LITTLE MATCH PRODUCTIONS (AUS)

Transcription

1 BRISBANE FESTIVAL AND CHANNEL NINE PRESENT LITTLE MATCH PRODUCTIONS (AUS) Brisbane Festival is an initiative of the Queensland Government and Brisbane City Council

2 The Owl and The Pussycat By Edward Lear I The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat, They took some honey, and plenty of money, Wrapped up in a five-pound note. The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are! What a beautiful Pussy you are! II Pussy said to the Owl, You elegant fowl! How charmingly sweet you sing! O let us be married! Too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring? They sailed away, for a year and a day, To the land where the Bong-Tree grows And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood With a ring at the end of his nose, His nose, His nose, With a ring at the end of his nose. III Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling Your ring? Said the Piggy, I will. So they took it away, and were married next day By the Turkey who lives on the hill. They dined on mince, and slices of quince, Which they ate with a runcible spoon; And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand, They danced by the light of the moon, The moon, The moon, They danced by the light of the moon.

3 THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT CREMORNE THEATRE, QUEENSLAND PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE September BRISBANE FESTIVAL ARTISTIC DIRECTOR S NOTE Little Match Productions is one of many local independent companies supported by Brisbane Festival this year. This all-female company is formed around the power of the voice, more specifically the desire to hear other s voices, both literally and figuratively. Edward Lear s 1871 poem, written for the three-year-old daughter of a friend, has been set to music many times, including by Igor Stravinsky and Laurie Anderson. It here finds a witty and wonderful operatic form. This three-verse nonsense poem has been transformed into a three-act, 45-minute text, mostly in verse, with new characters. The music is delicious, and will surely help our cute couple reach their destination, buoyed by love and acceptance. David Berthold DIRECTOR S NOTE Welcome aboard the Pea Green boat! This beautiful and much-loved poem has been a part of so many families lives, from wedding vows, to storytime with the kids. We invite you to come on the adventure with Owl and Pussycat again, this time with a cast of delightful new characters and a beautiful message of tolerance, courage and love. As Owl sings to Pussycat Don t be afraid of the dark! For the stars are there to guide us Bridget Boyle ABOUT LITTLE MATCH PRODUCTIONS Little Match Productions is an independent Brisbane-based company that creates contemporary musical performance works that traverse comedy-cabaret, opera, classical music and children s theatre. The company is passionate about exploring our collective humanity via its most primal and intrinsically expressive media the voice. Over the past six years, Artistic Director Alicia Cush, Creative Producer Bethan Ellsmore and Designer/Producer Penny Challen have developed a reputation for their unique ability to present classical vocal techniques in innovative contemporary contexts. Little Match Productions has a focus on creating roles, collaborations and opportunities for female artists and arts professionals. Their works fuse opera, classical, cabaret and pop in theatrical musical experiences that combine arresting and original musical arrangements, vocal acrobatics and compelling storytelling. Illustrations by Penelope Challen

4 AHOY SAILORS! The Owl and the Pussycat is a new musical work. It is based on a popular poem, written 147 years ago by English poet Edward Lear. He is famous for writing nonsense poems that have funny characters and silly words like runcible spoon and Bong-tree. The Owl and the Pussycat face many obstacles on their adventure across the seas. They must find courage, determination and trust in each other to succeed on their journey. In this show, the artists create a magical and exciting world where young sailors experience new sights and sounds. Listen out for some unusual instruments. Can you hear the bass clarinet, the vibraphone, a glockenspiel or a whaling cello? The singers have three different voice types. Pussycat is a soprano and she has a very high voice. Owl is a mezzo-soprano. Her voice is a bit lower. The Moon is a baritone which is a middle male voice. He plays six different characters! Try counting them as they are appear in the story. Can you remember which ones he played? The set is a giant pea pod-shaped boat and the costumes are inspired by adventurous and brave women from 100 years ago, like the famous female pilot Amelia Earhart. Anchors aweigh! Alicia Cush PIA FRANGIOSA Owl I went to University at the Queensland Conservatorium here in my home town of Brisbane. I am so lucky that I get to share the magic of live theatre with a show that has such a beautiful message. I look forward to taking part in this story and welcoming in audiences young and young at heart. IRENA LYSIUK Pussycat I am an Opera singer. The best thing about my job is I get to put on many different costumes and make-up and transform into a different person, or in this case, into an animal! I have always wanted to be a singer and now I get to do what I love everyday. JACKSON MCGOVERN Moon/Sir Kitty/Sea Bear Captain/Mice/Pig/Turkey The best thing about being an actor is the joy that can be found in playing and storytelling. Human beings have a fundamental need to both tell and be told stories, and theatre and music are both such wonderful (and fun!) platforms for that. LISA CHENEY Composer I love being a composer! I write music because nothing feels more amazing than creating something new and then hearing it come to life. In my job a lot of the hard work happens alone, which is why it s so much fun to work with other talented musicians and artists.

