Malmsey Wine in Tenerife

Sarah and I flew to the Canaries to meet up with Carlos Belda and Fefi Suarez from Teatro Tamaska with whom we are developing The Malmsey Wine/Malvasia project. This production is based around the long-standing trade relationship between England and Tenerife, centred on the Malvasia wine which became famous in Elizabethan England and was mentioned by Shakespeare in Henry IV, Loves Labours Lost and Richard III.

In El Sauzal, northern Tenerife, we had a week of research with two local actors, Carmen and Vera (that's a bloke by the way), and Paddy Burton from Jack Drum and who has performed with TSF in La Pelota Mágica and Contes Dorés. We were joined by Sophie Millon who has appeared with us in The Black Tulip, A Tale of Two Cities and Aladin et La Lampe Enchantée.

We all spent time investigating the history of Malmsey (Malvasia) wine and its peculiar ability to improve its taste while travelling on-ship over the oceans. Links between the UK and Spain were interpreted through the characters of Sir John Falstaff and Sancho Panza. The narrative will involve the selling of a bottle of Malvasia apparently owned by Thomas Jefferson. Malvasia was the tipple of choice at that time and was used to toast the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Research also included visiting a local vineyard where a Tenerifean wine expert filled us in on the history, character and description of the Malmsey. We made a trip to Garachico on the north coast where in 1666 the local producers broke the barrels of wine they were selling to the British in a protest at their monopoly and fixing of prices - the Canarian equivalent of the Boston Tea Party.

Other improvs included the world of Pirates, Sir Francis Drake and much carousing:

“You have drunk too much Canaries; and that’s a marvellous searching wine”

Shakespeare, Henry IV Part 2

The next phase of development is in Hexham in July. Watch this space!

John Cobb

New year, new start

The New Year is always a time for reflection and given that this New Year signaled a brand new job, what better time for a look back on my first two weeks as a Producer at Théâtre Sans Frontières?

It’s been a fantastic blur of meetings, new faces (and too many names!) and exciting projects so let’s put it to the test and see what I can remember.

The first day was the obligatory bundle of nerves mixed with the shock of leaving the house at 7:15am to get to Hexham from Newcastle. It was more than worth it though when my first day unfurled and I began to see what I was in for. I had the full building tour of the company’s base at the Queen’s Hall, including the stage and back stage areas, the box office, gallery and rehearsal rooms and met everyone from the technicians to the Artistic Director and some of the other companies sharing the building. Without exception, everyone I met was friendly and welcoming and it made me feel very much at home. No time to relax though, as from there I had meetings with TSF’s Artistic Directors (to look at what my job role entails) and a project specific meeting in the afternoon.

First day done and it was back on the train, metro and bus and near enough straight to bed.

The next few days were more meetings, more lovely people and the start of me finding my feet and feeling at home. Some of my highlights included;

An all staff meeting on the Artistic Programme

On my second day the whole TSF team had a meeting to review the Artistic Programme. It was a brilliant opportunity for me to see what shows and projects the company have planned and eye-opening to see that they’re planning now right up until 2015. It was also great to see how involved everyone is and what the company lacks in man power (there are only 6 members of staff and only 2 full time) they definitely make up for in passion.

Marie Curie project

TSF work very closely with schools on a lot of their projects and I was fortunate enough to visit one such school with Artistic Director, Sarah Kemp. The Project is based around Marie Curie and involves the children taking part in a whole day of activities looking not only at the French language but also the history and culture of the country. We met with staff from the Science, English and French departments and I was impressed with how keen everyone was to be involved. It is a project that could easily be seen as a ‘language’ project but actually has great benefits across the curricular. In one of the sessions the children get to take part in a science experiment, based on some of the principles that Marie Curie worked on, looking at the component parts of a substance. Although I’m not sure we persuaded the science teacher to go as far as getting into costume he was keen to brush up on some French in preparation for the big day. It was a really insightful meeting and I’m planning to go back to see the project in action.

The office mysteries

A bit of light relief came mid-week in the form of a mysterious smell that developed in the office. It was a solvent, inky kind of smell and everyone had a theory as to where it was coming from. We had the computer guy come in to check the printer (‘it must be a sticker that’s got caught’), had the Queen’s Hall Artistic Director check it out in case it was a building problem and all the team turning the office upside down to find the source of it. In the end we all de-bunked, had our meeting in the coffee shop next door and celebrated when we came back to find it dispersed. Never a dull day!

It’s been an intense two weeks full of lots of information but I’ve really enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in on writing some funding applications and getting out and about to meet different venues and programmers.

Thanks for reading,

Becci

Le Tour de France - On the road again!

John, Sarah and Ken Patterson - the original team from 'Sans Frontières' - have been green screen filming in Newcastle University's Culture Lab as part of the digitalisation of our show Le Tour de France.

A recent successful bid to the Esmé Fairbairn Foundation has resulted in an award which gives the go-ahead for TSF to revisit this much loved show, an adventure involving our detectives being caught up in the Tour de France bicycle race. The original show toured to schools and venues for lively school groups of 8-11 year olds and family audiences.

The hope is to re-film scenes originally played on stage to align with extensive film footage from France which also featured in the show. At present we are investigating doing this via the blue/green screen process where actions filmed in front of such a screen can be superimposed on other background film.

