VISUAL THEATRE FESTIVAL #4
31 JAN – 5 FEB 2011 TRAVERSE THEATRE FESTIVAL GUIDE
TICKETING INFORMATION THEATRE IN TRAVERSE 1: £14/£10/£6 THEATRE IN TRAVERSE 2: £10/£6 SCREENINGS: £6 Please bring proof of concession
A FLAVOUR OF THE FESTIVAL THE LAST MINER: £6 SCREENING: £6 Buy a ticket for both for: £10
BOX OFFICE OPENING TIMES
Monday to Saturday: 10am - 6pm Performance days: until performance time Sundays: two hours before performance time
HOW TO BOOK
In person: Traverse Box Office, Cambridge Street, Edinburgh, EH1 2ED Online: www.traverse.co.uk Telephone: 0131 228 1404 Latecomers will not be admitted
ACCESS
Level access, automatic doors at Cambridge Street entrance, lift with Braille signage and audible announcer, adapted toilets at ground and Traverse Bar Cafe levels, wheelchair spaces, assistance dogs welcome, infra red (headsets available from the Front of House staff) and induction loop systems are all available. Contact Martin Duffield, Box Office Manager, with any access queries or requirements on 0131 228 1404 or email boxoffice@traverse.co.uk. Artlink offers an escort service to help people with disability enjoy the arts. Contact them directly on 0131 229 3555 or www.artlinkedinburgh for further information.
PRESENTS...
manipulate VISUAL THEATRE FESTIVAL WELCOME TO OUR ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF INNOVATIVE INTERNATIONAL THEATRE AND ANIMATION FOR CONSENTING ADULTS. During manipulate we aim to bring powerful and challenging work of the highest quality from around the world to Scotland. manipulate offers us the opportunity to present exceptional animation and puppetry, and their myriad related styles and techniques, to our enthusiastic audience. With companies and practitioners from Belgium, England, France, Netherlands, Scotland and the USA – and a film programme from all global points in between – we present a Festival designed to entertain, to challenge and to inspire. This year we are also delighted to welcome Compagnie Philippe Genty from France to lead our master class programme. Over the past twenty five years this company has forged a unique visual style and their innovative approach has been acclaimed by audiences across the world. Participants are eagerly anticipating working with members of this inspirational ensemble and we are looking forward to seeing the results. So leave any preconceptions at the door and enter the vibrant world of the best of innovative international theatre.
SIMON HART Artistic Director EMMA WHITTERS Festivals and Projects Manager SUSIE WILSON Animation and Film Curator www.manipulatefestival.org and follow manipulatefest on
MANIPULATE VISUAL THEATRE FESTIVAL 2011
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THE LAST MINER MONDAY 31 JANUARY / 9.30PM TRAVERSE 2 / TORTOISE IN A NUTSHELL (SCOTLAND) Under your feet lies a secret, a place full of shadows and memories, the home of a forgotten soul: The Last Miner.
A FLAVOUR OF THE FESTIVAL BEFORE OUR OFFICIAL OPENING ON TUESDAY, WE INVITE YOU TO SAMPLE A FLAVOUR OF WHAT’S IN STORE FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK WITH A FESTIVAL CURTAIN-RAISER EVENING FEATURING SOME OUTSTANDING FILM AND THEATRE.
FILM: METROPIA
For years one man has lived underground in the place he used to work, hiding from his memories and the constantly changing world above. But as the roof of his home begins to collapse and his past comes flooding back, he’ll be left with a choice. Should he stay down below? Or come back up into the world he left so long ago?
Using puppetry, light and shadow and an innovative soundscape, The Last Miner is an immersive and original tale remembering an amazing life amongst the coal dust. The Last Miner is the second production of Tortoise in a Nutshell, a young Scottish company rapidly making a name for itself after its initial success with Twine during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2009. www.tortoiseinanutshell.com
MONDAY 31 JANUARY / 7.30PM TRAVERSE 1 / DIR: TARIK SALEH, SWEDEN 2010. 86’ In a not-so-distant and terrifying future the world is lurching out of control and rapidly running out of oil. Throughout Europe all underground rail systems have been connected into one subway, creating a gigantic network beneath our feet. Roger (Vincent Gallo), living in a Stockholm suburb, tries to stay away from the underground. He thinks it’s unpleasant and sometimes he hears a strange voice in his head.
