Pre-âvisit Pack for Workshops - Frantic Assembly
Pre-âvisit Pack for Workshops - Frantic Assembly
Pre-âvisit Pack for Workshops - Frantic Assembly
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
<strong>Pre</strong>-‐visit <strong>Pack</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>Workshops</strong> <br />
A <strong>Frantic</strong> <strong>Assembly</strong> workshop will be primarily movement based and will focus on the skills <br />
and techniques used to devise physical theatre. It is helpful to read through this pack in <br />
order to prepare <strong>for</strong> our visit. <br />
In our experience participants get much more out of our workshops if they know a bit <br />
about who we are and what we do in advance. <br />
Why not take a look at our website and online profiles by visiting <br />
franticassembly.co.uk <br />
youtube.com/franticassembly <br />
1
Check List <strong>for</strong> <strong>Workshops</strong> and Residencies <br />
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY <br />
<strong>Pre</strong>pare the paperwork <br />
• Read, sign and return your contract. <br />
• Check the invoice total and pass on to your finance department <strong>for</strong> payment. <br />
<strong>Pre</strong>pare your participants <br />
• 10-‐24 people per group (even numbers is preferable). <br />
• Participants should be aged 14 upwards. <br />
• Be<strong>for</strong>e our visit make sure participants are aware of the following: <br />
-‐the physical and movement based nature of the workshop <br />
-‐they must wear loose and com<strong>for</strong>table clothing and trainers suitable <strong>for</strong> exercise (no short skirts, jeans or jewellery). <br />
-‐look at our website ahead of our visit. <br />
• You must in<strong>for</strong>m <strong>Frantic</strong> <strong>Assembly</strong> of any special needs or medical requirements in advance. <br />
• You may find it useful to look at our resource packs to support further learning about the company and our work. You <br />
can download these <strong>for</strong> FREE at franticassembly.co.uk/resources. <br />
<strong>Pre</strong>pare you studio <br />
• Your studio should be at least 10m x 10m. The larger the better, but no concrete or carpeted floors (wooden floor or <br />
dance mat preferable). <br />
• Ensure the room is warm, the floor is clean and that there are no hazards in the space –you will be running around <br />
and rolling on the floor! <br />
• We will need a loud sound system with a CD player and MP3 connection in the room. <br />
On the day <br />
• Please meet our practitioner at reception at least 10 minutes be<strong>for</strong>e the start of the workshop. <br />
• It would be great if you could show the practitioner where to find the toilets and the studio/room <strong>for</strong> the workshop. <br />
• Don’t <strong>for</strong>get that you are responsible <strong>for</strong> first aid and health and safety so it is essential that a member of your staff/ <br />
group leader is present throughout the workshop. <br />
• If the workshop is 6 hours or more you should provide lunch and refreshments <strong>for</strong> the practitioner. <br />
• Whilst all of our practitioners are fully trained to work with young people, if your participants are under 18, we find <br />
that the support of teachers or group leaders is invaluable during our visits. Please feel free to join in with the <br />
workshops and support our practitioners by encouraging the participants to stay focused, get involved and above all <br />
HAVE FUN! <br />
Evaluating <br />
• Complete and return the evaluation <strong>for</strong>m that we email to you or email your comments to <br />
inga@franticassembly.co.uk. <br />
2
Production History <br />
Lovesong by Abi Morgan (2011) <br />
A haunting and beautiful tale of togetherness, intertwining a couple in their 20s with the same man and woman a lifetime later. <br />
<strong>Frantic</strong> <strong>Assembly</strong> and Drum Theatre Plymouth in association with Chichester Festival Theatre and UK tour. <br />
‘I’ve never seen such an instantaneous standing ovation’ The Daily Telegraph <br />
Beautiful Burnout by Bryony Lavery (2010) <br />
A thrilling piece of highly physical theatre immersing the audience in the explosive world of boxing. <br />
