More News From Stateside

Hi..i am writing from pennsylvania where outside is a bed of white snow, its the perfect winter wonderland. I spent this past weekend teaching a Massive style workshop for 15+ and it was great. Last year when i taught this age group here it was a pretty weird experience for them, as their experience of what theatre could be was fairly limited and based in musicals and not much else. This year i did 'taster" class earlier in the week so that i could show them some of our work on the dvd's and then get them to try it....this worked very well and everyone seemed excited by the work, rather than bam- boozeled. We managed to cover quite a lot from very physical to more driect address solo work..all working with their stories and experiences. The feedback was fantastic and over the course of the weekend i saw incrediable progress,growth and understanding of the work. There is a real hunger for this work once they get into it. Yesterday i had big planning meetings here right up until 2011...the plan is to make a show here then with local young people in the 15-25 age bracket. I need to find a way to get into the city here more and contact the 51% hispanic population, but we have a plan for this the next time i come to teach. It interesting that the more we operate as we do in NZ the more it makes sense for here....so next year we will do audition workshops for the workshops as we do in NZ....this makes for more committment and more valuing of the place you take in the company...I am applying the same principles we do here as in NZ and it reaps the same rewards. Really this is Massive Company Stateside, rather than something seperate...we now have Massive Company members here as well as in Auckland, NZ! on another note worth mentioning, the inauguration buzz is something to experience here...the sense of hope and optimism is full on..even republicans are joining in the celebrations and seeing this as the huge act of HOPE and less of an act of a particular party for the USA....we await the consequences of this new President...words are great, but action is what counts....Ok am off to meet a high school drama classmate from here who recently contacted me...i haven't seen him since 1980 when we both took drama together at my high school, Wilson here in PA. I will be back in NZ end of next week...so may update before then or once i am home...talk soon.

Sam from USA

Ok so I am writing this from Reading, Pennsylvania, USA and I have been in the US since 29th December. Its been an interesting time here and the recession is very present in the daily lives of those around me...the shops have 70% off almost everything and some of my friends with businesses are "hunkering down" and having to lay off staff...but there is of course HUGE hope in Obama and what he may bring to it all.I was in NYC for 8 days..some of it just spent wandering to my favourite places...along the Hudson river, when the buildings all get to tall and I need some "air" and sea....the West Village when i just want to be in the village part of NY without too much glitz or people people people...the East Village when i want a bit more "garage grunge". I attended UNDER THE RADAR...a theatre festival a The Public Theatre in the East Village..a beautiful building which once was the NY Library..its huge meandering spaces make for a wonderful theatre with character to burn...the choice of work shown at this festival has clearly got the Festival Directors tast stamped all over it..some of it quite performance art in its style...most of it small casts or solo shows....one piece called SIGHT IS THE SENSE....a solo show, put me to sleep within the first 10 minutes...i tried, i really tried to wake up and stay awake 3 times in the course of the show...but no..continuous 1 line statements done by a man standing still and not moving for the hour, just didn't do it for me...i honestly think that is the MOST boring piece of theatre i have ever seen...BUT there was light at the end of the tunnel and after this piece i saw one of the BEST pieces i have ever seen...THE BREAK/S..essentially a solo piece...very personal, very theatrical and quite beautiful to watch. He was suported by a DJ and live musician and he danced/moved alongside the narrative but in a very real way and with relavance to the narrative...was inspiring stuff! The symposium itself was fairly UScentric...which isn't to say it isn't worth being there and listening to the talk, but it isn't as international a forum as i have experienced elsewhere. The Arts scene is prolific in NY and there is plenty to see beyond the Broadway you might think is so dominant. I have been teaching a 2 day workshop for practitioners here in Reading,PA. Was great to return and almost pick up from my last january workshop here. We had "new" people come into the mix, all made for a very fun and successful time. I felt this time we were really getting down to some substantial work, having introduced them to the MASSIVE way of working last January. They are very hungry for it as this area is limited in what it gets for theatre...OUR TOWN is what one of the local schools is doing and musicals are BIG....i love a good musical, but not as my total arts diet . I taught yesterday with a snow falling down outisde and we had to finish up a little early otherwisde we all might not have got home...plus i am not the most experienced in driving on snow laden roads! I hope this has given a little insight into where i am right now..will update soon....