Pre-‐visit Pack for Workshops - Frantic Assembly

Pre-­‐visit Pack for Workshops
A Frantic Assembly workshop will be primarily movement based and will focus on the skills
and techniques used to devise physical theatre. It is helpful to read through this pack in
order to prepare for our visit.
In our experience participants get much more out of our workshops if they know a bit
about who we are and what we do in advance.
Why not take a look at our website and online profiles by visiting
franticassembly.co.uk
youtube.com/franticassembly
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Check List for Workshops and Residencies
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
Prepare the paperwork
• Read, sign and return your contract.
• Check the invoice total and pass on to your finance department for payment.
Prepare your participants
• 10-­‐24 people per group (even numbers is preferable).
• Participants should be aged 14 upwards.
• Before our visit make sure participants are aware of the following:
-­‐the physical and movement based nature of the workshop
-­‐they must wear loose and comfortable clothing and trainers suitable for exercise (no short skirts, jeans or jewellery).
-­‐look at our website ahead of our visit.
• You must inform Frantic Assembly of any special needs or medical requirements in advance.
• You may find it useful to look at our resource packs to support further learning about the company and our work. You
can download these for FREE at franticassembly.co.uk/resources.
Prepare you studio
• Your studio should be at least 10m x 10m. The larger the better, but no concrete or carpeted floors (wooden floor or
dance mat preferable).
• Ensure the room is warm, the floor is clean and that there are no hazards in the space –you will be running around
and rolling on the floor!
• We will need a loud sound system with a CD player and MP3 connection in the room.
On the day
• Please meet our practitioner at reception at least 10 minutes before the start of the workshop.
• It would be great if you could show the practitioner where to find the toilets and the studio/room for the workshop.
• Don’t forget that you are responsible for first aid and health and safety so it is essential that a member of your staff/
group leader is present throughout the workshop.
• If the workshop is 6 hours or more you should provide lunch and refreshments for the practitioner.
• Whilst all of our practitioners are fully trained to work with young people, if your participants are under 18, we find
that the support of teachers or group leaders is invaluable during our visits. Please feel free to join in with the
workshops and support our practitioners by encouraging the participants to stay focused, get involved and above all
HAVE FUN!
Evaluating
• Complete and return the evaluation form that we email to you or email your comments to
inga@franticassembly.co.uk.
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Production History
Lovesong by Abi Morgan (2011)
A haunting and beautiful tale of togetherness, intertwining a couple in their 20s with the same man and woman a lifetime later.
Frantic Assembly and Drum Theatre Plymouth in association with Chichester Festival Theatre and UK tour.
‘I’ve never seen such an instantaneous standing ovation’ The Daily Telegraph
Beautiful Burnout by Bryony Lavery (2010)
A thrilling piece of highly physical theatre immersing the audience in the explosive world of boxing.
A Frantic Assembly and National Theatre of Scotland production and UK Tour
‘This is stunning. Literally and metaphorically’ The Independent on Sunday
Othello by William Shakespeare adapted by Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett (2008)
An electrifying take on Shakespeare’s most brutal and gripping thriller-­‐tragedy of paranoia, jealousy, sex and murder.
Frantic Assembly and Theatre Royal Plymouth in association with Royal & Derngate Northampton and UK tour.
'The tragedy gains an electrifying new vigor and relevance' The Independent on Sunday ★★★★★
Stockholm by Bryony Lavery (2007)
Treading a fine line between tenderness and cruelty, Stockholm reveals a relationship unravelling. It’s beautiful, but it’s not
pretty.
A Frantic Assembly and Drum Theatre Plymouth production and UK tour. Revived for performances at Brighton Festival and
Hampstead Theatre in 2008.
‘This latest show from Frantic Assembly comes together like a perfectly designed piece of flat packed furniture and is a
sinister joy’ The Guardian
pool (no water) by Mark Ravenhill (2006)
A visceral and shocking play about the fragility of friendship and the jealousy and resentment inspired by success.
A Frantic Assembly, Drum Theatre Plymouth and Lyric Hammersmith production and UK tour.
‘This is a tough, moving, scorching play’ The Sunday Times
Dirty Wonderland scripted by Michael Wynne and devised by the Company (2005)
A unique guided tour of excess through the ballrooms and bedrooms of a Brighton hotel
Commissioned by the Brighton Festival, a sell out production at the Grand Ocean Hotel, Saltdean.
