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| Wonderland by The Human Arts Movement |
I had a lot of fun being the associate director of Wonderland by The Human Arts Movement led by Tobiah Booth-Remmers. The trailer for the work can be seen by clicking here.
Foul Play's Macbeth 2014
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| Jacqy Phillips as the female Macbeth |
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| Patrick Frost as the male Macbeth |
Foul Play’s Macbeth was an exploration and an interrogation, not only of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, but also negotiating how to rehearse two ensembles at the same time especially, when not everyone was able to rehearse full time or even for half of the time! There is so much more that I want to say about this process and this production, however, I am struggling to write anything of real value whilst I am still trying to process it all. So there will be another post on this at some point…
1st Anniversary
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| The wonderful cast and crew from The Web |
My most recent show was Kate Mulvany’s The Web which I directed for Bakehouse Theatre Company. This time the show seemed a bit like Vegemite, it appeared that the audience either loved it or hated it! Joking aside, it did polarise the audience which was a new experience for me. Again, I had a great time working with the actors.
Here are a couple of snippets from the press:
‘While Mulvaney’s script is excellent, it is Yasmin Gurreeboo’s direction that makes this production immensely riveting and intriguing. Her blocking and moving of the show is quirky and wonderfully unusual; and her idea of turning the actors into her ‘puppets’ and manipulating them (especially in scene changes) is sheer genius.’ Brian Godfrey Adelaide Theatre Guide
‘Yasmin Gurreeboo, whose debut as director for this company, with And No More Shall We Part, was a triumph. This time she has created a gripping, powerful drama involving two teenage boys and a lot of psychological mind play that, ultimately, leads to tragic consequences…Gurreeboo has elicited two excellent performances but, more importantly a complex and constantly changing relationship that always makes sense.’ Barry Lenny, Broadway World
Full reviews can be found here
Next up I will be directing an all female and all male ensemble who will perform the same production of Macbeth alternately. This is definitely going to be my biggest challenge to date. Watch this space!
And No More Shall We Part
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| Tom Holloway's And No More Shall We Part (Jacqy Phillips as Pam) |
Well my debut show in Adelaide, Tom's Holloway's And No More Shall We Part is almost coming to the end of its run
and it has been an emotional roller coaster ride. It has been an absolute honour and pleasure directing this magnificent play. I have loved working with the cast and creative team and the commitment, openness and generosity that they have brought to the process.
Never before have I had to endure a press night whereby I knew so many of the faces in the room and none of them had ever seen my work before. Thankfully, it appears to have been well received, here are some snippets from a few of the reviews:
Yasmin Gurreeboo's direction should be praised for her casting and her collaboration with the actors. Her treatment gives the work depth; highlights the complexities of Pam's decision to end her life; and yet challenges the audience's preconceptions about love, marriage and beliefs at every turn. This is simply an excellent production and the Director earns emotional responses because of the deft manner in which she's directed her players...And No More Shall We Part is a truly great tear-jerking play, with perfect casting, battered-dignity and a definite must-see.
Stephen Davenport - Australian Stage On-line (click here for full review)
I would like to thank director Yasmin Gurreeboo (along with her assistant Graham Self) for crystallising her passionate vision as director to the stage. At the end of the journey I was emotionally devastated.
Daniel McInnes - Theatre Vibe (click here for full review)
Director, Yasmin Gurreeboo, only arrived in Adelaide a
few months ago from Britain and has already made her mark with this production…This
is an exceptional piece of theatre and, with only a week to run, should
definitely be at the top of your “must see” list for June.
Brian Lenny – Broadway World (click here for full review)
You should be dying to see this show. Bravo! Bravo!
David Grybowski – barefoot review (click here for full review)
A full list of reviews for the show can be found here.
Marvellous May
May beckoned the start of rehearsals for my
directing debut in Adelaide, Tom Holloway’s play And No More Shall We Part (pictured film still of Jacqui Phillips & Peter Green) . The pressure has been on to do a good job as many people have
committed to working with me in the future without actually seeing my work.
This is going to be their first time! Scary stuff!
In good old Yasmin fashion, where I never
do anything by halves, we ended up shooting 30 minutes of film footage for the
play over the space of 3 days. I have been told that 5 minutes per day
filming is the norm, so our 30 minutes in 3 days has been a bit of a feat. On
the last day we did end up filming until 2am in the morning!
