Theatre Terrific awarded NIGHTSWIMMING Research Grant
NIGHTSWIMMING
Pure Research
in association with SFU Contemporary Arts
Research Period: June 13-19, 2011 |
There are few places in Canada where in-depth theatrical research can be explored, without the pressure of developing or performing a new work. Nightswimming's unique Pure Research program provides space, money and resources to artists who are pursuing provocative theatrical questions. This season we are expanding the program beyond Toronto to include sessions held in Edmonton and Vancouver.
The Pure Research Vancouver selection process will be adjudicated by Nightswimming Artistic Director Brian Quirt and Dramaturg DD Kugler from SFU Contemporary Arts.
Pure Researchis designed to foster theatrical experiments that are not specifically linked to the creation of new work. In the spirit of inquiry, we want you to tell us what you don't know, and how you might be able to answer your questions through a Pure Research workshop. What does that mean? If you have a theatrical question, and can pose it in terms of an experiment, then we're interested. We supply studio space for up to three days, a fee for the lead researcher and a modest budget for artists and materials.
All Pure Research Vancouver sessions will be conducted in the SFU Contemporary Arts new Woodward’s facility. Brian Quirt and DD Kugler will be present during the process to observe and offer assistance; SFU students may be involved as participants and observers.
Researchers are required to submit a full report within one month of completing their experiment; the report and additional documentation will be posted on the Nightswimming website.
We are particularly interested in:
- artists who view research and development as a long-term process, rather than a short-cut to production
- an artistic spirit of inquiry around text, genre, style and/or production elements
Theatre Terrific’s Research Project Proposal
We seek to do Pure Research for a question that has percolated for quite a while.
| We are: | Susanna Uchatius: Producing Artistic Director of Theatre Terrific. |
| James Coomber: Composer, Musician, Theatre Artist | |
| Trevor O'Rourke: Opera Singer, Spanish Vocalist for Spanish Dancers | |
| Kieran Naugler: Student of Theatre, Poet |
Like a meteor, Kieran smashed into Susanna's world, presenting a striking anomaly; he can barely talk, but he fluently sings.
The Question: Is there a primal element; something missing in our pedagogy of voice practice in performance speaking and singing? What is that missing something?
Kieran presents clear striking evidence of the presence, strength and power of that 'missing thing.' He sings. He barely speaks.
Trevor also presents a unique take on the body and the voice. As a singer/hand percussionist for Spanish dancers he represents the origins of voice that moves the separate physical dancer. This is a focused partnership of two separate entities.
A working exploration between Kieran and Trevor would bring together two unique physical and vocal beings allowing for endless rubic cube questioning combinations, such as: we study speaking text, we study singing but what it that lives between the two? Is it a bridge, a chasm, a surrender, a psychological state, a physiological state, an emotional state, all, none or some of these? What needs to be there so that we can sing? What needs to be there so we can talk? What is different? What is the same? Why is it so often easier to do one and not the other? What shades our singing and talking?
According to Carlo Meano in The Human Voice in Speech and Song, "the speaker, and even more the singer, contain in themselves both the player and the musical instrument." So what is it that elicits both......the player and the instrument....or elicits only one?....and why? Why do we never ask why?
Why do this? We want to explore this because in the journey we hope that the voice will be better understood as a whole entity; to assist the player and instrument in becoming one; to establish possible navigational coordinates needed to make this possible and to support the voice in developing performance and communicative elements that perhaps have not been discovered or utilized to the fullest.
What we need:
- a wheelchair accessible studio space for both physical and voice work.
- outlet for video/sound recording
- piano
We are excited and passionate about this.
Theatre Terrific Receives the NIGHTSWIMMING Award of $3000!
Theatre Terrific was awarded the Nightswimming award of $3000 and a research space provided by Simon Fraser School for Contemporary Arts.
As a result, the Theatre Terrific team of Susanna Uchatius, James Coomber, Kieran Naugler and Trevor O’Rourke will be working for three days, June 16thto 18, from 10am to 6 pm researching the mystery that lives between the singing and speaking voice. The working process will be recorded visually and textually with discoveries, revelations and conclusions to be published online and in hard copy.
Watch this space for further developments!