Monthly Archives: April 2012

From Julie’s Bicycle: After Miss Julie “Classic for a New Climate” opens at Young Vic

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Julie's Bicycle - News

EXCERPTED FROM: Julie’s Bicycle – News.

Last Month a re-imagining of Strindberg’s cruelest love story, Miss Julie, opens at the Young Vic after a week of previews. Set in England, July 1945, After Miss Julie takes place during the celebrations of the Labour Party’s landslide election victory and follows events which, over the course of a single night, turn Miss Julie’s world head over heels.

Adapted from the original by Patrick Marber and directed by Natalie Abrahami, After Miss Julie is also a “Classics for a New Climate” production, which has been investigating approaches to making more ecologically sustainable theatre in partnership with Julie’s Bicycle. Prompted by the Mayor of London’s target to reduce London’s emissions by 60% before 2050, the Young Vic set out to reduce the energy used to produce After Miss Julie by 50% compared to other shows that have been staged in the Maria Theatre previously.

Heating, cooling and ventilating are the three systems that use up the most energy within the theatre space, and the Young Vic has an efficient system in place thanks to a refurbishment to the building which reopened in 2006. Initiatives that this production has put in place to reduce energy further have involved using natural ventilation as a substitute for heating and cooling as much as possible. This explains why the temperature in the auditorium varies slightly and why they’ve asked audience members to wear layers.

To read the full article CLICK HERE: Julie’s Bicycle – News.

Sustainability in Theater conference this Monday and Tuesday

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We’ve been talking about it for a couple of months, but it’s here! Tomorrow, Monday, April 30th, 2012 and the next day, Tuesday, May 1st, 2012, the Minnesota Theater Alliance, in partnership with The CSPA and the Theatre Communications Group (TCG) will be hosting Sustainability in Theater: People, Planet, Profit, Purpose at Brave New Workshop in downtown Minneapolis.

In addition to the conference in Minneapolis, there will be many presenters and participants who will virtually attend with the help of Google+ Hangouts. People from across the US and from 4 countries will convening to talk about the impact of theater and its intersection with sustainable development.

It’s not too late to get involved! Head to http://minnesotatheateralliance.org/sit/about.php to learn more!

Downsized: Real Stories of Homeless Children

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Downsized: Real Stories of Homeless Children, A Multimedia Exhibit

Trailer Trash is taking it to the streets.  We want to tell the stories of children living with their families in cars and trailers parked along the streets of Los Angeles.  We’re also want to hear from children whose families are facing foreclosure.  To get started, we need to buy a used van to tow our mobile recording studio – a 1972 Aristocrat trailer. Trailer Trash is a member of Fractured Atlas. Donations through our Indie GoGo Campaign are tax-deductible!

Our Mobile Recording Studio

CLICK HERE TO DONATE THROUGH INDIE GOGO

 ”…a  concerted effort to place children’s rights at the centre of urban decision-making is the only way to narrow the gaps [of inequality] and build a more equitable and prosperous urban future.”                                                             -UNICEF’s  State of the World’s Children 2012

This post is part of a series documenting Sam Breen’a Spartan Restoration Project. Please see his first post here and check out the archive here. The CSPA is helping Sam by serving in an advisory role, offering modest support and featuring Sam’s Progress by syndicating his feed from http://spartantrailerrestoration.wordpress.com as part of our CSPA Supports Program.

