WaxFactory’s founder Ivan Talijancic and core member Gillian Chadsey have devised a brand new method of working in rehearsal, geared towards a creation of a new ensemble work for a solo performer, a sound artist/DJ and a video artist/VJ, titled #aspellforfainting. The work is created anew for each performance using building blocks of choreography, text, sound and images developed in rehearsal, accessing disparate textual sources (The Seagull, Macbeth, Hamlet, Streetcar Named Desire, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, YouTube instructional videos and other contemporary cultural references), a multitude of musical/sonic selections, and over 50 objects as an investigation in the chaos of creation. The performer is given a series of tasks to complete while the DJ/VJ team shifts through a constantly rotating series of textual sources, sound cues, light changes, and props placed in the performers path, the entire event becoming a performance challenge with an infinite number of possible outcomes.

In process of creating this work (as well as teaching the workshop internationally), he have discovered that the fully flexible nature of this performance is ideally suited for an exercise in generating original material for live performance. This workshop – just as #aspellforfainting, is devised as a game – a challenge for a performers, creators, choreographers and directors. Over the course of two intensive sessions spread over 2 days, we are excited to transmit our discoveries in rehearsal, teaching the rules of the game (exploring elements of character, choreography, spoken text, dramaturgy, kinesthetic relationship with elements of audio-visual design, object puppetry and performance devising) and imparting the very idiosyncratic way of working that we have constructed for this piece, and culminating in a series of in-class performances featuring the work developed by the participants over the course of two days.

Workshop fee: $100 / 8 hours over 2 days

Registration fee includes admission to a one of the live performances of #aspellforfainting (January 18 or 19 only). Click here for more information about the show.