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.