Presenter Pack

RED

By Liz Lea

Photo credit Lorna Sim

PRESENTER’S INFORMATION

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Contents COMPANY PROFILE ...................................................................................... 3 ABOUT THE SHOW ........................................................................................ 3 PERFORMANCE SPECIFICS ......................................................................... 6 AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT ............................................................................ 7 MARKETING .................................................................................................... 9 PRODUCTION DETAILS ............................................................................... 13 CONTACTS ................................................................................................... 15

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COMPANY PROFILE Liz Lea is a performer, choreographer and producer based in NSW and Canberra after 20 years in Europe, touring internationally. Her speciality is working with classical Indian dance and martial arts. Shehas worked with Ranjabati Sircar, Mavin Khoo, the Royal Opera House and English Bach Festival and been commissioned in India, UK, Australia, South Africa, Singapore and USA. Under her company, Liz Lea Dance, she has created and toured a dozen shows including ‘120 Birds’, ‘Magnificus Magnificus’ inspired by the red tailed black cockatoo for Indigenous dancer Tammi Gissell and ‘Kapture’, inspired by the South African freedom fighter, Ahmed Kathrada. Liz has a 20 year relationship with Western Sydney and Riverside Theatres where she has premiered four new works. Liz was named the 2017 ACT Artist of the Year and was also awarded a 2017 Australian Dance Award for her direction of Great Sport! at the National Museum of Australia. She runs two Festivals - BOLD, celebrating the legacy of dance and DANscienCE where dance and science meet. BOLD II runs in March 2019. Liz has presented two TEDx performance talks and recently she premiered her new one woman show, RED, to critical acclaim and is touring through 2020. Performances include the Moonah Moves Festival, Tasmania, Brunswick Picture House, NSW and Tuggeranong Arts Centre and Leap! Festival in Liverpool UK. RED was also awarded a 2018 Critics Circle Award. ABOUT THE SHOW SHOW SYNPOSIS RED is fearless, RED is fierce, RED is powerful – a one woman show full of film and fabulousness. A poignant, riotous and ultimately triumphant exploration of one woman’s story – an exquisite exploration of female endurance. Described as unforgettable, shattering and hilarious, RED is a soul baring retelling of one one woman’s journey through illness and recovery with an eye to the future. You will laugh, you’ll cry, you won’t forget. Hitch a ride on a race with time that speaks in another tongue. The language of body, movement, words and film. RED is an elusive, fractious and fabulous interdisciplinary performance. Bringing on the bawdy and banishing the banal. RED challenges laughter, relief and tenacity. It’s a fast ride, and you want to get on board before it’s too late. A tale told by one woman with a particular take on how time passes for us all. Let Liz Lea get you in touch with your mischievous self in this new and captivating work about the temporal workings of your own body. RED has been created with an international recognised team of artists to deliver a show that brings a universal feel to one woman’s story. The work also has scope for community engagement of local community groups – both women and men. In Canberra and Sydney a group of 14

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community elders joined for three sections in choreography specifically created for them and which can be taught to a new cast of elders or young from the community. RED explores Liz Lea’s journey and experiences with Endometriosis. She has the disease for 20 years as she created and toured her work internationally. Returning to Australia she needed a bowel reconstruction – all of which could have been avoided had she paid attention to her body and her body’s needs. RED charts this journey and that of her recovery, loosing and refinding her sense of humour. The work is played out to letters of her Doctors, a range of contemporary and newly composed music and stunning film footage. The audience is left with a sense of quiet, joy and reflection. Created with choreographers Vicky van Hout, Martin del Amo and Virginia Ferris, led by dramaturg Brian Lucas, the work explores all nature of the human condition – one woman’s story told in ways that have universal themes. Honest, face to face dialogue with the audience balanced with beautifully framed with film and movement. Created over a period of 5 years with assistance from artsACT and Screen ACT as well as residencies with Tasdance, Ausdance NSW and QL2 Dance Canberra. RED aligns with the governments current focus on raising awareness of the disease and a world wide growing understanding of the need for focus to be brought to the effects and impacts on individuals and the country as a whole. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Creative team: Choreographers: Vicki van Hout, Virginia Ferris, Martin del Amo Dramaturg / Mentor: Brian Lucas Composer of original score: Alexander Hunter Cinematographer: Nino Tamburri Film Editor: Arianna Bosi Script writers: Liz Lea, Brian Lucas, Victoria Lea Lighting Designer: Karen Norris Rehearsal Director and Dramaturgy: Natalie Ayton Technical Manager: Craig Dear Costumes designed by Liz Lea, Brian Lucas, Bruce Scott and Brooke Giles Costume Consultant: Cate Clelland Publicity Designer: Andrea McCuaig Publicist: Emma Dykes Logos at link below https://www.dropbox.com/sh/z6z3fvwel5vygx9/AADolR7FY_KCmaWWn1ihRlCFa?dl=0 BIOGRAPHIES Liz Lea is a performer, choreographer and producer based in NSW and Canberra after 20 years in Europe, touring internationally. Her speciality is working with classical Indian dance and martial arts. She has worked with

