picked up the cash and the plaudits
Organised by the Exeter Phoenix, this show aims to raise the bar to contemporary art in the region through its world wide competition. In its first year Ione Rucquoi was catapulted into stardom, so let’s hope that winner Keleher will follow suit.
The Devon-based artist prize (now that’s a good idea) was won be Graham Clucas, the award for photography went to Mike Smallcombe, also from Devon. In all seven of the 15 finalists were from Devon.
Trundle through the Art in Devon site for more.
Posted by Cptn
September 24th, 2007
2 comments
Aaron Custance
Just one of the images by Aaron Custance in his show at Moretonhampstead.
‘I am drawing attention to the need for a ‘renaissance humain’ by painting the good, the bad and the ugly of our times. This includes themes like Venus, by Boticelli, 9/11, and local ‘good’ characters,’ he told us here at the PRSD.
Go along and find out what he means, ’cause we’re baffled as well as intrigued.
Email him at
Posted by Cptn
September 23rd, 2007
Add comment
Previous Posts
