DaPoPo:The Berlin Project

HRM Performances Announced

2009-03-11T11:14:00.006-03:00

what the tide brought in

created and performed by DaPoPo Academy

Sophie Fong, Holly Winter, Aaron Andreino, and Ali Richardson

Four strangers with seemingly little in common except for a stretch of garbage-littered beach they all frequent. Moments of each others' lives shared at the water's edge.

How deep will they go?

Public Performances:

April 2, 2009 @ 8 pm
Dartmouth High School, 95 Victoria Rd., Dartmouth, NS

April 5, 2009 @ 7 pm
Capt. William Spry Community Ctr., 10 Kidston Rd, Spryfield, NS

April 6, 2009 @ 8 pm
The Bus Stop Theatre, 2203 Gottingen St., Halifax, NS*

Admission by donation. Doors open 30 minutes pre-show.

* Seating is limited for April 6th performance, therefore reservations are strongly recommended for this show only. Contact: dapopo@dapopo.org or 209-3473 to reserve April 6th or for more information.

Presented with the support of Nova Scotia's Department of Tourism Culture & Heritage and the numerous individual donors, sponsors and supporters of the Berlin Project.

Last Days

2009-03-09T09:56:00.012-03:00

Schedules easing up, premieres triumphantly performed, attentions finally turned to the city and people around us. The chance to investigate the grounds of the FEZ-Berlin, becoming children again spinning, climbing, playing keep-away, riding ziplines and flipping over nets.

Traditional cast photos taken on the seats at the Wulheide S-Bahn stop. Posing, having fun. Fun! Quick before the train comes!

Brunches, dinners, sights, sounds, days and nights. Separately, together; en masse or in small groups. Shopping. White shoes and a green coat, spectacular finds in a retro shoppe. Limited edition books from an independent seller. Gifts for friends.

Eating, playing, touring, oohing, aahing. A place called Cake. Bonding. Resting. Catching up on homework long ignored and Internet time much-desired.

Berlin by night: Kaiser Wilhelm Gedaechtniskirsch on Ku'damm; a new memorial for Die Mauer (20 year anniversary of the fall of the wall); the Sony Centre space-age "I'm in a sci-fi movie" feeling; the Holocaust memorial looming silent gray eerie in the night; Brandenburg gate as a backdrop for "Ich bin der mann!"; and a climb up around the spiral of the Reichstag/Bundestag Dom singing "Hey Ho" and "Land of the Silver Birch"

Berlin by day: coffee and brunch at a funky place in Mitte; Annie Leibowitz photography exhibition at C/O gallery; exploration of the eclectic Tacheles property; dropping by the Berliner Ensemble but no tickets for Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder :(but Holly gets to go to Spring Awakening after we leave)
Our next to last night, the pleasure of making dinner for Garry's mum, Ann. Later joined by Flo, Florian and Toby for goodbyes.

The long trek home. Did we even go? The only evidence is left in hearts, minds and memories.

Playing at the FEZ

2009-03-03T17:25:00.016-04:00

WHAT THE TIDE BROUGHT IN

with

AARON ANDREINO – TODD
SOPHIE FONG – KAREN
ALI RICHARDSON – CHRIS
HOLLY WINTER – BEATRICE

Today the four Academy players – Aaron, Sophie, Ali and Holly – gave a moving, sophisticated and riveting performance of their play in front of a captive and responsive audience of Abitur students.From the opening monologues through the scenes and dream sequences, Eric, Kim, Annie and I watched from our respective spots (in the audience, at the lighting board and at the piano), taking great joy in seeing the play unfold in front of its first real audience.

The script contains some sparkling dialogue, written and performed with honesty skill by the performer-creators.

We learn of four characters' hopes and fears; truth and lies; games and realities; prejudice and, ultimately, friendship.

Afterwards, during the Q&A session, members of the audience asked incisive questions about key moments.

As we moved into our workshops – Mythology & Theatre, Sound & Movement, Newspaper Theatre and Political Theatre – and finished our only fully booked day at the FEZ, we were sad it was over. Or nearly so.

Café Potsdam

2009-03-01T07:32:00.013-04:00

Last night, a precedent: the first Café outside of Halifax. The eight of us trekked out to Potsdam on the S-Bahn, reviewing, projecting, anticipating. Upon arrival we embarked on a brief tour of Herr Liman's personal collection of Fluxus artifacts and documents.

The Café itself flew by. 25 tables to serve, upwards of 40 patrons – some with very little English. Everyone threw themselves into the fray, performing studied material, original material and improvising.

Willi, our tfk technician and friend, was one surprise guest. "The evening surpassed my expections", he raved. When all was said and sung, the museum wined and dined us. We rushed into two cabs to get to the Potsdam Hauptbahnhof in time for the last S-Bahn back to Berlin.
Performancs included scenes from Four Actors, Apocalypse, 13 Ways and What the Tide Brought In; songs, scenes, monolgues and soliloquies by MacLellan, McIvor, Jernigan, Betts, Schumann and Shakespeare; poetry, improvisation, sock puppets, and a closing 'Sextangle'.

Herr Liman, who showed himself pleased with the turn-out and the audience's positive response, extended an invitation to us to perform at the museum FLUXUS + again, next time we're in Berlin... 2011, perhaps?

Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it's to the FEZ we go..!

2009-02-27T07:39:00.014-04:00

We make our way to the FEZ-Berlin through the woods for a 9:30 a.m. start, uniformly wearing our Fleischberg T-shirts, to launch the second day of the "Just say it!" Festival with our second of six 30 minute programs for the Opening Ceremonies. This includes some improv, sometimes calling on volunteers from the audience; some singing; and Holly "Hall Monitor" Winter and Ali "Alcatraz" Richardson stealing the show with their U-Bahn rap.

Eric worked all day Wednesday with the Academy on What the Tide Brought In, their hour-long original creation, delving deeply into character, intention and subtext, building on the work they had done with Annie in the Dachboden-loft.

Annie and Kim design lights for the show after a brief introduction to the board by one of the FEZ technicians, Dirk. Annie builds the cues, as Kim develops the design, enjoying the technical/creative side of things. Thursday: the Academy rehearses more in the afternoon. All work, all play...
... with necessary food breaks: Schnitzel, Wurst, Pommes and particularly flaccid noodles.

Today (after leading another Opening Ceremony), Eric's first scheduled workshop, Mythology and Theatre,
was canceled because the teacher whose class was to attend was ill. The Academy remained at the FEZ for a Cue to Cue and Tech Dress with Eric, Kim and Annie.

Tonight we will be running our Café material, creating a priority list, preparing for tomorrow's performance at the museum FLUXUS + in Potsdam, south-west of Berlin, several hours flight time removed from our Halifax Café cast who performed this Thursday... how'd it go, guys?

Leftovers and New Dishes

2009-02-24T11:49:00.003-04:00

Monday - Kim runs over town turning off forgotten heaters at the Cold Place; getting a 40€ fine because the U-Bahn pass expires at 3 am, not actually a full 7 days from the time of validation; getting per diems from the bank and new passes for all.

Garry, Eric, Ann and Kim shuttle off to Potsdam, southwest of Berlin to the museum FLUXUS for a pre-Cafe meeting with Herr Limann and a peek at the performance spaces. Dinner on the lake with Ann before returning.

The Academy writes, reorganizes and presents their show to Annie who works with them through the afternoon and is impressed. When they are joined post-dinner by Garry and Kim, the atmosphere is relaxed, satisfied and enthusiastic about the work of the day.

Much chat, perusing of TIP the events calendar - Brecht plays being performed at the Berliner Ensemble!!! - our own entry for Apocalypse one below (in good company), flashy displays of bruising and battle wounds for pictorial documentation and then public displays of affection.

We had much fun.

Bumps and bruises. Someone tell Rhys!

Closing

2009-02-23T02:21:00.006-04:00

Sunday - We said good-bye to TFK, Four Actors and Apocalypse tonight. Experience proves once again that the ensemble that works together consistently and intensively day-to-day, works together consistently and intensively on stage. Wishing for another go at the shows in Halifax... especially with added bits of Apocalypse and the new energy in Four Actors.

Ann has many photos of the shows and Garry remarked how undeniably idetifiable Four Actors is. The poses, the staging, the costuming... clearly it is that show.

