28 abr 2014

mañana teatro en la ONCE con el grupo LA CORDOBANA



---------- Mensaje reenviado ----------
De: dorado ruiz gomez <rafdorgu@hotmail.com>
Fecha: 28 de abril de 2014, 10:53
Asunto: FW: mañana teatro en la ONCE con el grupo LA CORDOBANA
Para:





From: RERL@once.es
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2014 08:37:36 +0200
Subject: mañana teatro en la ONCE con el grupo LA CORDOBANA
To:

 

 

MARTES CULTURALES.

 

29 DE ABRIL. TEATRO

 

LA CORDOBANA nos ofrece la obra ...

 

MALOS TIEMPOS

 

En plena posguerra española una compañía de variedades, lucha por sobrevivir. Una amalgama de personajes con sus historias personales, que al juntarse provocan situaciones que no dejarán al público indiferente.

DIRECCIÓN RAFAEL DORADO

OBRA DE RAFAEL DORADO

LA CORDOBANA es un grupo de Teatro aficionado de Córdoba.

LUGAR: salón de actos once córdoba

c/ doctor manuel ruíz maya 8.

Hora: 7 de la tarde.

ENTRADA LIBRE HASTA COMPLETAR AFORO.

24 abr 2014

Becas de la Fundación SGAE para la ampliación de estudios internacionales. Curso 2014/2015


SGAE RSS Facebook Twitter YouTube
Departamento de Socios
Jueves, 24 de abril de 2014
Plazo de entrega de solicitudes: hasta el 23 de mayo de 2014


La Fundación SGAE lanza una nueva convocatoria para la ampliación de estudios internacionales en materia de creación teatral, coreográfica, escritura de guiones, dirección audiovisual, creación de músicas populares y creación de música clásica actual. Con este programa la Fundación SGAE pretende estimular y facilitar la formación de los socios de SGAE a nivel internacional. El programa incluye una serie de becas integrales para un curso completo, así como becas para otras iniciativas formativas como talleres, seminarios, etc. 



© 2014 Copyright SGAE - Contacto - Aviso Legal y Política de Privacidad
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23 abr 2014

Célébration de la Journée Internationale de la Danse


International Theatre Institute
International Theatre Institute 22 de abril de 2014 17:57
Plus qu'une semaine pour la Journée Internationale de la Danse à l'UNESCO !

Pensez à réservez votre place avant qu'il n'en est plus !
Demande d'invitations : info@iti-worldwide.org // +33 1 45 68 48 82
International Dance Day Message 2014 by Mourad Merzouki (English subtitles)
Excerpt from the show Boxe Boxe Artistic Direction and choreography Mourad Merzouki Dancer Teddy Ver...

21 abr 2014

Festival Internacional Aita 2015

Confederación Española de Teatro Amateur - Centro Nacional Aita España
No ve este mail correctamente?
Vista en el explorador.


SPOTS OF WEST
Festival de Teatro Internacional Amateur AITA/IATA 2015
 
Queremos anunciar que el procedimiento de selección para el Festival Internacional de Teatro Amateur 2015 ha comenzado.
Opendoek vzw y AITA / IATA han invitado a los Centros Nacionales de las Regiones de AITA / IATA a designar a una de sus compañías de teatro amateur a participar en Spots op West 2015 en Ieper / Ypres  en Westouter del 6 al 13 julio de 2015.
 
http://www.spotsopwest.org/es/festival-2015
 
AQUÍ están las Reglas Generales del Festival con todos los requisitos que los candidatos deben cumplir. Este servicio está disponible, junto con algunos documentos adicionales en el sitio web .
 
Opendoek desea hacer hincapié en que los puntos teatrales de Spots op West 2015 se centra en en diversos tipos de escenarios, no en teatros tradicionales y en el lema 'On The Run' (En fuga). Las actuaciones no puede ser superiores a 45 minutos. Se limitarán las opciones técnicas y el tiempo de instalación.
 
La fecha límite para que el Centro Nacional Aita España envíe el expediente completo de su candidato propuesto es el 1 de octubre de 2014.
 
El formulario de inscripción o declaración está AQUÍ y en el sitio web, junto con instrucciones sobre cómo completar la candidatura.
 
Opendoek necesita tener una visión general del compromiso de los Centros Nacionales para saber de qué países esperan un expediente.
 
La declaración firmada de cada Centro Nacional con un SI o un NO hay compromiso de presentación de un grupo debe estar en poder de Opendoek el 1 de mayo de 2014.
Decir Sí implica que el Centro Nacional se compromete a enviar a Opendoek un dossier sobre un posible candidato antes del 1 de octubre de 2014.
 
