Education Pack
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NIE – New International Encounter NORTH NORTH NORTH Education pack 1. Background to the production 2. Production synopsis 3. Press reviews 4. Key elements of NIE productions 5. Workshops 6. Educational tools – suggested activities 7. History 8. InFormation about NIE theatre company 9. Appendix For more details or Further information please contact NIE’s Producer Sarah Crompton: E: [email protected] T: (01223) 403 343 W: www.nie-theatre.com 1. Background to the production Established in 2001, NIE is an award winning international and multilingual theatre company, gaining recognition and critical success for new work through tours in Europe and the UK. NIE has won festival prizes in Serbia, Norway, UK, Bosnia and the Czech Republic, and has toured to 29 countries spanning 3 continents. Using their trademark mix of physical theatre, storytelling, multiple languages, a European ensemble and live music, NIE will take you on a comic, tragic and absurd Journey up in the air and down onto the cold polar ice. Actors shout over the howling wind, transform the stage into an arctic wilderness, eat polar bear brains, and somebody gets very wet. Development oF the production North North North began development in 2011 with a visit to Svalbard, the Northernmost inhabited place in the world. The company twice visited this landscape, once during 24 hour sunlight, and once during 24 darkness. The show was then developed at Dikkemark in Norway, North Wall Arts Centre, Oxford, and The Key Theatre, Peterborough. It premiered at The Key Theatre in May 2013 and will be touring the UK in October 2013 and March 2014. 2. Production Synopsis North North North begins in 1930. The frozen bodies of three Swedish explorers and their belongings have been found by a group of Norwegian fisherman, amongst them, two diaries and a camera with some film inside. We are then taken to 11th July 1897, the launch day of S.A. Andree’s ill-fated exhibition to the North Pole. Andree, the first Swedish balloonist and a ‘man of science’, aims to cross the Arctic Sea in a hydrogen balloon, passing the North Pole on the way before landing safely in Alaska, Canada, or Russia. However, after taking off and disappearing into the horizon at Spitsburgen, Svalbard, the Northernmost inhabited area of the world, Andree and his two companions Knut Fraenkel and Nils Strindberg, are never seen alive again… The cast speak four different languages throughout the piece, and employ diverse theatrical techniques to stage a story of adventure that spans three months of struggle and survival, from July to October 1897. While the historical context for the show is at times very dark, the story is always told with humour and energy. The company’s commitment to improvisation ensures that no two performances are ever exactly alike. Details on the set: The main elements to the set are two ladders, initially used to represent the balloon, and then later they are used as the basis for the sleds the three men pushed across the ice. The company also make extensive use of a large swathe of white muslin – first in order to proJect maps and original photos onto, and then later to represent the snowy conditions. As the piece progresses the rest of the stage gradually becomes strewn with items the three adventurers were carrying with them – skis, trunks full of clothes, tea sets, baskets of lemons, as well as numerous other items. 3. Press Reviews “Director Alex Byrne has a sure hand with his material...we know that the end will not be a happy one but somehow we want history to rewrite itself…****” What’s On Stage “A witty and darkly poignant show” @Jumped Up Theatre “Wonderful, inventive storytelling - humorous, engaging and moving” @Harry_Waller_ “Another excellent show. Funny and poignant in equal measure. A ‘must see’”. @Paul_E_Barnes “Absolutely terrifiC!” @BeCksStrawberry 4. Key elements of NIE productions Multi-lingual The show is told in the many languages that make up the mother tongues of NIE’s collaborators, but the work can be understood by anyone regardless of language. An important element in the making of our work is playing with language - confusion, misunderstanding and the struggle to be heard. The meaning of the words is demonstrated through physical performances. For crucial moments of text delivered in foreign languages, an English interpretation by another performer supports and aids understanding. This show is accessible to audiences who can easily understand and follow the meaning of the piece, and the multi lingual aspect to the work adds a richness and variety to the show. The show is played in English, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian. Physical performances NIE draws on the traditions and European training of its members which include clown, physical comedy, animation, music, singing, dancing and story telling. The work is devised by the company and this training informs the shape of the work. There are skilled and very funny moments of physical theatre, which add energy and spirit to the show. Live Music Throughout the show, the tone and meaning of the story is supported through integrated live music. This is composed by NIE’s musical director and is inspired by European Folk music. The music is performed by guitar, accordion, singing and double bass. The music is evocative of the desired mood, creating an aural backdrop to the show. Strong storytelling A key element of NIE’s work is finding and telling a story in a manner clear and concise. For North North North, a strong narrative is at the core of the work and the audience leave having been taken on a Journey through time and into the lives of the characters. European perspective For North North North, the artists come from Denmark, Norway and the UK, providing a diverse and interesting company of performers. Proven Artistic excellence NIE have a proven track record for quality work with consistently strong feedback from Artistic Assessments, and funding as a national portfolio organisation for Arts Council England. North North North will be touring venues around the UK in Autumn 2013 and Spring 2014. Established for eleven years, the company has an impressive reputation for quality performance work, winning several international awards for previous shows. This includes festival prizes in Bosnia, Poland, Norway and Serbia (TIBA Festival in Belgrade) as well as the Herald Angel and Total Theatre award for Past HalF Remembered. 5. Workshops We have delivered a number of professional workshops (workshops for theatre professionals and higher Education level students) including workshops at Rose Bruford College in London, the International Institute of Figural Theatre in Hradec Kralove in the Czech Republic and the Odsherred Theatre School in Denmark. We also teach on the Btec Performing Arts at Parkside Community College in Cambridge. We are able to offer workshops and masterclasses to groups from years 14 and upwards to support the show. Workshops and Masterclasses These can last 1.5 hours up to half a day. They can be based around specific show content and creation, our practice of devising work or general skills workshop. Workshops can vary in content and length and will be tailored to suit the specific requirements or dynamics of the group. Post show and pre-show discussions These are informal opportunities to meet with the company and can be arranged either before or after performances. They are centred around the creation of the specific show and working methods. All the education work is suitable for 14 years and above. 6. Educational Tools BeFore the Show suggested activities: International Introductions North North North is primarily performed in English; however, the performers speak a total of four different languages over the course of the show: English, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian. This activity is designed to help get your students comfortable with and excited about the possibilities of multilingualism and the “fusion and confusion of languages” that is central to the work of New International Encounter. 1. Photocopy and distribute the photo of the four explorers in Appendix 1, taking care to remove the caption. Ask your students to speculate what might be happening in the photograph. Where and when do you think this photo was taken? What relationship do you think these people have to each other? How do these people resemble or differ from people in 2013? What do you think these people’s lives were like? What do you think is happening in the photograph? 2. Ask the students to picture the men one year later, and to create a tableau showing what they’re doing. Ask them to consider what may have happened after one year and to choose one student to explain the tableau. They can make their portraits realistic or exaggerated. 3. Instruct your students to choose a language other than English, and to research the translation of certain words that are central to their tableau. It can be any language, if one of the pupils is bilingual they can teach some of their language to their classmates, or the students can select and research a language that is entirely new to them. 4. Ask for student volunteers to introduce the people in their tableau as far as possible in the language they have researched. See if the class can figure out who the people in the portrait are from the image and the language even if they don’t understand the language used. You can also ask your students to write captions for their portraits in their international language. Focus Questions Help your students to focus their attention by asking them the following questions. 1. What was happening in Europe in the late 19th century? How might these events have affected the men in the photograph’s lives? 2.