A <strong>Frantic</strong> <strong>Assembly</strong> and National Theatre of Scotland production and UK Tour <br />
‘This is stunning. Literally and metaphorically’ The Independent on Sunday <br />
Othello by William Shakespeare adapted by Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett (2008) <br />
An electrifying take on Shakespeare’s most brutal and gripping thriller-‐tragedy of paranoia, jealousy, sex and murder. <br />
<strong>Frantic</strong> <strong>Assembly</strong> and Theatre Royal Plymouth in association with Royal & Derngate Northampton and UK tour. <br />
'The tragedy gains an electrifying new vigor and relevance' The Independent on Sunday ★★★★★ <br />
Stockholm by Bryony Lavery (2007) <br />
Treading a fine line between tenderness and cruelty, Stockholm reveals a relationship unravelling. It’s beautiful, but it’s not <br />
pretty. <br />
A <strong>Frantic</strong> <strong>Assembly</strong> and Drum Theatre Plymouth production and UK tour. Revived <strong>for</strong> per<strong>for</strong>mances at Brighton Festival and <br />
Hampstead Theatre in 2008. <br />
‘This latest show from <strong>Frantic</strong> <strong>Assembly</strong> comes together like a perfectly designed piece of flat packed furniture and is a <br />
sinister joy’ The Guardian <br />
pool (no water) by Mark Ravenhill (2006) <br />
A visceral and shocking play about the fragility of friendship and the jealousy and resentment inspired by success. <br />
A <strong>Frantic</strong> <strong>Assembly</strong>, Drum Theatre Plymouth and Lyric Hammersmith production and UK tour. <br />
‘This is a tough, moving, scorching play’ The Sunday Times <br />
Dirty Wonderland scripted by Michael Wynne and devised by the Company (2005) <br />
A unique guided tour of excess through the ballrooms and bedrooms of a Brighton hotel <br />
Commissioned by the Brighton Festival, a sell out production at the Grand Ocean Hotel, Saltdean. <br />
‘Faultless and mesmerising. This production is a triumphant show’ The Guardian ★★★★★ <br />
Hymns by Chris O’Connell (1999/2000, revived in 2005) <br />
A sadistic hunt <strong>for</strong> weakness, four friends push each other until something snaps. <br />
Original production commissioned by the Gantry, Southampton Arts Centre and produced in association with Lyric <br />
Hammersmith. Toured the UK, Columbia, Italy Ireland and Taiwan after a sell out run in London. <br />
‘A startling match of sober subject matter and dazzling choreography’ Time Out Critic’s Choice <br />
On Blindness by Glyn Cannon (2004) <br />
A serious comedy about the complications of perception and desire. <br />
A <strong>Frantic</strong> <strong>Assembly</strong>, Paines Plough and Graeae production which toured to Birmingham Rep, West Yorkshire Playhouse and <br />
Soho Theatre London. <br />
‘Enriching, explorative and slick…Pioneering’ The Independent on Sunday <br />
Rabbit by Brendan Cowell (2003) <br />
A snappy, surreal farce in which <strong>Frantic</strong> tackles the dysfunctional family and brings it to its knees. <br />
A <strong>Frantic</strong> <strong>Assembly</strong> and Drum Theatre Plymouth production supported by Lakeside Arts Centre. <br />
‘Once again <strong>Frantic</strong> <strong>Assembly</strong> proves why it is the company of the moment with a production of stunning physicality. The <br />
per<strong>for</strong>mances are to die <strong>for</strong>’ The Guardian <br />
Peepshow by Isabel Wright (2002) <br />
A musical which tells the story of seven little lives in one big city. <br />
<strong>Frantic</strong> <strong>Assembly</strong> in association with the Drum Theatre Plymouth and Lyric Hammersmith. Supported by Barclays Stage <br />
Partners. Toured the UK and sold out during three week London run. <br />
‘Thrilling, vigorous, tough and funny… one of the best pieces of physical theatre I’ve seen’ The Sunday Times <br />
3
Heavenly by Scott Graham, Steven Hoggett and Liam Steel (2002) <br />
59 things that will never happen to you again once you are dead. <br />
Toured the UK, played London’s West End and after several international dates played off-‐Broadway <strong>for</strong> three weeks. <br />
‘Inspired… it makes the afterlife look divine’ Time Out New York <br />
Tiny Dynamite by Abi Morgan (2001) <br />