Asegúrese de visitarnos en www.spotsopwest.org o Facebook .
 
Festival 2015
Bienvenido al el sitio web de Spots op West, el festival veraniego de teatro de OPENDOEK.
2015 va a ser una edición especial, porque "Spots op West" se internacionalizará. En cooperación estrecha con AITA/IATA asbl, la Associación Internacional de Teatro Amateur, compañías de teatro de todo el mundo llegaran al "Westhoek". Durante el festival también AITA/IATA asbl celebrara su Junta General y su Congreso en Ieper.
El teatro como ubicación es la característica mas importante de "Spots op West". Decenas de compañías actuarán en un teatro, un almacén, un cobertizo, un establo, una iglesia, una cripta, un bar, una sala o al aire libre... Además en 2015 dedicaremos atención especial a los jóvenes y el tema principal sera "On the run" (En fuga).
"Spots op West" tiene lugar en Westouter, un pequeño pueblo cerca de la frontera con Francia, en el "Westhoek", una región con mucha naturaleza, tranquilidad, las colinas de Flandes Occidental y el recuerdo de la Primera Guerra Mundial.
Puedes disfrutar de "Spots op West" tanto como miembro activo de un grupo de teatro o como espectador ferviente. Además de teatro habrá oportunidades para charlar, comer y beber.
"Spots op West 2015" se efectuará del 6 hasta el 13 de julio.
 
Mire en el sitio web y absorba el ambiente.
Bienvenidos a "Spots op West".

El Tema

El tema del festival es 'En Fuga'.
Entre 2014 y 2018, se conmemora el aniversario de la Primera Guerra Mundial en toda Europa, sobre todo en el Flandes Occidental, donde las unidades en los dos lados del frente sufrieron grandes pérdidas en el frente entre los años 1914 y 1918. Miles de personas huyeron de la guerra entonces, y miles huyen en día, mucha gente está "En Fuga", buscando una vida mejor.
Igual que aquellos, éstos huyen de algo: pobreza, hambruna… La guerra o la crisis hacen que la gente deje todo atrás, diga adiós a amigos, familia y a seres queridos. Spots op West 2015 quiere mostrar todas esas maneras de huir, todas las razones por las cuales la gente huye. No sólo de la guerra, sino también de la religión, de las circunstancias económicas, de uno mismo…

Reglamento

¿Quieres participar en Spots op West 2015?
Primero, debe leer detenidamente el reglamento. En él encontrarás toda la información necesaria sobre el festival, la organización y las fechas límites.
Es importante que tenga en cuenta que Spots op West se llevará a cabo en espacios no convencionales, estará dirigido a público juvenil y que la edición tendrá como lema 'En fuga'.
En los países en los que hay una representación oficial (un Centro Nacional) de AITA/IATA asbl, las solicitudes de participación serán cursadas por el Centro Nacional. Es decir, la mejor manera para presentar la solicitud de participación es a través de tu Centro Nacional de la AITA/IATA asbl en su país. Si no sabe muy bien cómo funciona la AITA/ATA asbl y cómo está estructurada, no dude en ponerse en contacto con el Comité Organizador de Spots op West 2015 directamente. Estamos encantados de ayudarte con el procedimiento.
Los espectáculos  procedentes de países que no tengan ningún miembro en la AITA/ IATA asbl, o los asociados a la AITA/IATA asbl, u otros organismos culturales representativos del teatro amateur del país, podrán presentar igualmente sus solicitudes de participación, pero de manera independiente.
Todas las solicitudes de participación implican la aceptación sin reserva del reglamento del Festival.
La tramitación de la solicitud de participación no otorga automáticamente el derecho de participar en el Festival. Sólo el Comité Mixto tiene competencias para adoptar las decisiones sobre la selección definitiva, tal y como se menciona en el artículo 27 del reglamento del festival.
Puede descargar el Reglamento desde:
http://www.spotsopwest.org/sites/default/files/generated/files/page/r_bases_spots_op_west_2015_s_20140127.pdf
 
O solicitarlo a Centro Nacional AITA España: centronacionalaita@gmail.com

Copyright © 2014 centro nacional aita españa, All rights reserved.
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Baza, Granada 18800
Spain

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4 abr 2014

Certamen de teatro en portugal 4º FITAVALE


Esta actividadpromivida por la plataforma platta  de la que forma parte la Federación de Teatro de Castilla y León miembro de la Confederación Española de Teatro Amateur - Centro Nacional Aita España  invita ala participación a todos los grupos nacionales, al 4º FITAVALE (en Paredes de Coura , Portugal), el plazo de inscripción finaliza el 13 de Abril, 






BASES DE PARTICIPACIÓN EN EL  FITAVALE 2014

1.     Podrá solicitar a participación en el  FITAVALE, cualquier asociación perteneciente á la FEDERACIÖN DE GRUPOS DE TEATRO DE CASTILLA Y LEÖN (www.teatroaficionado.es) 

 

2.     Solo se podrán programar obras que estén  perfectamente identificadas como de teatro aficionado.

 

3.     Las obras se representarán en castellano, pero se valorará cualquier adaptación, montaje  o medio que favorezca su comprensión por  público de habla Portuguesa y /o Gallega

 

4.     Los grupos interesados presentarán la documentación requerida, debidamente cumplimentada en los plazos establecidos.

