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DON’T STRAY  FROM THE PATH A new site based promenade piece by The Wonder Club Don’t stray from the path. Keep on the straight and narrow. Don’t cry wolf. Always talk to strangers. Come and play in the Forest. The Forest of elsewhere. Just don’t forget your emergency water, and a piece of cake for Granny. No Cake. No Entry The Old Vic Tunnels THE VAULT FESTIVAL 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th FEBRUARY 8pm Tickets on Sale Soon

This is a call out for artists who’d like to be part of a project we’re hosting at Forest Fringe this year at the Edinburgh Festival

Art Massage
Forest Fringe 2011

This year at Forest Fringe Gemma and James (Action Hero) are working with holistic massage therapist Blue Hesse at The Forest Café’s Sip n Snip Salon to bring Art Massages to the people of Edinburgh.

The idea is that participants sit for a 10 minute oil massage whilst listening to a podcast of an artist talking about/on/around their art. A nice little refuge away from the crowds. Time to meditate on what we’re doing and why we do it.

We’re looking for 10 minute long audio of you talking about ideas you’re interested in at the moment, or things that are inspiring you. This is totally open to interpretation, but the masseuse has asked that we don’t present anything too emotional as it will affect the massage. Just a chat about your inspirations in a relaxed way, a personal account of why and what you do or what you’re thinking about at the moment. It could be a piece of work in itself or some more philosophical thoughts about your art. We’re most interested in participants just being able to hear something interesting, calm and soothing as an antidote to the festival rather than a pitch promoting your work! Your name or the name of your company will be listed on a menu for the participant to choose from so don’t feel like you need to say who you are but you can if you like! If you want us to include a website or something on the menu then just let us know.

Send your audio files (any format is fine, all recordings need to be as close to 10 mins as possible) to info@actionhero.org.uk by the 31st July. You can try and use http://www.senduit.com (or a similar thing) if the file is too big.
We’ll try to use as many of the podcasts as possible, and will let you know if we’re using yours or not.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Thanks!
James and Gemma.

I wrote this in pen on the back of a contract whilst I was bored on a flight from Bilbao to Brussels on 1st July 2011. I thought I’d write it up online.

Last night I made an unsuccessful attempt to jump a fountain of diet coke on a child’s bicycle for the 33rd time. The ramp was positioned too close to a pillar, I went over the handlebars and collided head first with the corner of the pillar. The sound of the collision provoked a gasp from the crowd followed by silence. I was unhurt though because I was wearing a crash helmet. I’m making one more jump with this helmet in Manchester before buying a new one., and the decision to replace it has made me look at it closely and I realise I’ve fallen in love with it as an object. It carries the marks from all the 33 performances its been part of. Big gouges and sweeping scratches scar most of one side. The traces left from Gemma’s high heels. The top is scalded and burnt from being set alight over and over. Its started to blister and flake and the number one that used to be emblazoned in the colours of the U.S flag on the front is almost all gone. A victim of the white spirit used to clean away the remnants of the flame gel. A new scratch marks the place where my head met the pillar last night. Like the show it reveals a dirty reality behind the spectacle. It looks worn, tired and faded. But there’s a glimmer of something heroic about it that makes me want to keep it or show it off. There’s something romantic about its unglamorous scuffs and burns. We’ve carried it with us on exciting journeys to New York, Paris and Barcelona but Its also been with us to Colchester, Chichester, Leeds and Crewe. Its been in the boot of a broken down car on the side of the A1 in January and unable to start in the fog and drizzle of the Pyrenees. Its been soaked in coca cola and gone moldy in the basement of an old police station in Bristol. Its life replicating the pathetic desperation of Evel Knievel’s broken bones in dead end mid-Western U.S towns. The subject of thousands of photographs taken by audience members it sometimes is the only thing you can see on the developed film, reflecting the light from a theatre rig in Aberystwyth, a tunnel in London, a club in Glasgow, a gallery in St Etienne. Like the surface level glamour of big jumps in Las Vegas and Wembley stadium you can’t see its burn marks and shoddy stickers peeling off.

