Hetain Patel takes TEN to Australia following UK 2010 tour
Published 24 August 2010
Already well known as a visual artist in 2008, Hetain Patel was unsure whether to apply for the decibel Performing Arts Showcase 2009, so he attended an artists' information session. Since presenting TEN as a work in progress at decibel, Hetain has found production partners to complete the show, which is now booked for a national tour and dates in Australia.
“I am a visual artist who has been exhibiting photography and video in galleries for the past 6 years. In the visual arts I am already starting to establish myself with frequent exhibitions nationally and internationally, but decibel was my first outing into the performing arts, where I am largely unknown.
“I wanted to present and introduce my first piece of work for theatre at Showcase, but I was not sure about my eligibility to apply. I attended one of the artists' information sessions in Leicester and fortunately I was put to ease and encouraged to apply. This opportunity allowed me to showcase my work to important people in this new context for me.
“The performance piece that I took to showcase was a work-in-progress called TEN. We had about 30 minutes, of which we showed the first 20. I was incredibly nervous as this was my first toe in the water of performing arts and I was very aware that the delegates see a lot of work. As an unknown in this context I had to make my mark.
“In the end I was overwhelmed by the fantastic response we got from the audience and the feedback we got from delegates, venues and promoters after the show. It was a massive confidence boost for something very new to me and an essential profile builder for me and the piece.
“After showcase a number of venues got in touch that were interested in booking or promoting a final version of the show. Later in the year I began a relationship with Dance4 in Nottingham as producers, who used the momentum to help me apply for an Arts Council grant to finish the work and tour it nationally. The decibel presentation certainly helped my ACE application with Dance4, as I was able to demonstrate the demand for my work from a number of programmers and promoters who had seen the work there. We got this bid and completed the piece into a full evenings work.
“So far, we have performed two previews of TEN this summer in Milton Keynes and Nottingham, with the describing it as, “a completely absorbing and original hour”. Then we embark on an 11 date national tour this autumn. Also, as momentum has grown with the project, TEN has been selected as part of Royal Opera House Firsts this coming November and as a result of performing at nottdance09, Nottingham’s international festival of experimental dance, we have been invited to perform the work in Australia.”
TEN Tour Dates – Autumn 2010:
2010
01 July - Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham
18 July - Milton Keynes International Festival, Milton Keynes
25 September - Rich Mix, London
26 September - Greenwich Theatre, London
30 September - Colchester Arts Centre, Colchester
13 October - Salisbury Arts Centre, Salisbury
14 October - Arnolfini, Bristol
15 October - Brewhouse, Taunton
19 October - Drill Hall, Lincoln
20 October - Embrace Arts at The Richard Attenborough Centre, Leicester
21 October - MAC, Birmingham
22 October - Greenroom, Manchester
04 November - Nuffield, Lancaster
2011
January – Details forthcoming
Visit Hetain’s website: http://www.hetainpatel.com
See Hetain perform TEN as a work in progress at decibel 2009: http://vimeo.com/8861758
A Thousand Cranes book 15 venue UK tour
Published 2 June 2010
Before coming to decibel Performing Art Showcase in 2009, A Thousand Cranes was still a relatively new theatre company receiving many of its bookings through word of mouth. With the help of artsdepot it has now booked a 15 venue UK tour for autumn 2010.
Here Co-Artistic Director Kumiko Mendl explains how the experience has put A Thousand Cranes on the map nationally:
“We applied for decibel because we hoped it would be an opportunity to raise our profile, create a tour or find venues willing to co produce The Paper Washi Wish. Up until then the company had very little infrastructure and we were receiving bookings by word of mouth. We had been working closely with Kerry Andrews from artsdepot and they were up for helping us produce the project.
“The Paper Washi Wish was a work in progress when we applied for decibel. We had received Grants for the Arts R & D money, so we reworked some of the work that was produced to take to the showcase. We only spent one night in Manchester, because of the costs involved, but our experience was very positive. We had a great response from the delegates after our showing and managed to catch a few other pieces.
“After the showcase we were contacted by venues that had heard about our work in progress at decibel and have booked us on recommendation. We now have an autumn tour going to 15 venues as a direct result of decibel, plus venues expressing interest for a further tour in spring 2011. The experience has put us on the map, so to speak, nationally.
“In October 2009 we were invited to be Artistic Associates of artsdepot. They are helping us to book the tour, produce publicity and marketing materials and are providing free rehearsal and technical space. The show will premiere there on September 17th 2010 for three days before going out on tour. We have also just received news that the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation will be supporting us with a grant for the materials for the paper-making part of the show.”
http://www.athousandcranes.org.uk/
Kazzum book outdoor festivals with ‘Paper People’
Published 1 June 2010
Kazzum, the children’s theatre company, have been booked for two new outdoor festivals this year, the National Theatre’s ’Watch this Space’ summer series and ‘On the Waterfront’ festival in Liverpool.
Administrative Director Akua Obeng-Frimpong believes that the opportunity to perform ‘Paper People’ outdoors at decibel has helped Kazzum to establish itself in this area.
“Kazzum was new to the outdoor performance circuit in 2009, so we wanted an opportunity to showcase our work, ‘Paper People’, and make new contacts for touring.
“The experience was quite a whirlwind. We were only there for the last day of decibel performing on two sites. Everything was focused on delivering our performances and making new contacts in a limited space of time. Mainly we found it useful to meet the contacts we had initiated prior to the showcase and to consolidate our relationship with them.
“Now we feel as though we’re more on the outdoor performance map and have a greater understanding of the opportunities available to us. This has been worthwhile for developing plans for a larger scale outdoor piece we have in mind for 2012.
“The bookings we have received so far for ‘Paper People’ are all new festivals / events for Kazzum, including the ‘Watch This Space’ Season at the National Theatre on Thursday 29 July and ‘On the Waterfront’ festival in Liverpool on Saturday 7 August. We are also undertaking a tour of children’s play spaces in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets during August (9 -20).”