 

5.     Las inscripciones se harán según la ficha adjunta.

 

6.     Cada grupo puede presentar una o más obras.

 

7.     Los grupos de teatro se comprometen a realizar la actuación propuesta en el Espacio y fecha designado por la organización ( Centro cultural de Paredes de coura,Parede de Coura:  Portugal el día 10 de Mayo de 2014 a las 21:30 horas)

 

8.     La  inscripción en el certamen  FITAVALE supone la total aceptación de las  presentes bases así como a resolución por la organización de cualquier supuesto no recogido en ellas.

 

 

 

4º FITAVALE es el festival itinerante de teatro aficionado del valle del Miño, organizado por Comedias do Miño de Portugal, este año acudirán invitadas una compañía de Castilla León y otra de Galicia como parte de las actividades de la plataforma Platta.

 

Información de la presente y pasadas ediciones en :

 

http://comediasdominho.blogspot.com.es/2012/06/caderno-fitavale.html

http://comediasdominho.com/FITAVALE-1

 

 

PLATTA, A través de Plataforma PLATTA, organizamos varias acciones de intercambio teatral entre Portugal, Galicia  y Castilla y León.

SELECCIÓN La Federación enviará las solicitudes de los grupos interesados a la comisión organizativa del FITAVALE. Esta comisión seleccionará al grupo de castilla y León que mejor se adapte a sus necesidades de programación.

COMPENSACIÓN ECONÓMICA La Federación destinara una ayuda económica al grupo seleccionado de la siguiente cuantía:

·         Grupos de 2 a 5 personas 400 €

·         Grupos de 6 a 8 personas: 600 €

·         Grupos de 9 o más  personas: 800 €

 

El sistema de cómputo de miembros de las compañías a tener en cuenta para la asignación de la compensación económica por esta actuación  seguirá las siguientes reglas:

 

·         Actores que participan en la obra con una presencia en escena superior a 5 minutos computan en su totalidad.

 

·         Actores que participan en la obra con una presencia en escena inferior a 5 minutos computan al 50%. .

 

·         Directores, Escenógrafos, iluminadores. Tramoyistas, Técnicos, acompañantes…Etc. de la compañía desplazados, computan en su totalidad (hasta un máximo de 3)

 

 Al acabar la actuación el grupo seleccionado deberá emitir una factura por el importe correspondiente a nombre de  la federación según el modelo adjunto en el ANEXO 2 o similar:

El grupo, hará referencia y mención expresas en todas sus relaciones con la prensa por esta actuación a la federación de grupos de Castilla y León, así como en cualquier soporte publicitario de la misma.

 

INSCRICIÓN  Las solicitudes se enviarán preferentemente por correo electrónico, Dropbox  google dreive, o cualquier otro medio telemático  a la siguiente direcciones:

                Federacion.teatro.cyl@gmail.com

Indicando en el asunto: PLATTA-Fronterizos 2014

                También podrán enviarse por correo ordinario a:

Federación  de grupos aficionados de teatro de Castilla y León

Avda. José Valgoma Suárez, 8 Bajo

24403 Ponferrada

 

La Federación, una vez que compruebe que cumple los requisitos, remitirá esta documentación  a la  comisión organizadora del FITAVALE. Será esta a que se comunique con el grupo que seleccione para resolver todas las cuestiones relativas a la programación, actuación, necesidades técnicas, recepción, etc.   El plazo de inscripción terminará el 13 de Abril de 2014

 

 

                                  Para más Información:

 

Federacion.teatro.cyl@gmail.com

www.teatroaficionado.org

+ 34 651 145 779

+ 34 651 145 779                                                                            


El formulario de incripcion puede solicitarse a la Confederacion, conf.esp.teatro.amateur@gmail.com
o directamente a la Federacion organizadora  
federacion.teatro.cyl@gmail.com
--
Federación de grupos aficionados de teatro de Castilla y León

Facebook: Federación Teatro Castilla León
Twitter:
@teatrocyl


                   

