Volcano Theatre’s inFORMING CONTENT is back this May. Check-out the ways you can participate in this FREE event.

Body Theatre’s Artistic Director, Clare Preuss, along with a great team of leaders will guide brave artists in experimental live art! Join as a co-creator or come see what artists create in one weekend of inspiring group research and collaboration.

sarah jane pelzner and carla melo – inFORMING CONTENT 2012

http://volcano.ca/education/education_informingcontent.php

“Practice and all is coming” ~ Sri K. Pattabhi Jois

CLARE

Many thanks to the wonderful team at National Arts Centre for hosting an inspiring week-long developmental workshop of Donna-Michelle St. Bernard’s 54ology. Donna-Michelle is the NAC’s current playwright in residence and is doing some incredibly inspiring writing during her term.

Body Theatre’s Artistic Director, Clare Preuss had the opportunity to collaborate with the whole ensemble both textually and physically last week – what a great opportunity to jam on some of Canada’s most important new play creation!

TORONTO winter

Body Theatre wishes you all the best during this festive time of year!  Peace

“The purpose of art is the gradual, lifelong construction of a state of wonder and serenity.” Glenn Gould

Body Theatre’s Artistic Director, Clare Preuss, is the new Associate Artistic Director at Volcano Theatre!  This internship is made by Theatre Ontario’s Professional Theatre Training Program, funded by the Ontario Arts Council. This position coincides with her continued dedication to Body Theatre.

“I am excited about my newly begun Associate Artistic Directorship at Volcano Theatre.  This training is essential to my growth as a Director and the Artistic Director of Body Theatre.  Volcano is at the forefront of innovative, experimental and interdisciplinary new Canadian theatre development and production.  They tour their shows nationally and internationally and are focused on work that is often political and always intellectually and viscerally engaging.  Both Artistic Director Ross Manson and General Manager Meredith Potter are generously sharing information and experience that will help me develop my abilities to direct and produce efficiently and effectively.

I am continually taking classes to develop my skills as a director and choreographer and I am delighted that Volcano has offered free attendance at both their 2014 and  2015 conservatories.  I have taken classes at this training program in the past and feel that they are some of the best workshops in the country for developing the kind of skills I need.

My passion to serve the community as a Director and Artistic Director leads me to seek out and collaborate with revolutionary artists whose political, poetic and truth-filled work is conducive to my highly collaborative, socially conscious, physically rigorous approach to theatre creation.  I am an avid member of the Canadian theatre community and am keen to continue developing my directorial practice through exciting associations with companies like Volcano, whose work is in alignment with my intent as a Director and the Artistic Director of Body Theatre.

Many thanks to Volcano, Theatre Ontario and the Ontario Arts Council for this incredibly useful opportunity”

Clare Preuss

For more information about Volcano Theatre, check out their website at http://volcano.ca/

Many thanks to Stratford Festival’s Creative Associate for Special Projects, Keira Loughran, and the Stratford new play development team for organizing a developmental workshop of Donna-Michelle St. Bernard’s play Give it Up.  Thanks to Stratford actors Karl Ang, Nehassaiu deGannes and Carmen Grant for their insightful work.

Also thanks to Keira for inviting Body Theatre’s Artistic Director, Clare Preuss, to be part of a Stratford panel: The Making of Meaning. This panel related to devised theatre stemming from physical creation which is closely related to Clare’s Body Theatre method and was applied to the Give it Up workshop which she directed and Keira dramaturged.  Clare was honored to be part of such a this panel discussion and demonstration.

GIVE IT UP word jam

Tomorrow Body Theatre’s Artistic Director, Clare Preuss, and Salome’s Clothes playwright, Donna-Michelle St. Bernard will begin a two day workshop of Donna-Michelle’s new play Give it Up at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival!  This project is part of Stratford’s LAB facilitated by Salome’s Clothes and Give it Up dramaturg, Keira Loughran, and featuring Stratford Festival actors.

Many thanks to NOW Magazine for naming Salome’s Clothes in five OUTSTANDING categories in the NOW SummerWorks roundup: play, production, ensemble, direction and design.

Cheers to the whole team for their collaboration and thanks to all audiences who came out to see Salome’s Clothes!

http://www.nowtoronto.com/stage/story.cfm?content=194035

Thanks to Martin Morrow for this insightful review!

“But the one that really reached out and touched me – no, make that, blindsided me – was Salome’s Clothes. Donna-Michelle St. Bernard’s stunning new play draws a subtle parallel between the personal and political as she examines the compromises we make for material comfort. Karen Robinson claws at our hearts as the loving single mother of two teenage girls, who turns a blind eye to some terrible truths in return for financial stability. Forget technology – there’s nothing like a great live performance to make a room full of people feel connected.”

Globe and Mail, Monday, August 12, 2013

For full review see: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/theatre-and-performance/theatre-reviews/these-summerworks-shows-are-brassy-fearless-and-pitch-black/article13718009/

Review By Jon Kaplan NOW Rating: NNNN

A single mother (Karen Robinson) tries to shield her two daughters (Neema Bickersteth and Virgilia Griffith) from the world and better their lot, but in taking care of them invites trouble into their close-knit family. Donna-Michelle St. Bernard’s script is strong and poetic, both playful and thoughtful. An unexpected time shift late in the show suggests that this is a two-act play waiting to be born. Even now, though, the splendid cast and Clare Preuss’s inventive direction make this a festival standout.

For more SummerWorks reviews, see http://nowtoronto.com/summerworks/2013/#reviews