A Spiritual Quest for the Soul of the World
A Musical / Dramatic Interpretation
of
Paulo Coelho’s
Manual of the Warrior of Light
A Spiritual Quest for the Soul of the World
A Musical / Dramatic Interpretation of Paulo Coelho’s Manual of the Warrior of Light
WRITE2PERFORM ARTS INITIATIVE
Company Number: NI 610704
WHO WE ARE
WRITE2PERFORM Arts Initiative is an Irish-Based, New York-Influenced [International / Multi-Cultural] Theatre Production & Educational Company; an Inter-Disciplinary, Limited by Guarantee (Non-Profit) Ensemble-Collective of Amateur, Student and Professional Artists Administrators, with Charitable Status and Social-Enterprise Ideals
OUR MISSION
To Encourage, Develop and Inspire the Personal, Professional & Artistic Growth of Emerging and Established Theatre-Practitioners by Challenging Pre-Conceived Ideas of Performance-Arts, upon the Global Stage, through Theatre-Events and Arts-Projects such as…
(1) Re-Imagined Versions of Classic & Contemporary Texts,
(2) Post-Textual & Performative Renderings of Original Concepts,
(3) Musical / Dramatic Interpretations of Filmic-Literary Material,
Conceived and Showcased [Simultaneously or Alternatively] in Ireland and United States
Warriors of Light: A Spiritual Quest for the Soul of the World
A Musical / Dramatic Interpretation of Paulo Coelho’s Manual of the Warrior of Light
This will be the fully-realised version of what had been developed and executed; showcased at the Irondale Center, Brooklyn 2012 as part of World Wide Lab; a collective of (14) international Directors, forged through involvements with Lincoln Center Directors’ Lab, Manhattan, 2010 and residency at the Watermill Center, Long Island, 2011. We want to develop the content; the structure, narrative and imagery of Warriors of Light: a Musical / Dramatic Interpretation of Paulo Coelho’s Manual of the Warrior of Light and, it is our intention to fully-execute this as a theatre-event encompassing choreographed-physical movement married to an original score and by excavating Coelho’s motivational book so that themes of a new feminine religion, born from the conflict between cult and organised religions unfold.
The concept of this work was born from working with Liz Piccoli, our New York-based Choreographer on Capulets & Montagues: a Post-Textual Re-Telling of Shakespeare’s Tragedy – which we staged at the Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast and Waterside Theatre, L’Derry during 2012. The sub-textual movements of a masked ‘female’ character, representing the characters of Tybalt and Mercutio, reacting to and against the Montague and Capulet families on either side of a live Chess game were conceived and rehearsed via Skype (between Belfast and Manhattan). Thus, the dramatic confrontations between two similar parties, the gender manipulation, the performative rendering of existing texts, the power of verbal and physical performances plus the overall Trans-Atlantic ethos of the company emerged and that is why we want to maintain this aesthetic in workshops, rehearsals and within our end-products.
We want to adapt Paulo Coelho’s book, made up of motivational statements and parables, so that in a parallel world, it becomes a ‘new’ bible; a bible that is now worshipped and adhered to by a majority of women. The text becomes speeches, monologues, lyrics to songs, dialogue between characters and also rhetoric from the pulpits, occupied by female ministers. As we operate an ensemble-collective of artists – Ireland and New York – the narrative concerns two factions of this new religion called Warriors of Light. One is based in Coney Island, New York and the other is based in Coney Island, Ireland. The premise is that an Irish girl begins to question the doctrine and the Warrior’s rules which lead to confrontation and debate with a New York girl who holds on firmly to her beliefs.
We want, in the same vein as we are doing with much of our process-driven and rehearsed work to have a live audience in Ireland who will witness open and re-staged developmental / rehearsal processes whilst, simultaneously, a New York audience, live on-line, will also witness the same showcase. Therefore, as an educational initiative, during a period of (24) weeks the end-product will be marketed, having received vital input from peers, performing arts enthusiasts, critics, reviewers, venue staff and off-course, the general public who can then, based on their discussions, debates, questioning and critiques, witness them fully.
DEVELOPMENT
25th November 2013 – 7th March 2014
Based upon the piece that was showcased at Irondale Center, Brooklyn 2012 and a new template script for the fully-realised 2014 version, W2P workshops will be publicised throughout Belfast, Dublin and Mid-Ulster to gain the interest (passion / enthusiasm) of actor-performers.
The show, at-present, will require the following cast…
ACTOR-PERFORMERS
The Beautiful Woman / God / Ascetic
The Boy
The Boy’s Mother / Guardian Angel / Puritan
The Boy’s Father / Poet / Moralist
Old Fisherman / Wise Chinese Man / Guardian of Social Values
(3) School Bullies / Friends / True Companions
(3) Fishermen / Disciples
The Boy as Man / Warrior of Light
Priestess of Coney Island, New York
Minister of Coney Island, Ireland
(6) Angels / Students / Teachers
Francesca in Coney Island, Ireland
Sinead in Coney Island, New York
The Opponent-Enemy / Devil / Penitent
Jesus Christ the Spiritual Master
…And, these Actor-Performers will emerge from workshops, facilitated by W2P members, in Dublin, Belfast and Cookstown wherein they will learn new techniques and methods of theatre-practice whilst forming bonds and friendships with each other; aiding the growth of the Company and the progress of the theatre-event.