2 abr 2014

El espejismo de la industria cultural


Si desde la infancia, no se fomenta el estudio de materias que, de por sí, son arduas y dificultosas, en la adultez, resulta casi imposible adquirir el hábito. Entonces, ¿no sería mejor que los gobiernos dedicaran recursos económicos para guiar la sensibilidad del niño hacia las artes y las letras, en todo su recorrido educativo, en lugar de utilizarlos para subvencionar a las industrias culturales y creativas ─expresión seductora que esconde una mercantilización descarada de bienes culturales─, como se propone la Unión Europea mediante su programa "Europa Creativa 2014-2020", dotado con 2.300 millones de euros?
Leer articulo completo
line
Manu de Ordoñana
Donostia-San Sebastián
España

e-SGAE nº129 para Confederación Española de Teatro Amateur








El bloqueo como herramienta para frenar la piratería

La pasada semana el Tribunal de Justicia de la Unión Europea (TJUE) resolvió que los ISPs o proveedores de internet, estarán legalmente habilitados para bloquear sitios en los que se distribuyan de manera ilegal enlaces a material protegido por las leyes de propiedad intelectual.
Las industrias culturales españolas han venido solicitando reiteradamente el recurso al bloqueo  para detener la sangría de descargas no autorizadas de contenidos protegidos en la red. Sin embargo, la reforma en marcha de la LPI actualmente en el Congreso, no lo establece como medida ordinaria sino de forma condicionada.
Los autores europeos preocupados por la reforma de la propiedad intelectual en España.

Los más de 800.000 profesionales europeos de la música, las artes plásticas, la literatura y el audiovisual representados por GESAC (European Grouping of Societies of Authors and Composers) remitieron la pasada semana una comunicación a los responsables de la r eforma parcial de la Ley de Propiedad Intelectual en España , en la que le trasladaron su interés por los aspectos que este cambio normativo provocará en el sector.
En su carta, Christophe Depreter, presidente de GESAC, hace referencia al trascendental papel que en toda Europa, juegan las entidades de gestión colectiva, como piezas esenciales en la salvaguarda del patrimonio cultural. El respaldo de la UE al modelo actual se recoge en la recientemente aprobada D irectiva sobre gestión colectiva y derechos de autor , en la que se describe como un sistema eficiente y capaz de proteger a los creadores ante los intereses de los grandes usuarios.  
Iniciativa  √  
Premios Max 

Ya se conocen los finalistas de este año de los Premios Max de las Artes Escénicas.
La gala de entrega de los galardones se celebrará el próximo 26 de mayo en Madrid.
Toda la info aquí

1 abr 2014

AITA/IATA Arts Newsletter



CANADA READIES ARTISTIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE LIVERPOOL INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
by Carla Powell

      Every two years in May, the small seaside village of Liverpool, Nova Scotia, becomes a hub of international amateur theatre activity for five days. This year, the 12th Biennial Liverpool International Theatre Festival will take place between May 14 – 18, hosting troupes from around the world.

            This year’s Fest will unfold under the guidance of Eva Moore, an accomplished Canadian actor, director and producer. She is currently the Artistic Director/Producer of Canada’s New Actor’s Colony Theatre in Ontario, and has chaired the LITF on several previous occasions. “We’ve invited a strong and diverse selection from among a record number of entries” says Ms. Moore. “I am especially excited about the Kutasi Youth Theatre from Georgia, who were invited to LITF 2012, but unable to attend due to visa issues. I think it speaks to the stature of LITF that this group continued the fight to participate, and will perform this year.”  Along with Georgia, troupes from Algeria, Ireland, China, the USA, Mexico, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are slated to present work, as well as troupes from Nova Scotia.

            With each play performed in the language of the visiting country, audience members experience brilliant shows as proof that art transcends language barriers. “The cast knows that most of the audience do not speak the language that they are performing in,” says Jean Robinson-Dexter, Chair of the festival, “which requires great emphasis on the visual component of the plays…thus the audience is rarely in the dark as to what is happening on stage.”

            Off stage, there are additional learning opportunities for delegates and visitors.  Adjudicator Annette Procunier will provide morning commentaries and host discussions of the previous day’s plays during the famous morning ‘Coffee Critiques.’ Ms.  Procunier brings to the LITF years of experience in community and professional theatre, having worked festivals in Europe, Asia, Ireland, the USA and Canada. In 2009 the American Association of Community Theatre honored her as a Fellow for “single handedly raising the level of community theatre in America,” the only non-USA artist to win the award. Ms. Procunier is also the author of the 2010 book, Do You See What I See?: How to Adjudicate Theatre Festivals. The LITF adjudication process is not only educational and entertaining, but an essential building block for troupes that want to develop their productions to a higher level.