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Ranjabati Sircar, Mavin Khoo, the Royal Opera House and English Bach Festival and been commissioned in India, UK, Australia, South Africa, Singapore and USA. Under her company, Liz Lea Dance, she has created and toured a dozen shows including ‘120 Birds’, ‘Magnificus Magnificus’ inspired by the red tailed black cockatoo for Indigenous dancer Tammi Gissell and ‘Kapture’, inspired by the South African freedom fighter, Ahmed Kathrada.

Named as the 2017 ACT City News Artist of the Year Liz was also awarded a 2017 Australian Dance Award for her direction of Great Sport! for Canberra Dance Theatre. Liz creates children’s shows inspired by science and in 2017 she toured Reef UP! to 40 venues nationally. She also runs two Festivals - BOLD, celebrating the legacy of dance and DANscienCE where dance and science meet.

Creative team Vicki van Hout; is a Wiradjuri woman born on the south coast of NSW. An independent choreog-rapher, performance-maker and teacher, she has worked across a range of performance medi-ums nationally and internationally. A graduate of the National Aboriginal Islander Dance College (NAISDA), Vicki has learnt and performed dances from Yirrkala, Turkey and Christmas Creeks, Mornington and Bathurst Islands, as well as Murray, Moa and Saibai Islands in the Torres Strait. Vicki studied at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in New York and has danced with companies including Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre and Bangarra Dance Thea-tre. Vicki has danced for the 30th Anniversary of the 1967 Aboriginal Referendum and the first Indigenous opening of Parliament leading to the 2008 National Apology. Vicki has had International choreographic residencies in Austria, Paris and Singapore and her show, Briwyant, premiered at Performance Space in 2011, and toured to Malthouse Theatre (Melbourne), Brisbane Powerhouse and Darwin Festival in 2012, the first ever national tour of a work by an independent indigenous choreographer and nominated for an Australian Dance Award for Best Achievement in Independent Dance. In 2014, Vicki became the first Indigenous person to be awarded the NSW Dance Fellowship for established and mid-career artists. She writes, creates and speaks alongside her choreographic career. Virginia Ferris is a versatile artistic director, choreographer, event manager, specialised tutor and adjudicator, she has created hundreds of events and shows in Australia and internationally. After studying as a classical dancer she went on to perform with the Tasmanian Ballet and Com-pany in Flight Dance Company (San Francisco, USA). She performed in The Peter Allen Australi-an National Show, David Atkins Dancin' Man, USA productions of Hello Dolly. She has choreo-graphed and performed with Frank Sinatra, Casey Donovan, Marcia Hines, Kylie Minogue, Jimmy Somerville, Marilyn Jones, and Kath and Kim to name a few. In 2018 she is the Performance Director for Sydney Chinese New Year Lunar Festival and Choreographer for the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 40th Year Opening Parade Performance, Featured Floats and Party Show. Virginia was the Artistic Director of the Dance Fusion Project (Red Earth Arts Festival in Karratha, WA), Artistic Director for The Australian Dance Awards, Choreographer for the 2017 Rugby World Cup

