We need a type of theatre which not only releases the feelings, insights and impulses possible within the field of human relations in which the action takes place, but that which employs and encourages those thoughts and feelings which help transform the field itself.
- Bertolt Brecht, 1949
The Hele's School Theatre Company started off as merely an A-level Theatre Studies class. However, over two years of working together, the group has changed and evolved to become a defined theatre company in its own right, conisiting of ten talented performers and three innovative designers. Collaboratively we have successfully developed and performed a number of pieces of challenging theatre, including dual-versions of Arthur Miller's The Crucible in May 2006 and a hugely successful devised piece of physical theatre, Headlock, in Febuary 2007.
Our company ethic is that of pooling our diverse range of theatrical skills to collaboratively produce powerful, entertaining and eye-opening theatre that speaks directly to people.
Watch out for our next project, due May 2007 - an adapted performance of The Caucasian Chalk Circle by Bertolt Brecht, directed by Daniel, designed by Pip, Jo and Dan, and performed by the company. The performance will take place at the Hele's School Main Hall on the evening of 24th May. Come along and show your support!
______________________________________
THE TALE OF THE CHALK CIRCLE.
Once upon a time, a time of bloodshed…
So begins Bertolt Brecht’s seminal political parable, re-told for the 21st century in this most recognizable of forms.
Following the phenomenal success of Headlock, their recent self-devised exploration of contemporary mental health issues, Minds in Motion Theatre return with an adaptation of The Caucasian Chalk Circle, first published during Brecht’s exile from Nazi Germany in 1944.
Terrible is the temptation to do good!
In the faraway land of Grusinia, a young yet fearless servant-girl rescues the only son of a wicked Governor from the chaos of a revolution which spells his end. Years later the girl returns, only to be caught-up in a legal battle with the Governoress over custody of the child. The trial is presided over by the larger-than-life drunken judge Azdak, the man who puts the ‘mental’ in ‘judgemental’. Azdak proposes a test – the ancient test of the chalk circle, which will determine whether this tale will end in despair, or happily ever after…
Directed by company member Daniel Marchese Robinson, and innovatively designed by Pip Robinson, Jo Field and Dan Fittock, The Tale of the Chalk Circle is part fairytale, part social-comment; part theatrical wrestling-match, part satire of the very concept of justice. With the provocative and original approach to theatrical performance that has become their trademark, Minds in Motion really do this most-famous of Brecht’s works justice.
The music is live; the characters bizarre; the biting political commentary of Brecht hard-hitting. The Tale of the Chalk Circle is much more Brother’s Grimm than Walt Disney, but is a fine example of Brechtian theatre at its very best.
The only chance to see this theatrical tour de force is at 7pm on Thursday 24th May, in the Hele's School Main Hall.
Contact:
[email protected]
______________________________________
HEADLOCK.
Out there, we cover up, we blend in. We get up in the morning and put on our masks that make us convince ourselves that everything’s fine. To everyone we know - friends, family, colleagues - it’s always the same line: don’t worry about it. Saying it so much that it loses all meaning. When we’re in this place, we don’t have to lie to each other like that.
Effortlessly combining expressive physical theatre, moving-image media technology, energetic dance sequences, and a powerful and gripping plot, Headlock is a keenly observed story of dispossessed and outcast people, and the one man who unites them all.
Over a period of several months, Headlock was devised and written entirely by the company of ten talented performers and three innovative designers, having begun with only the notion that in the fast-moving world of the 21st century, more attention is paid to the state of our physical health than our mental health.
Headlock explores, questions and challenges ideas surrounding this somewhat taboo subject through the powerful stories of ten characters, each one sensitively crafted to avoid any clichéd portrayal of “madnessâ€. The company are unique in their hands-on approach to creating intensely memorable theatre.
Initially devised as an A-level examination piece, Headlock was first performed to a small but captivated audience at Hele’s School, and has since demanded interest within the school and elsewhere. It has been noted as an exemplar piece of A-level performance work, but more than that, Headlock is a stunning piece of probing and engaging physical theatre, devised and performed by a critically acclaimed, up-and-coming Plymouth-based company.
The Company
The Performers
Paul Williams
Leea Jolly
Daniel Marchese Robinson
Charlotte Lang
Charlotte Cooper
Charlotte Trim
Andy Thompson
Dan Drury
Kate Rivers
Nick Tomlinson
- - -
The Directors
Daniel Marchese Robinson
- - -
The Designers
Pip Robinson (Costume/Set Design)
Jo Field (Costume/Set Design)
Dan Fittock (Lighting Design)
- - -
Creative Support
Nikki Tout
Alan M. Kent
Jess Anderton