         Afternoon workshops help teach the fine points of theatre and this year Richard Finch, a native Trinidadian living in South Africa, will conduct workshops for school children and participants. Richard was a featured leader of colloques at the 2013 aita/iata Mondial. (See also the November 2013 issue of the
aita/iata ARTS NEWSLETTER for an in-depth article on his work.)

         “LITF is about more than 50 minutes on stage,” states Ms. Moore. “It’s a place where theatre standards are raised, limits are tested, risks are taken and knowledge is attained.” Delegates participate in the cross cultural exchange by visiting local schools to talk about theatre and their home countries, creating further understanding through culture.

            Learn more about this year’s 12th Biennial Liverpool International Theatre Festival by visiting the website at: www.litf.ca.

NEW TROUPES FROM PALESTINE AND CANADA WILL GRACE THE LINGEN FESTIVAL


 

    Aita/iata’s Standing Committee for Children and Youth has long sponsored the World Festival in Lingen-Ems that occurs every four years.  It is one of the largest youth festivals on earth, attracting dizens of groups from nations around the globe. From July 25 to August 1 this summer, hundreds of children from eighteen nations will gather in Lingen once again to celebrate the 13th aita/iata World Festival of Children’s Theatre.
     The creativity, dedication, and artistic expressiveness of young artists in Lingen has always been a hallmark of this Festival, a major cornerstone of the aita/iata organization. And one of the truly exciting artistic experiences at Lingen is the participation by new troupes each time the Festival occurs.  This year, several groups will present work in Lingen for the first time. According to Anne-Marie Jansen-Wieschebrock, Public Relations Director of the Festival, the eighteen troupes selected to appear in Lingen show “a wide diversity in content, form and artistic means.” Anne-Marie also hopes that bringing new groups to Lingen “may be a good chance to set up new networks, and link them to the global work of aita/iata” 

    One of these new children’s theatre companies is the Yes Theatre from Palestine. Yes Theatre (YT) is an NGO that has has been working since 2008 in the Hebron governorate--Palestine, in particular, and in other Palestinian governorates--implementing drama and theatre projects and programs with youth inside and outside schools, in cooperation with the Palestinian Ministry of Education, UNRWA and with other regional bodies in the Hebron Governorate. The group is led by the artistic staff of Ihab Zahda, Muhammed Titi, and Hamam Amero. 

    Yes Theatre aims at creating a generation that is aware of the significance of theatre and its positive effects on the individual and society. “These people have come together to create somehow a kind of cultural life, and to enhance life skills for Palestinian children and youth,” remarked Mohammad Titi, one of the group’s leaders and spokesmen. Yes Theatre’s core programs include plays for adults, youngsters and kids. In addition to that, YT offers training for teachers and school counsellors to use drama, storytelling, acting and other methods in teaching and dealing with students at schools. 

    “Yes Theatre is the product of a long and difficult process that has lasted fifteen years,” according to Managing Director Mohammad Issa. YT’s projects include Kids4Kids, Play4Kids, drama workshops, puppet workshops, Yes4Youth Training Program, and Yes4Future. We certainly welcome this Palestinian company to Germany and hope that this will not be the troupe’s only appearance on international stages, showcasing the fine work that they do in this troubled region of the mideast. 

    An exciting video of their work can be found on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnBDltDomP0. Numerous photos of their projects can also be found on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Yes-theatre-Palestine/289764851145997?sk=photos_stream.   

      A second troupe making their first appearance in Lingen this summer is The Original Kids Theatre Company (OKTC) from Canada. Founded in 1991, OKTC has grown from 12 members to now over 300 young actors. Led by Artistic Director Andrew Tribe and Program Coordinator Karen Hamilton-MacDonald, Original Kids Theatre Company enriches and celebrates the lives of young people through the arts, providing them with opportunities to mature and to learn positive values through a variety of theatre experiences in a safe and challenging environment.

    Each summer, over 700 young people create lifelong memories at their Summer Camp, operated out of Huron College in Western Ontario. The Company presents an array of theatrical projects including Broadway musicals, Shakespearean dramas, collective creations, contemporary plays, as well as offering programming in performing arts technique and leadership development. An annual March Break trip to New York City has become a highlight for senior-level Original Kids. 

    The troupe’s primary focus, though, is not fame and stardom, but the providing of a safe and creative haven for artistic youth. Dream Journey, a 50-minute play, is created by children under the direction of Jim Schaefer and Kathy Gerber. The focus is on the dreams of our young people; their hopes and fears in this multicolored world. The group uses music, movement, dance, pantomime and song as its theatrical language to move the story away from spoken text and towards more universal means of communication. By transcending language barriers, young audiences from all over the world can understand and enjoy our Dream Journey.

