4a - Your Professional Autobiography

Here is my Professional autobiog to comment on:

I have a kaleidoscope of experience in the visual and performing arts that informs my research and directing.
I was brought up in a theatrical family and my earliest memories are of visiting my father, on tour, when he was principal clarinettist with The Royal Ballet. I saw many of the iconic Frederick Ashton ballet’s of the late 60’s and early 70’s including: ‘La fille mal gardée’, ‘The Dream’ based on ‘Midsummer Nights Dream’ and ‘Les deux pigeons’. I regularly went backstage and on one occasion was introduced to Fonteyn and Nureyev. I enjoyed the monumentalism of ballet, the over the top make-up, fantastical costumes and settings that still remain an enormous influence. I am inspired by set designs that are allowed a freedom, reflecting shape, line and movement within the performance, the use of magical painted gauzes and lyrical story lead scores by astounding composers, the complete ‘embodiment of language’.
I was surrounded by the art world and it amazed me, from running in and out of racks of costumes to taking part in experimental music compositions by John White, a composer who worked closely with Brian Eno. I was taken to see exhibitions of enormous Abstract Expressionist paintings just over from America and followed Keinholz’s ‘The Beanery’ over Europe – a nightmarish interactive sculpture of a run down American Dinner, complete with vague conversations and congealing beans. ‘The Beanery is a convergence of theatre and visual arts where the spectators/ audience become the actors. 245
Costume designs and scenes in ‘The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe’ 2010
        Horrible Creatures- ‘The Lion, The Witch, and Wardrobe’ 2010
    Narnia Characters - ‘The Lion, The Witch & the Wardrobe’ 2010
   Mr. Tumnus - The Lion, The Witch & the Wardrobe’ 2010

My father got a job as Principle Bass Clarinettist with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in 1970 and we moved to the south coast. I attended concert after concert letting the richness of the sounds penetrate my imagination and encouraged by my mother who made up stories that she whispered into my ears.
However at school I struggled to read and write and missed months through hospilisation because of asthma. The school couldn’t identify why an intelligent child had poor reading skills. By the end of primary school I was seeing child physiologists and recommended that I progressed to a special school. My parents discovered that if they turned down this recommendation the LEA had to pay for education elsewhere. I got a place at a traditional girl’s private school, later going on to sixth form college.

My mother read about ‘dyslexia’ and this was enough to say I was not ‘stupid’ but had a condition that I could overcome. She worked out writing exercises that would improve my hand eye co-ordination; she taught phonetics and drew pictures to illustrate letters and words. I meet many children who struggle and I believe that they can succeed with determination and the right support from adults.

During school holidays I toured with my parents company, ‘The Palm Court Theatre Orchestra’. I experienced ‘the launching of the Orient Express’, lavish corporate parties, open air concerts in front of thousands, theatre entertainments and television. My father roared from the stage and my mother delicately feather dusted frock coats, top hats and read the script from behind a painted horn gramophone. As part of a performing family I was expected to make and designing costumes, props and paint stage sets.

As a student, studying Expressive Arts in Brighton, I formed a bizarre variety act called Paromyme, consisting of two ‘le coq’ style clowns and a dancer. We were employed for Coca Cola and for Todd Cody’s Circus. I also wrote and performed murder mysteries. After my degree I auditioned for several drama schools and got into Cygnet Training Theatre (CDS) in Exeter.

Cygnet had a huge impact on how I work as a professional. The teaching methods were heavily influenced by Peter Brook. Sandra Reeve was a regular movement coach who, for many years worked for Growtowski. (Reeve, s,http://www.moveintolife.co.uk) Her work allowed me to find an embodiment of the actor’s language. 381 +12

Move into Life … calls for awareness rather than any particular movement techniques and allows and encourages us to become aware of movement habits which match … familiar patterns of thinking, communication, relationship and behaviour. - unknown, 2011, Dr Sandra Reeve- Movement, Artist and Teacher, [ on-line] 17th February 2011, landscape and Arts Network, http://landartnet.org/MSandraR.htm ( accessed 16th May 2011)

‘Eco-somatics is a dynamic, systemic and process based approach to the art of movement. We live and move from apparent certainty towards the unknown and back again in a constant state of inter-dependency and dialogue both with our changing selves, with the changing others and, crucially, with our environment - movement in the present and in presence.
I see "movement in presence" by its very nature as transformative for the participant, for the witness/audience and for the environment.’ Reeve, s, (date unknown), Practice as Research [ on- line} Move into life with Sandra Reeve, http://www.moveintolife.co.uk/research.html ( assessed 16th May 2011

I decided to go for all types of acting jobs to gain experience and the first was for Pleasurewood Hills Theme Park where I learnt how to use various rod and hand puppets and gained my provisional Equity card; then toured in a T.I.E. production of Metamorphosis; the following season changed theme parks to Alton Towers where I fronted a children’s music show and played Mrs Tiggywinkle in ‘Peter Rabbit and Friends’ directed by Richard Gill, founder of Parasol Theatre Company. I moved to Keswick for a rep. season at the Century Theatre, directed by RSC’s Gregory Doran, playing Louise in ‘Private Lives’ and Helene/Nursemaid in The Dolls House and gained my full card; I then did small scale runs such as ‘Murder in Cathedral’ at the Oundle Festival and Theatre in Education tour for Bitesize. I also ran the art gallery within The Brewhouse Theatre where my husband worked.

I was asked to Co -produce a millennium project for Cannock Chase Mining museum with Illyria Theatre Company. I agreed and thought this was a good opportunity to lunch ‘Whirlwind Theatre for Children’. I directed 60 children, researched and wrote the script and commissioned music. The play did more than entertain but brought together disparate groups of people divided since the 80’s miner’s strikes.
The first Whirlwind Theatre tour was ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’, written by myself, directed by Alistair Ganley: Cygnet and choreographed by Simon Selmon: London Swing Dance Society. The critical response was very good. David Wood OBE, who we had met at The Brewhouse, became our Patron.
We moved Whirlwind to Lancaster in 2002 to be based within a large church and remained there for eight years running summer school productions with a cast of professionals and children. In 2009 the church under went major refurbishments and we transfused to The Storey Creative Industries Centre. Because the recession people had less disposable income to pay for large projects so we started a regular Inclusive Youth Theatre that incorporated technical theatre as well as performance. I want to take the company back on tour eventually writing and producing theatre for the very young and developing the inclusive teaching methods. 1000

Had pictures on this but did't get transferred to comment page so 'Narnia Whirlwind 2010' etc are the titles of photo's.