Chicago Act 1

This place is a mind warp! And Chicago is not small... The large taxi man drove us in from the airport for what seemed like hours, talking non-stop as he warned us not to eat certain American foods. He said don't touch corn and seeds of any kind, cause they kill! Well, it certainly didn't look like the corn or seeds that were killing him, only the big macs and coke he daily ingests.

The theatre scene here seems quite vibrant. Of interest is the Red Moon Theatre, a local visual theatre company. Currently in production with an ensemble of women performers, The Princess Club, it is a wildly physical and thought-provoking romp through classic fairy tales including Cinderella and Snow White, which opens in September. Also of interest is the Puppetmaster of Lodz, which I wrote about recently, see here! The Looking Glass Theatre is another Chicago based theatre worth mentioning. Their production of Alice, adapted from Lewis Carroll, is opening this week. It combines physical theatre, circus and puppetry. You can see a sample of it here!
Another interesting company worth checking out is Blair Thomas and Company Chamber Puppet Theatre.

Cyclops in Seattle

I am writing this from Bainbridge Island, off the Seattle coastline. It is fascinating being in the United States again, especially the going through the border post from Vancouver on Sunday. Now I understand the 'fear factor' which is injected as you enter at your own risk! This is very similar to the 'fear' portrayed in our 'Looking for a Monster' production, scheduled to open next April, at UNIMA 2008 Festival in Perth . In the photo is yours truly close to the mouth of the beast and below is my US namesake and friend, Gary Friedman Snr from Seattle. Yes, there is another out there!

Ventriloquist in Vancouver

While in Vancouver last week we visited my vent-
riloquist friend, Stan Shear and out came the puppets for a chat. It was odd for me to be doing that 'ventriloquism' again after not having done vent for many years. This gave me the excuse to look online at what's happening in the World of Ventriloquism, not heard much about unless you are involved. I found some fabulous vent artists online. What really caught my eye was the work of Nina Conti. Take a look at it here!

So-long Vancouver..

Our few days in Vancouver ended today with a wonderfully creative Paper Playback Workshop at Steveston Village. The workshop was attended by a group of local artists, puppeteers, educators, singers, directors - an all-round creative group. One of our participants is involved with Joseph Wu, a local Origami Artist who is producing a new theatre production for 2008, The History of Paper. Tomorrow we travel to Seattle for two days of meetings and discovery, before we hit Chicago on Wednesday. Stay tuned!

Sunshine Coast, BC

Here we are today visiting Canadian artist, costume designer, Sandy Buck in the Sunshine Coast, just an hour ferry ride from Vancouver. The pic with Sandy was taken in the one minute of sunshine we witnessed today. Sandy is one of the organisers of our workshop being held here on Saturday. Sandy and her partner Chad want to start a Artist Oasis to inspire creativity on their property here on the Sunshine Coast. Check out her website here!

Clinton, BC

On the way to Van-
couver, we stayed over in Clinton, BC. No, it's not named after a US president, although it could well have been. With its unique western atmosphere, Clinton was founded as a direct result of the "boom" of the Cariboo Gold Rush over a hundred years ago in British Columbia. This one-horse town was fascinating - walking the deserted street after dark on our way to look for an internet connection, cause our motel never had one. We eventually found one and for five dollars we were able to download our email. It almost felt like we were in the real world for a few brief minutes in this old-time paradise.

French Genius

Jerome Murat is a French puppeteer-mime artist. His short film was emailed to me a while ago, but all the traveling prevented me from appreciating the work of this incredible performer. If you haven't seen him in action, it's really worth watching him on this French Television show. It's an absolutely brilliant work of art, a combination of mime, magic, and poetic art and symbolism, without words. Check it out here!

WORKSHOP IN VANCOUVER...

We are running a special one-day Paper Playback Workshop
in
Van-
couver
on Saturday 16 June. The workshop is open to artists, teachers, therapists, puppeteers, executives and anyone wanting to become more creative. It will take the same format as our recent workshops throughout Europe and will encompass Brain Gym, Paper Meditation and Paper Playback - you can see a short promo here! There are still a few places available! If you are interested, email Daryl here as soon as possible, who will give you all the information!

Columbia Icefields

We were jumping for joy or at least to keep warm in the Columbia Icefield today, on the way to Jasper in the Canadian Rockies. Its the largest icefield south of Alaska, shimmering glacial ice and snow cover some 325 square kilometres. The on-going accumulation of snow continuously feeds eight major glaciers including the Athabasca, Dome and Stutfield glaciers, which are all visible from the Icefields Parkway. The drive from Lake Louise to Jasper was like driving on another planet, especially for foreigners like us who are not used to all that snow, ice and fast flowing rivers. What a treat to drive through this gorgeous landscape on our way west towards Vancouver!

An International Creative Thinktank

Imagine an Arts Centre in compassing every art - plastic, visual and performance and combine this with leadership, scientific and aboriginal cultures and what you have is The Banff Centre, here in the Canadian Rockies. It's something we've really only been exposed to this weekend and all of this surrounded by the most extraordinary nature and snow covered mountains on all sides. Our Paper Playback Workshop yesterday was attended by some of the Banff creative leadership and was a powerful experience for all of us, sharing ideas and play together. Last night we attended a Community Leadership debate on whether “communityship” can replace traditional leadership at the local level. And the result of a refreshing and stimulating dialogue, so open and yet so rare in the greater artistic world. This example which we discovered this weekend, truly shows communityship and dedication to the arts globally. Today we leave back to Calgary and up to Lake Louise. The trek west has begun!

The Puppetmaster of Lodz

Another piece of theatre reflecting similar themes to our current 'Looking for a Monster' production is The Puppetmaster of Lodz. After escaping from Auschwitz, Finkelbaum, a once-revered puppetmaster, has barricaded himself in an attic. Now 1950, he is not convinced that the war is over and sees any attempt to lure him out as merely a ruse to recapture him. In an attempt to bring his lost family back to life, he prepares for his greatest puppet show ever – the story of his life. Ultimately hopeful, moving and eminently theatrical, this beautifully articulated story will enjoy heightened poignancy upon our stage. This work is performing until 8 July at the Writer's Theatre in Chicago. We need to check this out when we get to Chicago! Click here to view video clips! (Thanks to Maya Nadison in Chicago for the info!)

Banff...

This morning we arrived at The Banff Centre, surrounded by the Rockies, which has provided professional career development and lifelong learning for artists and cultural leaders in performing, literary, new media, and visual arts. Their work is showcased throughout the year in public concerts, exhibitions, and events, culminating in the Banff Summer Arts Festival. Tonight we saw an incredible Jazz Concert showing off some of the best young musicians this place has to offer. Tomorrow we have a day to explore the place and do a mountain walk. On Monday we are conducting a Paper Playback Workshop for the Banff Leadership Program. This inspiring place seems unique and it offers every combination of arts of every kind, leadership and a conference centre all inside the Banff National Park.

The Canadian Rockies

Arriving in Canmore, in the Canadian Rockies, from Calgary this week was an incredible surprise. The beauty surrounding the town is extra- ordinary, with snow covered mountains, fast flowing rivers and beautiful sunshine. It's the ideal place to take off time from the fast pace of the city and regenerate one's creativity. And that's just what we did before grabbing the Greyhound for Banff today...