I must say that the team has been
outstanding, going above and beyond the call of duty. Special mention has to be
given to Gareth Wilkes (pictured left with me) who came in specially to help
with the film and who ended up being a bit of a one man bandit, pretty much
doing everything with the support of my creative team as and when we could.
Gareth’s commitment and optimism really was inspirational. He is in the process
of editing the film as I type and I cannot wait to see it and start working
with it in rehearsals with the cast next week.
Other news Foul Play received its incorporation certificate this month which means that it is a legal entity now
and we also have a producer attached to the Macbeth Project, Manda Webber who I know is going to
do a fantastic job. Exciting times are afoot!
Mad March
In Adelaide they call it ‘Mad March’ and now, I know why.
March is ridiculously busy in the city, there is so much going on, so much to see and do that you cannot fit it all in.
I tried to see as much as I could during the Fringe Festival and only managed to get to 18 shows, 2 of which were in the International Festival. I am used to being in the privileged position of getting comps to watch shows and I did manage to get a few thanks to my new friends however, I would have loved to have seen a lot more work but it was just too expensive. In Edinburgh I would normally see 18 shows in 2/3 days!
Again, March was a very busy month work wise. We took photos of the Macbeth Ensemble for Foul Play, we did a publicity shoot for the Bakehouse production of Kate Mulvany’s The Web and I put in a funding bid for Research and development for Foul Play’s production of Macbeth. I also held two evenings one for each of the Macbeth’s ensemble to read through Macbeth which was very interesting indeed. So far, there is already a massive difference between the male and female ensemble and the way in which they approached the read through. I have decided to keep a diary of the events and the different ways in which they respond and then possibly create document about it all at the end of the process. Unfortunately, We found out that our unexpected City funding bid was unsuccessful however, we are still going to a smaller scale version of the pop up events throughout the year in our build to our Macbeth production in 2014.
I cannot believe that I almost forgot to mention that we (Shona Benson and I) launched the Directors Collective of South Australia this month and what a fantastic launch it was. It was hosted by the State Theatre Company we had a panel discussion about the ‘craft of the director’ chaired by Anne Thompson with Geordie Brookman (STC), Paulo Castro (Stone/Castro), Glenn Hayden (UrbanMyth) and PJ Rose (No Strings Attached) speaking.
We had a great turnout of directors and I left feeling very inspired from all the conversations.
Adelaide, 23rd January 2013
So, this is the popping of my blog cherry!
Well, it has been a jammed pack start to 2013. I recently completed a proposal for the Unexpected City Funding, which is a new pot of money for South Australian artists to create pop up events to animate the CBD. I have been beavering away with Shona Benson, co-producer of Directors' Collective South Australia, on finalising its pilot programme and putting things in place for the launch. I have held auditions for Kate Mulvany's The Web which I am directing for the Bakehouse Theatre Company in the Spring and I have also held auditions for the first ensemble for Foul Play, the new organisation that I have just set up and we are not even at the end of January yet!
I must say, I cannot wait to start working with the Foul Play ensemble. I have been calling them individually over the last few days and filling them in with the plan for the year and upcoming events, such as a company photo shoot and an evening of Macbeth where I am inviting the 2 ensembles (a male and female one) around to my house so that we can have drinks and nibbles while reading Macbeth together for the first time. In case you haven't guessed by now our first full production will be Macbeth which is planned for 2014. We will presenting two version of the same show performed on alternate days, one with an all female cast and one with an all male cast. If we are successful with our Unexpected City Funding bid then we will present a series of spontaneous vignettes of well-known scenes / soliloquies from Shakespeare’s much loved plays across the Adelaide CBD at the end April 2013. If we aren't successful, then we will be working on a launch / fundraiser for the company at a fabulous venue just outside the CBD (keeping the location a secret for the moment).
Well, I think that is a good snapshot of what I have been doing, so I am going to finish my first blog with a fantastic quote by Martha Graham (thanks to DHG for emailing this to me!) which seems not only of particular relevance to myself but also to other members of the ensemble at this current moment in time.
"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. ... No artist is pleased. [There is] no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others."
Martha Graham 1928
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