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Puppet Workshop with Stephen Mottram

5th July 2010

The Logic of Movement Presented by Puppet Centre Trust in collaboration with Upfront Gallery and Puppet Theatre and Lakes Alive Puppet manipulation and movement workshop with Stephen Mottram The Playhouse, Castlegate, Penrith Monday 2 August 2010 10am – 4:30pm £40 (payment to be made prior to workshop to PCT) Email: emma.leishman puppetcentre.org.uk to reserve a place. A workshop about why things move in the way they do, and how, knowing about this helps the puppeteer and other stage practitioners to express ideas more successfully to an audience. “The elements which lie behind our vocabulary of movement are quite easy to identify – responses to gravity, the need to move from place to place, tension patterns and changes in movement tempo linked to emotions like fear or pleasure. Our ability to read this movement information lies deep in our animal past. Natural selection has favoured creatures with good survival strategies and knowing what the movement in the world around us means. As a result, we humans decode movement information with a mind boggling degree of sophistication. However, almost always in puppet theatre, where moving things about is so obviously a large part of what is being offered to the audience, movement itself is given little conscious attention and at best is assumed to be produced by the intuitive ability of the puppeteer. Often this lack of attention to movement as a principal means of communication leaves performances far short of their potential During our time together we will try to develop a conscious approach to creating credible movement with puppets and identify key issues in communication through movement.” *Please note: The Seed Carriers will be performed on Sunday 1st August at The Playhouse, 7:30pm. This event is to tie in with the Lakes Alive international puppet festival in Penrith on 1 August 2010; for further information please visit: www.lakesalive.org Stephen Mottram – biography Stephen Mottram is an artist, craftsman and puppeteer. In 1980 he joined a traditional English marionette company and in 1982 won an Arts Council bursary, which took him to the Hungarian State Puppet Theatre School in Budapest. Since 1988 he has been developing a unique theatre language, which exploits the relationship between electro-acoustic music and the movement-image. His performances are the result of detailed collaboration with the composers with whom he works. His solo show IN SUSPENSION has travelled all over the world. His performance THE SEED CARRIERS has so far toured to over 18 countries and won three international awards. Stephen’s most recent show, ORGANILLO, about fertility and birth, was launched a few weeks before the birth of his first child. Stephen has also worked on a number of films including THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, TALES FROM THE DECAMERON and STRINGS – a marionette feature film whose UK premiere was at the London International Film Festival in...

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Latest images NOW in the gallery

11th June 2010

All our latest photos from Whitehaven and Zircus Plus are in the gallery section of our website Les Studios de Cirque de Marseille at Zircus Plus,...

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Your chance to join in...

11th June 2010

Participants wanted for the thrilling BICYCLE BALLET Bicycle Ballet is looking for up to 80 volunteers to take part in a spectacular 30 minute dance performed entirely on bicycles. The event takes place on Sunday 25th July 2010 as part of Manchester's three day international dance festival Urban Moves. Its Free to participate, all you need is a bike! No dance experience necessary and all ages welcome, although a level of cycling proficiency is required. Under 18's must be accompanied by an adult. Download the flyer here, front and back Photo Credit: Ray Gibson For more information and to register email info digm.org.uk or call 0161 232 7179...

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Lakes Alive Needs Your Vote

1st June 2010

Lakes Alive needs your vote in the National Lottery Awards Lakes Alive has reached the semi-finals of The National Lottery Awards, an annual search to find the UK's favourite Lottery-funded projects. Lakes Alive is competing against nine other projects for the title of BEST ARTS PROJECT. It is the only project in this category in the North West and the only street arts project in the country to make it through to the semi-finals. The three projects with the most votes make it through to the final and will appear on the live BBC 1 Lottery show, but we need your vote to help us win! Please support Lakes Alive, just visit: www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards or call 0844 686 8790 to vote. Web votes are free and telephone votes cost just 5p from a BT Landline, and a little more from mobiles. Lines close at noon on 18 June, so please vote today. Every vote really does count so please forward this message onto your networks, lists, friends, family and anyone else you can think of who may want to help support Lakes Alive in this campaign. We really appreciate your support. Thank...

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Circus Skills Workshop

5th May 2010

Unlock your physical talents learning juggling, diabolo, devil stick, hula hoop, unicycling and more! Lakes Alive in collaboration with Skylight Circus Arts and Barrow Borough Council are running of series of workshops in which you can learn and develop new circus skills. You don't have to have any experience - though if you do that's great - mainly, it's just all about having a go and having a good time! And for the extroverts out there... there will be an opportunity to perform your skills at Lakes Alive's Zircus Plus Festival on 5/6 June in Barrow and then again at Barrow Carnival on the 26 June. The introductory workshops will take place on 4 Saturdays 8, 15, 22 and 29 May at the forum, Barrow in Furness. From 11am - 1.15pm will be sessions for 11-17 yr olds and from 1.30pm - 3.45pm will be sessions for adults. These workshops are suitable for everyone, from circus novices to circus enthusiasts! Then from Tuesday 1 - 6 June, during half-term, there will be performance development sessions every day leading up to a performance (optional) at Zircus Plus. From 3.30pm - 5.45pm there will be sessions for 11 - 17 yr olds and the adult sessions will be from 6pm - 8.15pm (locations will vary) each day. During these sessions there will also be an opportunity to try trapeze. NB It is necessary that those wishing to perform take part in all of these sessions as you will be focusing on choreography and building routines. Finally, on Saturday 19 and 26 June there will be more workshops to further extend your skills in preparation for a performance at Barrow Carnival. So if this sounds like your sort of thing and gives you that little spark of excitement come and join us. Discover talents you never knew you had and make this summer one to really remember! Costs and booking information: Introductory workshops £1.50 per session or £5 for all four. Performance Development sessions £5 for all four sessions. Book through the forum: 01229 820000 or visit...

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