Huge thank yous to Holly, Ali, Sophie and Aaron for working with us tirelessly over the run.

Earlier in the day, the Academy worked independently in the "Cold Place," then lugged belongings back to Kreuzberg. Late afternoon rehearsal plans were scrapped when our space at TFK was usurped - these things happen, and continue to happen and I celebrate everyone's demonstrated flexibility each time.

We ended up going for a late lunch/early dinner and had a very relaxed, enjoyable time at a Spanish restaurant. Great food, great conversation... lasted hours and when we did finally make a move to leave, the manager gave us after-dinner liqueurs and espressos and plates of fruit drizzled with chocolate. On the house. I had no idea why an establishment would do such a thing, but Garry said perhaps it was because we lingered and enjoyed our meal and our company.

One week in...

2009-02-22T06:49:00.010-04:00

Yesterday (Saturday, Feb 21), after the Academy dropped their things off at the now-nicknamed "Cold Flat," found a cafe in the Neukolin district that cooked eggs, went on a spree at the 1€ store - 10 pairs of socks for Sophie who has 'run out' - Garry and I took them on their first visit to the FEZ-Berlin.

The complex is a hot-spot of continual programming for children, youth and families and is located in far east Berlin, in the former communist territory. It was built in the sixties to cater to those children who showed an aptitude for the arts. Hearing Garry speak of the Soviet approach to cultivating and training young citizens according to talents recognized in their youth, it sounded somewhat Utopian. In the Soviet society, a child who could sing or draw or act was as valuable and nurtured as much as a child who could solve math problems or was interested in science.

Of course, once you were in the proscribed track, that was it and when you grew into your career your sole purpose was to serve the State. So... artistry could be, and indeed was, censored and dicated by the State. DaPoPo could never have done a piece such as "Four Actors" which is, at times, critical of our history and politics. But I digress...

The U-Bahn drops you at the edge of the wooded area on which the FEZ is located. It is a lovely walk through a forested path, though I heard some comments along the lines of "This is really far!" and the scuff of tired sneakered feet dragging through the snow. This exhaustion was apparently forgotten when we encountered the extensive play areas with unusual equipment like geohex jungle gyms, a t-bar zip-line, whilrling disks, swings... this led to one of my favorite things: the musical arbor, a structure constructed of twisted branches into a peak, with open arches and a magical centre space. Sophie said it felt a little 'Blair Witch' but then they all found the zylophonic tiles in the middle and jumping together made some tinkling music.

Outside the main building a necessary stop at the crepe stand... käse und schinkel for most, Ali enjoying käse, tomaten und kräutersalz. And yes, we know what that means. Delicious.

Inside, we encountered an Arabian Nights themeland with hundreds of small costumed children enjoying various activites such as cooking Middle Eastern treats, learning to belly dance, listening to music, watching stage shows, face painting and more. Ali signed the guestbook on behalf of DaPoPo, and we had a bit of a wait while our room for rehearsal was sorted out.

A few hours later, and a newly revised and more vigorous work schedule leading up to the festival, we went back to Kreuzberg for refueling at the now-favored vegetarian restaurant Cafe V, where a German singer entertained with strangely rearranged popular American music sung in English.
Then it was off to TFK for the second night of performances. Four Actors was very enjoyable for us tonight. We finally found the necessary openness to discovery in the moments where it is demanded, and new things were indeed discovered. In the audience, Chris (of airport pick-up and chauffering fame) and his wife Alison, Ann again and a gaggle of Garry's friends from BGT days. Much buzz about the up-coming Cafe DaPoPo in Potsdam!

Snow showers

2009-02-21T05:26:00.004-04:00

Saturday morning. We've had a very busy week with rehearsals, settling into spaces - theatrical and otherwise, neighborhoods becoming familiar, eating on the go and going going going. Good sleeps but full and late days.

The Academy has worked on their piece, we've had one Cafe rehearsal and the remainder of the time has been spent getting Four Actors and Apocalypse in front of an audience. Holly and Sophie learned the lighting board from Willy at the Theaterforum Kreuzberg and designed and set the cues for both shows, largely based on what could be done without a significant rehang/refocus. Ali stepped in as stage management, with assistance from Aaron. They are all so good-humored and willing to just... do! Such a pleasure to have them working with us.
Eric's friends from Halifax, Max and Molly, who have been in Germany for several months arrived for a visit and saw technical runs and offered feedback. Holly's friend Neta came in from Copenhagen for opening night (yes, Uncommon Grounds Neta!) . Neta said it was weird to walk into a theatre in Berlin and see Halifax faces... like being on Argyle Street.

Today, the group is scattered all over Berlin. Some with Ann, Annie with her friend Sussanne somewhere, myself at Flo's, the Academy relocated temporarily for the weekend at Jen's empty apartment... and also getting their first look at the FEZ later today when we go there for a rehearsal.

Two more performance nights at TFK and the focus will re-shift to the Academy show and preparation for the Just Say It Festival. It will be strange and difficult to let Four Actors and Apocalypse go...

Day One & Two in Flashbacks

2009-02-17T17:21:00.010-04:00

Eric, Garry, Kim, Annie, Holly, Aaron, Ali, Sophie: Pre cross-Atlantic trek

This will be a brief, pictorial catch-up for the past few days, which includes:
Fresh-faced, eager and mildly freaked out with anticipation at the Halifax airport because our flight to Montreal kept getting delayed. But in the end, we went with plenty of time to catch the Montreal to Frankfurt flight...
Which was relatively painless, with personal movie screens and two *ahem* meals...
Which led to Frankfurt where things got slightly less glamorous as our final one-hour flight dangled so tantalizingly close, yet kept getting inexplicably delayed... and delayed... and delayed. Crash and burn for most of us. Holly, Sophie & Ali caught up on journals and scrapbooks, there was some sort of food from some random kiosk and much somnolence!
...Finally three hours late, we got on the plane and were SO grateful to be met at the Berlin airport by Garry's friends Chris and Til who chauffered us, and our considerable amount of baggage, around and around and around to Garr's mum's flat, to the loft and to Flo's and back to the loft where Garry and I picked up the Academy plus Annie for the first U-Bahn trek...
... whereupon the self-serve ticket kiosk refused to accept my credit cards in payment and I had to borrow back some Euros from previously distributed per diems to get the tickets. bah!
BUT when we arrived back at Ann's, there was cheese and bread and yummy rice and baked chicken dinner and ice cream and a final acknowledgement that we had indeed arrived... albeit a little baked ourselves.
Flo saved the day on the return U-Bahn trip by getting our week-long passes on his debit card (he has beeb repaid, god love 'im) and the three groups in their various accommodations settled in for some much delayed rest!

Tuesday morgen... I did necessary things like banking and buying a cell phone for Academy to have on hand for local connectedness/emergency contact... the lofters had a long sleep in. The eight of us convened at the loft for a reconnaissance mission of the neighborhood. Simply walking along the street turning right from the loft's building front, we discovered grocery stores, bakeries, internet cafes, döner shops, other restaurants and cafes, odds and ends stores, photocopy places... the highlights: first döner experience for the Academy... two thumbs up all around... and a stop in at Theaterforum Kreuzberg where everyone had a chance to view the space where "Four Actors" and "Apocalypse" will be staged in a few nights.

A call from the Embassy. Gabrielle will not be able to meet Garry tomorrow as planned after all, but they are coming to see the showson Friday night. Whee!

Grocery shopping for the lofties, followed by a rehearsal for the Potsdam cafe and a deliecious pasta dinner whipped up by Holly, Garry and Eric. I think a few other helpers here and there but the kitchen is tiny so practically speaking, three at a time.

And now... sleep. Work tomorrow for both groups on their respective shows. The old four have to rethink staging for the new space, converting from a thrust stage to proscenium arch plus a plethora of lighting options... Academy to determine the ending and smooth out transitions for their show. Good work, good times.... alles is gut.

Flight Day

2009-02-15T08:27:00.002-04:00

I'm lying in bed, the possibilities of today are exciting. Today we fly. today we have wings.

I have been meaning to blog since monday but the packing and seeing friends before I leave have gotten in the way. as we prepare, beatrice starts to solidify for me. Everyday she seems more real, more three dimensional. Last night I saw Zuppa's Poor Boy, currently playing at the Neptune Theatre. It gave me a sense of what collective creation can do, I feel very inspired and I'm excited to get to work in our Lofty loft in Berlin.