5 AlICIA CUSH Creative Producer I love being a Creative Producer. My job is to organise all the right people to be in the right place, at the right time. I make sure that everything runs smoothly and that the show makes it onto the stage. The best thing about being an artist is you never know what crazy adventure is around the corner. It s a very exciting and unpredictable life! KATHRYN MARQUET Writer/Librettist I make theatre because I love telling stories and seeing them come to life on stage. I like making people laugh and getting them to think in new ways. My job is to do write the story, libretto (song lyrics), and text for the opera. The best thing about being a playwright is getting to use my voice to make a difference in the world. BRIDGET BOYLE Director I love being a director. I like to help audiences imagine what it might be like to be another person by understanding their story. My job is to bring together all the parts of the story and make sure that they make sense and are enjoyable for an audience. I work with the actors to help them move their bodies and use their voices to make the story clear and entertaining. PENNY CHALLEN Designer & Producer I love telling stories with music and with art. I work with the director to imagine what the characters and set might look like. I imagine how we would like the audience to feel. I then come up with ways to create that experience. GEOFF SQUIRES Lighting Designer Geoff is why all children should listen to their Mummies and Daddies, because Geoff didn t, and now he is stuck travelling the world doing lighting for shows in such horrible places as Fiji and New York. He is still a big kid and buys lots of toys, the only difference is that now they cost a lot. Like his big fat cat Boo, he likes lying around and doing nothing. GAYLE MACGREGOR Head of Costume I love being a costume maker and I make costumes because it s so much fun making things. My job is to make the costumes look like the Designers drawings, and to help the actors be comfortable in their costumes. The best thing about being a costume maker is that my work changes all the time, and every show is different. LUKE VOLKER Musical Director My favourite thing about being a Musical Director is using music to help an audience better understand the characters and emotions of a story. Music affects us in ways that regular speech can t, and I love being able to tap into that.

6 CREATIVE TEAM Composer Lisa Cheney Writer/Librettist Kathryn Marquet Director Bridget Boyle Designer Penny Challen Creative Producer Alicia Cush Original Production Manager Kylie Mitchell Musical Director Luke Volker Lighting Designer Geoff Squires Head of Costume Gayle MacGregor Dramaturg Jane Bodie Design Assistant Caitlin Artmstong LITTLE MATCH PRODUCTIONS Artistic Director Alicia Cush Producer & Designer Penny Challen Producer & Creative Bethan Ellsmore PERFORMERS Owl Pia Frangiosa Pussycat Irena Lysiuk Moon/Sir Kitty/Sea Bear Captain/Mice/ Piggywig/Turkey Jackson McGovern Puffin #1 (Clarinet/Bass Clarinet) Daniel Byrne Puffin #2 (Cello) Kathryn McKee Puffin #3 (Vibraphone/Percussion) Cameron Kennedy BRISBANE FESTIVAL Chair Paul Spiro Deputy Chair Philip Bacon AM Artistic Director David Berthold Chief Executive Officer Charlie Cush Production image by Nick Morrissey

7 THANK YOU Little Match Productions acknowledges our partners and supporters who have been vital to creating this new work. Commissioning Partners Festival 2018 Flowstate, South Bank Corporation The Pea Green Boatwrights Club MAJOR Partners Brisbane City Council APRA AMCOS Creative Partnerships Australia Queensland Theatre SUPPORTERS Opera Queensland Staging Connections Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University artour The development of The Owl and the Pussycat was supported by Creative Sparks a joint initiative of Brisbane City Council and the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland; Creative Partnerships Australia through MATCH Lab; APRA AMCOS Art Music Fund; and Queensland Theatre through the Independent Queensland Theatre initiative QPAC EMERGENCY Patrons are advised that the Performing Arts Centre has EMERGENCY EVACUATION PROCEDURES, a FIRE ALARM system and EXIT passageways. In case of an alert, patrons should remain calm, look for the closest EXIT sign in GREEN, listen to and comply with directions given by the in house trained attendants and move in an orderly fashion to the open spaces outside the Centre. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY In keeping with the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Brisbane, the Turrubul and Jagara Yuggera Peoples, and recognise that this has always been a place of creative expression. We wish to pay respect to their Elders past, present and emerging and acknowledge the important role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to play within our creative community.

8 DON t miss this altogether DELIGHTFUL AND FUNNY show! Just reaches in and puts a string of coloured lights around your heart. The scotsman, UK BRISBANE FESTIVAL AND CHANNEL NINE PRESENT THOMAS FLANAGAN (AUS) BOOK NOW September THE COURIER-MAIL SPIEGELTENT

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