Initial fears of Sarah's costume sporting a green too similar to the glowing back screen against which we would film were allayed in the technical sessions there. We have been very lucky to enlist the sevices of local film maker Christo Wallers from The Star and Shadow Cinema, Newcastle, to sidestep such technical obstacles.

We spent two days filming one section of the show which included the Panneaux song based on French road signs, performed on our quirky trio of bikes: racer, unicycle and scooter! Other scenes saw Le Fantôme Cycliste's dastardly plan to stop us with a jar of tacks thrown in our bicycles' way!

The finished film will include interactive media with French language and cultural themes embedded in a cliff hanging adventure to save the yellow jerseys of Le Tour de France.

Vive Le Tour de France!!

Les Aventures de Lapin

Back on the road

After a spring tour, the Lapin team is on the road again. Some last minute design interventions from Alison Ashton have meant we have a terrific (in the true sense of the word) mask/head of Zobolak the Zombie for our cemetery scene! Scary, but not too much. Kids enjoy being scared after all. Alison made it overnight, using all her skills and experience of working with Welfare State International, the maverick leaders of community art and theatricality, now sadly disbanded. Yet they leave their mark in fine and bravely designed work from its many disciples across the UK and beyond.

The cast are full of beans and give performances truly inspired and physical in a pleasing and engaging manner. Despite being more years older than them than I care to reveal, I join them in those mind bending, body bending antics, playing Monsieur Cheval. Ken Patterson's lovely charming music gives a real flavour of the relaxed Caribbean, with also some crazy lyrics around the world of bananas. You can hear and see it on YouTube.

The show feels very complete and has a lively colourful look to it which should transform the most prosaic school hall or canteen.

Crikey another fab show! Enjoy!

Here's the Lapin tourists at Stonehenge. Watch out English Heritage - Rabbit loose among the stones!

Lipsynch in Quebec City, Canada 3-5th June 2011

Lipsynch is appearing at the Festival du Carrefour International de Théâtre. Its Director, Marie Gignac, was an early collaborator in our creative team. We are to play three consecutive days, amounting to three 12-hour days, never before achieved so there is a buzz of interest as to whether we can last the pace.

We play in an ice hockey arena in a suburb of the city on the edge of town. Even the driver can't find it to begin with. The technicians joke that it is Opera à Vanier, which might equate to Brixton, Castlemilk or Longbenton. The vast interior of the hockey pitch and bucket seats has been transformed into our usual theatre dimensions set in a black box of curtains. The dressing rooms are the real thing: they have a whiff of adrenalin, sweat and shouting coaches. Rick gives us his version of a typical pep talk to get us into gear.

Strange to return to QC after three years touring when so much time was spent devising Lipsynch here with the team in Robert's La Caserne, his ex-fire station where research and development from film to opera still goes on. It's also ten years since Robert invited Sarah and I to see the space and mentioned the possibility of us being in a show he called 'Lipsynch'.

Thomas Michelle Marie:

Hans Piesbergen has just finished filming in Quebec his segment - 'Thomas' - of the projected film of Lipsynch. We look forward to seeing footage of some of the shots on Robert's computer. The film maker Pedro Pires, who had his film Danse Macabre at Newcastle's Film & Media Festival, has a fine eye for composition, tone and atmosphere and makes our actors from 'Thomas', 'Marie' and 'Michelle' look fabulous. This is no Hollywood stuff. The characters look grainy, real and moving. Another episode 'Michelle' will be shown in Berlin as part of a Court Metrage festival and later all three excerpts (including 'Marie') will be presented as one film.

Show well received with full houses of 750 odd each night. We receive news we will definitely play Melbourne next summer. Great news, but sad not to see the team now for another year.

That's all for now. I'll be touring with Les Aventures de Lapin later in the month, having taken over from Jack Burton. More of that later!

John

THE NORTH!!!

We are back in the north!! I love it!!

On friday Deb and I drove up to Manchester from Oxford, while Emily and Mark went south to London. I had a lovely weekend with an old friend, reminiscing, drinking and watching football! As we were leaving Macclesfield to head to Leeds on Monday, we stopped to fill up on diesel and check tyre pressures. A routine check turned into a longer delay, as I discovered a broken seal on one of the tyre valves. I had been looking at the tyre earlier in the day, thinking it looked rather flat, so it was a good thing I heard the sound of air after pumping it up! I did a quick(ish) tyre change, which the cast were most impressed with, and then we continued on to Leeds. The following morning, while workshops were being run, I located a tyre repair company close by and had a replacement valve put on, so now we are all good!

After performing in Leeds, we drove to Ingleton, on the edge of the North Yorkshire Dales, and Emily, Mark and I took the opportunity to walk up a big hill and enjoy some spectacular late afternoon views. It was breathtaking up there, and I intend to visit more summits, as I believe it good for the mind!!

Just two more days before I get back to my house, which I have missed quite sorely at points for the last 5 weeks...YOUPIII!!!

jack

SUN!!!

Having an excellent week so far, enjoying the sun whilst doing get ins and outs of lovely schools! Enjoyed some fine private school dinners, including a very tasty coq au vin at st swithums in winchester. Its Marks birthday tomorrow!! We have the morning off, so are going to brunch in Oxford before driving to our school for (hopefully) another sunny get in and out! Honestly, it was bloody gorgeous today!!

jack