CALL FOR PAPERS/PROPOSALS: Trans-cultural, trans-national, trans-species histories in performance

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ASTR/TLA 2012 WORKING GROUP
Ecology and/of/in Performance Working Group (on-going)

“Trans-cultural, trans-national, trans-species histories in performance”

Since our first ASTR Working Group session at the 2010 conference in Seattle, the Performance and Ecology Working Group has spawned symposia, anthologies, and publications.  Foremost among those is a new volume that grew out of our 2010 session: Readings in Performance and Ecology, eds., Wendy Arons and Theresa J. May (Palgrave 2012).  Our Working Group has continued valuable research on numerous fronts, including:  Earth Matters on Stage conference at Carnegie Mellon University (2012); the Staging Sustainability at York University (2011).  Participants in this Working Group have published an array of new material including; Ecology and European Drama by Downing Cless (Routledge). Networks and journals in the field such as, The Center for Sustainable Practices in the Arts Quarterly, the “Fieldworks” issue of Performance Research (eds. Pearson, Roms, Daniels, 2010), and the “Performance and Ecology” section of Theatre Topics (2007) attest to scholars’ acute awareness of environmental politics and ecopoetics praxis in an imminently changing world.  The rising tide of this focused research indicate not only a growing concern and mounting artistic will in the realm of ecological sensibility, but also faith in the imagination as a critical aspect of our individual and collective ecological identities.

In 2012, as part of ASTR’s “Theatrical Histories” focus, we turn our attention to trans-cultural, trans-national, and trans-species performance in anticipation of a second volume of ecocritical writings on theatre and performance.  Our questions for the upcoming 2012 Working Group session include:

  • How do transcultural and transnational performances re-map our understanding of what May has called “ecodramaturgy”?
  • What constitutes “theatre e of species” (Chaudhuri) and how might these trans-species performances rearrange or reinterpret understandings of representation?
  • How do the material characteristics of artistic sites condition the aesthetics of the work produced?
  • What kinds of geological and geographical histories emerge alongside socio-cultural storytelling?
  • How do intersecting histories – indigenous, place-based, community-driven – play out on stage in performance?
  • How do ecological transitions, transmigrations, transmutations, transformations and transference shape artistic practice and meaning-making in the theatre?
  • Other questions, approaches and  topics that clearly address trans-national, trans-cultural, trans-species topics in performance.

Please send a 500-word Abstract as attachment to both Working Group conveners below:

Theresa May, University of Oregon (tmay33@uoregon.edu)

Nelson Gray, University of Victoria (ncgray@uvic.ca)

Session Format:

Working Group participants will exchange papers in advance of the conference via meetings.  Depending on number, participants will read a selection of 3 to 4 papers each and develop questions that arise from the intersection of the ideas and research.  At the conference, these “pods” will discuss their findings and share them with the entire working group.  The conveners will facilitate a discussion leading to a possible frame (for instance, for a volume of essays) and key questions that the working group would like to see addressed as the research moves forward.

The Sustainability Review’s 2012 Spring Issue

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The Spring issue of The Sustainability Review (TSR) is now available for you to peruse at thesustainabilityreview.org. TSR is an online journal edited and published by graduate students at Arizona State University and hosted by the university’s School of Sustainability.

Current Publications

Opinion: Sonatas for Sustainability: How Musical Training Imparts Important Qualities and Skills for Sustainability by Chrissie Bausch

Feature: New Moral Problems and New Approaches: Millennials Compared to Baby Boomers and Generation X by Jathan Sadowski, Thomas P. Seager, and Evan Selinger

We will publish a variety of art, feature, research and opinion pieces in a rolling format over the next two weeks. We urge you to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook for updated content. We look forward to your comments – enjoy!

Warmly,

The 2011-2012 Editorial Staff

P.S. For those of you in Tempe, we hope you will join us for our year-end event tomorrow afternoon (4/17): Seeds for Conversation: Land-Use Change in Art and Sustainability.

The Theatres Trust Conference 12: Delivering Sustainable Theatres

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The Theatres Trust, The National Advisory Public Body for Theatres, has launched its sixth annual conference, ‘Delivering Sustainable Theatres’ -the challenge of achieving the triple bottom line.

Taking place on 12 June 2012 at Stratford Circus in London, next to the Olympic Parkin East London, the Conference will explore how theatre buildings are managing their building’s resources and addressing their future sustainability.