    Visit their website to see their artistic and teaching work at: http://originalkids.ca. Comments and photos of their most recent work can be found on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/OriginalKidsTheatre.


 

 

    

CHUA SOO PONG AND CHINESE OPERA IN SINGAPORE

 

 

    It was in 1995 that Dr. Chua Soo Pong was appointed by the National Arts Council to be the Founding Director of the Chinese Opera Institute (COI). He took up the challenge and commit himself to the major task of revitalizing the tradition of Chinese Opera in Singapore ever since. At that time, after 200 years of vibrant existence in this island nation, there were less than 20 Chinese Opera troupes still in existence. Today, traditional theatre is very much alive in the city state, with over 70 groups performing annually at theatre and community clubs. Since the 1990s, Dr. Chua has taken students and artists of COI troupes as well as several other opera groups to international festival performances in Europe, North and South America, and throughout Asia.

                                                     
     Dubbed “Singapore’s doyen of Chinese Opera” by Singapore Magazine in 2013, Dr. Chua has written over 30 operas himself, he has directed numerous performances of the COI troupes, and is the editor of the 1995 book, Traditional Theatre in Southeast Asia, and co-editor of the 2001 text The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre: Asia/Pacific. His 77 international tours have led COI artists to present work in Turkey, the United States, Canada, Germany, Austria, Iran, Japan, India and many other places.

    Few of us who have attended amateur festivals over the years are unaware of Dr. Chua’s work. A long-standing member of aita/iata, his troupe’s amateur performers training at the Chinese Opera Institute have splashed aita/iata’s world stages with the blazing color, physical energy, combative and acrobatic skills, sensational costumes and otherworldly vocal styles that are so much a part of what most of the world knows as “Chinese Opera.”

    But Chinese opera is in fact an impressive collection of theatrical styles loosely gathered into the genre.  Like “musical theatre” in the Western tradition (grand opera, Broadway, music hall, light opera, cabaret, operetta, etc.), the “Chinese Opera” developed many forms over the centuries, and under the influence of many different cultural regions. Unlike western musical theatre forms, Chinese opera is very old, tracing its roots to the early 3rd century C.E.  However, the style that emerged in the court of the Qing dynasty in the 19th century known as Beijing opera (Jingjiu) is perhaps the most familiar.

    Dr. Chua, however, is not strictly Chinese in his approach to the art form. He was born and raised in the cultural melting pot of Jakarta where the fascinating world of theatre, music and dance in wayang kulit (shadow puppet theatre) and wayang wong (Javanese dance theatre) was a part of life. This love continued after he moved to Singapore at four years old. Here, his grandmother brought him to Chinese operas at temple fairs. “These stories used to be enacted at different temples on different days,” he remarks, “and grandma and I used to follow them.”

    Dr Chua believes that Singapore’s multicultural ethos is another advantage for Chinese opera. His casts are often multi-racial: Chinese, Malays, Indians and even Europeans have played lead roles. Indeed, the multicultural interest has broadened the base for appreciation of Chinese opera in an evolving art scene. The music and movements determine that these experiments essentially remain Chinese opera. “Being able to portray the diversity of cultures is so beautiful,” he remarks.

    In writing his own operas, Dr. Chua has tried to push the boundaries of the traditional Chinese Opera. “All art forms are dynamic,” he declares. “They change over the years. My operas always keep the aesthetic principles intact. For example, in Ramayana, I kept the storyline but reset it in ancient China. In Mahabharata and Tale of Bukit Merah, I used Indian and Malay costumes but kept the original names of characters, and the music and songs are in Chinese opera style.”

    This year marks a big change in the work that Dr. Chua has been doing. In 2010 he retired from his post at the Chinese Opera Institute in order to catch up on his writing, and in 2013 he was appointed Senior Consultant of the Centre for Chinese Studies, SIM University in Singapore. Since 1983, he had also been serving as the Artistic Adviser of Singapore’s I-Lien Drama Society founded in 1957. The group experiments with a broad spectrum of plays, both Asian and western, and tours widely throughout Asia.
I-Lien Drama Society is a recent new aita/iata Associate, and in 2011 co-organized the Asian Regional Center’s Asia-Pacific Theatre Conference in Singapore. 
 

    Aita/iata members fortunate to attend the 2012 Toyama Festival were able to enjoy the I-Lien Drama Society’s young audience show, Run! Little Rabbit Run! Dr. Chua’s own play, Mouse Daughter’s Marriage, was seen at the Monaco International Theater Festival in August, 2013.

