Sunday Surgery

Monthly Writing and Reading Workshops for Stage & Screen
Upcoming Event: Sunday 25th of July 3.15pm-7.30pm

Whether they have hit a brick wall, or would simply like to take their words beyond the page msft offers writers an opportunity to test out, and perhaps expand their work. On the last Sunday of every month writers, directors and actors congregate at The Others on Manor Road in Stoke Newington to actualise emerging playwrights and screenwriters scripts in a workshop/ rehearsal type environment.

Starting each session with a guest speaker, from the industry, sharing their thoughts on writing, Sunday Surgery aims to encourage participants to think about what the term good writing means to them.

Then breaking into groups, each script is worked on by a director and a team of actors who shape the material into a short performance for the end of the session, all of which is documented by photography and video. Through this the actors and directors try new things and the writer gets to see how theatremakers engage the text.

As a hub of talent Sunday Surgery is a great starting place for possible future collaborations and somewhere where practitioners can keep themselves limber. Every actor who participates in the event will be seen by the msft talent agency.

This month’s featured writer Matthew Scurfield, with I Could be Anyone: Based on the experiences of growing up dyslexic before there was even a word for it, Matthew Scurfield’s intricate and powerful piece explores the struggle between a fixed linear world and those that can’t fit in with it.

Guest writers this month include Paul Hine and Gavin Curtis.

Listing Information
Every last Sunday of the Month
Sunday 27th June 3.15pm-7.30pm
Venue: The Others, 6-8 Manor Road, Stoke Newington, N16 5SA
Entry: ￡5

Best Of SpeechMotion: June 29, 2010

It is the last SPEECHMOTION of the season and to celebrate we are bringing back the artists, poets and filmmakers who have really shaken things up over the past twelve months.

SPEECHMOTION has a way of really bashing against your consciousness and like a good stiff drink, manage to be influential in one way or another!

With great style and vehemence SPEECHMOTION Favourites, take on the world and what a thrilling fight to watch, (much better than the football).

SPEECHMOTION welcomes a heady brew of poets, lovers and lunatics to the Horse and Groom for the last time and serve only the finest blend of film and performance, sound and vision, speech and motion…

POETS:

• Dean Atta, msft actor, writer, poet and all around polymath, he will be sharing the with us.
• Catherine, Poeticat Fresh from Glastonbury festival Poeticat give strong poetic musings of life in the 21^st century accompanied by an ethereal folk score.
• Daniel Randall aka The Ruby Kid is going to show that hip hop is not dead, Randall matches thoughtful lyrics to compelling sounds.
• Andrea Lodovichetti – The Devil & Under my Garden. Award winning filmmaker, Lodovichetti, uses Italy’s rich heritage of myth and land to create naturalistic fairy tales.

LOVERS:

• MC Angel street poetry from the East End of London, an impassioned and hilarious look at the world around her.
• Carmina Louisa Masoliver-Marlow with a vase like fragility she explores what is to be young and female today and here.
• Alexandra Bouillon and Sheila Menon- No Way Through. This award winning film from Britain shows us how life would be if Britain were somewhere else.

and the LUNATICS:

• Ian Newman and Paul Eccentric taking the volume up a bit, and then a lot, Paul goes along according to his own gospel.
• Sascha Zimmermann – 25 cents. A comedy of danger, three women dressed as bunny rabbits hold up a petrol station with shotguns.
• Sullivan Coredo – Le Magician. This French film presents both the beauty and terror of magic.

Each SPEECHMOTION headliner works individually and unanimously to create an intoxicating evening of art to shakes complacency and hopefully always stirs the audience.

Spaces are limited to 30 and we therefore strongly recommend you RSVP.

END###

Sunday Surgery: May ’10 Press Release

Immediate Press Release – May 2010

Monthly Writing Workshop – Script and Screen

For anyone interested in new writing for stage and screen
———————————————————————-
msft offers a space where experienced and novice writers can develop creative ideas, build characters and push their writing to its dramatic limits. Also a great chance for actors to cut their teeth on brand new work, directors to hone their skills with up-and-coming writers, and casting directors/producers to scout for fresh talent.