‘Faultless and mesmerising. This production is a triumphant show’ The Guardian ★★★★★
Hymns by Chris O’Connell (1999/2000, revived in 2005)
A sadistic hunt for weakness, four friends push each other until something snaps.
Original production commissioned by the Gantry, Southampton Arts Centre and produced in association with Lyric
Hammersmith. Toured the UK, Columbia, Italy Ireland and Taiwan after a sell out run in London.
‘A startling match of sober subject matter and dazzling choreography’ Time Out Critic’s Choice
On Blindness by Glyn Cannon (2004)
A serious comedy about the complications of perception and desire.
A Frantic Assembly, Paines Plough and Graeae production which toured to Birmingham Rep, West Yorkshire Playhouse and
Soho Theatre London.
‘Enriching, explorative and slick…Pioneering’ The Independent on Sunday
Rabbit by Brendan Cowell (2003)
A snappy, surreal farce in which Frantic tackles the dysfunctional family and brings it to its knees.
A Frantic Assembly and Drum Theatre Plymouth production supported by Lakeside Arts Centre.
‘Once again Frantic Assembly proves why it is the company of the moment with a production of stunning physicality. The
performances are to die for’ The Guardian
Peepshow by Isabel Wright (2002)
A musical which tells the story of seven little lives in one big city.
Frantic Assembly in association with the Drum Theatre Plymouth and Lyric Hammersmith. Supported by Barclays Stage
Partners. Toured the UK and sold out during three week London run.
‘Thrilling, vigorous, tough and funny… one of the best pieces of physical theatre I’ve seen’ The Sunday Times
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Heavenly by Scott Graham, Steven Hoggett and Liam Steel (2002)
59 things that will never happen to you again once you are dead.
Toured the UK, played London’s West End and after several international dates played off-­‐Broadway for three weeks.
‘Inspired… it makes the afterlife look divine’ Time Out New York
Tiny Dynamite by Abi Morgan (2001)
An impossible love story is given a second chance and three scorched characters learn that lightning does strike twice.
Paines Plough and Frantic Assembly with Contact. Winner of Best Fringe Production Manchester Evening News Awards and
Best Theatre Show, City Life Magazine. Toured UK, Edinburgh Festival, London, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Italy.
‘This is surely the bright new future of theatre’ The Independent
Underworld by Nicola McCartney (2001)
Hard, dark, fast and frightening. A ghost story for the 21 st century with a breathtaking mix of touching realism and bruising
physicality.
Toured the UK, London and Slovakia.
‘A breakthrough – an old fashioned (that’s to say tight and exciting) horror story given wings by supple gymnastic technique’
The Observer
Sell Out by Michael Wynne (1998)
An argument grows from an honest word among friends. And it grows quickly. Sell Out starts with a whisper snowballing to an
irresistible force spiralling out of control.
A UK tour culminated in a West End run at the New Ambassadors Theatre, for which it won the Time Out Live Theatre Award.
Toured Finland, France, Zimbabwe, Lebanon, Syria and Ireland.
‘A knockout piece of theatre – brilliantly written and performed, savagely perceptive, cutting edgy stuff’
Manchester Evening News
Generation Trilogy (1998)
Klub, Flesh and Zero toured throughout the UK in summer 1998.
Zero devised by the company (1998)
The house party where all is revealed before the clock strikes in the new millennium
Premiered at the 1998 Edinburgh Festival and toured the UK Holland, Switzerland, Austria, Singapore and Hungary.
‘This is work of startling originality, this is breathtaking new ground…the bleeding edge of contemporary theatre’ The Stage
Flesh by Spencer Hazel (1996/97)
Four performers offer their bodies for the price of a ticket.
Toured the UK and Europe, a huge hit at the Edinburgh Festival and in Germany Italy, Spain, Hungary and Holland.
‘Interesting, intelligent, sexy and sad: a lippy, witty 80 minutes of dynamic dance theatre. A brash, confident shove-­‐it-­‐in-­‐yer-­face
show. Highly recommended’ The Guardian
Klub by Spencer Hazel (1995/96)
A relentless look at the importance of club culture in mid-­‐nineties Britain.
Premiered at the Edinburgh Festival, Toured the UK and played Ecuador with the British Council.