THIS COMPANY UNDERSTANDS WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE A MEMORABLE AND ENGAGING SHOW THAT TRANSCENDS AGE BARRIERS.
When one day Roger realises that his life is controlled in every detail he tries to break free. To succeed he needs the mysterious Nina (Juliette Lewis) to help him escape the Metro’s disturbing web. Or is it maybe Nina that needs Roger? And the farther they travel, the deeper they are both involved in a dark conspiracy…
THE LIST (UK)
THE STAGE (UK)
AS IF KAFKA HAD PAINTED THE LAST SUPPER WITH A MACHINE GUN.
ATMO FILM & TV (USA)
WHAT HOOKED ME RIGHT FROM THE START WAS THE FILM’S TONE OF MORDENT SELF-MOCKERY, MIXED WITH ITS GENUINELY MYSTERIOUS ATMOSPHERE. THE AMBIENT MURMUR OF METROPIA SEEMS CHANNELED DIRECTLY FROM THE 21ST CENTURY’S SUBCONSCIOUS. TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL 2010: THE BEST OF…(USA) MANIPULATE VISUAL THEATRE FESTIVAL 2011
TORTOISE IN A NUTSHELL WONDERFULLY SUSTAINS A WORLD OF ENCHANTMENT TINGED WITH PATHOS.
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THE ANIMALS AND CHILDREN TOOK TO THE STREETS
FILM: THE COLOUR OF POMEGRANATES
TUESDAY 1 FEBRUARY / 7.30PM TRAVERSE 1 / 1927 (ENGLAND)
TUESDAY 1 FEBRUARY / 9.30PM TRAVERSE 2 / DIR: SERGEI PARAJANOV, ARMENIA 1968. 79’
Trust no one! Suspect even your own shadow! Welcome to the Bayou, a part of the city feared and loathed wherein lies the infamous Bayou Mansions; a sprawling stinking tenement block, where curtaintwitchers and peeping-toms live side by side, and the wolf... is always at the door. When Agnes Eaves and her daughter arrive late one night, does it signal hope in this hopeless place, or has the real horror only just begun?
Seamlessly synchronizing live music, performance and storytelling with stunning films and animation, this is the wickedly twisted new tale from the multiple awardwinning company behind the international hit Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea which was part of manipulate in 2009. Like a giant novel burst into life, 1927 invites you on a theatrical journey of startling originality. www.19-27.co.uk
One of the greatest masterpieces of the 20th century, this film is a meditation on the life of the 18th-century Armenian poettroubadour Aruthin Sayadin, known as Sayat Nova – The King Of Song. This film reveals significant events in this national poet’s life primarily through a stream of stunning images of profound poetic, religious and cultural significance rather than any more conventional narrative driven means.
Consisting of a series of dreamlike stylized tableaux designed to recreate the poet’s inner world, it’s like an illustration of the riddle of the sphinx: the only “narrative” is provided by the successive replacement of a small boy with a youth, a monk and an old man; the leading actress plays six roles in the film, both male and female. Parajanov described his film as: Like a Persian jewellery case. On the outside its beauty fills the eyes, you see fine miniatures. Then you open it and inside you see still more Persian treasures.
