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June 29th, 2014

6/29/2014

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Three Days of Impro

From 14th-16th June we held workshops and a performance in improvisation. On the Saturday  at St Barnabas School I led an impro in performance workshop for members of Claquer Impro Group and others that went back to the basic principles and rules of creating spontaneous narrative theatre. It's my contention that you can teach just about everyone to be funny, you can certainly make people more creative and develop their imagination. The Sunday's Workshop was for anyone interested in finding and developing a character for The Empty Gallery events.  Over the next few years the Empty Gallery will be running and contributing to local events commemorating community life in the decade on The First World War (1910-1919). Characters of the period will be singing in a period choir, attending Empty Gallery exhibitions as visitors and curators or performing in 'mystery houses' or street theatre. Whatever level of 'performance' anyone feels comfortable with, there is something for everyone. In Role you don't have to 'perform' in any theatrical style, you can  simply be yourself in costume with a little knowledge of the person from the past you represent. At this workshop we started by creating imagined characters in order to learn some of the techniques and games that are available to help build a person's life history.  Alison McKenzie then presented us with a list of 'real people she had researched, as well as other's whose stories had been told in part through the 'Vanishing Elephant'; Camden Road's community play. We gave out  short biographies of real people from Tunbridge Wells and everyone chose 'someone' to adopt.   We will be running further sessions as more people come forward. so watch this space and keep visiting this site.

On Monday night the Claquer Impro Group presented their end of term performance 'What's my Life' . A hour long show of new games including a 'Harold'; an improvisation structure that helps the performers build a 20minute play around a single suggestion from the audience. They also performed  'What's my Life',  a chat show where the improvisers who are to play the guest with a character, profession or experience. determined by the audience.  The challenge is that only the interviewer is told who the guests are, the guests enter unaware of who they but have to appear as if they know.  The chat show host slowly releases clues. The impro group are now more than 'getting away with it' and gave a really entertaining evening, leaving the audience wanting more. The group will be taking a little break over August and restarting Monday 1st September at the Beacon. Think about joining them. Contact us here, email: jon@claquetheatre.com  or Telephone 01892 537034
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April 14th, 2014

4/14/2014

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Is It Only About War?

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Someone said to me the other day that they hoped the Empty Gallery's exhibition In the Shadows of War and Peace nor  the 1910's Choir was just going to be about war, because it would be too depressing. I sympathise with the sentiment but  I'm not sure how, if we are to reflect on the contrast between 1914 and 2014, or the 100 years between, in which Britain has permanently been at war somewhere in the world, that you can escape its shadow. Does this mean therefor it all has to be depressing? I think not. Contrast gives a greater sense of value; loss reminds us of what we have, war the value of peace. 

Those of us who were on the the anti Iraq War march in February 2003, will remember, despite the feelings of anger or dismay, that brought us there, that there was a carnival atmosphere. It was the largest protest event in human history. According to BBC News between six and ten million people took part in up to sixty countries. Being among a million people in London, approaching Green Park you could hear a roar start down on the Embankment, make its way, like a Mexican wave, along Northumberland Avenue and Charing Cross, over our heads, when we roared and listened again as it headed along Piccadilly and on to the front of the march now entering Hyde Park. A million people united by their feeling of disunity with their government. There are huge paradoxes. Insane as it may be, it seems that the greatest lessons we've learned about how to live with peace is through war. In the aftermath of the First World War women got the vote, in the immediate aftermath of World War Two we were finally inspired  as a nation to create a National Health Service. The late, great Tony Benn eloquently explains some interesting points about war and peace in a short interview with the American film director and activist Michael Moore.

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     Jon Oram

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