HIP HOP MEETS PHYSICAL THEATRE

Following the success of our Otara pilot programme in 2010 Red Leap brings their Hip Hop meets Physical Theatre workshop programme to Auckland central.

Award winning street dancer and Red Leap company member Justin Haiu teams up with Red Leap Co-director Julie Nolan to offer a two day workshop programme for people from a Hip Hop background interested in learning a little about physical theatre.

The workshop is free thanks to the generous support of Auckland Council's Creative Community Scheme. We do ask participants to commit to both days and to byo lunch.

WHEN: Saturday 16 April - 10am to 3pm

Saturday 30 April - 10am to 3pm

WHERE: D2 Dance Studio 2, Unitec

To register for your place contact Lauren on 021 222 5682 or lauren@redleaptheatre.co.nz

Otara Workshop Participant Feedback 2010 -

“I learnt ways of using bodies to tell stories, how to use “dance” as a way of movement, transitioning between scenes and how to devise stories starting from movement. These are things I can use in my teaching as a drama teacher in a school where students love movement/ dance”.

David Riley, drama teacher Tangaroa College

“The Red Leap physical theatre/ hip- hop workshop was a fantastic opportunity to explore new creative processes. The workshop allowed me to work in new physical ways and broaden my movement vocabulary to include partner work and physical contact. It was great to be able to bring my own experience of hip hop and b – girling and to both look at new ways of working within this>

Carlene Newall

“It was a great workshop, I haven’t done anything like this before so I really enjoyed exploring this new artform. I really liked the structure of the day and how we built on each exercise. The girls and Justin were great, they really made everyone feel comfortable. Particularly enjoyed incorporating physical contact into movement as we have never done that before and don’t usually do that in hip hop! Thank you for a great workshop, it was awesome and very enjoyable, really enjoyed all the new skills and tools we learnt. Thanks Julie, Kate and Justin”.

Amelia Lynch

“Red Leap Theatre was a great experience for me coming from a hip hop background, it was awesome, it was good to have a little change. But the thing that I disliked was ending the workshop, because I really liked it, I hope there will be more in the future.

The instructors were great

The people were great

Everything was great

Red Leap Theatre was the best experience

Red Leap Theatre rocks”

Hemi Wiki (age 15)

MAJOR AWARDS FAIRYTALE ENDING TO BREAKTHROUGH YEAR FOR RED LEAP THEATRE

14th December 2010

Creator of international Festival hit The Arrival, Red Leap Theatre, is ending 2010 on a high, with a new AucklandArts Festival work in the wings; major recognition from the Arts Foundation of New Zealand, and six wins at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards.

The Arts Foundation of New Zealand today announced Red Leap co-director, Kate Parker, as one of five 2010 recipients of its prestigious $25,000 New Generation Awards.

On Sunday 5 December, Red Leap’s magical production The Arrival swept the Chapman Tripp Wellington Theatre Awards, winning six awards, including Production of the Year. Julie Nolan, the co-director of Red Leap, was named Director of the Year.

The recognition caps two years of tremendous success for Red Leap Theatre, which was formed in 2008, by longtime collaborators Kate Parker and Julie Nolan, and producer Lauren Hughes. Their first work, The Arrival was developed and commissioned by Auckland Arts Festival. The Arrival premiered at Auckland’s Civic Theatre in March 2009 to both public and critical acclaim, and box office success, and went on to win plaudits at Sydney Festival, Hong Kong Arts Festival and the NZ International Arts Festival.

Red Leap’s new work, Paper Sky – A Love Story, the tale of Henry, a loner, and the mysterious Lumina, will premiere at the Mercury Theatre and the Glen Eden Playhouse, in March 2011, as part of Auckland Arts Festival. Further international tours of The Arrival are planned for 2011.

Red Leap founders and company co-directors, Kate Parker and Julie Nolan, say the awards are a great boost to the company, and a tribute they share with their supporters and creative collaborators.

“You can't win awards like this without the support of an incredible team,” says Kate Parker.

