Private Performance at York Theatre Royal

Date: 11th March 2010
Location: York Theatre Royal a) Studio theatre, b) Main stage

Purpose:
To interrogate the experience of CJA from the audience perspective and to assess the role of lighting/ video polyphonic accompaniment. Each performance - with appropriate staging/ design - was presented to the audience. After which a group discussion interrogated its nature and meaning over the broad spectrum of aesthetic and artistic backgrounds.

Present:
Damian Cruden - Artistic Director of YTR
Dave Simpson - Deputy Chief Electrician, sound engineer, technical support for CJA
Mike Kenny - dramaturg, writer and play write
David Lumsdaine - Composer, Honorary Visiting Professor York University
Nicola LeFanu - Composer, Professor Emeritus York University
Ben Pugh - Producer, commissioning producer of 'Superfield [Mumbai]' for Bradford Mela
Mary Oliver - Reader in Performance, Head of Performance Research Centre, University of Salford
Peter Boardman - Late Music
Jonathan Eato - composer, improviser, lecturer York University, CJA performer
Hannah Bruce - choreographer, producer
Patrick Wildgust - Curator Laurence Strene trust at Shandy Hall
Angie Atmadjaja - Composer, Sound artist
Ciaron Bagnall - Lighting Designer for CJA (unavailable to attend in person)


FULL TRANSCRIPT AS PDF


EMAIL to Cairan Bagnall - lighting designer

Hi Ciaran,

clearly you are the man for this job - I enjoyed watching the Space
programme vid, really liked the tangible way you interacted with the light
source amongst the other art forms; embodying your artform and speaking
through it in the same way musicians do through their instruments.


So - what to do. Well, in the long term I would feel very comfortable and
happy having you on board, so that's that sorted. But in the short term I
am in the final stage of development so not all is lost. Perhaps a solution
would be to have someone at YTR realising your ideas - I have Dave Simpson
for the session, perhaps I could convince Chris Randell to man the board
(??) - the whole event would be documented and we could develop our
collaboration from that point.

Another thing you should know is that the CJA started life as a test piece
for a much bigger 'pocket opera' to be commissioned by the Laurence Sterne
Trust - a sound theatre adaptation of one of his books. CJA was developed
to convince them of the process and concept but turned into a really
interesting piece by itself. Anyway, the premiere for that will be in
November 2010 ... and it will be the same setup (except more musicians).

The common - and overarching - principles these projects have are
interdisciplinarity and embeddedness. By that I
mean that which is in-between disciplines; an area of creative, open space
suspended between the disciplines it sits amongst. Sound Theatre, is
in-between
listening and seeing, as such, it embeds one discipline within the other so
as they co-exist and become fused and inseparable. AND 'wholeness' of the
idea of the report/book i.e. if we take the sum imagination of all the
people that have read a particular book, or have seen a particular film, or
are sitting in the audience waiting for a performance of CJA, then this is
the territory that this composition attempts to explore [so narrative, or
dramaturgy, comes from within each individual].

Sooo - tell me what interests you and I will try to arrange that to happen
on the 11th.


BTW: other coincidences include Adel and Nettie, I was working with them at
the same time you were (but on a different project). Also would you let
Vicky know we have child number 2 due imminently, as she is the fairy god
mother of William. Andie sends a big hello.

Thanks for your positive response, and your great energy.

regards
Craig


Original Message:

Subject: Re: The Cape Jeremy Affair


Craig!

You will not believe it but I was literally just talking about you !!!
I'm currently working with Vicky Ireland, and we where just discussing
your piece at the Unicorn!! We're working together on a production in
Belfast..she sends her love!

Thats fantastic news re your child number 2! Yes, last time I seen you
both was at York Theatre Royal, how's Andie? Send her my love.

Also funny is the fact that I was also just talking to Damien Cruden
yesterday! Small world eh? :-)

Next massive coincidence is the piece you are developing. A couple of
years ago I was part of a group of artists in a project called "the
space programme"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz5z7dhUeqc

It was a first of its kind theatre initiative which included
architects, composers, actors, choreographers and visual artists
coming together for two weeks to collaborate and make work. My
strongest connection was with a composer and singer, we created pieces
working directly with musical score and reflected light, this then led
to my own experiments with dancers and a single source of light. Since
then and outside of my 9-5 Theatre work I'm obsessed with finding a
union between light and sound, studying Klee's work with painting and
music, working when I can with live music and constantly "seeing
sound"...

It goes then without much more saying that I'm EXTREMELY interested in
working with you on the Cape Jeremy Affair - I've just watched your
demo video and it's left my head buzzing with thoughts!

Killer is though that I'm not available on the 11th of March....I'm in
tech for a production in Belfast all that week and we've two dress
rehearsals that day...where does that leave us?? Do you have more than
one day to work on the project at York? My show opens in Belfast on
the 12th and I'd be willing to fly over to York on the Saturday 13th
if it was of any use?!

Gutted not to be free on the 11th....

Let me know what we can do to make this work!

Speak soon
Ciaran


Ciaran Bagnall Design