With its timing scheduled to take place the day before the ABTT Theatre Show, Conference attendees and sponsors will be able to take advantage of these co-located events, and network with the UK’s theatre sector as they congregate in London.

The 2012 Theatres Trust Conference will address the question of‘ Delivering Sustainable Theatres’looking athow theatres are addressingthe sustainability agenda in theserapidly changing times, and how they are providing a catalyst for social and economic recovery in the communities they serve. Conference speakers, sponsors and delegates will explore how UKtheatres arecoveringthe cornerstones of sustainability and merging green building principles whilst offering unique cultural experiences.The Conference will look at how theatre design, engineering, IT infrastructure and the use of space is changing to help navigate economic pressures, provide space for hospitality and social activity, and meet the challenges of environmental change.

With rising costs of buildings management, cuts to public subsidy and a massive change in the public ownership of theatres-what does it mean to be a sustainable theatre?Is the first rule of sustainability simply to stay in business? And significantly, what of the role of the theatre in sustaining our cultural and spiritual lives?

Four years on from when The Theatres Trust Conference addressed how theatres could become ‘greener’, it is time to explore what has been achieved in terms of sustainable development given the challenges of rising energy costs, tougher building regulations, and even more difficult economic times. A key feature of Conference 12 will be the case studies from the 48 London theatres on The Theatres Trust ERDF funded ECOVENUE project.

Mhora Samuel, Director of The Theatres Trust said, “With theatres facing challenging times ahead, our conference next year will be a really important event for anyone trying to maximise the value oftheir theatre building through redesign or adaptation. As a sector we’ve come so far since our Building Sustainable Theatres Conference in 2008 and I’m delighted that we’ll be looking at some of the success stories since that time. What we clearly and urgently need to do now is establish how we take the three pillars of sustainable development -economic, social and environmental -and relate these to a theatre’s ability to sell a unique cultural experience and make sure our theatre buildings have the capacity to deliver what’s needed for today, and into the future. I’m delighted that we are offering a platform to address this topical issue head on in 2012.”

During the day, up to 250 delegates, sponsors and speakers will debate the subjects raised and in the evening, participants will have the chance to informally unwind at the Conference Reception, drawing together both ABTT exhibitors and ‘Delivering Sustainable Theatres’contributors, sponsors, delegates, and invited guests.

‘Delivering Sustainable Theatres’, presented by The Theatres Trustwill providea high profile platform for companies and individuals in the theatre community to support the better protection of theatresanddemonstrate the industry’s commitment to the sustainable development and cultural influence of theatre in our society today, and into the future.

Going Green the Wong Way going to Edinburgh

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CLICK HERE TO VIEW KICKSTARTER

Going Green the Wong Way is being presented by CalArts Festival Theater this August 2012 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland– the world’s largest fringe festival.  This show looks at the hilarious trials and tribulations of sustainable living, most notably, creator Kristina Wong’s experiences of running a car on vegetable oil, and subsequently, living in Los Angeles without a car.

“Going Green the Wong Way might be one of the most ridiculous shows we’ve ever seen, and we mean that in the best of ways…. Wong took a seemingly overworked topic like sustainable living and turned it into a surrealist, hilarious ride.”                           — Miami New Times

See the show in Los Angeles before it goes to Edinburgh!

This Kickstarter campaign is also a way for us to get the word out about the Los Angeles run of GGTWW at the Bootleg Theater June 28- July 22.  A donation of $35 or more will secure general admission seats for the run of the show and help us get to Edinburgh!  (See details on your right!)

More About Going Green the Wong Way:  

In her lifelong quest for sustainable living, Kristina Wong purchased a 1981 pink Mercedes that ran on vegetable oil, and endured a nightmare of never-ending car repairs and near death pursuits for the used cooking oil to fuel it. When the car finally burst into flames on an L.A. freeway, Wong lost the largest line item in her monthly budget, and gained the inspiration for this premiere production.  GOING GREEN THE WONG WAY brings our contemporary urban environment to life, revealing just how tricky it is to “do the right thing.”  Based on Wong’s true-life adventures, but elevated to surrealist heights, the production takes us from Kristina’s confrontational 6th grade science project, to her wandering years as a missionary of recycling, to her true calling as Los Angeles’ patron martyr of carbon-free living.