We have to replace the helmet because its started to fail. For so long it has stoically deflected the kicks from Gemma’s left and right feet while I’ve felt nothing except a disconcerting shove. No pain, no headaches. But recently it hasn’t felt quite so tough. I can feel the heel when it strikes and it sends a gasp of air from my lungs. I can hear the crackling of the fire as it burns above my head. Once it can’t take a beating anymore its useless. So we’re looking for a shiny new one to take to Edinburgh in August and because the old one no longer has a role to play in our home made stunt show its made its last fly. But I feel like I can’t throw it away. I feel attached to it. I want to exhibit it on a plinth and celebrate its life spent protecting my head from self-inflicted idiocy. Its such a wonderful document of our show but also of our life in the last few years. The absurdity of jumping over mentoes fountains off a wooden ramp for a living. Standing in front of a room full of strangers, getting my head kicked in over and over again while people take photos and grin. I’ve poured 64 litres of coca cola into my partners mouth. I’ve been put out by a fire extinguisher, I’ve run around naked from the waist up and bleeding trying to pick up ping pong balls from under the feet of clubbers on a dancefloor in Glasgow. I’ve watched Gemma break her arm in Newcastle, sat on the side of a Spanish motorway in +30 degree heat watching smoke stream from the bonnet. I’ve washed cola out of my jeans in the laundromats of New York, France and Wales. I’ve had beer bottles thrown at my head, I’ve been stood on by a drunk, I’ve loaded a ramp and a child’s bicycle into my car and unloaded it and loaded it and unloaded it and loaded it and unloaded it and carried it on a subway and loaded it again and unloaded it over and over again. The helmet has been with me all the way and when I look at it now it looks completely ridiculous, completely stupid, completely brilliant.

We’re going to be showing Watch Me Fall as part of the British Council Showcase in Edinburgh this year from 22nd-27th Aug at 11:45pm. Once again we’re collaborating with the brilliant Forest Fringe and also with Summerhall (a great new project in an ex veterinary school). We’ll also be showing (at forest fringe) a collection of the images taken by audience members on cameras we’ve given them when we’ve performed watch me fall.

You can reserve tickets for Watch Me Fall here or pick them up in person at Forest Fringe or Summerhall anytime.

Today we’re starting to make plans for all sorts of collaborative projects with Search Party, including the long mooted ‘Mega Project’. A new show made with all four of us.

After New York, Paris and Spain we come back to the UK to show Watch Me Fall at the brilliant Flare Festival. Flare grew out of a festival we worked with a few years ago in Manchester called MIST which was an international student festival where we saw some of the most extraordinary work we’ve ever seen (made by university students) including a show called “Live tonight” by some German students under the name “Monster Truck” which I’ll never forget, and a beautiful piece by some Leeds students directed by Swen Steinhouser

We’ll be showing Watch Me Fall at Contact theatre for the launch party

Monday 4th July 7pm

I’d recommend coming and seeing as much as you can through the week (it coincides with the Manchester International Festival so we’re also going to catch the Robert Wilson piece) but make sure you’re there for the opening!

At times I wished that we had all been playing a massive game of social media bingo.  Collecting names of iphone apps and websites. The scrawled list in my notebook got longer and more frantic. I thought I was pretty ‘on it’ in the social media world. Apparently not.  As the conference wore on, the buzzwords got more and more improbable. A ‘strategy sandwich’ anyone? Or even a ‘Twattergy’? [I think the last one was a joke. I do hope it was].

We were all there to talk about how marketing has now moved away from ‘push marketing’ – where marketing departments push out a message to their audience and hope they’ll be interested – to ‘pull marketing’ – where there is a more open and transparent relationship between us and our audiendces. Where there can be a conversation. Where they can help us shape what we do.  Although there were around 500 of what Mark Earls called ‘the brightest arts marketing minds in the UK’ there, I couldn’t help but wish that there were more artistic directors, producers and programmers there, as it became apparent that in order for the arts to thrive over the next few years, producers and markteers need to be working much more closely together.

I’m not going to attempt to summarise two days of talks and debates about how social marketing, both on and offline, can help arts organisations, but my particular highlightswere Shelly Bernstein, Chief of Technology at Brooklyn Museum, Nicky Webb of Artichoke and Christian Payne aka Documental.ly. You’ll be able to read the full report on the AMA website in a month or so. 

I returned to work on Friday, with an iphone creaking under the weight of new apps, and a genuinely sad, geeky excitement about some new websites and networks.  I’m probably about two years behind most of the blogosphere with these, but hello AudioBoo and Posterous, and as for you Foursquare – I’m glad I’ve finally worked out what you’re for. Even if it does mean that I’m probably going to get stalked and murdered.

A little heads-up about this all-out spectacular coming to Wales Millennium Centre this summer. Cirkus Cirkor are a circus company from Sweden. They manage to achieve what many circus companies never do, which is a marriage of technical and physical skill with an ability to tell absorbing stories. There’s live music and everything.

Anyway - here’s a video – the show runs from 12-15 August and you can book on 029 2063 6464 or online at www.wmc.org.uk

It’s Friday. It’s slightly overcast. I am sitting in Bristol Old Vic and there are hundreds of seagulls screaming above me. One of them is sitting on the skylight above my head.