I CAN’T BEGIN TO CAPTURE THE ENCHANTMENT, THE JOY, THE DRAMA OF WATCHING THIS COMPANY IN ACTION... A REMARKABLE HOUR IN THE DARK. HERALD SUN (AUSTRALIA)
AN INGENIOUS, MACABRE LITTLE CHARMER. NEW YORK TIMES (USA)
TRULY SUBLIME. AN EXTRAORDINARILY BEAUTIFUL FILM. VILLAGE VOICE (USA) PRIZES: PETER BROOK EMPTY SPACE AWARD TOTAL THEATRE AWARD HERALD ANGEL AWARD FRINGE FIRST AWARD GLASGOW ARCHES BRICK AWARD CAROL TAMBER AWARD NOMINATED FOR TWO NEW YORK DRAMA DESK AWARDS
A DELIRIOUSLY BEAUTIFUL FILM MADE UP OF AUTONOMOUS, RESONANT IMAGES THAT – LIKE LINES OF POETRY – STAY IN THE MIND LONG AFTER THE FILM HAS RUN ITS COURSE. THIS FILM SEEMS TO RESIST OR EVEN DEFY EXPLANATION. CINEMATHEQUE: ANNOTATIONS ON FILM (FRANCE)
MANIPULATE VISUAL THEATRE FESTIVAL 2011
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KEFAR NAHUM
FILM: FEAR(S) OF THE DARK
WEDNESDAY 2 FEBRUARY / 7.30PM TRAVERSE 1 / COMPAGNIE MOSSOUX-BONTÉ (BELGIUM)
WEDNESDAY 2 FEBRUARY / 9.30PM TRAVERSE 2 / DIRS: BLUTCH, CHARLES BURNS, MARIE CAILLOU, PIERRE DI SCIULLO, LORENZO MATTOTTI, RICHARD McGUIRE, FRANCE 2007. 85’
PRIZES: THE SPECIAL AWARD FOR PRODUCTION & THE SPECIAL POLUNIMA AWARD FOR NICOLE MOSSOUX – THE FOURTEENTH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF PUPPETRY ART 2010, BIELSKO BIALA, POLAND.
Sorceress puppeteer Nicole Mossoux creates a tapestry of worlds that fascinate and enthral. In Kefar Nahum, a string of creatures and landscapes are unveiled and examined. Worlds of objects, haphazardly collected from around the globe, are endowed with human desires, animal impulses and a soul. Together they represent the supreme shambles that is humanity. The imagination is let loose as Nicole Mossoux weaves a worrying web of scenarios: power games, monstrous couplings, unnatural births
and gratuitous violence. Everything is possible in this world of objects, where suggestion opens the door to the deepest, darkest dreams.
Spiders’ legs brushing against naked skin… Unexplainable noises heard at night in a dark bedroom… A big empty house where you feel a presence… A hypodermic needle getting closer and closer… A dead thing trapped in a bottle of formaldehyde… A huge growling dog, baring its teeth and staring...
It’s the story of Creation, a great project gone badly wrong, where people can’t relate and so devour each other. Even the puppeteer will not escape...
So many scary moments we have all experienced at some point in our lives – like the craftsmen of this journey – taking us straight to the land of fear.
Compagnie Mossoux-Bonté returns to manipulate with its new production after the success of Light! and Twin Houses. www.mossoux-bonte.be
Six of the world’s hottest graphic artists have breathed life into their nightmares, bleeding away colour to retain only the starkness of light and the pitch black of shadows.
AN ASTONISHING PERFORMANCE BY THE DANCER/MANIPULATOR. SHE BREATHES LIFE INTO OBJECTS. UNCATEGORISABLE, IRRESISTIBLE, MONSTROUS AND LYRICAL. LE SOIR (FRANCE)
A VERY STARTLING PIECE OF VISUAL THEATRE: EERIE, SINISTER, EROTIC, LIKE A CROSS BETWEEN THE GOTHIC HORROR OF EDGAR ALLAN POE AND THE IMAGINISTIC STRANGENESS OF BELGIAN SURREALISM. (TWIN HOUSES)
Their intertwined stories make up an unprecedented epic where phobias, disgust and nightmares come to life and reveal Fear at its most naked and intense. RUSTY ALLEYWAYS AND VAPOROUS GHOSTS PAINTED BY THE MASTERS OF DREAD. RAZOR-SHARP IMAGES THAT WILL SLICE YOUR EYE AND NEST THERE FOREVER. THRILLING, DISTURBING AND HAUNTING. GUILLERMO DEL TORO
A UNIQUE BLEND OF FOLKSY STORYTELLING WITH DYNAMIC BLACK AND WHITE ART THAT TAKES YOU ON A JOURNEY INTO STRANGE NIGHTMARES, PHOBIAS AND CREATURES OF THE NIGHT.