Food, last minute packing, flights.

Today is going to be a good day.

The (Real) Berlin Project

2009-02-14T22:06:00.003-04:00

20.2., 21.02. and 22.02.

four actors in search of a nation/

apocalypse 2009

Theaterforum Kreuzberg (tfk)

Eisenbahnstr. 21

20 Uhr

26.02., 27.02, 3.03 - 5.03.

the canada project

FEZ-Berlin

An der Wuhlheide 197

9:30-13:00 Uhr

28.02.

café dapopo

museum FLUXUS+

Schiffbauergasse 4f, Potsdam

ab 19 Uhr

2009-02-14T16:40:00.003-04:00

Today was the last Academy creation day in the space at Kempt Road. Phlis McGregor from CBC Radio came along to interview Holly, Aaron, Ali & Sophie and record some of their rehearsal. The interview will probably air some time next week, so have a listen!

The T-shirts Sophie designed were distributed. Thank you to Sarah and Kirk at Advanced Screen Printing on Strawberry Hill for working with us and producing some awesome shirts!

Tomorrow... we fly. Today, we pack.

Can I put the fog in my carry-on?

2009-02-12T16:29:00.003-04:00

Today was the world's most unexpected, well-timed snow day.

I took advantage of the day off and organized my packing. There's a satisfaction that comes with condensing your life into a purple suitcase. Looking around my room, I wonder why I have anything else.

I dreamt of converting European prices last night. Take the price; add half of it plus a few more dollars...
As I upload some choice cd's onto my iPod for the trip, I have a faint realization that the music I choose will become inextricably linked with Berlin in my mind.

To rewind for a moment, the Ross Creek experience was wonderful. The shared meals were colorful, energizing and German. Thanks to Kim for all the food she shared with us.

I was in Halifax yesterday and found myself trying to absorb everything before leaving for three weeks. I haven't seen the city so foggy in a long time. I'll miss being by the ocean.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is your two day call.

DaPoPo in P/review

2009-02-12T08:49:00.025-04:00

After working intensely on both shows last week – Apocalypse 2009, in particular – at Ross Creek, during our only truly luxurious rehearsal situation since the 3-day PARC workshop last December, our p/reviews kicked off last night.

Two shows, an open space/dance floor, four actors, a few neighbours, strangers, friends in the audience.

"What is, after all, the essence of theatre? The dressing room...?"

(The new Menz Bar includes a dressing room for DaPoPo, which doubles, magically, as a coat check.)

Last night, we donned our red T-shirts and toques for Four Actors in Search of a Nation, DaPoPo's inaugural script, a good four years after its initial creation.

The two-year (with intervals) labyrinthine creation process for Apocalypse 2009 brought us back to the beginning: the excitement of creation.

Weather in Berlin

2009-02-11T08:10:00.003-04:00

For the next five days in Berlin: Highs of zero, lows of -2 to -4. Light snow, light snow showers each day.

Pack your boots!

Tonight we start three nights of public previews of "Four Actors" and "Apocalypse." We've been working so hard, when we can get the time to work and we're anxious to have some feedback from audiences. Last night I dreamed I was in the Labyrinth. But not as myself... as Pasiphae.

Ross Creek 4x6

2009-02-09T12:17:00.002-04:00

Ross Creek 2

2009-02-07T22:33:00.006-04:00

A beautiful day in a field of sun-winter, pink-tinged sky lightening to full morning. We gather. We stretch. We roll on the floor. We make sound. And then there is oatmeal. We fortify. We work. Academy in one room; us in the other. In November, they had never worked together. This weekend, they solidify as a self-directed collective.

We fortify again. A commune of chopping, chatting, eating, sharing.
We go on a field trip further up Ross Creek Road. The Academy show is set at the beach. This trip is an exploration for their senses. Research. We flounder through thigh-high snow drifts, teeter from rock to rock of the stony expanse. The ocean reclaims a lake of snowmelt pooling and glistening to the shore. Four young people at the water's edge. The ocean drops off the horizon to the vastness of the world beyond. Slate, blue, beckoning edible enigmatic world hanging off of the edge of what the eye can see and beyond what the mind can imagine.

Monster-van refuses to go backwards up the hill. Wheels spinning, we lose traction and slip in the wrong direction. Spirits determined, using the tools and resources we have... we just do it. Bit by bit, sometimes gaining and losing in the same go, but together a sum total of success. And relief.

We work. We fortify again. We work more. We lose traction, we slip. We gain and lose. But together... heading in the right direction.

Ross Creek 1

2009-02-06T22:10:00.001-04:00

Two hours out of the city a string of little towns leading off the highway. Windsor gives way to Port Williams which leads to Canning, with a pit stop at deGraaf's for snacks. Aaron (recently moved from Ottawa) has not seen much of Nova Scotia 'til this moonlit, blue-white snowswept introduction. Up the mountain - as mountainous as one gets in the Valley - we turn right, which is wrong, way but happily encounter a lookoff and enjoy the unexpected hazy vista of twinkling house lights stretched out below, the glitterati of our night.

Garry, at the Centre hours before, stands in the driveway as we roll up. Did he have a Jedi-like sense we would be arriving? He shows us around the centre. The doors to the rehearsal hall open. Precious. The the gift of space. Open space to move, create, discover. Empty but for the potential we bring.

And the kitchen too. Bags of groceries shuttled in from the back of monster-van* - bags full of potential meals, conversations to be had, work to be shared. A cornucopia of plenty. Richness for a Poor Theatre.

The Academy investigates nooks and crannies, art in situ, tries the musical instruments. We meet MacKenzie and Natalie, two artists also working in residence. On Saturday, they will take a day off and we will have the run of the whole place. On Sunday, I will walk in a work-induced stupor from the rehearsal hall to kitchen. I will see MacKenzie again and he is like a stranger: an alien in a bubble world of enesemble intensity.

But Friday night is still with us, excitement carrying us through our foray into unknown bedrooms, negotiating space sharing, selecting spots, conversations and laughter together and then, finally perchance to sleep, to toss or turn, to dream of the next day.

*thank you Thrifty Car Rental for giving us a break on monster-van, and to our donors for ultimately making it possible for us to pay for it!

Waiting

2009-02-06T18:06:00.003-04:00

I'm sitting in my kitchen. Outside, a massive 12-person rental van overtakes my street. I wait for my people to arrive. Eric calls. Forgot to pack some fundamental garments so a detour will start our drive to Ross Creek tonight. I don't care for winter, nor for driving at night, nor for massive rental vans. I am so aware of the precious cargo. So many developing creative personalities in one space, hurtling forward into the darkness.

Much like the creation process, sometimes? Hurtling forward into the darkness.

More on the Ross Creek weekend adventures to follow. Our schedule is brimming with work on all the shows and a DaPoPo staple, communal eating. The company that sautes together...?

Ten Days To Go

2009-02-05T07:54:00.003-04:00

The departure for Berlin swiftly approaches. Everyone is busy... Eric, Annie, Garry and I continue to work on Four Actors and Apocalypse. For the most part, they are coming together nicely, though certain things remain elusive. One more week before we present them at Menz Bar (2182 Gottingen Street) in preview February 11, 12 & 13th. We've set it up so people can see either one, or both, any night. Reservations through reservations@dapopo.org

The Academy are investigating four lives at the Water's Edge. Four characters are emerging and their connections, lack of connections, conflicts and discoveries are developing.

We've learned the Canada kiosk at the FEZ-Berlin will be bare. The embassy is not sending any materials or speakers to participate this year. It's unfortunate and sad. We will do our best to represent, regardless. Empty kiosk... empty stage. We can do a lot with the latter.

All eight of us will travel to the Ross Creek Centre for the Arts this weekend for a work retreat. Chris O'Neill and Ken Schwartz invited us to use one of their rehearsal spaces and bunk up at the farm house. Thank you so much! This offer was an unexpected and completely pleasant surprise and will be incredibly beneficial us. We're looking forward to concentrating on our shows and also the trial run of living together. Thank you to the donors and sponsors who have gotten us to a point where we could even consider going - we've had to rent a van to get us all there.