Workshops will be 3-4 hours in duration, each day and will be held one day per week in each location –
Tuesdays (1.00pm – 5.00pm); Burnavon Arts & Cultural Centre, Cookstown
Thursdays (1.00pm – 5.00pm): Morton Community Centre, Belfast
Fridays (11.00am – 2.00pm): The Exchange, Dublin
Over a 12 week period, every 2nd week a musical score and song-writing composition session (in each location) will be facilitated and every 3rd week a choreography session (in each location) will be hosted.
The purpose of this development period – which will entail the writing of the text and songs, based on what occurs within sessions – is to become succinct in the styles, formats and ideals of W2P (Characterisation / Movement / Images / Vocals / Colours); how – as a unit – a unique theatre-event can be conceived, shaped and delivered.
INTERNATIONAL SHOWCASE:
13th – 15th March 2014
The Ulster Hall – Group Space, Belfast
From Concept to Reality: How a W2P Theatre-Event is Created!
The (Cookstown, Belfast and Dublin) groups come together and through an amalgamation of press conference, interactive workshop and performance displays, an audience in the Ulster Hall Group Space conjoined with a live New York audience in the Culture Hub, La Mamas – consisting of members of the general public, peers, collaborators, critics and performing arts students – will witness process-based theatre work which they will also help shape and promote, leading towards rehearsals.
REHEARSALS
17th March 2014 – 8th June 2014
DRESS & TECHNICAL REHEARSALS
9th and 10th June 2014
PREVIEWS
10th and 11th June 2014
PUBLIC PERFORMANCES
Ireland
12th – 20th June 2014
The Waterfront Hall, Studio Space, Belfast
New York
July 2014
Edited Live On-Line Version –
Harlem Theatre Festival, New York
August – September 2014
La Mamas, New York.
Aims and Objectives
1. To encourage and promote new talent and originality within theatre amalgamating art-forms such as (film-media / music / art-photography / costume design / dance-choreography / scenic-set design and much more).
2. To offer opportunities to adult learners / artists who may want to re-enter the arts industry or revitalise and improve existing talents and abilities – through further learning and experiences.
3. To conceive and develop Post-Textual & Performative Renderings of original theatrical texts by emerging and established writers – assisting the writing process and seeking public platforms to showcase the work.
4. To conceive and develop re-imagined versions of classic and contemporary texts – seeking a public platform to showcase the work.
5. To conceive and develop musical / dramatic interpretations of filmic and literary material – seeking a public platform to showcase the work.
6. To utilise non-stereotypical performance spaces such as industrial premises, Warehouses, bars and night-clubs – bringing new audiences and commercialism into these venues.
7. To offer artists (across many mediums and forms) the opportunities to meet, connect with, engage in conversations and correspondence with and begin collaborations with like-minded individuals.
8. To create the possibilities of an amalgamation; a coming together of the multi-cultural, multi-denominational and inter-disciplinary artists within our society.
9. To permit an integration; a bonding of amateur, student and professional arts-practitioners working with and for each other through employment and collaborations.
10. To offer taught-facilitated courses and workshops to in-house members and to exterior artists, business professionals and members of the community (youth groups / creative writing groups / theatre groups-companies / religious groups etc).
11. To supply consultation and tutorial services and resources to emerging and established writers, directors, producers, performers etc.
12. To adhere to an ethos of volunteerism wherein work carried out by W2P teachers, facilitators, artists and administrators etc above (20) hours per week will be free-of-charge.
13. To maintain a policy of ‘giving back’ to the communities and environments that played a part in our growth and the growth of all those who participate or become members of W2P by allocating 10% of all wages and 10% of annual profit to charities, to community-related projects, to suppliers and venues for their in-kind assistance and back into the Arts Initiative to sustain continual projects and development.
14. To ensure relationships are upheld between theatre companies and theatre venues by offering a service to bring people from many rural and diverse areas to shows and inform-educate those people about the history of; the nature and content of the show and also of the building they are visiting and the company who are staging the work.
15. To offer individuals the skills and knowledge on how to network themselves within theatre, literary and arts environments.
16. To offer theatre companies, artistic directors, directors and producers plus writers dramaturgical packages which aid their endeavours within creative and administrative processes
17. To initiate the set-up of reading, writing and performance groups – generated from those who are members of W2P or who have participated in courses, workshops etc.
18. To integrate individuals into a modern approach to Northern Irish-Americanised (theoretical and practical) theatre practice via (simultaneous or alternative) development and showcasing of work in Ireland and New York; an on-line / multi0media, Trans-Atlantic exchange of ideas and methods, enhancing each theatre-event & arts-project.
19. To engage with communities and offer them platforms in order to talk about and perform their stories.
20. To re-define the boundaries between art and the artist, between the artist and commercialism; artistic integrity and mainstream populism.