THE GUARDIAN (UK)
POPSYNDICATE.COM 8
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FILM: TRUST ME, I AM TELLING YOU STORIES
JERK
THURSDAY 3 FEBRUARY / 7.30PM TRAVERSE 1 / VARIOUS / 74’ Relationships and associations nurture, stimulate and develop us; they also smother and damage with brutal regularity. These short films portray both the positives and the darker sides to our interactions, and while questioning if it is even possible to explicate one from the other, confirm that it is in the telling of the tale itself we find the clearest insights.
THURSDAY 3 FEBRUARY / 9.00PM TRAVERSE 2 / GISÈLE VIENNE, DENNIS COOPER, JONATHAN CAPDEVIELLE (FRANCE)
THE LIPSETT DIARIES DIR: THEODORE USHEV, CANADA 2010. 14’ Exploring the frenzied creativity of experimental director Arthur Lipsett.
Jerk is a stark retelling – strange, poetic, funny and sombre – of the crimes committed by American serial killer Dean Corll. With the help of teenagers David Brooks and Wayne Henley, Corll murdered more than twenty boys in Texas in the 1970s. Written by Dennis Cooper, the text is re-staged as a solo performance for puppeteer Jonathan Capdevielle, playing the role of the outsider, David Brooks.
THE SILENCE BENEATH THE BARK DIR: JOANNA LURIE, FRANCE 2009. 11’ The beauty of snow falling on a giant magical forest. THE SPINE DIR: CHRIS LANDRETH, CANADA 2008. 11’ A sensitive insight into the tensions and distortions of partnership.
Serving his life sentence in prison, Brooks learns the art of puppetry through which he begins to accept responsibility as an accomplice to these crimes. He creates a show that reconstructs the murders and performs it to a class of psychology students – a role that the audience assumes.
OLD FANGS DIR: ADRIEN MERIGEAU, ALLAN HOLLY, IRELAND 2009. 11’ A young wolf confronts his strong father with trepidation.
In a compelling performance, Capdevielle uses disarmingly innocent glove puppets to recreate moments of human brutality that merge sexuality, violence and black humour in a forceful piece of theatre. Director Gisele Viènne and her company have spent the past decade creating powerful theatre that fearlessly explores the darkest corners of human motivations and actions. They present work around the world that challenges audiences to re-examine and re-affirm their deepest held beliefs and expectations. www.g-v.fr
JERK MIGHT BE UNBEARABLE FOR SOME. BUT IN OUR EYES, THEATRE SO WISELY WOVEN WITH REALITY, HOWEVER VIOLENT, IS WHOLESOME.
FAR AWAY FROM URAL DIR: KATARIINA LILLQVIST, FINLAND 2008. 27’ An epic tale of civil war, love and betrayal.
LES INROCKUPTIBLES (FRANCE)
OUR SENSES ARE CONFUSED BY THE HORRIFYING AND RIDICULOUS SIGHTS BEFORE US, OF HAND PUPPETS IN A MIX OF HUMAN AND ANIMAL FORMS, COMMITTING GROTESQUE ACTS OF VIOLENCE AND SEX. SEATTLE TIMES (USA)
MANIPULATE VISUAL THEATRE FESTIVAL 2011
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JERK ARTICULATES EXTREME ACTS OF PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE, INCLUDING NECROPHILIA. THIS PRODUCTION IS NOT SUITABLE FOR PEOPLE UNDER 18, OR THOSE OF A SENSITIVE DISPOSITION.
