SMATCH2

On Tuesday, Jury group #4 saw Dominique Roodthooft's SMATCH2 at Les Tanneurs theatre. This show had a lot of good things going for it: footage of donkeys, a guy wearing a hand-knit donkey mask, real live earthworms, diorama that included volcanoes and tsunami in action, videos (including the Double Rainbow Youtube sensation), headstands, a fiddler/violinist, scientific funfacts...somehow all put together it didn't wow me. But I still enjoyed it. We have our first sleeper, Wassim!



Wim's glasses




Apparently the mashed potatoes were gross, but Fanta cures all









Me, according to the Jury




Darren, according to the Jury


Stinky


I finally won a round! 1 point Eva. 10 points Jury.


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The Indian Queen

On Monday Jury group #5 saw Jan Decorte/B'Rock's 'The Indian Queen,' an opera that also had some dancing. I really enjoyed the music; the orchestra? Band? Do you say orchestra if they're on stage with the performers? Either way, I enjoyed the music, which was a good thing because the story was lost on me. Special props to the pregnant woman playing the recorder. The Jury got the chance to meet Jan Decorte and his wife after the show, but I missed it because I had to go do an interview about the project for a French radio station (which was really hard, by the way).







A journalist came with us to the show, and interviewed the Jury before and afterwards.

strut

eva on her bike

STAFF BENDA BILILI

Tonight the CCA Jury was attacked by yet another photographer at Norwich Theatre Royal.

Jury Three was exposed to world music from Congolese rumba-funk warriors "Staff Benda Bilili" - a group of parapelegic street musicians who live in and around the grounds of the zoo in Kinshasa, DR Congo. We sat behind parapalegics who, if and when we stood, yelled at us to sit down. So the isles were packed with dancers but if you wanted to stay at your seat you had to sit. I've never been to anything like it.

We left during the the encore because some of the Jury was too tired to stay, and got a bit sick. Could it have been a physical reaction to the different sounds they played Courtney?

Nijinksy Klunchun Norwich

City Academy Norwich does Nijinsky Siam





And Jodie swings with the ghost of Nicole

PENGUIN CAFE ORCHESTRA, norwichnorfolkfestivaltwentyeleven

JURY ONE PLAYS IN A PARK BEFORE THE SHOW.

NO EDITS.

Tonight was another night of music. This time it kept the attention of our Jury, however they couldn't keep from crinkling their friggin water bottles, and why the plastic bag Hammoud? Are plastic bags back in fashion or something? Hammoud refused to put his food inside our fabric bags cause there was something about this bag that made him feel good. Didn't get it.

We listened to The Penguin Cafe Orchestra who played the famous "music for a found harmonium" which was featured in the movie Napolean Dynamite. I especially like the sound of a type of guitar that was a bit larger than a ukulele whose outer strings are octaves lower. I also dug the ultra speedy violin and viola work. The instrumentation of this orchestra was natural sounding and intricate, pleasant to the ear and layered with fun.

With three more shows left to judge (tonight included), there's plenty to organize for the Awards Ceremony. We found some dancers and singers in the group. Compiled images as background support and a list of their top tunes. 50 Cent is back y'all!

Cabaret Crusades and Scratching on Things I Could Disavow (Encore)

On Sunday Jury group #1 saw Wael Shawky's film 'Cabaret Crusades: The Path to Cairo' which was a historical movie performed by puppets about the crusades. There were supposed to be 2 parts to the film, but Wael's work was interrupted by the revolution in Egypt, so we were only able to see part 1. I liked the horse puppets best.




The fabulous Diane

Our row

On Sunday Night, Jury group #5 was the second group to see Walid Raad's 'Scratching on Things I Could Disavow.' We were 'shushed' by some audience members and even the actor...but he still hung around to talk to the Jury afterwards while we ate brownies from the theatre bar. Mmm.

...Verblendungzusammenhang!

On Saturday night, Jury group #3 saw Rene Pollesch's 'Ich Schau Dir In Die Augen, Gesellschaftlicher Verblendungzusammenhang!' We sat at the front on cushions for the show, which was performed by one actor who spent most of the performance in his underwear or in spandex pants. There were lights and drums, there was music and spraypaint...Big hit. I thought Jury member, Victor, was going to spring up and run onstage on several occasions. It was both philosophical and funny, and the actor, Fabian Hinrichs, was really great. He has an entourage of 25 people who help him make that show happen, so we weren't able to inform him about the Jury's presence in the audience that night, but he was still willing and happy to pose for some pictures after the performance.







Talking to Fabian

Spectres

On Saturday Jury group #2 saw Sven Augustijnen's 'Spectres,' which was a photography exhibit and documentary about Patrice Lumumba who was Prime Minister of the Congo, and was assassinated shortly after the country became independent from Belgium in 1960. The photographs were from the archives of individuals who were interviewed in the documentary, and had never been published/seen before. Before the film, Sven came to talk to the Jury about the exhibition and the documentary, and explain the historical context around Lumumba's assassination. We didn't have enough time to see the whole film, which I would've liked to.

a younger theatre

Just learned of A Younger Theatre, a group who does stuff sort of like this, only more full time and formally.

Je T'aime