Monday Feb 2, Good Food Café

2009-02-03T14:25:00.018-04:00

A scene by Jackie Torrens being performed by Annie and Eric (note the shocked audience reaction!) in the foreground, and an original song penned and performed by Holly Winter in the background... this is the Café at its best.

This all-ages

Café (note the child peering out from behind Kim's arm) was a departure in many ways: our first afternoon Café; the first Café introducing out Academy four; and, of course, our last Café before leaving for Berlin and performing a Café at the museum FLUXUS+ in Potsdam.

This was the first time the eight of us performed together, some performances planned and rehearsed, others improvised on the spot. Some of Good Food's unsuspecting guests enjoyed the surprise of rants, scenes and songs, while some of our audience had come specifically to see the Academy Four work together as an ensemble in the unusual and electrifying Café setting.

Aaron sorts his Café material, Holly gets psyched, and "Ich bin ein Vampir"-Sophie remains invisible.

And: after the Good Food Café, somewhat exhausted but keen to make use of what rehearsal time we have, Kim, Eric, Annie and I reconvened at Menz to read through our revised 'Apocalypse 2009' script. We continue to discuss which themes are of greatest importance to us, re-examining the dramatic structure of the piece; editing and in some cases rewriting dialogue.

Uncommon Sponsor...

2009-01-29T13:26:00.006-04:00

Our gal Holly (DaPoPo Academy) works at Uncommon Grounds, a coffee house with a few locations in Halifax. She's usually serving up yummy locally roasted fair-trade coffee at the Argyle Street location, but occasionally gets over to South Park. ANYWAY, Uncommon Grounds is now a sponsoring business member of our Flight Club. Thanks for your support! Argyle Street, by the way, is a great place to run into lots of members of the theatre community, with Neptune across the Street ( Zuppa Theatre opens "Poor Boy" at The Studio on Feb 10th!) and OneLight Theatre's offices overhead. Yay, art!

Flippin' a Thank You...

2009-01-26T09:12:00.005-04:00

Thank you to everyone who helped make our Mancake Pancake Brunch a fun and delicious time yesterday. Especially the eaters who played their roles exceptionally well, the DaPoPoli who pitched in to help at the last minute, the Angry Kitty-Kats for sharing their original music, Graeme Parkhill for sourcing some of the food, Hugo Dann for spreading the word, and Planet Organic for taking care of the vegans. An extra-special BIG thank you to Doug Melanson (yay! Doug!) and Menz Bar who generously hosted this fundraiser and made us feel welcome yet again.

Ready, Baristas?

2009-01-17T21:17:00.008-04:00

In preparation for the teen-friendly Café DaPoPo event at the Good Food Emporium on February 2nd, the Berlin-bound bunch is preparing all-Canadian fare. This will be a first chance to try some of the poems, monologues and scenes submitted for the Potsdam Café (thanks PARC!) – a kind of Dress Rehearsal.

Writers who have submitted their work include DaPoPo old-timers Amanda Jernigan, Steph Berntson and Steve Cloutier, as well as Jenny Munday, Natasha MacLellan, Karen Bassett, Colleen Wagner, Pam Calabrese MacLean, Josh McDonald, Michael Melski, Marshall Button and Allen Cole.

museum FLUXUS+

2009-01-12T13:26:00.016-04:00

Sometimes the most familiar is the most peculiar.

I feel this way about the Café. Selecting photo-images to send to the Fluxus-Museum to use for publicity demonstrates this to me. How to represent the Café in an image. It's like choosing a picture of yourself, perhaps: you never see yourself as others see you. How to capture the essence of an interactive and highly unusual performance like the Café?

The audience is right there...

... asking, ordering, allowing, anticipating, hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling, tasting (!), witnessing the event.

How do you capture such a complex experience in a single lifeless image?

The ideal photo record would have to communicate 1) a particular performance, 2) an audience witnessing it, 3) the performance space and 4) the unconventional actor-audience relationship.

How do you supply enough information to sufficiently define a theatrical experiment? How do you catalogue, display and advertise a non-commodity?

Sometimes the most familiar is the most peculiar.

"Eat your borscht!"

2009-01-11T20:42:00.003-04:00

Saturday's session culminated with the ultimate question: What is our show going to be?
Trying to find the "meat" in the iceberg is a challenge. Trying to grab all the threads we've scattered and tie them together into something with movement, characters, plot, honesty…

Our mission for this week:
1) Build ideas from the titles we tossed out on Saturday. Among them were “The Last Carrot Standing”, “4x6-earth”, “Empty Mind” and “Katze Kotze”.
2) Craft characters around the names we created.
3) Represent a form of dramatic structure.

I’ve realized that inspiration strikes at the strangest times. Lately, ideas have occurred to me whenever I reach for the shampoo, or watch my mother make omelettes.
I hope everyone has a successfully creative week.

“Grenzenlose Freiheit”…

Ali & Ali; Ali & Ali

2009-01-11T10:18:00.006-04:00

Saturday session with the Academy folk. Garry and I were met at the staircase by the three gals who inadvertently had dressed similarly and looked like they were about to do a production number from a musical. Later that same day, Aaron discovered he could sing.

Newly written scenes based on last week's improvisations read around the table. Three different authors, three different voices but one central character. The search for truth and personal relevance. The "oooh" moments. Mediating scenographic challenges.

Time spent with investigation of scenes from plays by Canadian authors, including the collectively-created 1837: The Farmers Revolt: A Play by Rick Salutin; The Duchess a.k.a. Wallis Simpson by Linda Griffiths; The Adventures of Ali & Ali & the Axes of Evil: A Divertment by Marcus Youssef, Guillermo Verdecchia and Camyar Chai. The Academy folk put shape to the scenes, showing them to each other to discover the different structures and approaches to storytelling based in variants in the creative processes. Possibilities.

So much work has been done gathering materials, trying many things. The way to tell the story - what is desired/what is not - is emerging. What the story is... still slightly elusive. The "stuff" is there. Working collectively is a wonderful conundrum. How much do you offer, how much do you impose? What if you are uninspired? How do you keep going til the inspiration strikes?

The flint, the stone, the thatch. Strike and strike and strike. A spark. A flicker. Nothing. Strike, strike, strike ... multiple sparks. A flicker, fan it! More fuel... will it become a fire?

Pancakes!

2009-01-06T19:53:00.003-04:00

fundraiser for the berlin project

hosted by menz bar

all-you-can-eat Pancakes

syrup sausage & coffee

$10 at the door

Sunday, January 25th, 2009

2182 Gottingen Street

meet the berlin project ensemble

enjoy live entertainment by dapopo & friends

specials on mimosas, caesars and spiked coffee

It's Official!

2009-01-06T17:23:00.005-04:00

Excitement! We're on the websites in Germany ...

FEZ-Berlin: Just Say It Program
use page box or arrows at bottom of page to jump to pages 18 & 19

Theaterforum Kreuzberg: DaPoPo Shows Listing
click 'spielplan' at the top, then 'Februar' on the left side and scroll down to
FR 20.02. 20.00 Gastspiel DaPoPo Theatre Company Halifax, Kanada

Wunderbar! - A fabulous day

2009-01-04T00:10:00.010-04:00

Goodness gracious. I can't even describe the fabulousness of my day.

German lessons, working with Ali, Holly and Aaron, (And of course Kim and GaRRy) has made for a hilarious day. Also, I can't believe I just figured out why people were saying "performing at the Fates"! And the reason is: because they're saying FEZ! Not Fates (as in Greek mythology Fates) It took me far too long to realize that FEZ is also not a word, and the Z is therefore not an "s" sound, but a "ts" sort of sound.

Fun times, SUCH good food (ah yes, the food!).

German Lesson # 5

2009-01-03T16:58:00.003-04:00

"Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt."

nouns: der Kopf - head; der Fuß - foot; die Liebe - love

verbs: auf ... eingestellt sein - to be tuned in to, to be in the mood for

Lights...

2009-01-02T18:00:00.000-04:00

Today we ventured out to Theatre Arts Guild where Austin Reade gave us an introductory workshop on lighting design and operation. Bill VanGorder and Joe O'Brien were there to lend a hand as well.

It's been years since I performed at TAG and the facility is even more amazing now with an expanded lobby, rehearsal room, kitchen and new seating forms. They're gearing up for their next show, Oklahoma! The stage was empty but for some carpentry tools, but Austin had kept the lighting in situ from the previous show.