AN INVITATION FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR After the performance we would like you to join us for a post show discussion that will explore the serious issues raised by this piece of theatre. A panel chaired by Julie Ellen, Artistic Director, Playwrights’ Studio Scotland will include Jerk’s performer, Jonathan Capdevielle and Performance Editor Gareth K Vile from The Skinny. 11
SNAPSHOTS: CREATION & PLAY FRIDAY 4 FEBRUARY / 7.30PM TRAVERSE 2 / VARIOUS & MATTHEW ROBINS (ENGLAND)
1ST HALF:
2ND HALF:
THREE SCOTTISH BASED ARTISTS WITH A PASSION FOR PUPPETRY HAVE EACH BEEN GIVEN AN AWARD BY PUPPET ANIMATION SCOTLAND TO CREATE A PIECE OF VISUAL THEATRE. AND ANYTHING GOES...
MATTHEW ROBINS (ENGLAND)
MATTHEW ROBINS SINGS THE DEATH OF FLYBOY, SAD LUCY AND OTHER STORIES
CREATIVE OPPORTUNITIES
Artist and musician, Matthew Robins, presents handcrafted lounge folklore complete with live musical accompaniment! His stories, told in song and with hand cut animations, are sometimes eerie, sometimes cheery but always endearingly eccentric.
EDWARD’S HOUSE OF STRING / CINDY DERBY (USA) She listens to the cold wind howling To the creaks and the splinters Beneath his predictable footsteps Don’t you remember? She is still awake when Edward falls asleep in his bed
EDWARD’S HOUSE OF STRING
Amongst other romantic tales, Matthew recounts the poignant story of Flyboy – half-human, half-fly – trying to live a normal small town life despite the challenges of being faced with absurd episode upon absurd episode.
A twisted tale about a lonely man Edward and a mysterious string that helps thread together memories of his past.
SPOON FED / EWAN MACINTYRE (SCOTLAND) Spoon Fed is a commentary on authority, peer pressure and the media. It is a journey through the dark adventure of finding one’s true self.
Following a recent commission from the Waterfront in Belfast with the Ulster Orchestra and sell out shows at the Little Angel Theatre and Battersea Arts Centre in London, Matthew is currently creating new stories featuring the exploits of his strange and wonderful characters for the Barbican Arts Centre, London. He is also building puppets for the National Theatre’s new production of Beauty and the Beast. www.sadlucy.com
AS BORDERLESS AS ITS CREATOR’S IMAGINATION, THE UNIVERSE OF MATTHEW ROBINS’ SHADOW PLAY IS SIMULTANEOUSLY HOMELY, SINISTER AND ONE OF THE MOST ENGAGING LIVE EXPERIENCES YOU’LL ENCOUNTER THIS YEAR.
SPOON FED
TIMEOUT (UK)
FREAKS / VISION MECHANICS (SCOTLAND)
QUIRKY, CHARMING, AND MORE THAN CAPABLE OF CAPTURING THE MAGICAL SURREALITY LURKING IN THE EVERYDAY.
We’ll make her one of us. A loving cup. A loving cup. They pass the cup around the wedding party each one takes a sip.
TOTAL THEATRE (UK)
We accept her! We accept her! One of us! One of us! Gooble gobble, gooble gobble! FREAKS
BETWEEN EACH PIECE WE WILL SCREEN SHORT FILMS CREATED BY RECENT GRADUATES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ANIMATION AT EDINBURGH COLLEGE OF ART. MANIPULATE VISUAL THEATRE FESTIVAL 2011
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MANIPULATE VISUAL THEATRE FESTIVAL 2011
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MALEDICTION SATURDAY 5 FEBRUARY / 7.30PM TRAVERSE 1 / DUDAPAIVA COMPANY (NETHERLANDS) The last hour of an outsider, told in dance, puppetry and interactive media, flooded by a touch of green. Malediction tells the fight of two men against the green monster of envy, hate and competition that stands between them. They create a world of fairytales and nightmares in the hope that they can find a true connection. Over the past decade Duda Paiva has developed an innovative fusion of modern dance, visual
theatre and multimedia. The company has built an impressive following in three different continents through performances in theatres and festivals, often paired with master classes, workshops and coaching projects. We welcome Duda Paiva back to manipulate after the great popularity of ANGEL at our inaugural Festival in 2008. www.dudapaiva.com
IN MALEDICTION DANCE AND MIME PREVAIL MAGICALLY ABOVE TEXT, AND THIS WORKS FANTASTICALLY. DE VOLKSKRANT (NETHERLANDS)
BRAQUAGE – STICK UP! SATURDAY 5 FEBRUARY / 9.30PM TRAVERSE 2 / COMPAGNIE BAKÉLITE (FRANCE) Billy and I are proper crooks – shoplifting, car jacking, burglarising crooks. But now we’re moving on to bigger things... Expect thrills, spills and nail-biting suspense in this comic crime caper as these high class cat burglar wannabes lurch from one near calamity to the next! Stick Up! is based on a true story told by godfather to godson
and has all the best elements of a classic heist – from scaling skyscrapers and high octane car chases to run-ins with the mob and ticking timebombs, Stick Up! provides you with the blueprint for the perfect crime. Compagnie Bakélite motorizes, tinkers, tunes, tortures, uses and misuses everyday household appliances to help you experience all the excitement of a hold-up…live!