They’re also testing the fire alarms. Intermittent extremely high-pitched noise every 30 seconds or so.

Here are some things I like. I guess this post could be in the spirit of Twitter’s Follow Friday.  Mine is just a list:

1.  This rather good trailer for BAC’s One-on-One Festival
2.  Rediscovering The Mexican by Babe Ruth.
3.  The idea of the Qu Junktions Barn Nova at Shambala Festival
4.  My Name is Sue. I saw it at the Tobacco Factory this week and absolutely loved it
5.  The labels function on gmail. My emails are all pretty colours
6.  Political Mother by Hofesh Shechter. I haven’t seen it, but am very much looking forward to it coming to Sadler’s Wells
7.  The Wolfgang Tillmans exhibition at the Serpentine. Again, not seen it yet, but will be in the coming weeks
8.  The brilliant Edinburgh Fringe Programme Drinking Game, created by Forest Fringe
9.  Caribou
10.  The soon-to-be-late Central Reservation in Bristol

That’s it.  I’m going to be at Bristol Ferment tonight, watching The Summer House at 6.30pm. Come join me.

Image: Hofesh Shechter Company: Political Mother © Brighton Festival

This time last year, I helped out with the marketing for the first Blysh Festival (pronounced Blush) at Wales Millennium Centre. Had a ball. They decided to do it again, and asked me to work on it again too.

The aim of the festival is to bring some slightly more edgy, exuberant and, I hate to say it, cool work to the Weston Studio, which is WMC’s smaller space.  It’s a huge building and sometimes one can feel a little bit lost amongst The Sound of Music and Les Miserables. Blysh is an attempt to make the building a little more welcoming to those who wouldn’t usually cross the threshold. And that’s exactly the kind of project I like working on.

There’s a mix of work, some circus, some cabaret, a load of free music on the Glanfa stage (which is front of house), some carnival, and some interactive stuff.

They’ve got the brilliant Rotozaza, who were at Mayfest this year with Wondermart. You can do it at Blysh entirely free and in a supermarket of your choosing. They’ve got Bourgeois and Maurice – razor sharp cabaret/vaudeville. They’ve got the brilliant Secret Carnival’s Day of the Dead party. Their closing party last year was a riot.

Follow the links above for more info. It kicks off on 16 July and runs until 25 July. See you there.

Quick heads up about the second Bristol Ferment, which opens on Friday and runs until 17 July. It’s part of Bristol Old Vic’s development programme for local artists and features scratch performances and works-in-progress from a whole range of artists – writers, performers, musicians and so on.

My highlights are The Summer House, a new work in development from Will Adamsdale, Neil Haigh (Cartoon de Salvo), Matthew Steer and John Wright (2 July, 6pm); Come to Where I’m From, four solo pieces performed by local writers Tim X Atack, Natalie McGrath, Adam Peck and Tom Wainwright (10 July); Growing Old With You from Search Party (15 July); Sam Halmarack and the Miserablites (16 July); and Nuclear Family by Tom Wainwright (developed through the Royal Court Young Writers Programme) (16 July).

So this July, I’m losing my musicals virginity. I’ve been freelance for about five years and haven’t yet worked on marketing a musical. That’s all about to change.

I’m working with the Musical Theatre School in Shepton Mallett, who used to be based in Bristol and called BAPA. They’re staging the big Broadway and West End hit ‘Spring Awakening’ at the Redgrave Theatre betwen 7 and 10 July.  It’s a very sexy coming of age story about a group of teenagers who go on a journey of self-discovery and exploration, and it’s all set to a pacey contemporary score.

It’s based on Frank Wedekind’s classic 1891 play – which was banned in Europe for thirty years, and in England until 1968. It’s worth checking out as this is the first production outside of the West End.

You can book tickets through Colston Hall on 0117 922 3686 or online at www.colstonhall.org, and the show runs between 7 and 10 July at 7.30pm (matinee on Saturday at 3pm). Tickets are £15/£10 concessions with a special Under 21 price of £8.

Here’s the flyer:

I’m a bit of a fan of gamelan music. I got into it when I started listening to Steve Reich and people like Colin McPhee. So I’m dead chuffed that Warp‘s brilliant Plaid and the Southbank Gamelan Players are coming to Arnolfini this week. More info here

Just a quick last minute post about Susan and Darren, which finished its run at the Tobacco Factory in Bristol tonight. It’s one of the most joyful, moving and heart-warming pieces of theatre I’ve ever seen – and I think this might be the last time it tours, so if you’re free tonight change your goddamn plans and get down there. More info here

We’ve been posting this around the place for a few weeks, but just in case you haven’t seen it yet, here’s an invitation for women to get involved in Nic Green’s incredible Trilogy:

Women of all ages, backgrounds, shapes, sizes, levels of fitness and ability are sought to perform naked in an ensemble dance celebrating the female form, as part of Nic Green’s extraordinary, multi award winning show Trilogy as part of this year’s Mayfest programme!