He talked through some of the basic elements of designs, walked us through basic equipment and then let the Academy group get their hands dirty on the board, creating and running lighting cues. End result, four young performers eager to learn more and at least a couple who want to have a kick at designing for the Four Actors/Apocalpse shows for Berlin. yay!

Thanks very much Austin, Bill, Joe and TAG!

After the lighting session, we noshed at Subway, where Aaron and Garry got existential over the cookies, I spilled milk on Holly twice and Ali and Sophie maintained the decorum. The day continued with another exploration session for the show at the FEZ - building a choreographed piece as an ensemble with no other parameter but build it, you have 30 minutes, go. Discussion of strong characters and issues that had emerged from prior work last weekend. Intensive interview of one of the characters (channelled by Ali) in the hotseat.

My Icarus...

2009-01-01T11:35:00.009-04:00

During the original work on Apocalypse, we were working on the idea of Icarus as Everyman, an iconic character representing you and me as we try to work our way out of the labyrinth that is our world today. What is the truth, who do we believe, why are we trapped and confused, and is there a different way?

Over Christmas, I saw a TV news story about Stephen McPhee, a little boy with autism whose concern over homeless kids sparked the development of a program which supports the distribution of backpacks filled with toys and gifts to families in homeless shelters. The first year, his family worked hard to get fifteen backpacks together. The next year he told his mother he wanted to do 150. She tried to mediate his expectations, pointing out that they had worked so hard the previous year and still only had fifteen done. He said to her, "Mummy, you have to dream out loud!"

That little boy, in that moment, is my Icarus. My Icarus is faith - not necessarily a religious faith, but an essential faith in ourselves and our world. Stephen's statement may be dismissed by the world-weary as childish optimism, but I think it represents an absolute belief in the possible. We all start with such a faith as children, at a time and place in our existence before we are taught what is all wrong, what can't be fixed, what isn't possible. Through our lives, layers of "no" and "can't" are added. Our lightness is burdened by experience. Our faith in the possibility of possibilities is weighed down, or even obiliterated. Icarus falls into the sea. End of story.

Or is it?

This year, Stephen McPhee's charity - Stephen's Backpacks Society -will distribute about 1,000 backpacks.

Harold Pinter and Eartha Kitt, Remembered

2008-12-26T09:08:00.011-04:00

"I believe that despite the enormous odds which exist, unflinching, unswerving, fierce intellectual determination, as citizens, to define the real truth of our lives and our societies is a crucial obligation which devolves upon us all. It is in fact mandatory. If such determination is not embodied in our political vision we have no hope of restoring what is so nearly lost to us – the dignity of man."

– Harold Pinter

Harold Pinter, playwright, actor and activist, died on Christmas Eve. Pinter's art of dialogue touches realism in a way conventionally handled dialogue does not: language as a haphazard cloak to cover our nakedness, thrown together in utter disregard for clarity, "the real truth" or intellectual precision. I remember his infuriating No Man's Land in London, with its slippery truths, playing a role he'd written, and being shocked that the play was no more clear in performance. I learned something important about his intentions, his strategy. I remember working on The Dumb Waiter with Willi Gudlat and Carlos Stockhausen at the Friedenauer Kinderheim, and discovering its raw power and terrifying questions. I remember reading the haunting Mountain Language, borrowed form the British Council library, and missing the Berliner Grundtheater production. And I remember watching The Birthday Party with my Mum, her eruptive laughter at a breakfast of "fried toast", fascinated and horrified by its bathroom mirror truth.

Eartha Kitt, performer, died Christmas Day. I remember seeing her performance in the Sondheim musical Follies in Berlin at the Theater des Westens. She sang the unforgettable "I'm Still Here". I saw the production, and studied her performance, several times. I noticed she reinterpreted the song each performance. One night she was trailing measures behind the conductor for the verse, deliberately, easily manoeuvring the descending stairway, only to catch up in time for the chorus; another time, she spoke the song as patter for almost the entire performance; another night she sang with strict adherence to rhythm and pitch. I learned something about interpretation and artistic process, the play between control and risk, structure and freedom. I remember her signature growl, her striking features and geometric contortions.

I salute both of these artists for their courageous contributions to the theatre, the art of performance, and the way we can imagine the world. Each generation finds its language, in art and politics, and writes its credo. Both Pinter and Kitt participated defiantly and gloriously in that process. I will remember them.

Christmas

2008-12-24T15:10:00.005-04:00

I'd just like to wish everyone a Happy christmas!

I hope the holidays find everyone well and creative.

My Icarus

2008-12-23T10:49:00.007-04:00

During our original creation of Apocalypse 2006,

I was struck by Herbert James Draper's Lament for Icarus from 1898: Icarus, semi-nude, his wings vast, thick and powerful, the beautiful youth draped across a rock, held up by angelic sea-nymphs, the Nereids.

This image implies a collusion of mythologies. It is, in its Hellenic context, the inescapable destiny of those who challenge the gods, disturb the social order, to become the instruments of their own destruction; whereas, in this image, there resonates a loss of innocence, the death of the Christ.

In our revisiting of this myth during our work with Sarah Stanley, I find my Icarus wants to live, wants to fall in love and wants to soar. He is, however, overshadowed by his crafty father, Deadalus – a murderer! –, incarcerated by the Cretan king Minos and hunted after their initial escape as a criminal. He is pushed, literally, into flight.

A modern Icarus: a child soldier, carried on a stretcher by medics.

Post-Script Development Workshop

2008-12-23T08:40:00.010-04:00

Four actors. Three days. Two scripts. Sarah Stanley - with Jenny Munday sitting in. Talk and exploration. Discoveries, dead ends - or are they - more questions. More talk. More investigation. Some on the floor, some around the table. Bruised knees, but no bruised egos. Yay!

In the end? A group of actors who have started to find their groove together. One script in need of a bit of work, clearly ready to get ready. One with the guts still hanging out, redrafting in progress and exciting possibilities for the show held within our ensemble, like the potential energy of a physical system (ref: physics).

Thank you to Sarah (and Jenny) for opening doors, asking questions and being awesome.

Annie, Eric, Kim, Garry, Sarah

"Your spine is an alive thing."

2008-12-20T21:02:00.003-04:00

School’s finally out for Christmas, which means time to focus on DaPoPo work.
I just finished reading “Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet)” (danke, Holly, for lending it to me). Now it’s time to memorize the wonderfully not-quite-romantic balcony scene between Juliet and Constance.
I started drafting some questions for interviews over the holidays, centered around the question “What does it mean to be Canadian?”. The challenge is finding interviewees. My family will all have similar views, so I will have to go beyond Christmas dinner to get some answers.
While I don’t miss being in class, I’m suffering from Improv withdrawal. Recently, my Improv team performed a story scene around the audience prompt: “YOUR SPINE IS AN ALIVE THING”. DaYouth will appreciate that one.
Currently, I’m reading Chekhov’s "The Seagull" in preparation for my audition for Concordia University's Theatre Program. So far so good, except the Russian names are tricky to keep straight.
In other news, my sister is home from Ontario for Christmas! It took a while to fill her in on all the DaPoPo activity. She’s become my test audience for German phrases...so far I’ve mastered: “Mir ist zu kalt!"...a handy phrase during a Canadian winter.

Stay warm everyone...Merry Christmas!

Script Development with Sarah Stanley Pre-1

2008-12-20T08:51:00.003-04:00

In an hour, Garry-Eric-Annie-&-I will meet Sarah Stanley. Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre (PARC) has arranged a three-day Script Development Workshop for DaPoPo and we will bring Four Actors and Apocalypse to the table. Sarah is the invited dramaturge.

When we've mentioned, on occasion, that we will be working with her, the reactions have ranged from amazement ("How'd you get her?") to envy ("So jealous"). Indeed, this is a wonderful opportunity for us to improve our scripts and to work with a great dramaturge/ director/creator. Thanks to PARC for supporting us in this way and to Sarah for agreeing to come.

German Lesson #4

2008-12-17T16:13:00.010-04:00

Ist das nötige Geld vorhanden, ist das Ende meistens gut.