DEXTEROUS WIT TAKES CENTRE STAGE IN A TALE OF A BANK ROBBERY ANIMATED BY COUNTLESS DIFFERENT GADGETS. DIGITAL MEDIA IS FUSED WITH AUTOMATED DETRITUS TO AWAKEN THE IMAGINATION IN A PIECE THAT WOWS BECAUSE OF ITS SHEER INGENUITY. ANIMATIONS ONLINE (UK)
DUDA PAIVA AND PAUL SELWYN NORTON RETURN TO THE BLENDING OF DANCE, PUPPETRY AND OBJECT THEATRE AND OH, HOW THAT IS UNBELIEVABLY BEAUTIFUL...DECOR, MUSIC, VIDEO AND VIRTUALLY EVERYTHING IN MALEDICTION IS BRILLIANT AND MAGIC!
A CONSISTENTLY LAUGH-OUT-LOUD AND CLEVERLY SARDONIC ALTERNATIVE TAKE ON THE HOLLYWOOD IMAGE OF THE HEIST MOVIE. DIRECTOR, FESTIVAL MONDIAL DES THEATRES DE MARIONETTES (FRANCE)
NRC (NETHERLANDS)
MANIPULATE VISUAL THEATRE FESTIVAL 2010
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JOHN PHILLIPS ANNUAL LECTURE 2011: EPHEMERAL ANIMATION – NENAGH WATSON FRIDAY 4 FEBRUARY / 6.00PM / TRAVERSE 1 / NENAGH WATSON (ENGLAND) / FREE Ephemeral animation is a term coined by puppeteer Nenagh Watson to encourage an appreciation of the animation of discarded objects through fleeting natural elements. The plastic bag dancing in the wind in the film American Beauty is one vivid example. Void of the interruption of human ego, such fragmentary events can deepen our understanding of the art form of puppetry. Nenagh explores how artists can allow an object to have its own intrinsic presence and how we can truly engage audience in this appreciation. John Phillips was a leading member of the British UNIMA Committee (the worldwide puppetry organisation, the Union Internationale de la Marionette), a design tutor and an active amateur puppeteer. He was also an historian of the 19th century English marionette troupes, which he researched with careful scholarship before he died suddenly of cancer in 1998 while still relatively young. John was an active and popular advocate of British UNIMA, and it is fitting that its Annual Lecture is dedicated to his memory.
DESIGN / WWW.WEARED8.COM
ANIMATION ON THE WALL Throughout manipulate the screen in the Traverse Bar Cafe will be showing a wide variety of work created by British animators over the past few years. For further information and credits: www.manipulatefestival.org ANIMATED SOUND We have commissioned composition students from the University of Edinburgh’s Music Department to create a series of ambient soundscapes for some of the Traverse’s spaces through the week. For further information and credits: www.manipulatefestival.org FLUFF IT UP! THE FLUFFETEERS Before and after manipulate shows puppets and masks will visit the Traverse bar, creating small interactive performances and private moments unlike any other experience – a short and fresh improvised show every time, where the outcome depends on you... For further information and credits: www.manipulatefestival.org