An impossible love story is given a second chance and three scorched characters learn that lightning does strike twice. <br />
Paines Plough and <strong>Frantic</strong> <strong>Assembly</strong> with Contact. Winner of Best Fringe Production Manchester Evening News Awards and <br />
Best Theatre Show, City Life Magazine. Toured UK, Edinburgh Festival, London, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Italy. <br />
‘This is surely the bright new future of theatre’ The Independent <br />
Underworld by Nicola McCartney (2001) <br />
Hard, dark, fast and frightening. A ghost story <strong>for</strong> the 21 st century with a breathtaking mix of touching realism and bruising <br />
physicality. <br />
Toured the UK, London and Slovakia. <br />
‘A breakthrough – an old fashioned (that’s to say tight and exciting) horror story given wings by supple gymnastic technique’ <br />
The Observer <br />
Sell Out by Michael Wynne (1998) <br />
An argument grows from an honest word among friends. And it grows quickly. Sell Out starts with a whisper snowballing to an <br />
irresistible <strong>for</strong>ce spiralling out of control. <br />
A UK tour culminated in a West End run at the New Ambassadors Theatre, <strong>for</strong> which it won the Time Out Live Theatre Award. <br />
Toured Finland, France, Zimbabwe, Lebanon, Syria and Ireland. <br />
‘A knockout piece of theatre – brilliantly written and per<strong>for</strong>med, savagely perceptive, cutting edgy stuff’ <br />
Manchester Evening News <br />
Generation Trilogy (1998) <br />
Klub, Flesh and Zero toured throughout the UK in summer 1998. <br />
Zero devised by the company (1998) <br />
The house party where all is revealed be<strong>for</strong>e the clock strikes in the new millennium <br />
<strong>Pre</strong>miered at the 1998 Edinburgh Festival and toured the UK Holland, Switzerland, Austria, Singapore and Hungary. <br />
‘This is work of startling originality, this is breathtaking new ground…the bleeding edge of contemporary theatre’ The Stage <br />
Flesh by Spencer Hazel (1996/97) <br />
Four per<strong>for</strong>mers offer their bodies <strong>for</strong> the price of a ticket. <br />
Toured the UK and Europe, a huge hit at the Edinburgh Festival and in Germany Italy, Spain, Hungary and Holland. <br />
‘Interesting, intelligent, sexy and sad: a lippy, witty 80 minutes of dynamic dance theatre. A brash, confident shove-‐it-‐in-‐yer-face<br />
show. Highly recommended’ The Guardian <br />
Klub by Spencer Hazel (1995/96) <br />
A relentless look at the importance of club culture in mid-‐nineties Britain. <br />
<strong>Pre</strong>miered at the Edinburgh Festival, Toured the UK and played Ecuador with the British Council. <br />
‘Not theatre <strong>for</strong> the faint hearted. An exhilarating spectacle… terrifically enjoyable theatre that really engages with an <br />
audience’ Time Out <br />
Look Back In Anger by John Osbourne adapted by Spencer Hazel (1994) <br />
A new version of the 1960’s classic ‘angry young man’ drama. <br />
<strong>Pre</strong>miered at the Edinburgh Festival and toured the UK until September 1995. <br />
‘Believe me it’s amazing… a fantastically physical piece of theatre’ Steven Berkoff <strong>for</strong> BBC’s Edinburgh Night <br />
4
FRANTIC ASSEMBLY RESOURCES <br />
franticassembly.co.uk/resources <br />
To accompany our Creative Learning Programme and our productions, we have a range of resources available <strong>for</strong> teachers, <br />
students and anyone who wants to find out more about <strong>Frantic</strong> <strong>Assembly</strong>. <br />
To find all of the resources listed below, please visit franticassembly.co.uk/resources <br />
Free Resource <strong>Pack</strong>s <br />
A Guide to <strong>Frantic</strong> <strong>Assembly</strong> <br />
A Guide to Lovesong <br />
A Guide to Beautiful Burnout <br />
A Guide to Othello <br />
A Guide to Stockholm <br />
A Guide to pool (no water) <br />
A Guide to Hymns <br />
A Guide to Peepshow <br />
A Guide to Rabbit <br />
e-‐learning <br />
Free online resources such as production media, audio blogs, rehearsal diaries, and the <strong>Frantic</strong> Forum. <br />
The <strong>Frantic</strong> <strong>Assembly</strong> Book of Devising Theatre <br />
Available to buy on Amazon. <br />