‘Not theatre for the faint hearted. An exhilarating spectacle… terrifically enjoyable theatre that really engages with an
audience’ Time Out
Look Back In Anger by John Osbourne adapted by Spencer Hazel (1994)
A new version of the 1960’s classic ‘angry young man’ drama.
Premiered at the Edinburgh Festival and toured the UK until September 1995.
‘Believe me it’s amazing… a fantastically physical piece of theatre’ Steven Berkoff for BBC’s Edinburgh Night
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FRANTIC ASSEMBLY RESOURCES
franticassembly.co.uk/resources
To accompany our Creative Learning Programme and our productions, we have a range of resources available for teachers,
students and anyone who wants to find out more about Frantic Assembly.
To find all of the resources listed below, please visit franticassembly.co.uk/resources
Free Resource Packs
A Guide to Frantic Assembly
A Guide to Lovesong
A Guide to Beautiful Burnout
A Guide to Othello
A Guide to Stockholm
A Guide to pool (no water)
A Guide to Hymns
A Guide to Peepshow
A Guide to Rabbit
e-­‐learning
Free online resources such as production media, audio blogs, rehearsal diaries, and the Frantic Forum.
The Frantic Assembly Book of Devising Theatre
Available to buy on Amazon.
Written by artistic directors Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett, The Frantic Assembly Book of Devising Theatre is the first book
to reflect on the history and practice of their remarkable, award-­‐winning company. An essential resource for teachers
exploring physical theatre techniques, particularly for the devised and physical components of A-­‐Level AQA and Edexcel, it
includes:
• practical exercises
• essays on film, music and physical theatre
• inspiration for devising, writing and choreographing performance
• suggestions for scene development
• an anthology of Frantic Assembly productions
• an eight page colour section, and illustrations throughout.
Playtexts, DVDs and other merchandise
Lovesong Playtext: £4.00
Beautiful Burnout Playtext: £4.00
Othello playtext with FREE DVD: £10.00
Stockholm playtext with FREE DVD: £10.00
Hymns playtext: £3.50
Hybrid ‘I Choose Noise’ CD: £11.00
(includes music from Othello)
Frantic T-­‐Shirt: £8.00
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Information for Teachers
AQA AS / A Level Drama and Theatre Studies
Frantic Assembly is thrilled to be included as a recommended theatre company for students to study in the AQA syllabus
(AS Unit 2 – DRAM2: Practical).
The company’s Learn Programme and Touring Productions are brilliantly relevant to students’ understanding of contemporary
theatre and will enhance learning for this syllabus. In fact, Frantic Assembly can be used as a fantastic example for several
units of work in this syllabus and here’s how:
AS Examination
• Unit 1 – DRAM1: Written – Live Theatre Production Seen
Section A -­‐ response to live theatre seen during the course
Frantic will be touring throughout 2012, so look out for updates by joining our mailing list franticassembly.co.uk/subscribe
• Unit 2 – DRAM2: Practical – Presentation of an Extract from a Play
Performance by a group of an extract from a published play
‘Candidates’ interpretation of the chosen extract should evidently be influenced… by the work of an influential director,
designer, theatre company or other practitioner’ (pg 8)
Frantic is recommended as a suitable theatre company for this module. Students can get to grips with the company’s
theatrical approach through our show specific workshops – see franticassembly.co.uk/learn
Students may also want to use an extract from a Frantic Assembly production. A list of available playtexts and resource
packs is available at franticassembly.co.uk/resources
A2 Examination
• Unit 3 – DRAM4: Practical – Presentation of Devised Drama
Performance by a group of devised drama
Creative Residencies are a fantastic way to kick start your students’ understanding and approach to devising unique group
drama pieces: franticassembly.co.uk/learn
Alternatively our Devising and Physicality workshops will offer a great introduction to skills and techniques for creating
physical theatre: franticassembly.co.uk/learn
Frantic can offer:
• Touring productions at venues near you. Make sure you are signed up to franticassembly.co.uk/subscribe for updates.
• Post show discussions and demonstrations.
• Production specific workshops, such as Lovesong and Beautiful Burnout Uncovered.
• Devising and Physicality workshops.
• Creative residencies (3 – 5 days).
• Playtexts and DVDs – order from franticassembly.co.uk/resources
• Show specific free resource packs available from franticassembly.co.uk/resources
For information contact Inga Hirst on 020 7841 3115 / inga@franticassembly.co.uk
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