Stunning, graceful and evocative, Reclaimed Pianos is an intimate new creation by internationally
renowned company Circa, that taps into the piano’s magical ability to transport
us through time and to other places.   Circa’s
acrobats breathe fresh life to music layered with a soundscape of local voices
– from classical recitals to family sing-alongs, pianos have stories to tell.

BE INVOLVED

We are inviting the Peel Region community to share stories about
your connections to music and pianos, listening, learning and playing.   Getting involved is easy – just fill in the
survey (print or online) and we’ll be in contact.  Your stories will be shared with Circa, and may
end up in the final production of Reclaimed
Pianos, touring the Peel Region in October / November 2018. We’ll also let
you know about community sessions in August, when Circa will travel through the
Peel Region, to meet and record the voices and stories of the community, as
part of the Reclaimed Pianos
soundtrack.

The survey can be done online at https://goo.gl/forms/Z1W8QlrzFc5tsCzp1

For more information or to receive a printed survey (and
stamped return envelope), contact Helen Coleman on 0427 383 620 or coleman_clan@bigpond.com

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What is it that makes great stories and great storytelling?

Last Saturday, I found myself asking these questions while watching The Last Great Hunt’s “Falling Through Clouds”. I have heard many positive reviews of other productions from the company and I, myself, saw ‘FAG/STAG’ at PICA (Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts) a while ago. Unlike most shows that I’ve watched, I didn’t do any background research on “Falling Through Clouds” (apart from reading the synopsis on the handout). So I was pleasantly surprised when I realised that there was limited dialogue in the performance.  If had known that there were almost no words spoken, I probably would’ve entered the theatre with my prejudices bugging me because I had always thought that great theatre has (and should have) great dialogue. (Ironically, I was once a foot in a puppetry performance with no dialogue!).  Thankfully, I was given this opportunity to watch “Falling Through Clouds” as I found myself immersed in it from beginning until end and was impressed by the use of live video, puppetry, as well as the lighting and sound design. All of the above factors came together in what I would describe as a great storytelling.

While the audio and visual effects enthralled me, I must mention here the story itself because it intrigued me and made me ponder many questions after the show had finished. “Falling Through Clouds” focuses on Henry (the first of its de-extinct species) and its relationship with Dr Mary Miller, its creator/parent. As a scientist, Dr Miller is often forced to ‘test’ Henry, which creates a complex relationship between the two.

While the show is family-friendly, I found myself having an inner philosophical conversation on the ideas and ethics of tough love, necessity and greater good. Where do we draw the line when we engage with these ideas? Miller makes the choice to free the bird but that doesn’t really end well for her. Well, it does … but in a bittersweet way. The ending says to me that just because you make the right choice doesn’t mean we reap good (and expected) results.  I’m reminded of the teaching of the Bhagavad Gita: we are responsible for our actions but not the consequences. In that in the end, we must be able to have a clear conscience so that when our actions cause us to feel like we’re falling through clouds, we can face ourselves and the world.

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SUGARLAND – Review by Nicholas Tan

On Tuesday 24^th May, I had the opportunity to watch “Sugarland” at MPAC. The play is written by Rachael Coopes and Wayne Blair, directed by Fraser Corfield and David Page, and produced by the Australian Theatre for Young People. I was lucky enought to participant in one of the development programs offered by ATYP at the time when “Sugarland” was first staged in Sydney (but I did not get the opportunity at the time to see the show). So I was excited to finally see the production at MPAC and indeed it was a great production, with engaging performances by the young actors. In a nutshell, the play is about a group of teenagers and their counsellor who are seeking escape from the futile situations that they face in the town of Katherine in the Northern Territory.

The first thing that stood out for me was the design elements. The set comprised of red sand/pebbles, blocks and had a general rustic look. It really took me to Katherine and made me feel like I was  isolated somewhere in the outback. Isolation (isolated from support, as well as physical isolation from the city) is one of the themes that we are continually asked to engage with throughout the play. As well as this, there are other important themes in the play, such as cultural diversity, however, I found that “Sugarland” aimed to speak to me most as a young person.   Even without having inside knowledge of Katherine, I found that this wasn’t needed and the universality of the character’s stories were what spoke to me.

The second thing that caught my attention was the portrayal of the risky behaviours the characters were engaging in. The play did not shy away from these darker behaviours. At the same time, the actors did not over exaggerate these actions/choices. I must say that I was slightly disturbed that the addictions and other risky behaviours were portrayed so “normally”. Interestingly, the play does not show a resolution or the full consequences of the characters’ actions. I am, however, reminded near the end of the show by Nina’s tale of the boy who wishes to fix Country that the story does not end when the lights go down. The message of hope I get from watching “Sugarland” is that despite our limited knowledge, the consequences of our unwise actions, and even the circumstances we cannot control, we can still choose to make the best of our present circumstances.

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Thanks to Country Arts WA and the Healthway Y-Culture Drug Aware program, the Riptide Youth Performance Company undertook a series of masterclass workshops with professional storyteller Allan Girod in June. This workshop series focused on skills development in storytelling and the creation of a new show, which will be performed in early 2017.

Some of the ensemble members reflected on what they took away from the workshop.

Storytelling is…

A beautiful type of theatre which simply adheres to the idea of storytelling- stories, whether fact, fiction or half half, are told without the frills and flair of regular theatre, creating a more intimate connection with an audience.

The most important thing I took away from the workshop was…

How varying the light and shade in a collection of stories keeps it interesting, either through how the audience is engaged by the storyteller, the content of the story or the complementary action on stage with the storyteller. Weaving together a balance of dark and light through these and other elements creates the interest in the story and keeps the audience in the dark about what will happen next, which happens in most types of theatre, but it felt really different to learn as storytellers because we were writing that balance on the go rather than having it set out for us in a script.

That one of the best skills for a story teller, or for any performer, to have is to be able to envision what the audience is seeing while you perform. This includes being aware of the whole space, and where the focus is at any moment. By being mindful of those aspects, you can easily shift the focus of the show, or leave it as is, whichever lends itself to improving what the audience sees.

It is extremely important to utilise control over storytelling techniques to maximise the affect your acting has on the audience. Without being able to purposefully use techniques such as commenting, connection, and emphasis – among others – within your work, you may be missing opportunities to create really powerful or meaningful moments that highlight the importance of an issue of an experience.

The best moment in the workshop was…

When we did an improv for an hour (or so), and there wasn’t a single dull moment.

The whole atmosphere that we all carried into the workshop. We were all comfortable to try new things and comment constructively on what worked and what didn’t, and help build each other up and improve our overall understanding of story telling as a both a type of and a device in theatre. Everyone contributed something meaningful to the experience and they were all awesome to work with.

I like working with… because…

I like working with Allan because his vibe is so gentle while at the same time he’s so excited about teaching and people sharing ideas.

I like working with my fellow Riptide members, because it was extremely fulfilling to see us not only enjoying the workshops, but also clearly developing our skills in storytelling and performing as we progressed

I was most excited by the following ideas…

How the narrator and how perspective influence a story

How perspective influences the audience’s perception of a story, and how one idea can be articulated by someone and then completely redevised and retold by another. Just the idea that we all bring our own baggage and experiences to everything that we do is really interesting and the affect that this has on the retelling of a story from an actors point of view (through the working and reworking of ideas), and how this also affects individual audience members perception of what they see on stage.

The show we are making is (probably) going to be about…

Our feelings about the state of the world, how we relate to this planet and its issues and how we can draw on the examples of change makers we admire to apply our own passions to global problems that worry us.

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