“Many, many people have given their time and energy to create our work with us and these awards are an opportunity to celebrate and thank them. Without this energy we would have ideas without form, and talk with no action.

“These awards have given me the impetus to continue with the business of being an artist, which at times can be such a challenge financially.”

Julie Nolan paid tribute to Australian author Shaun Tan, whose book The Arrival was the basis for Red Leap’s award-winning theatre production.

“When I remember making The Arrival, I think of many, many brave and generous people, right back to the people whose stories were gathered for Shaun Tan to create the book that inspired us so deeply, and his generosity in allowing us to tell the story in our way,” she says.

“Also the people who shared their incredible stories of migration and displacement with us, the extraordinary cast, the designers, production crew, the festival team, interns, volunteers, our families - this work was made with layers and layers of support and dedication.

“Receiving these awards are a tribute to the collective energy that goes into a work of this scale and our commitment as a company to exploration and innovation in the creative process.“

Auckland Arts Festival Chair, Victoria Carter, and Chief Executive, David Inns, congratulated Kate, Julie and the company on behalf of the Festival team.

“The Festival is thrilled to see this well-deserved success for one of our most exciting arts companies,” says Victoria Carter. “We have been proud to work with Kate and Julie over the past few years.”

“This is a great example of the role a Festival fulfills: nurturing and developing a show, then helping the company produce and promote a work, growing an audience and then helping it tour.

“More than 11,000 people in New Zealand, Australia and Hong Kong have now seen this wonderful Kiwi work.”

Auckland Arts Festival Artistic Director, David Malacari, said he considered Red Leap Theatre to be one of the country’s brightest creative companies.

“Supporting the work of our many fine artists is one of the primary functions of Auckland Arts Festival,” he says.

“The success of Kate Parker and Julie Nolan with The Arrival is a testament to their creativity and artistry and I am really proud of our role in that success. The Arrival is only one step on their path as artists and I eagerly anticipate their future projects – including the new work they will be presenting in Auckland Arts Festival 2011, Paper Sky.

“Great artists will keep creating and I congratulate Kate Parker on this award knowing that she has so much more to say and to give to audiences, and I eagerly look forward to the stories that she will tell.”

The New Generation Awards are funded by Freemasons New Zealand and are available to artists in the early stages of careers with significant achievements and an exciting future ahead. In 2010, five Awards of $25,000 each were presented to recipients were selected by curator Lynn Freeman, from National Radio’s Arts on Sunday. Detailed information on all recipients is available at www.thearts.co.nz

The 2010 Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards celebrated professional theatre in Wellington, with an awards ceremony on Sunday 5 December. A panel of Wellington theatre critics selected nominees in 19 categories from 100 eligible shows. The Arrival won six awards: Production of the Year, Most Original Production, Director of the Year (Julie Nolan), Costume Designer of the Year (Elizabeth Whiting), Set Designer of the Year, (John Verryt), and Most Promising Female Newcomer of the Year (Ella Becroft).

MEDIA ENQUIRIES:

Rachel Lorimer

Senior Publicist

Tel: +64 9 374 0317

Cell: +64 21 436 503

rachel.lorimer@aucklandfestival.co.nz

The Arrival - Production of The Year 2010

6th December 2010

We are thrilled to have picked up six Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards for The Arrival:

Best Production
Most Original Production
Best Director - Julie Nolan
Best Set Design - John Verryt
Best Costume Design - Elizabeth Whiting
Newcomer of the Year - Ella Becroft

This is a huge credit to everyone involved in making this work and in keeping it alive, to name just a few;

CREATIVE TEAM: Kate Parker, Julie Nolan, Andrew McMillan, Jeremy Fern, John Verryt, Elizabeth Whiting

CAST: Alison Bruce, Jarod Rawiri, Sally Stockwell, Chris Graham, Tahi Mapp Borren, Justin Haiu, Ella Becroft, Jared Turner, Veronica Brady, Tama Jarman