Going Green the Wong Way was originally produced by Mad Cat Theatre Company in November 2010 and premiered at the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, FL as an ensemble piece.  It premiered as a full length solo work in San Francisco last summer (produced by Mad Cat Theatre Company and Circuit Network).  It’s also played at the Comedy Central Stage, Upright Citizens Brigade, South Coast Rep, and the Contemporary Art Center’s “The Off The Strip” Festival in Las Vegas.

“Kristina Wong is a funny — no, make that an extremely funny — performer with a wildly imaginative, sometimes raunchy sensibility.”  — Miami Herald

“Kristina Wong is a terrific physical comedienne whose love of dry humping, scrambled TV porn, reusable female necessities, scatology and vegetable oil make her highly qualified to be an ecological martyr.”   — Miami Art Zine           

“When things go wrong for performance artist Kristina Wong, you know it’s going to be a spectacular mess… There are hundreds of ways to go wrong when attempting to go green, but going Wong can only ever be right.”
— San Francisco Bay Guardian

“While her hilarious tales of being a “missionary of recycling” might make her audience laugh, the sustainable schtick isn’t just an act. Wong is serious about practicing what she preaches.”  — Good Magazine

Walker Art Center to present Super Nature

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Full of artifice and animal appetites, Super Nature will engage the wild, the domestic, and the civilized aspects of human nature to create a radical ecological melodrama. It will premiere at the Walker Art Center October 25-27th 2012.

In Super Nature directors Olive Bieringa and Otto Ramstad will be joined by Bessie award winning composer Zeena Parkins and visual artist Emmett Ramstad. The core cast will include dancers Justin Jones, Timmy Wagner, Emily Johnson, Anna Shogren, Otto Ramstad and special guests. Additionally an ensemble of local performers will participate in the research installation and performance.

“In an empty gallery, one member of the public will meet one performer and have a non-verbal interaction,” Bieringa says. “Both performer and audience will have agency to transform the energy of the space through their behavior and social interaction, sometimes very subtle and sometimes extreme. In Super Nature we seek to engage an audience’s visceral response over their need to immediately make cognitive meaning from what they see. In other words, we will endeavor to choreograph empathy.” Says Assistant Curator Michèle Steinwald, title, “It will be very sweet. Your non-verbal actions and reactions will truly help the company formulate their show.”

Super Nature will be co-commissioned by the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Performance Space 122, NYC; and PadlWest, San Diego. Super Nature is supported by the MAP Fund, American Composers Forum, National Performance Network Creation Fund, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, Impulstanz Festival, Lily Springs, Studio 206 and the McKnight Foundation.

via Super Nature.

Dance Exchange looks at the impact of infrastructure and power in 500 Miles/500 Stories

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It’s April which means the Dance Exchange’s 500-Mile Walk is finally here! On April 10 a team from Dance Exchange will walk from DC to the mountains of West Virginia to trace the distances traveled by the resources that power her home. Along the way, they’ll connect with communities to tell, hear, and collect some 500 stories.

They want you to be part of the journey and are buildinga new website to collect and share stories from the trail (and far beyond!). It will launch at our How To Lose a Mountain interactive performance at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center (for more information on this event, click here.

They’ve also teamed up with United States Artists to create a way for you to donate towards our long-distance journey. Receive exclusive, amazing perks like postcards and photos from the walk, even your very own deck of 500 Miles/500 Stories playing cards for making a contribution.