Trilogy, one of the most talked about shows at Edinburgh Festival 2009, is a celebratory venture into modern-day feminism and examines and interrogates the joys and complexities of being a woman today whilst driving steadfast into the future with commitment and hope.

The first part ends with a high energy naked dance performed by the volunteers. It is a powerful and emotive moment, presenting the female form in an alternative, empowered way, and celebrating the difference and diversity of women. The performers will have taken part in workshop sessions beforehand, including an initial meeting to discuss the piece over tea and cake.

Here’s your invitation from Nic Green:

I would like the help of lots of other women for a performance event in Bristol this May. The performance and process are about women coming together to celebrate the very nature of
who they are, and all their differences,in a society where the emphasis is often on becoming and looking like something/someone else. This is a celebration of the female form, and of what it means to be an individual, dynamic woman. The process and performances leading up to this one have been exhilarating, transformative and incredibly fun. I am looking for anything over 30 people per performance to make this happen.

So here we go…

The first part of the Trilogy ends with a high energy, ensemble naked dance. It is a powerful and emotive moment, presenting the female body in an alternative, empowered way, and celebrating the difference and diversity between us. It is open to all levels of fitness and ability, and in the past we’ve had women from all walks of life, all shapes and sizes, all abilities, ages and backgrounds and it has been amazing. Of course, I realise it’s a big challenge (for many of us) to do a performance with no clothes on, and I know that the prospect of this will make a lot of people feel nervous, however I can promise to approach this in the most sensitive way I know how, and of course no one at any point needs to do anything they do not feel comfortable with. If you want to come to the first session (which we will do fully clothed!) and decide you don’t want to come back that is of course absolutely fine and we will fully understand. However, if you feel at all interested I would urge you to come along and see what you think and how you feel. On the other hand, if you feel completely up for a challenge and want to do something different, meet new people and make new friends in a new women’s community, make a point or even just do some dancing for fun – brilliant!

ALL ARE WELCOME!

Rehearsal/Performance Info:

Rehearsals to be held at Bristol Old Vic: 6-9pm Monday 10th – Thursday 13th May

Performances at Bristol Old Vic: 7.15pm Friday 14th – Saturday 15th May.

For more information on how to participate please contact Dion Wilson at assistant@mayfestbristol.co.uk. She will give you any further necessary details, however if you are still not sure and want to talk to me, you can get my email address/number from her. Please do not hesitate to call me!

Thanks for reading. I hope to hear from many of you in the near future.

Best Wishes,
Nic Green.

www.mayfestbristol.co.uk
www.nicgreen.org.uk
www.bristololdvic.org.uk

I’ve already posted about Greyscale, so this is just really a reminder that their shows What Would Judas Do? and My Arm by Stewart Lee and Tim Crouch respectively open on Wednesday at the Ustinov in Bath.  Alongside these existing one-man shows (the first time they’ll be performed by anyone other than Lee and Crouch in the UK), the company are showcasing two new works in development Tonight David Ireland will Lecture, Dance and Box by Sandy Grierson and A Prayer by Selma Dimitrijevic. Well worth checking out.  More info here.

It gets to around now, when I’m about to enter the maelstrom of Mayfest, when my thoughts turn to what the hell I’m going to do once it’s over. Mayfest takes up a significant portion of my time in the spring and then the workload eases off in the summer months and autumn.

This post is basically a call-out for some exciting new projects for me to get my teeth into.  Perhaps you’re a theatre company planning a tour or an Edinburgh show. Perhaps you need a re-brand. Perhaps you work in a marketing team of an arts organisation and have a project coming up you need an extra pair of hands for. Perhaps you’re looking for creative ways to attract audiences, clients, partners.  I might just be able to help.

If you’re not familiar with the way I work, here are the kinds of things I tend to work on… I’m a hands-on, imaginative marketeer. I tend to get jobs working on festivals. I enjoy inspiring audiences and attracting new audiences to what is often perceived as being ‘difficult’ work.  I design a mean flyer and brochure. I have great local and national press contacts and lots of people know me in the arts, so I can pull the odd favour here and there. I like working with emerging artists, established companies and large organisations alike.

I’m looking to diversify the kind of clients I work with, so if you look at the Work section of this site and think you don’t fit with any of my previous work, get in touch anyway as I’m always looking for a new challenge, and am more than happy to have a chat with you to discuss how we could work together.

You can reach me on +44(0)7989 500732 or mp.austin@gmail.com