PRODUCTION: Lauren Hughes, Josh Hyman, Conan Richards, Ian Flynn, Dahnu Graham

INTERNS: Robin Kerr, Emmett Skilton, Jess Smith, Kay Smith

WORKSHOP DEVISORS: Rob Mokoraka, Eve Gordon, Richard Vette, Trygve Wakenshaw, Barnie Duncan, Rudi Vodanovich, Olivia Tennet, John Radford

OTHER VALUED CONTRIBUTORS: Simon Coleman, Jessika Verryt, Michael Parmenter, Charles Koroneho, Felicity Letcher, Anders Falstie Jensen, Sally Markham, Chris OConnor, John Bell, Dave Ward, Jim Pineapple, Sean Lynch, Andrew Malmo, Wendy Preston, Francois and the Mixit crew, Sophie Bryne, AUCKLAND FESTIVAL, CREATIVE NEW ZEALAND, ARTS ALIVE, ASB Trust, Sydney Festival, Hong Kong Arts Festival, NZ International Arts Festival, our families, the audiences and of course our inspiration SHAUN TAN.

Much love to all our friends, whanau and collaborating artists
from Kate Parker, Julie Nolan and Lauren Hughes

Red Leap Theatre hatches a new opportunity for theatre makers

27th July 2010

Red Leap Theatre (creators of The Arrival) announce Red Leap INCUBATOR, a workshop programme designed to mentor artists interested in making devised, physical theatre, and to support the seeding of new work.

Red Leap INCUBATOR is a week long workshop led by Co-Directors Kate Parker and Julie Nolan. Participants are asked to come with their own concept for a new work. INCUBATOR provides an opportunity for artists to work with their peers to physically challenge and develop those ideas.

Kate Parker explains “since The Arrival premiered in Auckland Festival, 2009 we find ourselves frequently approached by others seeking our input into the development of their work. We are not in a position to help every individual on their own time frame but we are thrilled that through INCUBATOR we can support others develop their ideas in a safe, creative environment.”

The workshop is based on process not product. Julie Nolan explains “INCUBATOR provides an opportunity for artists to let go of the preciousness of creating and get on with making. This week will only be the first step in a much longer process for many of these works. We hope that the artists involved will complete INCUBATOR with greater confidence as initiators, faith in the devising process and a heightened sense of creative possibility.”

There are twenty places available in INCUBATOR.

Applications are due by 31 August 2010

Selection will be announced by 10 September 2010

INCUBATOR takes place:

Monday 27 September to Friday 1 October 2010, 10am to 4pm daily

St David’s Presbyterian Church Hall, Grafton

Cost - $50 per person

For more information or an application form contact lauren@redleaptheatre.co.nz / 021 222 5682

A Milestone Year for Red Leap

29th April 2010

As we trudge through the dreary job of end of year accounts and endless stakeholder reports we are buoyed by an incredible sense of achievement. In the 12-13 months between The Arrival's premiere in Auckland in March 2009 and it's season in the NZ International Festival in March 2010 Red Leap Theatre has:

performed to 11,022 people in three countries including students from 46 New Zealand Schools
involved 500 children, community members and fellow professionals in devising and physical theatre workshops including those involved in
Arts Residencies in Avondale, Otahuhu, Pakuranga Intermediate Schools and De La Salle College where we explored the Migrant Experience through creativity. (thanks to the Global Education Fund)
started to workshop a brand new work scheduled to premiere in 2011 (thanks to Creative New Zealand and Auckland Festival's Watch This Space)
contracted more than 30 professional kiwi practitioners as performers, designers and crew
worked with 8 interns (and have since promoted 2 of them to core cast members)
sold out our season of The Arrival at Hong Kong Arts Festival and had the show declared as a highlight of both Sydney and the NZ International Festivals by critics
sent Kate and Julie as Artists in Residence at the Creative October Education Programme in Hong Kong (thanks to Hong Kong Arts Festival)
sent Lauren to promote the company at the Western Arts Alliance Conference in Phoenix, the Australiasian Performing Arts Market in Adelaide and the PANNZ NZ Performing Arts Market in Wellington (thanks to Creative New Zealand)
launched this website (thanks to @URL) and started to build a community of supporters attracting comment by audience members and bloggers world wide - “New Zealand Company Red Leap Theatre, led by Kate Parker and Julie Nolan, capture the exact essence of what theatre should be about" Emma Bell of Stagewhispers
were dubbed a "major force in NZ Theatre" by John Smythe of Theatreview