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Opening, Director of Choreogra-phy for Sydney 2002 Gay Games and worked as Choreographer's Assistant for David Atkins Enterprises for many years. She has an extensive list of teaching credits, currently teaching at Australian College of Physical Education and for NIDA Open Classes. Martin del Amo, originally from Germany, is a Sydney-based choreographer and dancer. He started out as solo artist, acclaimed for his full-length solos fusing idiosyncratic movement and intimate storytelling. In recent years, Martin has also built a strong reputation as creator of group works and solos for others including Champions (2017), Songs Not To Dance To (2015) and Slow Dances For Fast Times (2013). His Helpmann Award-winning Anatomy of an Afternoon, a solo for Paul White, which premiered at the Sydney Opera House in the 2012 Sydney Festival, was presented with great success at Southbank Centre London in 2014. Martin's work has toured nationally in Australia and interna-tionally to the UK, Japan and Brazil. Martin is a recipient of the 2015 Sidney Myer Creative Fel-lowships. Brian Lucas is a Brisbane-based performer, choreographer, director, teacher, writer and arts-advocate whose career spans over 35 years. Trained in both dance and theatre, he has a nation-al reputation for creating and performing provocative, powerful and intelligent works that bridge the divide between the two forms.Since 1995, he has created a number of critically and publicly acclaimed full-length solo works including “Underbelly”, “book of revelations”, “Performance Anxi-ety”, “monster”, “Frightening Livestock” and "De Profundis" (in collaboration with David Fenton). In addition to his substantial solo practice, Brian has worked with many of Australia’s and the world’s most well-known performance-makers and presenters including Chunky Move, Finucane + Smith, DV8 Physical Theatre, La Boite Theatre, Metro Arts, Brisbane Powerhouse, NORPA, Pentimento Productions, Blue Roo Theatre, Michelle Heaven, Liz Lea, KAGE Theatre, David Fenton, Clare Dyson, Fran Barbe and Guests, ChamberMade Opera, Circa, Rock'n'Roll Circus, Dance North, Motherboard Productions, The Queensland Ballet, Queensland Theatre Company, Opera Queensland, QL2 Centre for Youth Dance and Expressions Dance Company. PERFORMANCE SPECIFICS DURATION Act 1 – 55 mins SUITABLE VENUES The show is suitable for proscenium arch venues, town halls and cultural facilities. It could be performed outdoors if at night as film is an integral part of the work MAXIMUM NUMBER OF PERFORMANCES PER WEEK 8 MINIMUM BREAK BETWEEN PERFORMANCES

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120 minutes LICENCING AGREEMENTS I own all the rights to the show APRA OBLIGATIONS I need to pay for APRA rights for 50% of the music TOURING PERSONNEL The touring party consists of 2 people. List the touring personnel below.

Name Role Liz Lea Director/performer Craig Dear Technical Manager and operator

PERFORMANCE HISTORY Provide the performance history in the table below.

Year Venue Number of performances

2018 8-11 March Gorman Arts Centre,

ACT 4

1-2 June Riverside Theatres, NSW

2

1-2 Sept Moonah Arts Centre, Tas

2

7 Nov Leap! Festival, Liverpool, UK

1

13 Nov Port Macquarie, NSW 1 2019

8-9 March Glen St Theatre, NSW 3 27 March Moonah Arts Centre,

Tas 1

5 April Tuggeranong Arts Centre, ACT

2

19-20 April Brunswick Picture House, NSW

2

AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT How is this be delivered? Pre-Tour: Liz Lea will work with the local Presenter to call out for local artists and groups.

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Engagement period: Liz Lea provides online videos which clearly outline the choreography for participants to work with prior to her arrival. Depending on the time in residence she then teaches or refines the simple choreography over 1-2 days or a few hours. She then meet the local artists and groups identified through the call out process; learning or refining the dance sections to be included in the work for performance. Working with community and elder dancers is a speciality of mine. I directed Canberra Dance Theatre for 7 years and established the GOLD over 55’s dance company. I was awarded a 2017 Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Community Dance for my work with them. Performance Day: Bump into the venue during the morning. The afternoon is spent in rehearsals, costume consultation, lighting ensuring all participants feel comfortable and confident in their debut performance. Vdeio of their participation; https://vimeo.com/276389986 Review excerpts of community engagement in RED; There is a trio for Lea and two men, and RED also includes a “codeine nightmare” where Lea is joined by a chorus line of older dancers dressed in black who danced with and for her and helped her depict the experience of coping with and managing horrendous pain. Dance Informa June 2018 Briefly, a glorious "chorus line" of 12 grey-haired women teams up with her for a rather wobbly but engaging appearance.

Sydney Morning Herald June 2018 Lea herself choreographed a quasi-nightmare sequence in which twelve mature dancers in sparkling black dresses carrying red fans circled around her as she succumbed to the effects of prescription drugs. Australian Arts Review March 2018 She was joined by a group of older dancers on stage in a farcical portrayal of attempting dignity and rehabilitation while strengthening the pelvic floor. Canberra City News March 2018