– BERTOLT BRECHT, Die Dreigroschenoper

(The Canada Council for the Arts awarded me a travel grant to attend the Theaterforum Kreuzberg and Fluxus-Museum in Potsdam!)

nouns: das Geld - money; das Ende - the end

adjectives: nötig - necessary; vorhanden - available, 'at hand'

adverbs: meistens - usually, mostly

Delights

2008-12-17T15:21:00.003-04:00

Last night, I had the pleasure of spending some time with Holly (and other DaPoPoli Kristi & Bonnie) as we made the 2-hour journey to the Ross Creek Centre for the Arts to hear/see the first public performance of Allen Cole's newest musical, Rockbound. Garry was one of the ensemble members in a 10-day workshop of the second act. We went both to support him and to be among the first people outside the composer, producers, actors and musicians to hear a new Canadian work. Art is born and we were there. Yes!

I also had the pleasure of meeting Holly's grandmother, Sharon. What a woman! So engaging and warm. I learned she had been enthusiastically fundraising on behalf of the Berlin project. I have no words to accurately describe it - but I almost cried at the sense of profound gratitude I felt/feel. It's good to have people in your corner. Thank you!

Language

2008-12-14T09:05:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, DaYouth (yes, I know, another monniker) and I spent several joyful hours together. Annie came along at the beginning to try a few things from her workshop for Berlin, I followed with some of my workshop bits. We will both be using theatre exercises for warm-up and group building, our group had a laughter-filled time with some of the basics.

My workshop is based on Newspaper Theatre concepts and my challenge now, after trying a few things yesterday, will be limiting the blah blah blah (talk) and increasing the interest level for non-English speakers.

Language! This year I've dabbled in Italian for a visit there - becoming quite adept at ordering un bicchiero di vino rosso, per favore; I tried Latvian in prep for my month in Malpils, but I didn't get the hang of it. I did learn a few words in Russian! воображение (phonetically - veebrahjheena) was my favorite. It means imagination and when you hear it repeatedly from your Russian director, it lands.

Yesterday, I was trying to coax my mouth, tongue and throat into cooperating with the distinctive sounds of German, long dormant and rusty. The r that is there, but not-there. The soft ch, the harder but not-t-the-point-of-fur-balls ch. w=v, p=b, g=k, d=t and vice versa, most times. St or sp = sht or shp.

My sheet of about 15 phrases, including Ich comme aus Kanada and Wie vil costet das might have seemed impressive (Aaron asked incredulously, "you know all this?") but I recall the time I played the German boy in a scene from "13 Ways of Looking at a Madman" for Cafe. It was performed for a table of native German-speakers. They were very polite, but genuinely had to snicked when I fumbled Vor- und Rückwärtsbewegung and completely massacred sodas zwansig solcher. You try a German tongue twister!

Foreign languages aside, I'm also trying to master a Scottish accent for one of my monologues in Four Actors. One would thing that an accent on my first language might not be so difficult. ACH! It is! As foreign to my tongue as German, possibly.

PASSPORT

2008-12-13T00:20:00.002-04:00

My passport arrived yesterday fresh off the print. I can touch it and know I'm not dreaming. (which is exciting.)

I had fun this week thinking about the 'interview' process Kim was/is getting us to play with. A few friends of mine thinks it's a really awesome way of creation.

In other news, I've been reading a lot of George F. Walker is a vague attempt to find cafe stuff but also just to read it. I must say he is an odd character. I think I like it. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully I will remember to update y'all on my opinions as the reading progresses.

On the german front (language, not the country) I am fascinated by german Grammar this week. A great friend of mine, Alex Sommerville, who is taking german at DAL is sharing his love for the language with me and it's so interesting. I like the sounds. Very foreign to my mouth.

That is all for now,

Auf Wiedersehen

Holly

Canadian Plays and German Lesson #3

2008-12-12T15:53:00.015-04:00

Week two begins at Ross Creek for me, while rehearsals and planning continue in Halifax without me: I am preparing my workshop for the FEZ-Berlin, studying several plays I might use as examples of political theatre in Canada. I have re-read Passe Mureille's iconic collective creation 1837: The Farmers' Revolt, Herbert's Fortune and Men's Eyes, savoured Marie Clements' delicious and disturbing The Unnatural and Accidental Women and am now delving into John Coulter's Shakespearean Riel. Questions about process, subject, form, language, history, research and imagination abound...

ANJA: Ich habe zwei Fragen.

MARKUS: Ja?

ANJA: Gibt es in Kanada politisches Theater?
MARKUS: Ja, klar. Kennst du Guillermo Verdecchia?
ANJA: Nein.
MARKUS: Schade. Der ist richtig gut. Und deine zweite Frage?
ANJA: Ach so, ja. Willst du heute mit ins tfk?

MARKUS: Klar. Da spielt doch DaPoPo.

ANJA: Sind die nicht aus Kanada?

MARKUS: Genau.

nouns: Die Frage - question
verbs: gibst es...? - are there...?; kennst du...? - do you know...?; spielen - to play
adjectives: politisch - political; zweite - second; schade - too bad; gut - good
adverbs: heute - today
'Klar', 'richtig' and 'genau' are used frequently as 'sure', 'of course'; 'really'; and 'exactly', 'that's right'.

A Wing and a Prayer

2008-12-10T15:55:00.007-04:00

Today, with the help of the lovely and talented Heather Niell at Flight Centre, Scotia Square, our flights to Germany were booked. That's the wing.

Although I fully intended to take photos of this marvellous experience, I neglected to pull out my camera in all the stress and excitement. So instead, a bad drawing:

And the tickets were booked on credit. That's the prayer!

Donations are coming in dribs and drabs. I continue to contact people and businesses. Sher is organizing a raffle on an Ipod Touch. Let us know if you want to buy a ticket: $2 each or 3 for $5. Draw is at the January 29th Cafe DaPoPo. More initiatives coming up, but if you haven't joined the Flight Club yet, pitter patter!

Ross Creek bound

2008-12-07T16:18:00.007-04:00

I am down at Ross Creek, taking an unplanned break from Berlin Project planning, participating in a 10-day workshop of Allen Cole's musical theatre adaptation of Frank Parker Day's novel Rockbound with Two Planks and a Passion.

The view from the Ross Creek Centre for the Arts is refreshingly pristine. Although on this, my day off, it is raining, and I am somewhat stranded here with my volume of Canadian plays and Ryszard Kapuscinski's Travels With Herodotus.

A surpise: finding German popping up in the libretto for Rockbound in Uriah's Fish House Groove: "Aukduleba" being a South Shore variant of "Ach, du lieber...". My thoughts are with Aaron, Sophie, Ali and Holly, as they begin creating their original FEZ-show with Kim.

Christmas?

2008-12-06T12:07:00.003-04:00

A few nights ago I was driving up Quinpool road and noticed all of these... Christmas lights? I literally thought, "What are those doing there?" And then, of course, realized that Christmas is a mere three weeks away. I have to chuckle when people engage in the usual social discourse of these times "Are ya ready fer the holidays?" because, frankly, my time horizon only includes things related to the Berlin Project. The holidays? A mere illusion. I have Canadian identity issues to address, flights to book and unions to deal with.

Yesterday, Garry had a conversation with Michael K. at the FEZ. Things are looking good, they're helping us out a little more, they're excited to have us oldies and newbies on the program and by the way, the festival dates have changed so that our trip essentially has to extend by a week.

So, now we are mustering the troops to see who can go, for what period and how to manage an extra week away. The reality is that people have to take time off from school or jobs for Berlin and that's not a small consideration.

Mike also suggested we refer to the project as "The Canada Project" for all the Berlin materials, because it could be a little confusing. Mmmmm... right. So, we'll just bookmark that and figure out what's what, what? My aunt also found my description of the project confusing, I guess, because she thought we were raising funds to help kids from Berlin. Her question to me (after making a donation anyway) was, "Why didn't you consider helping youth from Nova Scotia or your own community." *sigh*

I'm about to go meet with the young four. I've been grappling with how to refer to the old four and the young four and in the absence of stumbling on anything fun or interesting... old and young it is. Anyway, I digress. Today we'll be revisiting some physical and vocal training from their workshop, playing with Shakesepeare, reading the script excerpts Josh MacDonald sent us for the Cafe and digging into methods to get the materials upon which they will base their new collective creation. I'm going to add in probably one of the least informed German lessons they will receive. But I do know how to say thank you, how much does it cost and my eggs are hot. All of which could be potentially critically important to know.

