Collective Unconscious Performance
  • Home
  • About
    • Mission & History
    • Company
    • Advisory Committee
  • Projects
    • Maiden Voyage
    • Into the Darkness
    • Le Cirque Féerique
    • Little Red
    • Skins
    • the sleeping beauty in the wood
    • the sleeping beauty in the wood (workshop)
    • victor + valentine
  • Blog
  • Support
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About
    • Mission & History
    • Company
    • Advisory Committee
  • Projects
    • Maiden Voyage
    • Into the Darkness
    • Le Cirque Féerique
    • Little Red
    • Skins
    • the sleeping beauty in the wood
    • the sleeping beauty in the wood (workshop)
    • victor + valentine
  • Blog
  • Support
  • Contact
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

9/21/2018 0 Comments

Meet the core team of Collective Unconscious Performance's "Le Cirque Féerique"

Woo-hoo!!! It'll be our opening night in less than two weeks, and rehearsals are flying by. Seating will be limited, so be sure to reserve your tickets before it's too late!!!
GET YOUR TICKETS

In the mean time, check out the core team behind Le Cirque Féerique (The Fairy Circus) and what they have to say about the show...

KATHERINE KUPIECKI, Performer
Picture

What character do you play? How would you describe your character in three words?
Marie-Catherine Le Jumble de Barnesville, Baroness d’Aulnoy. Three words for that long title! Fierce. Dedicated. Courageous.

Why is this play important right now?
Women still fight for agency and equal recognition for work. Much more than just equal pay, which in 2018 is an embarrassing divide to still be bridging. The message about expression through art and ownership of stories is also one that we certainly have in the forefront today, as those not represented on stages and screens are finally having breakthrough moments and finally being able to tell their stories.

People should go see this play because...
Fairy tales are part of our fabric, and we all have different experiences with their place and meaning in our life, most often childhood. Seeing their origins and finding true heroes (or heroines!) will have the audience reflecting on these experiences with a new perspective. Plus- puppets!

KATIE WILLER, Performer
Picture

What is your favorite fairy tale?
My favorite fairy tale is more of a folk tale—"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". I love the darker tales and that Gothic aesthetic, and colonial American history fascinates me.

What character do you play? How would you describe your character in three words?
I’m Henri, and in rehearsal the other day my three words were “she’s a bitch.” So I followed the brief! But I’d say she’s strong, aggressive, and...well, a bitch.

What has the rehearsal process been like so far?
Fun! It’s been a couple of years since I’ve worked on a show, so there’s a bit of a learning curve. Especially when there’s puppets involved. I know how I learn well enough to figure it out, but it’s a bit uphill. I’m enjoying it, though. Feels good to flex the muscles!

SARAH MODENA, Performer
Picture
What is your favorite fairy tale?
I've always been drawn to "Beauty and the Beast." I like the eerie quality of Jean Cocteau's film, and the intelligence and independence of Belle in the Disney version. The ultimate sacrifice of trading your own life/happiness/freedom for that of a loved one (exhibited by Belle near the beginning and the Beast at the end) have always drawn me to this story.

What character do you play? How would you describe your character in three words?
I'm playing Charlotte - instinctive, dramatic, playful.

People should go see this play because...
Have you ever wondered how fairy tales were really supposed to end? Do your eyes roll back in your head when you hear "happily ever after"? Do you crave stories with rotting corpses, cursed children, and skulls being cleaved in two, all wrapped up with the pink, sparkly ribbon of a French corset? Then this play might be right up your alley.

KAYLA DVORAK FELD, Performer
Picture

What character do you play? How would you describe your character in three words?
Jeanne in Scene 1 - eager, impressionable, innocent; Jeanne in Scene 3 - confident, sophisticated, self-reliant

People should go see this play because...
It's a story you probably haven't heard. I think it might surprise and educate audience members about these women that history has seemed to overlook. Also because puppets.

What has the rehearsal process been like so far?
We've been doing the essential blocking, scene and character work, but we've also been learning puppetry. We started out with learning the basics (breathing with the puppet, moving it in the space, etc.), and with every rehearsal, we dig deeper into the actual scenes with the puppets. It's been really fun to see how they and those scenes come to life. David has created beautiful puppets that bring a magical element to the story that I think will be enjoyable for audiences.

LEIF JURGENSEN, Performer
Picture

What character do you play? How would you describe your character in three words?
Charles Perrault - intelligent, mysterious, crafty. Plays the game.

People should go see this play because...
It's a great ensemble piece with a fantastic cast.

Describe this play in three words.
Fierce. Stylish. Timely.

ALISON RUTH, Dramaturg
Picture
What is this play about?
I think the play is about choice. The women in our play are faced with a landscape that does not allow them freedom to pursue their interests (love and career) in a meaningful way. It's interesting to see these women make the choices that they do when they are put into situations that are fairly oppressive.

Why is this play important right now?
Unearthing these women's stories is an important step in recognizing the tremendous contributions that women have made to the arts and world. Understanding what they accomplished and how they were dismissed/forgotten from history is significant.

Describe this play in three words.
Champagne. Puppets. Friendship.

MARIA SIGNORELLI, Stage Manager
Picture
What is this play about?
To me, this play is about the power of storytelling - how the stories we tell ourselves and each other shape our lives, hopes, and communities.

People should go see this play because...