We are in the process of establishing the Red Leap Theatre Charitable Trust to allow us to open doors to new funding and partnership opportunities. We also continue to seek presentation opportunities for The Arrival and look forward to continuing the development of our New Work later this year.

Sincerest thanks to all who have helped us on our journey thus far, in particular our incredible casts and creative collaborators and their families.

Arohanui

Lauren, Kate and Julie

New Work in Development

22nd April 2010

We are approaching the end of the first workshop period on our new work. This original devise will be a very intimate love story, but of fantastical proportions. The devising cast consists of Alison Bruce and Justin Haiu (The Arrival), Paolo Rotondo (The Butcher's Daughter) and Red Leap newcomers Julia Croft and Emmett Skilton. Standby for more details as we approach a 2011 premiere.

The Arrival takes Sydney by storm

17th January 2010

The company conclude their Sydney Festival engagement with one final show tomorrow night. We were honoured to have had our muse, the marvellous, Shaun Tan in attendance on opening night and are pleased to report that the show has had a wonderful reception across the season. Australian Stage -http://www.australianstage.com.au/201001123106/reviews/sydney-festival/the-arrival-|-red-leap-theatre.html

Every once in a while you see a show that is such a breath of fresh air that you feel aglow when you walk out of the theatre: The Arrival is that kind of show.

an excellent, multi-talented cast and such an astonishingly wide array of finely honed stagecraft, this is a genuinely magical show not to be missed.

Short of alienating those stick-in-the-muds with the staunchest insistence on seeing only traditional, dialogue-driven naturalism, The Arrival is a piece of exciting, uplifting theatre that should be embraced by all who have the good fortune to experience it.

Arts Hub - http://www.artshub.com.au/au/news-article/reviews/performing-arts/the-arrival-a-highlight-of-the-festival-180160

Visually stunning, the show is at times very funny, at others extremely moving and emotional.

A mesmerizing, enthralling production rapturously received that speaks both of the past yet to the present. Don't miss it.

The Daily Telegraph

The wildly energetic production is worthy of Tan's evocative original. And then there is the less formal but equally previous feedback from our audience such as this unsolicited email recieved via our website:

i have just seen the arrival in sydney and wanted to let you know that it was a most moving, overwhelming, delightful as well as frightening experience - something many more people should see - a private performance for all politicians in canberra would open a few eyes and hearts. thank you for your company use of its many skills and talents to inspire and touch us so deeply.

Thank you to all of you that have helped us achieve this remarkable milestone, especially Shaun Tan, Auckland Festival, Creative New Zealand and the many artists that contributed to our development process. Next stop Hong Kong Arts Festival (SOLD OUT) and then Wellington for the NZ International Arts Festival. I hope all you Wellingtonian's have your tickets! http://www.nzfestival.nzpost.co.nz/theatre/the-arrival

Bravo Alison, Chris, Conan, Dahnu, Drew, Ella, Elizabeth, Ian, Jarod, Jared, Jeremy, Jessika, John, Josh, Julie, Justin, Kate, Sally, Simon, Tama, Veronica. You have done Red Leap proud.

PS Red Leap Theatre starts workshopping our new work in February... very exciting... will keep you posted.

Open Day Auction List Announced

24th November 2009

We are delighted to announce the hot line up of Auction Items that will be available for bidding at our upcoming Open Day on Sunday 6 December:

Red Leap Theatre Fundraising Auction - download the list here

List at 23/11/09. Photographs and more details yet to come.

1. Original sketch by Shaun Tan

Not found in any of his books, this is a truly unique work by Shaun Tan.