:)

Progressing...

2008-12-03T12:53:00.007-04:00

I'm taking a break from muddling through the third draft of the project letter to potential business sponsors (it's SO close), investigating a so-called international fare sale from Air Canada (no deals), planning the first of many rehearsals for the DaPoPo Academy ensemble, wondering how to efficiently get tickets booked and medical consent forms for minors signed and notarized.

Yesterday I chatted with Andrew Terris at Arts Nova Cultural Research and Consulting to see if there were funding sources we hadn't considered (basically no). I emailed my MP in an attempt to get more support of Canada's presence at the Just Say It! festival - in the past our kiosk display has been distinctly awful compared to of the other countries' - but I'm sure she's a bit busy considering her party is trying to take over the government on my behalf. My city councillor, Jennifer Watts, however did take the time to write a quick note acknowledging my email and said she would get back to me. This, I have chosen to interpret positively.

I had happy conversations with Michael Melski and Jackie Torrens (via Facebook) about the Canadian-content Cafe in Berlin. Michael is letting us work up a scene from Hockey Mom, Hockey Dad and Jackie has offered selections from Georama and Live!Nude!Animal!

The support from the playwrights, the generous offer of rehearsal space for the DaPoPo Academy for the next several months (thank you Compass Commercial Realty), the donation from the fellow artist who can't afford it but does anyway or the one in the mail from the friend not seen in three years (thanks Krista!) ... it all adds up.

Thank you to everyone who so far has helped us keep on keeping on.

German Lesson # 2

2008-12-02T10:59:00.006-04:00

Das Theater darf nicht danach beurteilt werden, ob es die Gewohnheiten seines Publikums befriedigt, sondern danach, ob es sie zu ändern vermag.

BERTOLT BRECHT, Politik auf dem Theater

nouns: das Theater - theatre; die Gewohnheit(en) - habits; das Publikum - audience

verbs: dürfen - to be allowed; beurteilen - to judge; befriedigen - to satisfy; ändern - to change; vermögen - to be able

adverbs: nicht - not; danach - literally: 'thereafter', fig.: 'on the basis of'

conjunctions: ob - if, whether; sondern - rather

What is "The Berlin Project?"

2008-11-27T08:30:00.015-04:00

The Berlin Project is an umbrella term for several activites, all related to performance opportunities for DaPoPo. We've been dreaming and planning for quite awhile, applying for grants and laying the groundwork for a two-week trip to Berlin to take advantage of these opportunities:

* Updating and remounting of Four Actors in Search of a Nation and Apocalypse 2006

The first Four Actors was the inaugural show for DaPoPo and was created specifically for the Just Say It! '04 Festival. In it, the actors play themselves, slipping in and out various characters, in an exploration of the questions: What is a nation? What is Canadian? What is a play? Through prose, poetry, dialogue, movement and sound this personal quest for identity becomes a universal one. Garry was part of the original ensemble that created and performed this show in Halifax and Berlin.

Apocalypse 2006 was created for the Just Say It! '06 Festival. In it, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse retell the story of Icarus in a series of revelations. Driven by pride, Icarus flies too close to the sun, and Apollo melts the wax holding his wings together, and so the story ends... or does it? The show was collectively created by Garry, Eric, Kim and Steven Bourque and was presented only in Germany.

In December, we will have a three day script development workshop through the Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre (PARC) to re-examine these shows, finesse and update them in preparation for previews in Halifax in the New Year and a run in Berlin at TheaterForum Kreuzberg, February 20 - 21, 2009.

* Original youth show and workshops for Just Say It! '09 Festival at FEZ-Berlin

We will participate in the Festival from February 24-27, 2009. Between now and then, the Youth Ensemble will create a new show -timely, personally important, globally relevant - which they will present at the Festival. The show will evolve through thematic physical and vocal exploration and will be developed with DaPoPo's creation aesthetic in mind.

All of the performers will participate in the daily opening ceremonies at the Festival, which will be attended by hundreds of school-aged children from the greater Berlin area. We will be representing Canada (and Nova Scotia!) at the Festival, which will also feature performers and presenters from other English-speaking countries including USA, Ireland, England, Australia, South Africa and India.

We will also teach workshops for smaller groups of German high school students. The workshops will be in English to give the German students a chance to practice their language skills and to work with people from other countries. Our contribution will be workshops on physical and vocal expression for stage, myth and archetypes, newspaper theatre and political theatre.

*Café DaPoPo premiere at the Fluxus Museum in Potsdam

Café DaPoPo has run in Halifax for almost two years. It is a unique way to both experience and 'deliver' theatre. The Fluxus Museum is hosting the first Café outside of Halifax and we intend to feature mostly Canadian content on the a la carte performance menu we develop for this special occasion. We currently have a call for submissions out to PARC members (or other Canadian artists) who wish to submit monologues, poems, short scenes, songs or performance pieces for consideration. We look forward to promoting these artists by performing their work in a preview Café in Halifax and in Germany.

*Flight Club Art Exhibit

In association with the Flight Club fundraising effort, we will commission new art works for every $100 individual donation received. Visual artists at all points in their careers, from emerging to established, will create and donate a small art work incorporating the Flight Club plane in any way they can imagine. We are finding an exhibit location for the resultant art works and intend to have a week-long showing in Halifax. This will be kicked off by our post-tour celebration which will feature a performance of the Youth Ensemble show, appreciation for donors and sponsors and a photo essay of the experiences on the tour.

The Original Four Actors in Search of a Nation

2008-11-25T23:23:00.002-04:00

This photo was taken by John Haney, who was with us on our first FEZ-Berlin adventure in November 2004. Our venue: the Emerson Gallery, courtesy of Russell Radzinski (who would later plant the seed for 13 Ways of Looking at a Madman). The photograph shows the original Four Actors in Search of a Nation: Christopher Cohoon, GaRRy Williams, Amanda Jernigan and Steph Berntson.

Help Us Get There

2008-11-25T17:24:00.001-04:00

Email Kim at dapopo@dapopo.org for more details.

Who's Who

2008-11-24T14:41:00.026-04:00

Eric Benson

Roles: Death in Apocalypse ; Eric in Four Actors

Eric Benson grew up in northern Saskatchewan, surrounded by snow and ice, in a small city that had no proper theatre. He was still able to find outlets for his desire to perform, working in community theatre and youth performance, getting his stage chops doing English farce. He was accepted to the National Theatre School of Canada, but left it after a short period to pursue his love of philosophy. He has recently performed in productions such as Copenhagen, Seven Days in the Life of Simon Labrosse, Rhinoceros, Arcadia, Rossum's Universal Robots, as well as appearing in Café DaPoPo. He also has helped write and perform in Apocalypse 2006 and The Pirate Show, and has recently directed Krapp's Last Tape, Sunday in the Park with George, and Biography: A Game. He is preparing to direct an environmental production of La Cage Aux Folles in the Spring of 2009.

Kim Parkhill

Roles: Pestilence in Apocalypse; Kim in Four Actors

Kim grew up in New Brunswick, spent several years working as a traveling nurse in the USA, and eventually settled in Halifax. She studied performance at Neptune Theatre (Preprofessional Training Program) and with Peggy Redmond (Actors' Boot Camp) as well as in numerous workshops and intensives. Most recently she trained under Sergey Ostrenko in the IUGTE Performers Village and Physical Theatre Laboratory in Latvia. She has worked in capacities of performer, co-creator, writer, producer, publicist and/or assistant director for many companies in Halifax including MorganaSeven, The SkitWits, Metamorphic Theatre, TAG, Gilbert & Sullivan Society and her own short-lived company, The Play Group. She has been with DaPoPo since 2005 (R.U.R.; The Sex Play; 13 Ways of Looking at a Madman; Apocalypse 2006; Biography: A Game; and Cafe DaPoPo) and is now an Associate Director. She has traveled extensively, touring to Berlin with DaPoPo and in the Maritimes with the Young Neptune Touring Company. She is currently writing a play for ThreeSome, a collection of one-acts, slated for performance in mid-2009 under the direction of Lee J. Campbell.