Where you can join the journey

Expressive Arts in Conflict Transformation & Peacebuilding, M.A. at the European Graduate School, Switzerland

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Applications are currently being accepted for the M.A. program in Expressive Arts in Conflict Transformation & Peacebuilding (EXA-CT) at the European Graduate School in Saas Fee, Switzerland.  EXA-CT is a low residency master’s program completed over three summer sessions of three weeks each in Switzerland.   During non-residency periods, students complete an internship and write their master’s thesis.

EXA-CT’s unique emphasis on art practice, human rights, and peacebuilding in international settings provides students with the skills and experience to use art in the public sphere for social change.  Artists, humanitarians, therapists, conflict transformation professionals, peacebuilders and policymakers are encouraged to apply.

2012 Summer Session Dates in Saas-Fee, Switzerland

June 12 to July 4: Expressive arts, digital arts, and media
July 10 to August 1: Expressive arts in conflict transformation and peacebuilding

US Federal Government student loans, and limited scholarships from the European Graduate School, are available for eligible EXA-CT students.

Applications are due by April 30, 2012

Late applications will be accepted on a case-by case-basis.  For more information, please contact the Interim Program Director, Prof. Ellen Levine (ellen.levine@egs.edu), follow us on Facebook, or visit the European Graduate School’s website:expressivearts.egs.edu

Program Description

The EXA-CT M.A. is a three-year low residency summer program concentrating on the use of creative methods through the arts to address conflicts within teams, in communities, and across cultures. The EXA-CT program provides students with frameworks for merging the arts with conflict analysis interventions, restorative justice, trauma awareness and healing, mediation, humanitarian response, and research. EXA-CT’s emphasis on art practice, human rights, and peacebuilding in international settings provides students with the skills and experience to use art in public settings for social change.

Distinguished faculty in the fields of the expressive arts and conflict transformation provide instruction during three summer school sessions, with continued support and supervision throughout the year as students complete their internship, thesis, and community of practice.

Summer residency in Switzerland

Students spend three summer sessions in residence in the beautiful Alpine resort town Saas-Fee, Switzerland. Students needing additional prerequisites may complete the coursework over five summer sessions.  Each residential session is 21 days long.  During the first two summer residency periods, students follow courses on the principles and practice of both expressive arts and conflict transformation and peacebuilding. Within each course, students are challenged to experiment with the application of the arts in conflict transformation and peacebuilding paradigms, along with group discussions and reflective exercises. During the third summer session, students complete oral and written exams, and defend their master’s theses.

Sample courses include:

  • Principles and Practice of Expressive Arts: Aesthetic Responsibility in Action
  • Conflict Transformation and Arts-based Approaches to Peacebuilding
  • Community Arts: A Collective Response to Conflict and Crisis
  • Project Design and Implementation in the Field: A Multi-System Approach
  • Conflict and Crisis Intervention: Human-Rights Perspectives
  • Building Resilience in Refugee and Displaced Communities
  • Trauma and Resilience: Expressive Arts Perspectives
  • Biography as a Resource in Humanitarian Interventions
  • Professional Ethics In Community Based Interventions

Non-residency requirements

In between the summer residencies, EXA-CT students are expected to complete a prescribed self-study plan, an internship, and a master’s thesis supervised by an EXA-CT faculty member. Students also participate in the design and creation of the EXA-CT in an ACTION group project and meet in a virtual classroom to discuss assigned readings and videos.

To receive a full description of the EXA-CT program, please visit: expressivearts.egs.edu/academic-programs/masters-programs/master-of-arts-in-expressive-arts-conflict-transformation-and-peacebuilding

For additional information, please contact Prof. Ellen Levine, EXA-CT Interim Program Director: ellen.levine@egs.edu

European Graduate School
Arts, Health & Society Division
Alter Kehr 20
CH-3953 Leuk-Stadt
Switzerland
T + 41 27 474 99 17
F + 41 27 474 99 18
expressivearts.egs.edu

via Expressive Arts in Conflict Transformation & Peacebuilding, M.A. at the European Graduate School, Switzerland | Art & Education.