Written by artistic directors Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett, The <strong>Frantic</strong> <strong>Assembly</strong> Book of Devising Theatre is the first book <br />
to reflect on the history and practice of their remarkable, award-‐winning company. An essential resource <strong>for</strong> teachers <br />
exploring physical theatre techniques, particularly <strong>for</strong> the devised and physical components of A-‐Level AQA and Edexcel, it <br />
includes: <br />
• practical exercises <br />
• essays on film, music and physical theatre <br />
• inspiration <strong>for</strong> devising, writing and choreographing per<strong>for</strong>mance <br />
• suggestions <strong>for</strong> scene development <br />
• an anthology of <strong>Frantic</strong> <strong>Assembly</strong> productions <br />
• an eight page colour section, and illustrations throughout. <br />
Playtexts, DVDs and other merchandise <br />
Lovesong Playtext: £4.00 <br />
Beautiful Burnout Playtext: £4.00 <br />
Othello playtext with FREE DVD: £10.00 <br />
Stockholm playtext with FREE DVD: £10.00 <br />
Hymns playtext: £3.50 <br />
Hybrid ‘I Choose Noise’ CD: £11.00 <br />
(includes music from Othello) <br />
<strong>Frantic</strong> T-‐Shirt: £8.00 <br />
5
In<strong>for</strong>mation <strong>for</strong> Teachers <br />
AQA AS / A Level Drama and Theatre Studies <br />
<strong>Frantic</strong> <strong>Assembly</strong> is thrilled to be included as a recommended theatre company <strong>for</strong> students to study in the AQA syllabus <br />
(AS Unit 2 – DRAM2: Practical). <br />
The company’s Learn Programme and Touring Productions are brilliantly relevant to students’ understanding of contemporary <br />
theatre and will enhance learning <strong>for</strong> this syllabus. In fact, <strong>Frantic</strong> <strong>Assembly</strong> can be used as a fantastic example <strong>for</strong> several <br />
units of work in this syllabus and here’s how: <br />
AS Examination <br />
• Unit 1 – DRAM1: Written – Live Theatre Production Seen <br />
Section A -‐ response to live theatre seen during the course <br />
<strong>Frantic</strong> will be touring throughout 2012, so look out <strong>for</strong> updates by joining our mailing list franticassembly.co.uk/subscribe <br />
• Unit 2 – DRAM2: Practical – <strong>Pre</strong>sentation of an Extract from a Play <br />
Per<strong>for</strong>mance by a group of an extract from a published play <br />
‘Candidates’ interpretation of the chosen extract should evidently be influenced… by the work of an influential director, <br />
designer, theatre company or other practitioner’ (pg 8) <br />
<strong>Frantic</strong> is recommended as a suitable theatre company <strong>for</strong> this module. Students can get to grips with the company’s <br />
theatrical approach through our show specific workshops – see franticassembly.co.uk/learn <br />
Students may also want to use an extract from a <strong>Frantic</strong> <strong>Assembly</strong> production. A list of available playtexts and resource <br />
packs is available at franticassembly.co.uk/resources <br />
A2 Examination <br />
• Unit 3 – DRAM4: Practical – <strong>Pre</strong>sentation of Devised Drama <br />
Per<strong>for</strong>mance by a group of devised drama <br />
Creative Residencies are a fantastic way to kick start your students’ understanding and approach to devising unique group <br />
drama pieces: franticassembly.co.uk/learn <br />
Alternatively our Devising and Physicality workshops will offer a great introduction to skills and techniques <strong>for</strong> creating <br />
physical theatre: franticassembly.co.uk/learn <br />
<strong>Frantic</strong> can offer: <br />
• Touring productions at venues near you. Make sure you are signed up to franticassembly.co.uk/subscribe <strong>for</strong> updates. <br />
• Post show discussions and demonstrations. <br />
• Production specific workshops, such as Lovesong and Beautiful Burnout Uncovered. <br />
• Devising and Physicality workshops. <br />
• Creative residencies (3 – 5 days). <br />
• Playtexts and DVDs – order from franticassembly.co.uk/resources <br />
• Show specific free resource packs available from franticassembly.co.uk/resources <br />
For in<strong>for</strong>mation contact Inga Hirst on 020 7841 3115 / inga@franticassembly.co.uk <br />
6