Women have been writing stories for as long as humans have been telling them, and it's inspiring to learn about the work they were doing at a time when it's easy to believe most women were meekly reading by the fire. These women led brave, difficult, adventurous lives and hopefully this play does justice to their spunk and determination!

Why is this play important right now?
It's easy for cultural evolutions to last for a brief moment, a flash in the pan. Lasting change depends on changing the stories we tell. Whose experience is centered? Who has agency, and voice? This play reflects on the power of reshaping old stories to amplify the voices of people who have been marginalized -- as well as offering a cautionary tale about how easy it is to return to the old way of telling stories. Those narratives run deep, and they are difficult to extract. This play sheds light on those dark unconscious places and challenges everyone to reexamine what stories we are drawn to, and why.

SOFIA LINDGREN GALLOWAY, Associate Artistic Director
Picture

What is your favorite fairy tale?
Lately, I've been reading all kinds of wonderful stories about women pirates like Cheng I Sao, Mary Read, and Sadie the Goat. By nature, piracy has always been a mix of fact and legend, which becomes even more true for women. I love reading these stories and trying to decipher what was real and what is mythology.

What is this play about?
Fierce French ladies trying to be everything they want to be but "The Man" keeps getting in their way.
 
People should go see this play because...
How often do we get to watch a group of women interact in a way that is funny, intelligent, frivolous, bawdy, and powerful all at once? How often do they get to do it with beautiful costumes, puppets, and a dash of magic? Almost never. Thankfully, this play is here to fill that void.

DAVID HANZAL, Artistic Director
Picture

What is your favorite fairy tale?
"Cinderella." I always loved the transformation and the magic and the spectacle, along with the idea that love/the purity of heart always win in the end. And, I always wanted to wear that dress and THOSE SHOES!!

What is this play about?
At its heart, our play asks: How may a strong, independent individual live the life they dream and make their voice truly heard in an oppressive and patriarchal system that's determined to bring them down? Even though this play is based on real-life historical figures from the 17th century, it feels like it could be taking place in 2018.

Describe this play in three words.
Fairy tales. Feminism. Puppets.

Coming soon...

Le Cirque Féerique (The Fairy Circus)
October 5-14, 2018 at the Off-Leash Area Art Box
4200 East 54th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55417

Reserve your tickets today!

TICKETS
0 Comments

9/12/2018 0 Comments

Le Cirque Féerique rehearsals begin!

WOW! I can’t believe that the first week of rehearsals has already come and gone - it has been a whirlwind. As I prepared for our first day together at the start of last week, I couldn’t help but feel first-day-of-school-like jitters. These characters and this story had been rolling around in my brain for well over a year, be it leading a research group, collaborating on a script with a playwright, facilitating script development workshops, or fabricating a plethora of puppets and masks. But no matter how long you research or rewrite, preparing for the first day of rehearsal for what will be a world premiere script is always a little extra nerve-wracking.

Leading up to our first day of rehearsals, I was plagued with insecurities. I knew that I (as the director/conceiver/co-creator) was still fascinated by our script and source material, but would actors (some of whom were brand-new to the project) feel the same way? Would the questions and themes that seemed so inspiring and resonant to my research group twelve months ago, still ring through as powerfully today? Luckily for me, my fears were instantly smashed after a few minutes on our first day together - our entire ensemble has been a dream to work with since day one, and I couldn’t feel more blessed to have this amazing collective of actors bring these characters to life for the very first time.
Picture
Picture
This world premiere production has been a glimmer in my eye ever since I first accidentally stumbled upon Madame Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy and her real-life friends while researching for another project way back in March 2017. I instantly felt a kinship with these forgotten souls, and almost immediately felt compelled to bring their historically-erased lives and subversive tales to the stage -- it’s rare that I so hastily or impulsively commit to a theatrical project. I still remember reading about how Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy helped her friend murder her abusive husband (and get away with it!), or how Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force dressed up as a bear in a traveling circus to rescue her imprisoned fiancé who she had been forbidden to marry. I remember immediately thinking -- these are my people and I have to tell their story!!!
 
I think of the first day of rehearsal as a way of uploading everything that I have on to the ensemble’s mutual desktop. I always try to bring in every relevant scrap of research, every idea that the design team has arrived at thus far, every hunch, and every question. I always like to share -- What do I know about our play? What do I not know? What questions do I still have? What is still left for us as an ensemble to discover?
Picture
Over the last week, playwright Emily Dendinger has swooped in from New York City to “exfoliate” our script with us, cutting, revising, and rewriting our text based on the discoveries and choices that the ensemble has made around the table and on their feet. We’ve also started animating puppets in the rehearsal room, which has informed several script revisions and generated new moments onstage. We still have a few more weeks of rehearsal before our week of technical rehearsals begin, and the only thing that’s certain for the future is that this script and production will change and evolve and grow based on the collective discoveries of the ensemble.
Picture
Picture
I hope that you’ll join us this coming October at the Off-Leash Area’s Art Box - this is bound to be a special one, and I couldn’t be more excited. Onward!
 
Fondly,
David.
 
Tickets are on sale now: https://www.artful.ly/store/events/15437
 
Le Cirque Féerique (The Fairy Circus)
Directed and conceived by David Hanzal
Written by Emily Dendinger, created in collaboration with David Hanzal and the ensemble
October 5-14, 2018 at the Off-Leash Area Art Box
4200 East 54th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55417
0 Comments

    Author

    Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.

    Archives

    August 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Co​ntact us:
collectiveunconscious.info@gmail.com