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I can also offer workshops in contemporary dance, ballet, classical Indian, burlesque and fan dancing as well as a talk/walk through the costumes and filming processes. When we premiered RED it was International Women’s Day. Dress Code was; RED and fabulous. Everyone dressed up, had great fun, drinks in the theatre if possible. I would join punters in the theatre afterwards and am happy to do a post show talk or Q&A also. Best Dressed competition and, if there is interest – a mini cabaret or talent show. Happy to be part of post show Photo Booth and can bring red fans. Material, props to add character. DESCRIPTION / DETAILS The section for community engagement within the work requires a strong sense of humour as it deals with issues surrounding having a weak pelvic floor. Rehearsals before company arrival and rehearsals before the show are a must. It is great fun, liberating and they will learn how to dance with fans, the choreography and spit water across the stage. They will also be required to dress up in their best fabulous black frocks. Dance workshops require easy clothing to move in. COST Cost – happy to work with the presenter on fees – a one off a spart of the show fee is fine with me. TARGET AUDIENCE FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT The workshops would be for adults due to the adult nature of the show and issues relating to health. Reaching the audience would be related to learning about the audiences the theatre attracts and developing packages that might interest them. I would also be keen to develop classes or workshops for young women and talk about female health, endometriosis and menstruation. MARKETING MARKETING COPY One line A poignant, riotous and ultimately triumphant exploration of one woman’s story Short A poignant, riotous and ultimately triumphant exploration of one woman’s story – an exquisite exploration of female endurance. Described as unforgettable, shattering and hilarious, RED is a soul baring retelling of one one woman’s journey through illness and recovery with an eye to the future.

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RED is fearless, RED is fierce, RED is powerful – a one woman show full of film and fabulousness. You will laugh, you’ll cry, you won’t forget. RED is an elusive, fractious and fabulous interdisciplinary performance. Bringing on the bawdy and banishing the banal. A tale told by one woman with a particular take on how time passes for us all. Extended A poignant, riotous and ultimately triumphant exploration of one woman’s story – an exquisite exploration of female endurance. Described as unforgettable, shattering and hilarious, RED is a soul baring retelling of one one woman’s journey through illness and recovery with an eye to the future. RED is fearless, RED is fierce, RED is powerful – a one woman show full of film and fabulousness. You will laugh, you’ll cry, you won’t forget. The language of. RED is an elusive, fractious and fabulous interdisciplinary performance delivered with body, movement, words and film . Bringing on the bawdy and banishing the banal. RED challenges laughter, relief and tenacity. A tale told by one woman with a particular take on how time passes for us all. Let Liz Lea get you in touch with your mischievous self in this new and captivating work about the temporal workings of the body. RED explores Liz Lea’s journey and experiences with Endometriosis. She has the disease for 20 years as she created and toured her work internationally. Returning to Australia she needed a bowel reconstruction – all of which could have been avoided had she paid attention to her body and her body’s needs. RED charts this journey and that of her recovery, loosing and refinding her sense of humour. The work is played out to letters of her Doctors, a range of contemporary and newly composed music and stunning film footage. The audience is left with a sense of quiet, joy and reflection. Created with choreographers Vicky van Hout, Martin del Amo and Virginia Ferris, led by dramaturg Brian Lucas, the work explores all nature of the human condition – one woman’s story told in ways that have universal themes. Honest, face to face dialogue with the audience balanced with beautifully framed with film and movement. RED aligns with the governments current focus on raising awareness of the disease and a world wide growing understanding of the need for focus to be brought to the effects and impacts on individuals and the country as a whole. MARKETING SUMMARY Available; publicity and performance images. Poster and post card designs. Promo films – 1 min, 2 mins, 5 mins and full show. Additional short interview about the background of the work. Images are proving very successful on

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social media and in bringing interest to the piece in relation to print and on line articles. MEDIA QUOTES

Liz Lea is a force of fabulousness not to be f….d with!

Sydney Scoop June 2018 Interesting and evocative… a beautiful sense of calm and hope

Sydney Morning Herald June 2018 Her character is incredibly vivacious, highly spirited and nurturing, prompting all of us to trust in ourselves and in our intuition… ea has produced a beautiful show, emanating so much joy and life, which infectiously spills into the audience. — Funny, moving, brave and inspirational.

Sydney Arts Guide June 2018 RED was a truly remarkable piece of dance theatre with the coherence that only exceptional dramaturgy, can achieve. Every aspect of the production was astonishing.

Canberra Times March 2018

How remarkable that such a painful affliction as Endometriosis could inspire such a beautiful work as Red ... a remarkably coherent, powerful and moving

dance-theatre work. Arts Review March 2018

This dancing diva is certainly not waiting in the wings, she is centre stage, living out loud and sharing her story with those who see “RED”

City News March 2018 In this work we see, I believe, the true nature of art.