Annie Valentina

Roles: Famine in Apocalypse; Annie in Four Actors

Annie Valentina was born into a family of actor/directors in Sofia, Bulgaria, but raised in Norway until she made her move to Nova Scotia as a young adult. She spent much of her youth traveling Europe, feeding her innate love for the performing arts, and deconstructing her sense of national identity. Meanwhile, she was involved in various stage productions with Norwegian production company Teater Laboratoriet and worked at the Bergen Theatre School through the late 90's. In the year 2000, she landed in Halifax to attend Dalhousie University, where she obtained a BA in Theatre. She has since made Halifax her primary home base and collaborated with many local theatre companies in the capacity of actor, director, playwright and dramaturg. Some of the projects she remembers most fondly include a critically acclaimed one-woman-show she wrote and self-produced under the 'shoes on a wire' label - a now dormant independent company she helped start - as well as performing with Angels and Heroes, Left Foot First Productions, and directing Open Concept's debut show Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love.

Garry Williams

Roles: War in Apocalypse; Garry in Four Actors

Garry Williams was born in Halifax, but grew up largely in Berlin. He traveled extensively, and attended theatre training programs in Williamstown, Mass.; Stratford-upon-Avon; Barcelona; New York; and Berlin. After High School, he apprenticed with the Berliner Grundtheater for several years, and performed with several music ensembles including das neue chor berlin, The Shower Show Tunes and the Fourtunes Barbershop Quartet. He studied Musicology, Comp. Lit. and Drama at the FU-Berlin and Manhattanville College, NY, and took a B. Mus. and an Engl. Min. at Mt. Allison University. He has worked as translator, songwriter, improv director, actor, director, playwright, acting coach, singer, keyboardist and voice instructor. He founded DaPoPo Theatre in 2004, and has been running the company since. In Halifax, he has also worked with the Gilbert & Sullivan Society, the Halifax Summer Opera Workshop, Metamorphic Theatre, OneLight Theatre, Angels and Heroes, the Irondale Ensemble, Playwright's Atlantic Resource Centre, Two Planks and a Passion and teaches the Neptune Theatre School. He will be directing Humperdinck's opera Hansel and Gretel at Acadia University in the Spring of '09.

Aaron Andreino

DaPoPo Academy Youth Ensemble

Aaron recently moved to Dartmouth from Ottawa and is currently completing grade 12 at NSCC in Cole Harbor. He has studied theatre at Neptune Theatre School and through Centre Stage summer program. He also enjoys playing basketball, going to the gym and hanging out with his little brother. This will be Aaron's first time traveling outside of North America.

Sophie Fong

DaPoPo Academy Youth Ensemble

Sophie Fong is a grade 12 student at JL Ilsley High School in Spryfield, NS. This is her first trip to Europe and her first time creating for theatre. However, she loves the arts, draws constantly, plays viola, sings in two choirs, studies tango and is learning the silks at circus school.

Ali Richardson
DaPoPo Academy Youth Ensemble

Ali Richardson was born in Halifax and has spent her life on Canada’s East Coast. She’s studied music from a young age and has always had theatre and dance in her life. Her theatre career began humbly with the role of the mute sister in a Jr. High production of Fiddler on the Roof. In high school Ali discovered Improv and competed with Dartmouth High’s team in the National Tournament of the Canadian Improv games. She appeared in Dartmouth High’s West Side Story, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and several eclectic student productions. Last spring she traveled Atlantic Canada with Broken Leg Act Theatre performing A Taste of Honey. She’s tried her hand at playwriting, and earned 1st place in the Eastern Front Ten-Minute Play Competition with her script about rebellious mannequins. Currently, Ali has returned to modern dance and continues playing piano and saxophone. She assistant coaches DHS’s Improv Team and is learning to sing. Ali hopes to study theatre outside the province next year, but has a feeling she’ll return to the Maritimes.

Holly Winter

DaPoPo Academy Youth Ensemble

Holly was born one snowy morning in March 1990 in Toronto, Ontario. It was there that she discovered her first performance opportunity. We're going to ignore the fact that it was lip-syncing to the spice girls with her friends. (She was Baby Spice) Since then her thirst for art has been unquenchable. She brought this thirst with her to Halifax in 1998. In Elementary and Junior High School she was in Choir, Band, Strings, Art club and participated heavily in various school drama productions. But that wasn't enough. She started taking classes at Neptune Theatre School in Halifax. It became her second home. In 2005 she was accepted into Soundtrax, a very talented high school choir under the direction of Frances Farrel. It was with this choir that she was able to travel to Banff Alberta, New Glasgow NS, and Sackville NB and meet some of the most amazing people. Since then she's continued on with her passion in varying forms. Some highlights include; Saints Alive's productions of "The Secret Garden: That Musical" and "Suessical: The Musical", Placing in the top ten of Eastern Fronts Ten-Minute Play Competition, Voice Lessons with The DaPoPo man himself GaRRY Williams, Dance Captain in Queen Elizabeth High Schools production of "Guys and Dolls" and Citadel High School's Productions of "West Side Story." Holly ended her High School Career by receiving Citadel Highs Grade 12 Drama award. Holly aspires to continue her work in all fields of art with emphasis on movement and voice work, directing and combining interests in other fields (math, spirituality and physics to name a few) with her artistic endeavours. Holly hopes that one day her creations will inspire others to create and express themselves.

The Youth Ensemble: In the beginning...

2008-11-23T23:27:00.002-04:00

Posted by Kim

If this was the beginning of this project, the really real beginning, the date would read somewhere in the vicinity of December 2006. Let's go there briefly. DaPoPo's ensemble-of-the-moment: Garry W., Eric B., Steven B. and I, Kim P., had just returned from premiering our newly created show "Apocalypse 2006" at the FEZ-Berlin's biennial "Just Say It" Festival in Berlin, Germany.

Michael Kunsmann, programmer at the FEZ, had extended another invitation to DaPoPo - our third - for the next Just Say It! planned for November 2008 (later bumped to February 2009). This Festival is a celebration of English-language cultures and countries from around the world and draws hundreds of school-aged children and families from the greater Berlin area. Our show performances are typically for high school students, although we do participate in the daily opening ceremonies for all ages.

Leaving Berlin then, and considering the next festival, I wondered aloud to the DaPoPoli about an alternative to our adult-perspective creations. How potent would it be to have an ensemble of young performers create and present a show about issues important to them - telling their own stories and sharing with their peers?

Let's fast forward to tonight, almost two years later. An invited audience sat on the floor in a studio of the Halifax Ballet Theatre to watch the created performance of six emerging theatre artists aged 17-19: Aaron Andreino, Dylan Aucoin, Kaleigh Fleming, Sophie Fong, Ali Richarson and Holly Winter. They all had applied for and been invited to participate in an intensive workshop with DaPoPo. Garry and I introduced them to various physical theatre styles, vocal techniques and the DaPoPo aesthetic under the umbrella of ensemble training and collective creation. We spent almost sixty hours working over three weekends, using these tools in exploration and creation, and culminating with this presentation.

Tonight - the bar set high and boundaries challenged - we watched, along with gathered family, friends and DaPoPoli, as these young performers communicated their ideas in a way new and exciting to them - beautifully and enigmatically, humourously and profoundly. We are very proud of how each of them, in their own way, crossed thresholds... x

And while this is not the really real beginning of this project, it is a beginning of the next phase. Four of these workshop participants will join DaPoPo for our aptly-named "Berlin Project."

From now until February, the new youth ensemble will continue to work with Garry and I, as well as Eric and Annie V. (DaPoPo's ensemble-of-the-now), to prepare for a two week tour to Berlin. As dreamed in 2006, they will create a show for performance at the Just Say It '09 Festival .

They'll assist with workshops the veteran DaPoPoli facilitate at the festival. They'll also be assisting with behind-the-scenes work as we present two original shows "Four Actors in Search of a Nation" and "Apocalypse 2009" at TheaterForum Kreuzberg. AND they will be performing with us as cast for a special presentation of Cafe DaPoPo at The Fluxus Museum in Potsdam. Plus experiencing the wonderfulness of life, art, history and culture in Germany.

There are goals and there are obstacles ahead of us. We're going to lay it all out here as we go through it. So keep checking back. We'll introduce the ensemble members and you can see how things go for us from rehearsing to fundraising, work and social time, applying for passports and getting married (yup), planning the trip and actually being there... this blog goes on til the Berlin Project ends...