Each month kicks off with a masterclass, aimed at the writers but useful for all, where tried and tested rehearsal techniques are applied to the writing process. The bulk of the afternoon is an open workshop/rehearsal space – writers are paired with directors and appropriate cast to work through their script, improvise new dialogue or flesh out a troublesome character. There follows a chance to present an extract of up to 5 mins to the whole group, and the day is rounded off by a structured feedback session. All punctuated with frequent trips to the fully stocked bar, and plenty of casual networking.

Sunday 30^th May 3.15pm-7.30pm

Masterclass

“Imagery, Objects, Themes – understanding the layers of a script”

Applying practised rehearsal techniques to the writing process, discover how the many layers of a script are unlocked by the director and used to inform the actor’s work. Aimed at writers, useful for everyone.

Featured Writer

Aisha Zia – The Other One

Mum, Dad and Daughter should be celebrating a special birthday, but the spectre of the child that ran away hangs over them all. A dark and powerful piece from a promising new voice in playwriting.

END###

Sunday Surgery: March ’10 Press Release

Every Last Sunday of the Month in Stoke Newington!

msft’s latest event, merges the principles of a writers workshop with the antics of the rehearsal room so as to aid the development of Sick Scripts into Healthy Plays, (or Screenplays).

Sunday Surgery is divided into three structures, a bit like a play…how appropriate.  The beginning, (master class in writing, this month’s topic: ‘Building Depth and Detail into Character’, run by Tom Latter), the middle, (workshop/rehearsal) and the end (presentation of work), all of which have a very dyslexic friendly approach; in line will all things msft, (but you do not need to be dyslexic to get involved).

By default Sunday Surgery has a layer of subtext called ‘networking’ and proves to be a wonderful way for producers to highjack new talent.  Actors also come along in hope of flexing their muscles, as well as flirting with the possibility of being represented by msft management, (whose books are currently open).  Let’s not forget the Directors who show up for the, ‘Drop In’ surgery.

Any writers with 1-5 pages of script they want to develop are encouraged to surrender it over to the directors/actors on the day. Sunday Surgery is a bit like the jobcentre for the artistically unemployed.

This month’s evening featured performance: Cockentrice, A famous chef, his talented protégé, his trophy wife and a whole lot of cockroaches, by Michelle Donkin, is a high-octane story about the business of celebrity restaurants. Directed by, Tom Latter, staring, Matt Palfrey, Nikky Arding, Tobias Deacon, and Katharine Hope.

END###

Listing Information:

Date: Sunday 28th March
Time: 3pm-7pm
Venue: The Others, 6-8 Manor Road, Stoke Newington, N16 5SA
Price: £4/3 (Facebook guest list get in for £3)

Email submissions to: sundaysurgery@gmail.com

Facebook: msft

*Please be sure to bring enough copies per character.

PS: May contain speeling mistakes in line with msft appeal

SpeechMotion: October ’09 Press Release

The main acts for the October 27th 2009 are resident and published poet, Super Pennie, a hero with ability to wake the absent from their nothingness.

SpeechMotion’s guest poet, Jennifer Warren, is the extremely funny and slightly odd Canadian, who will have you laughing in seconds.

Guest filmmakers are Marianna and Daniel, who will be screening their new film, Longbridge.

Feature performer is comedy poet, Neal Zetter, who has been performing since 1989 at over 100s gigs in the West End comedy and poetry scene (clubs, arts centres, theatres, Soho Theatre, pubs, schools, youth centres, libraries, Royal Festival Hall Euro 96 Poetry Fest) as well as private parties, youth offending teams, NHS (mental health, drug and alcohol rehab groups) and a funeral.  Neal also runs a poetry writing and performance workshops.

Featured filmmaker is the Italian film director, Andrea Lodovichetti, winner of the Best Short Film Golden Globe and the Looking for Genius Award (Babelgum Online Film Festival). SpeechMotion is honoured to screen, The Devil, a short about an old peasant woman is at death’s door. Her son refuses to give her assistance and decides to put her in the care of Donna Cesira, for a fixed payment. Donna Cesira believes she’s struck a fine deal, but the days pass and the old woman won’t die…

SpeechMotion: September ’09 Press Release

The main acts for the 29th September 2009 are resident & published poet Super Pennie. SpeechMotion’s guest poet is Catherine Brogan, the winner of the Belfast Poetry Cup.

