Just reflecting on the week's work - I'm really happy with how it went and hope everyone else in the Wales team feels the same. It's been a real team effort and as I hope I made clear, the play will be all your own words - I'm just helping with ideas and structure. Now the writing team will hopefully get to work polishing up the script - we'll be doing all this by email now.
It was also great to see everyone getting on so well and enjoying themselves!
It really would help if as many people as possible can get to watch episodes of Coal House - there's actually a lot more of these than we realised. If anyone can record episodes that would be great.
The schedule of Coalhouse programmes is here.
Greetings to all in Slough and New Zealand - I did at last get to speak to Jamie in NZ this week. Looking forward to coordinating our efforts.
Saturday 3 November 2007
Thursday 1 November 2007
Holla Again
Hey lol Just me back from one of our strenous days with peri and john lol i feel this week has been the most productive since strangers started for brynaman in february! We've got the basis for the scripts, set and 3 of the characters that we really like Gwen, Rhydian and Stranger. We've done loads of role play scenes of neighbours gossiping and stuff like that. We recently skyped with new zealand as peri has said, It still feels weird talking to people across the globe but i shall adapt lol Becki (but no alex lol like before), Danielle and sarah briefed us through their play and all that they've been doing We play lots of games like the banana song and Penguin!!! We seem to have a tight group of friends already so its nice to see that we were all strangers before this started but now were all good friends! we even share lunch lol! Its been nice to see and hear from the helpers like Alex, Clare, Roger, Elin, John and Sarah as i feel all the youth can now see a play forming !! Ok now im rattling on.
Hope EVERYONE ALL OVER Slough and New Zealand are well
Lexx
( i would like to point out how many alexs so far we have in our production 3 So it must be a special name)
Hope EVERYONE ALL OVER Slough and New Zealand are well
Lexx
( i would like to point out how many alexs so far we have in our production 3 So it must be a special name)
Wednesday 31 October 2007
Nelson Performance Clips - lots of video!
These are clips from a recent reading of the scripts at the Nelson Suter Gallery, part of the Nelson Arts Festival.
Nelson video clips
This is a performance of the Refugee Song, a shared composition between Slough and Nelson.
Tuesday 30 October 2007
Day 2 in the Pensioners Hall...
Woah, What a day we had in Wales today!
Only day 2 of rehearsals and so much to think about! Criw Cymru (Wales Criw) were all ready to Skype NZ before 8 am this morning and the film crew were making a documentary of us at the same time. (FOR DETAILS SEE COMMENT BOX ON LAST POST) We all had tea and toast (some with honey..!) and then made our way down to rehearsal for 10am.
After singing with the NZ team we were all in the mood for more songs during warmup and were very pleased when Alex the designer and Roger and Elin joined in the funky chicken, penguin AND banana songs!!! Then we did a cool memory focus game using place names and Welsh surnames in the circle (Sars- the fruit/country game) We managed to get into a really good two beat rhythmn by the ned and I think its something we can come back to as it really evoked the patterns and sing song nature of the Welsh language and accents.
We then discussed film ideas in the circle and John told the filmmakers about the narration style hitchhiker guide to brynaman. During our creative conversations we've developed some cracking ideas around surrealism, monty python-esque randomness and lots of fun I feel!
Loads of food for thought to mull over till Friday when we develop the ideas futher with Roger.
In the afternoon Alex ran a design workshop and showed us loads of really cool masks and puppets to give us a sense of where we really can take our ideas especially regarding the themes of journeys, masks as strangers and loads of other things! We discussed what NZ had told us about their play in the morning and thought about Slough's ideas too and looked at places we could set our play - how to create "Brynaman" and ensure we tell the audience our really important story and share it. Ideas for the screen varied greatly - which is always best at the start - from laundry on a washing line to a pathway leading upstage and splitting the screen in two. So many variations on this and other ideas that there's just not enough time to share them all...Aaaargh!
So there's a taster for those who weren't there and a reminder for those who were ;)
To complete the session we listened to the intro of Dylan Thomas' "Under Milkwood" and relaxed and lulled with a cup of tea ready for a day of devising, acting and creative writing tomorrow....SOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!! I've got to choose a new smiley...
Peri xxx
Cool.
Only day 2 of rehearsals and so much to think about! Criw Cymru (Wales Criw) were all ready to Skype NZ before 8 am this morning and the film crew were making a documentary of us at the same time. (FOR DETAILS SEE COMMENT BOX ON LAST POST) We all had tea and toast (some with honey..!) and then made our way down to rehearsal for 10am.