Canberra Critics Circle March 2018 AUDIENCE REVIEWS What a highlight RED was – quite a statement and an inclusive and unique work. It was everything and much more than I expected. Congratulations. I laughed in many parts and had tears running down my face in others. It was so touching, so beautiful, it blew me away I am still so moved by your performance of RED. It was such a wonderful performance that made me laugh, made me cry. You did so good. It was wonderful. Liz, what a marvel, Loved the show…so honest, so entertaining, such versatility, such stamina, I was exhausted after the first dance..what a talent!

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COLLEAGUE RECOMMENDATIONS Cris Kennedy National Film and Sound Archive; cris.kennedy@gmail.com Annette Downs FORM Dance Projects; director_form@cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au Ruth Osborne; QL2 Dance; director@ql2.org.au VIDEO LINKS promo https://vimeo.com/265320895 2 mins https://vimeo.com/274010616 5 mins https://vimeo.com/271192376 pre show promo https://www.dropbox.com/s/vrbilyz1hh0vfsd/RED%20Ilness%20Parr.mp4?dl=0 There is high quality footage and orginal film material from the show that can also be available. IMAGES Film stills; credit Nino Tamburri https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ka4i16921zw6o4a/AAAimdOEpGXPflF9fME5QNqaa?dl=0 Publicity images; credit Lorna Sim https://www.dropbox.com/sh/j0jqxseimaemj2u/AACcQJc7ybRrA8pB4OOo9Z6ta?dl=0 Performance images; credit Lorna Sim https://www.dropbox.com/sh/w0a77oy31m9qk3q/AACsz2BifodC07_Bx-_vgziOa?dl=0 MARKETING MATERIALS Postcards, Posters, broadcast quality footage and behind the scenes interviews CONTENT WARNINGS / AUDIENCES TO AVOID Trigger Warning; This performance contains references to illness, Endometriosis, surgery and fertility.

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SPONSOR OR OTHER ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS artsACT Critical Path DAIR TRIP Screen ACT Ausdance ACT QL2 Dance https://www.dropbox.com/sh/z6z3fvwel5vygx9/AADolR7FY_KCmaWWn1ihRlCFa?dl=0 TEACHER’S RESOURCES Not at present. I am happy to develop some if there is interest from teahers for young women. PRODUCTION DETAILS TECHNICAL SUMMARY We need a projector and white cyc or wall to project on One stage manager or back stage support to assist with fast changes EXAMPLE SCHEDULE 11am 11-2pm Rig lights 2-3pm lunch 3-4pm focus 4-6pm plot 8pm show CREW REQUIRED FROM VENUE 1-2 crew 3-4 hrs. Lighting rigging experience List the crew required from the venue. One staff or volunteer to assist backstage with costume changes STAGE One piece of set – a trunk which we tour with. Minimum width 5 meters, depth 3 meters. [Company] to supply Computer to run film and sound from Venue to supply In house projector, possibly lighting desk, sound equipment, lighting, dance floor

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LIGHTING RED lighting list – can be negotiated. 8x Sidestage Wash Moving Head 6x Martin MH 7 Hybrid Moving Head 6x Showpro Quad LED Par 2x Antari Z-350 Hazer 24x ETC sourcefour Jr (on 2m booms) 13x 1K Profile 12x 1K Fresnel Supplied colour gels: 198 x4 (sheet) 200 x 21 (2x roll) 201 x8 (roll) 202 x 13 (roll) 708 x2 (sheet) Venue to supply Lighting in house in negotiation with company, unless we are touring with them in van SOUND Sound is edited into the film except for one music track [Company] to supply Computer from which film and sound are run Venue to supply PA please AV Film runs throughout the show [Company] to supply Film, mac laptop and connectors Venue to supply In house projector and connections WARDROBE Numerous costumes [Company] to supply All costumes Venue to supply

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Dressing rooms. If solo performer alone only one dressing room needed – ideally close to stage. If there are community performers joining the cast for the season then two dressing rooms if possible one of women and one for men. FREIGHT NOTES We tour with a truck if bringing our own lights and we would then need a loading dock. If not touring with lights we might be flying and no dock needed as it travels in a trunk and suitcase. CRITICAL ISSUES A good projector CONTACTS Company manager and performer Liz Lea Email; lea_dance@yahoo.co.uk Phone; 0498 988 252 Technical Manager Craig Dear Email; craig.dear@sidestageps.com.au Phone; 0416 623 176 Marketing Contact Marketing Contact: Emma Dykes Email: ej.dykes@gmail.com Phone: 0424 153 637