SpeechMotion’s feature performer is Jennifer Warren, the extremely funny and slightly odd Canadian who will have you laughing in seconds.

Guest film is a short entitled Firebird, made by students studying Media Practice at The University of Sussex in England. The story focuses on Floyd Tyler, who has recently lost the love of his life and is now haunted by her ghost. Floyd believes the only way to move on is to undergo an experimental treatment which eradicates memories, however the outcome of the procedure reveals surprising consequences.

Featured filmmaker, Andrea Lodovichetti, is the winner of the Best Short Film Golden Globe and the winner of the Looking for Genius Award (Babelgum Online Film Festival). SpeechMotion is honoured to screen Sotto il mio giardino aka Under My Garden which has already won several prizes all around the world. The story is about Marco, a 10-year old boy who has a passion for insects, which lead him to discover a murder in his own back garden. He decides to carry out some investigations before involving the police.

SpeechMotion: August ’09 Press Release

The main acts for the 25th August 2009 are, resident & published poet, Super Pennie. SpeechMotion’s guest performer is Xperi Mental, who creates psychedelic visual theatre with UV light, a mixture of dance, Tai chi chuan, and juggling with Poi and small sticks.

SpeechMotions feature poet is Northerner, The Ruby Kid, who is a lyrical wordsmith with an impressive performance history for someone so young. The Ruby Kid has performed in front of over 500 people at Sheffield’s The Plug (in support of grime megastars Wiley and Skepta) to intimate spoken-word sets at The Library House squat in Brixton. He has shared bills with Al Baker, Babar Luck, Master Shortie, Kid Acne, and Rodney P–to name a few–and will be performing tracks from his latest EP, Winter in The City.

Guest filmmaker is recent graduate from Southampton Solent University, George Hollywood-Smith, with two of his shorts entitled, RET. RI. BU. TION and Immigration, which has had over 95,000 views on YouTube and has become an Internet cult classic.

Feature filmmaker is Sullivan Coredo from the South of France, with the debut screening of The Wizard/Le Magician–a short, surreal film about a nightmare full of meanings but unreadable. Sullivan Coredo will be present for a Q&A to help those without a dream dictionary to interpret the meaning of The Wizard/Le Magician.

Editors notes: SpeechMotion is in partnership with Maya Productions–producers of Write to Ignite, September 09, The Hackney Word Festival. ###

SpeechMotion: July ’09 Press Release

SpeechMotion, the latest’s addition to msft’s festival portfolio of fantastic events in East London, promotes the work of new storytellers, offering a unique mix of poetry and film. Speech Motion runs every last Tuesday of the month for the next 12 months and kicks off on 28th July 2009 at The Horse and Groom, 28 Curtain Road, Shoreditch, London, EC2A 3NZ.

Open mic performers/filmmakers may sign up at 7.00pm, ready for a 7:30pm start. Following the open will be a combination of programmed guest and featured artists each month. Featured artists get paid and the producers will be using the open mic/screenings as a way of scouting for new talent.

The main acts for the 28th July 2009 are guest poet and published writer Super Pennie, this month’s featured poet Camila Fiori, featured filmmakers Emily Stein and Charlotte Rodrigues, and guest filmmaker C.B. Legge.

Super Pennie is our guest poet this month. For more information and full performance list, please visit Super Pennie’s MySpace page. You may also visit Super Pennie on YouTube.

This month’s feature poet, the passionate Camila Fiori. Camila has recently contributed to the London Poetry Pearl Anthology, as well as being the winner of a LifeFm/Young Creative’s writing competition and a performer at the London Literary Festival. Her delivery is enigmatic and her performance poetry is full of the kind of honesty that is as rare as sunshine in London. Some online links: Camila’s MySpace page (click on “photos” to see images of some recent projects), Red Velvet Curtain Club (click on “people” and “artists E-H”), Camila’s Spotlight page, and Camila’s Casting Call Pro page.