After singing with the NZ team we were all in the mood for more songs during warmup and were very pleased when Alex the designer and Roger and Elin joined in the funky chicken, penguin AND banana songs!!! Then we did a cool memory focus game using place names and Welsh surnames in the circle (Sars- the fruit/country game) We managed to get into a really good two beat rhythmn by the ned and I think its something we can come back to as it really evoked the patterns and sing song nature of the Welsh language and accents.
We then discussed film ideas in the circle and John told the filmmakers about the narration style hitchhiker guide to brynaman. During our creative conversations we've developed some cracking ideas around surrealism, monty python-esque randomness and lots of fun I feel!
Loads of food for thought to mull over till Friday when we develop the ideas futher with Roger.
In the afternoon Alex ran a design workshop and showed us loads of really cool masks and puppets to give us a sense of where we really can take our ideas especially regarding the themes of journeys, masks as strangers and loads of other things! We discussed what NZ had told us about their play in the morning and thought about Slough's ideas too and looked at places we could set our play - how to create "Brynaman" and ensure we tell the audience our really important story and share it. Ideas for the screen varied greatly - which is always best at the start - from laundry on a washing line to a pathway leading upstage and splitting the screen in two. So many variations on this and other ideas that there's just not enough time to share them all...Aaaargh!
So there's a taster for those who weren't there and a reminder for those who were ;)
To complete the session we listened to the intro of Dylan Thomas' "Under Milkwood" and relaxed and lulled with a cup of tea ready for a day of devising, acting and creative writing tomorrow....SOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!! I've got to choose a new smiley...
Peri xxx
Cool.
Monday 29 October 2007
Strangers Connecting!
Hi Wales Strangers/Hi NZ Strangers
Heres the skype agenda for today:
Sarah to open skype in NZ.
Welsh group hi/NZ group hi.
Each group member introduce themselves.
Hope that is ok
C U SOON!
Sarah- Director NZ
Heres the skype agenda for today:
Sarah to open skype in NZ.
Welsh group hi/NZ group hi.
Each group member introduce themselves.
- What our plays are about
- Nelson to ask Wales about talking stick convention. Plus respond with own ideas
- Wales to ask Nelson about suitcase convenion. Plus respond with ideas
- Share ideas for using masks.
- The friend song- to be taught by Peri with support from Welsh group.
- Discuss refugee song
- Ideas for connecting and disconnecting gestures
- Discuss using the blogg more effectively.
Hope that is ok
C U SOON!
Sarah- Director NZ
BRYNAMAN ROCKS!!
Hi All!
Peri here :) Just had to blog after our first day of intensive rehearsal week in half term in Wales.
Alex, Jacob, Haddy, Tess, Cadi and Sophie - you did some amazing research today and it will all be so worth it when we come to our creative writing this week.
Think about all the descriptive words we can try out to really evoke the atmosphere of the Amman Valley and be bold! Think of all that anthracite rock/coal (hard to light, then never goes out;)) which is very unique in the world and we are lucky enough to have some!
I learnt loads this morning, especially when you guys were all being fount-of-all-knowledge professors and also by watching Jon's video of the reality tv show "CoalHouse". It really made me think about life in 1920s Wales.
I've just been talking to the writer and director Jamie and Sarah in NZ and they're really interested in all the ideas we've come up with today. Looking forward to the early morning skype with NZ YPs. I'll pack the honey and toast now ;)
See Y'all
P.S. - click this little ghost of Brynaman!
Peri here :) Just had to blog after our first day of intensive rehearsal week in half term in Wales.
Alex, Jacob, Haddy, Tess, Cadi and Sophie - you did some amazing research today and it will all be so worth it when we come to our creative writing this week.
Think about all the descriptive words we can try out to really evoke the atmosphere of the Amman Valley and be bold! Think of all that anthracite rock/coal (hard to light, then never goes out;)) which is very unique in the world and we are lucky enough to have some!
I learnt loads this morning, especially when you guys were all being fount-of-all-knowledge professors and also by watching Jon's video of the reality tv show "CoalHouse". It really made me think about life in 1920s Wales.
I've just been talking to the writer and director Jamie and Sarah in NZ and they're really interested in all the ideas we've come up with today. Looking forward to the early morning skype with NZ YPs. I'll pack the honey and toast now ;)
See Y'all
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