Memories and Settling Dust

by admin on May 22, 2011

I’ve been back in Brisbane for just over a week, and the dust in my head is just beginning to settle. Here are some images from our time in Phoenix.

Everybody is keen to hear how we got on in Phoenix, and I am more than happy to report how well we were received, along with some of the great feedback we got from our audience members.

Some of Angela’s students who attended the Fringe performances were kind enough to give us permission to quote from the essays they wrote for assessment for their Film and Theatre Studies course.

Kathleen drew attention one of the benefits of a Fringe Festival, in that it introduces audiences to new venues:

“I attended “The Fall of June Bloom (Or What You Will) at Space 55 in Downtown Phoenix. It was performed in a small room, with space for about 50 audience members in stadium seating. I had never been to the venue before, and didn’t even know it was there until the performance. It was wonderful to discover another hidden gem in Phoenix, a city I spend a lot of time in for work and school. It was a quaint and intimate setting, and I will definitely look into future performances there.”

She described the production thus:

“Half the performance was an older woman struggling with identity issues and finding out where she belonged, and the other half was a young, sassy, stubborn college student interested in learning and probing into the lecturer’s life. Although their manners of speaking were the same at times, in the sense that they had steady voices, good projection, etc., they brought such different life experiences, ways of looking at things, and quirks in personality to the shared performance, that the contrast was well appreciated and understood.”

Holly suggested that:

“In my opinion, the performance was intriguing and fascinating to execute a piece with Shakespearean presentation to the works of today’s realism took courage and a convincible aura of personality to be successful.”

Joe found the production to be a very new kind of performance:

“The play was set up as a classroom in a way. June Bloom was the teacher and we the audience were the students. I felt it was a very informal performance based on the relationship she established with the audience. The actress interacted with the audience on numerous occasions which gave the play a dimension I had never seen before.”

He wrapped it up like this:

“I enjoyed the overall play because I had never been to performance like this one. It was something completely different which intrigued me. Both performers acted with great intelligence, emotion, and passion. It was a very impressive performance that I would definitely suggest to anyone.”

Thanks so much to everybody who contributed, to Micha and Dave for their wonderful hospitality, to Lauren and Angela for their beautiful energy, commitment and talent, to the Estrella Community College community for their support, likewise the Phoenix Fringe Festival folks, to all our audiences at Estrella and at Space 55 – and to the kindness of strangers who stopped to chat in cafes and bars, on sidewalks and waiting for a bus or a train. Phoenix, you rock.

 

 

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One More Show, Phoenix!

by admin on April 4, 2011

Tonight is our final performance at the 2011 Phoenix Fringe Festival.  What can I say?  Come along, join in the fun. As one of the students at the Estrella Mountain Community College performance commented on our TalkBackR site:

“I loved that the forum worked to convey surprise and confusion for the audience from the beginning. It really helped to make us feel connected to the performance, rather than simply audience members we felt like we became participants.”

TalkBackR is a lovely idea, but it’s not perfect, so do feel free to leave any comments, feedback, thoughts, suggestions here on the website, or shoot me an email.

I love that what started out as a 10 minute one-woman sketch about 3 years ago, now has a cast of – well, however many people there are in the space by the time we finish.  No-one gets humiliated, there is respect for everybody’s role, whether sitting in the audience or joining Dame June on stage for a bit of coaching in playing Shakespeare.

So, only one show to go, and then Dame June heads off to other parts on her world lecture tour. Who knows where she will turn up next?  Not me, that’s for sure. I remain, as always, her humble servant, following wherever she leads.

See you tonight – at Space 55 – 7 pm sharp.

 

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Opening Night in Phoenix

April 2, 2011

It’s here at last, after all the planning, rehearsing – online and in person, travelling, organising, writing and re-writing. Whew! The play has evolved quite dramatically – and comically – since Brisbane. What a difference it makes playing with different people.  I am so glad this is the kind of company Thunder’s Mouth Theatre is. [...]

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Last chance to enter our competition

March 31, 2011

Today’s the day! Get your entry in by 7 pm tonight, and you could win two complementary tickets for a performance of The Fall of June Bloom (or What You Will), plus the opportunity to join Dame June on stage for a brief encounter. Just tell us which Shakespearean character you would most like to [...]

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Bedside Theatre – a New Genre?

March 30, 2011

Yesterday, Lauren and I came together for a rehearsal at the house where I am staying whilst in Phoenix. My hostess, Micha Espinosa, has her mother staying with her, and Mary-Lou is not very well at the moment. So we asked if she would like to see our performance, a special showing in her bedroom. [...]

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Fringe Preview at The Trunk Space

March 27, 2011

Tonight, The Trunk Space is kindly hosting a preview for the Phoenix Fringe Festival, and we will be there.  Here is the line-up – so far: Kim Porter: Arcana Collective: Michelle Burchfield: Ash Naftule: Thunder’s Mouth Theatre Tickets $5 at the door, and all proceeds go to support the great work that Trunk Space does [...]

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Brush up your Shakespeare, with the help of Dame June Bloom

March 25, 2011

We would like to offer three people the opportunity to receive some personal coaching in performing Shakespeare with the renowned Shakespearean actress Dame June Bloom, during her 3 appearances at the Phoenix Fringe. Tell us in 40 words or less which Shakespeare character you would like to be, and why.  Choose your preferred performance, and [...]

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Voice and the Mountain

March 23, 2011

Today was quite a day, in the scheme of things. I was invited to sit in on Micha Espinosa’s voice class at ASU, indeed, I was given a mat, a zafu and a ball and invited to join in, so I did. It was wonderful. Relaxing, invigorating, inspiring and revealing in equal measures.Then I was [...]

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Theatre Rehearsals resume, in real time

March 18, 2011

Yesterday we had our first rehearsal, together at last in real time, and in real space. It’s hard to quantify the difference, but I’ll try. We no longer need to rush back to the computer screen when we feel the need to make a strong point to each other, or just remember that the other [...]

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Thunder’s Mouth Theatre arrives in Phoenix

March 15, 2011

Here I am at last, in Phoenix, Arizona, resting up from the journey from Brisbane in preparation for rehearsals for our independent, professional production: The Fall of June Bloom (or What You Will) – Dame June Bloom on tour! Sunset, looking east. Last night I was invited to a family reunion (the family of Micha [...]

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