Guest filmmaker is C.B. Legge with his short film entitled The Robbery, a beautifully shot narrative that explores how the stories we create around other people’s lives, become reflections of ourselves.

Feature filmmakers include Emily Stein (a documentary photographer and film-maker who runs photography workshops for teenagers) and Charlotte Rodrigues (an assistant producer for broadcast TV documentaries). They will be screening The Original Woodstockers, a short documentary about the original Woodstock veterans who refuse to give up their hippie lifestyle. Check out The Original Woodstockers via this link.

Editors notes: Call for participation SpeechMotion scouts for talent via the open mic/open screen and offers all features a maximum 20 minute performance/screening opportunity. Poets, storytellers, performers, and filmmakers please email initial interest by 15th of every month. If you would like to be considered as a feature (a paid position), please email us at speechmotion@makingtheatrework.com for more information and submission guidelines.

SpeechMotion details: Every last Tuesday of the month from July 2009. Doors open at 7:00pm for a 7:30pm start. Tickets:£4.00. Venue: The Horse and Groom, 28 Curtain Road, Shoreditch Tube: Old St/Liverpool St

Producer notes: Who is msft? The Storytellers Pedalstal. msft, formerly known as missfit productions, has been producing events since 2006 and specializes in raising the profile of emerging artists, across the creative spectrum, (poets, performers, film makers and playwrights). msft aims to create performance opportunities around London in quirky venues that promise to nurture creative talent and artistic innovation. Why? Because msft loves theatre. Not just the finished product, but all the drama that brings the product to life.

For more information, images, interviews or sponsorship, please contact festival director Lennie Varvarides at speechmotion@makingtheatrework.com ###

CAN DYSLEXICS WRITE OR IS THIS JUST CRUEL FICTION?

DYSSING MONADYS, is a permanent fixture to the London literary, fringe and film scene dedicated to the development of dyslexic theatre writers, performance poets, and filmmakers because dyslexia can be a gift, not a ‘cruel fiction,’ as implied by Graham Stringer, the Labour MP for Blackley, Greater Manchester.

DYSSING MONADYS opens on Monday 5 October 2009 as part of Adult Dyslexia Awareness Week and will be hosted at this year’s sponsor venue, Horse, 124 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7XG.

Comments by Professor Dennis Harding (The Times, May 31, 2009), implying that dyslexic people are “manipulating the assessment structure” and that dyslexia is more of a “guise” for poorly performing students to get away with bad spelling and grammar are extremely damaging.

Festival producer, Lennie Varvarides said, “DYSSING MONADYS and other events taking place as part of Adult Dyslexia Awareness Week will encourage dyslexic practitioners to come out of the creative closet, because dyslexia should no longer be a humiliating condition.”

Although people with dyslexia learn differently and struggle with left brain activities, they are often original storytellers, and msft, the engine behind the festival, hope that DYSSING MONADYS will encourage a more positive view of this learning difference.

Productions programmed for October 2009 include On My Own (written by N. Werenowska, directed by Alexandra Carey; Monday 5 and Wednesday 7 October), Seconds (by A. Morrisroe, directed by Alison Brown; Monday 12 and Wednesday 14 October), The Wisdom Den (by D. Christopher, directed by Tom Latter; Monday 19 and Wednesday 21 October), Awk–Word (by L. Varvarides, directed by Chryssanthi Kouri; Monday 26, Wednesday 28, Saturday 31 October 2009, Rosemarie Branch Theatre and extracts of the play at the DYSFEST Festival on 6th November).

All box office proceeds will be donated for the creation of a new charity called, DYS(the)LEXI, which will campaign and promote the creative writing of dyslexic story makers in the United Kingdom.

Festival details: Every Monday and Wednesday from October-November 2009. Doors open at 7:00pm for a 7:30pm start. Tickets: £5/4. Sponsored venue: Horse, 124 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7XG. Tube: Lambeth North/Waterloo.

DYSSING MONADYS is sponsored and supported by Microlink, Adult Dyslexia Organisation, Friendship School, Horse, and Arts Dyslexia Trust.