    Dr. Chua is touring again this year to several international festivals affiliated with aita/iata. One noteworthy appearance is scheduled for June in Venice, Florida, at the U.S.A.’s international festival where his actors will present the rarely seen form of Chinese Henan Qu Opera. Written by Dr. Chua himself, the presentation of The Mouse Daughter’s Marriage “will be the first time we perform it in the USA by a company from China,” he declares. “I went to rehearse the Qu Opera Troupe of Henan province in 2012 and a new cast will go to the U.S.A. Festival.”

    Dr. Chua remains very much an advocate for Chinese opera and many other Southeast Asian theatre forms at local and international levels. He has certainly accomplished his mission to bring Chinese opera to a new level of acceptance and appreciation. “The Chinese opera scene in Singapore is now much more vibrant than before, with a new generation of organizers and performers,” he declares. “There are not just better facilities, but also better opportunities to perform overseas. With the new media, the Chinese opera communities are now better connected with the theatre world.” 

    Let us hope that his work and that of his young performers continue to grace our world festival stages in the decades to come.


BELGIUM PLANS ARTISTIC EXCITEMENT AND CHALLENGES FOR AITA/IATA’s 2015 WORLD FESTIVAL AND CONGRESS

    Plans are well underway for launching aita/iata’s World Congress and Festival to be held in Belgium in 2015.  Sponsored by the Flemish National Theatre Association, Opendoek, the event will take place in Westouter, in the vicinity of Ypres, between July 6 - 13.

    The 2015 event will offer participants a number of exciting artistic challenges not ordinarily encountered at other world festivals of amateur theatre. Rob Van Genechten, President-Elect of aita/iata and the current President of Opendoek, noted that aita/iata’s 2015 World Festival and Congress is designed to attract adult theatre groups as well as youth groups, 16 - 26 years of age. The diversity of the accommodations offered to participants as well as the variety of performance venues serving “fringe theatre,” outdoor drama, traditional staging and other approaches “should lead to a healthy mix of theatrical productions, participants’ origins, ages and other features.”

    The Flemish Amateur Theatre Association, Opendoek, will build the aita/iata event upon their annual “Spots op West” festival held each year in the western region of Belgium. Frank Verdru, President of the Spots op West Steering Committee, explained that the theme of the 2015 event will be “On the Run.” The concept refers to the commemoration of the Great War of 1914-1918, “but also to the broader and more specific phenomenon of refugee issues.”

    The theme of “On the Run” will pose the first challenge that troupes will encounter in Westouter. All presentations must deal with this in some form. Plays might focus, for example, on refugees fleeing war-torn nations where millions today are threatened by civil unrest. Other theme-related possibilities could include population diaspora resulting from natural disasters, grinding poverty, and similar causes.  Plays that treat historical situations are also a possibility, especially the upheavals in Europe following WWI and WWII, the founding of the Jewish state, and other situations that displace millions of individuals even today. Or troupes may present work dealing with the flight into exile of notable individuals, such as Trotsky in Russia, Brecht and Peter Weiss leaving Germany, and so many others. The works can deal with the disruptive processes of the flight itself, the challenge of assimilation into another culture, or other issues. “On the Run” embraces many possibilities, and spectators can expect to encounter much variety in theatrical approach and new topics on the Festival stages.

    The stages themselves will present a second artistic challenge to Westouter audiences. Some venues will be outdoors, some will be “found spaces” at monuments or in different converted buildings and farm structures; and several shows will be able to utilize a “traditional” auditorium stage. But all of the venues will accommodate only small audiences so some of the troupes will be asked to perform their work two or three times.  Festival planner Lot Van Uffel expects that street theatre and site-specific work, in addition to more familiar types of staging will create unusual artistic challenges for the international ensembles.

    Opendoek’s Spots op West Festival has always been a very popular annual event attracting participants internationally, but next year’s event will greatly enlarged by the participation of so many global troupes. The Festival production list--with its accompanying colloques, the aita/iata Congress, and social networking opportunities--will challenge audiences and participants alike with unusual themes, different performance traditions, and different players to share ideas and exchange working methods.

 

    Complete information on the 2015 Festival and Congress can be found on the Spots op West website: http://spotsopwest.org/en/festival-2015. Their Facebook page can also be found at: https://www.facebook.com/spotsopwestfestival.  Applications are now being accepted from National Centers with troupes wishing to participate. The application deadline is October 1st, 2014.


U.S.A. PREPARES ITS 7TH WORLD FESTIVAL

 

                                                         
    The United States National Center is gearing up to present its international festival this summer in Venice, Florida from June 16 - 21. Organizers expect all six continents will be represented at the “AACTWorldFest,” in addition to numerous workshops, social events, and awards activities. The American Association of Community Theatre has been producing World Festivals every four years since 1990.

    This year’s Festival will be held at Venice Theatre in Venice, Florida. The venue features two stages for amateur theatre troupes: a 432-seat main stage auditorium to accommodate spectacle and large cast shows, as well as a 90-seat “black box” theatre to serve smaller casts and events with more intimate audience-actor contact. The resort city of Venice is located on Florida’s southwest Gulf Coast, boasting sunshine and balmy weather throughout the summer. The Venice area also offers Festivalgoers convenient airline connections, and a host of nearby tourist attractions for Festival participants.

    One of the salient artistic features of this USA Festival is the stringent focus upon theatrical work alone. The Festival does not include performance art, dance, video/film screenings, or other media on the week-long program. And in keeping with the international thrust of this year’s festival, the shows invited to AACTWorldFest 2014 have strong visual appeal and expressiveness for multilingual audiences. As Festival co-chair Murray Chase explains: “Each group may perform in its native language, but all productions are chosen so that anyone can follow what’s happening.”

    A second notable artistic feature of this Festival is the strength of its workshop offerings. AACT has long been committed to providing educational resources for the amateur theatrical community in the U.S.A.  Festival Co-Chairs Murray and Lori Chase have scheduled 15-20 free workshops by master teachers in skills such as Chinese opera (led by Dr. Chua Soo Pong), multimedia staging, musical theatre performance, voice master classes, sound production, directing, commedia dell’arte acting (led by guest artists Cinzia Grande and Andrea Lattari from Rome, Italy), and other areas. Broadway legend Ben Vereen will also offer a low-cost master class in musical theatre performance.  And young actors can take advantage of a 4-week intensive training workshop, prior to the Festival opening, offered by the Italian Company, Maner Manush. Commedia guest artists Cinczia Grande and Andrea Lattari from Rome, Italy, will work with younger students for a month and present a performance piece developing from the workshop, entitled The Inn of Crossed Destinies. You can look over the range of workshop topics by visiting the special Festival site: www.aact.org/world.

    Strong artistic responses to the shows are also a feature of Community Theatre festivals in the United States. The American Association of Community Theatre feels this is important for artistic growth to occur, and over the years has set in place a number of procedures and programs to accomplish it.  AACT’s frequent workshops strive to educate its members about "best practices" in stagecraft, acting, directing and other areas. AACT also trains individuals as play "adjudicators," critiquing shows for casts and for the public following performances. Often these responses are rigorous, and take the form of rankings for artistic excellence at regional and national AACT festivals. 

    This year's Festival will have three adjudicators responding to the plays for special recognition at the Festival's conclusion.  Professional stage director Benny Sato Ambush from Massachusetts will be one of the play responders; he will be joined by Kathy Pingel from the Des Moines Playhouse. The third Festival adjudicator will be Thomas Hauger from Denmark, past
aita/iata President, adding an international perspective to the post-performance critiques.

    Some of the presentations this year have been seen at other aita/iata festivals over the past few years such as Argentina’s offering,
Our Daily Bread, and Georgia’s Bald Soprano. Most of the 17 invited performances, however, are fresh and rarely seen by aita/iata festivalgoers, and none have ever graced the shores of the United States.  

    For example, Singapore’s
The Mouse Daughter’s Wedding, written and directed by Dr. Chua Soo Pong and presented by the Henan Qu Opera Group, is a rarely-seen example of this particular style of Chinese opera.  Dating from the Ming and early Qing dynasties, the Henan opera form has only rarely been seen in Europe, although the troupe has toured through China, as well as to festivals in Istanbul, Taipei and Hong Kong. 
   
      A second unusual Festival offering will be a 30-minute social issues drama from South Africa's Stellenbosch University,
Lucky the Hero! The mini-musical will be presented as an "alternative offering" at the festival, and is performed in Afrikaans and English. The show is designed to tour the Stellenbosch region educating audiences about the need and value of testing for the HIV and AIDS diseases. 

    Other troupes presenting at the AACTWorldFest this summer come from Germany, Bangladesh, Denmark, Armenia, Togo, Latvia, Israel, South Africa, Italy, Canada, Russia, New Zealand and the U.S.A. Notes Murray Chase: “The diversity we will see at this festival is truly remarkable.”
    The Festival website (multilingual) contains complete information on festival schedules, travel arrangements, admission prices, shows, registration forms, workshops and more. Visit it at: http://venicestage.com/international/.

 

Copyright © 2014 aita/iata-Dr Roger Ellis, All rights reserved.
This newsletter is being sent to all aita/iata member organizations, associate members & selected individuals
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aita/iata-Dr Roger Ellis
Grand Valley State University
School of Communications
Allendale, MI 49401


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