Download - Developing Artists

 PROJECT PROPOSAL
“In all this madness, dance makes us sane.
Dance is as precious as love.”
Spier Films & Developing Artists presents
TJOVITJO
PROJECT INTRODUCTION
Maverick South African director Vincent Moloi and his team at Puo Pha Productions came across the
vibrant dance form termed ‘Skhanda’ – booming countrywide, an ingenious dance from the townships –
and a dance form like no other. They were drawn into a creative collaboration with a local troupe of
Skhanda dancers with dreams of turning their passion into a profession.
Through this development project, Puo Pha Productions in partnership with Developing Artists and Spier
Films intend to encouraging upward mobility in this troupe of township dancers and in the process
develop a theatrical show which will raise awareness of the form and open doors for many others to
follow in their footsteps.
Dance is a form of expression which allows individuals to transcend the harsh spaces they inhabit in their
everyday lives and the only resource you need is your body - which costs nothing. Through various
creative mediums (a theatrical show, documentary and feature film) we intend to showcase the powerful
spirit of emotional survival which drives these dancers from a poverty-ridden environment.
Creatively, we plan to use the workshop to build a narrative in a classic Romeo + Juliet or West Side Story
format that showcases these unique and highly energetic dance forms for international audiences who
have never seen them before.
What we have is a dedicated troop of actors and dancers who will work very closely with the directors
and writers to come up with an authentic story that will, at a much later stage, be translated into a
professional screenplay for a feature film.
2 2 PROJECT OVERVIEW
This project comprises of three creative products which will be developed alongside each other and focus
on building the skills of various types of Artists and their supporters from disadvantaged backgrounds in
South Africa:
1.  THEATRICAL SHOW
A narrative and dance production to be performed on stage in South Africa with the potential for an
international tour depending on success.
2.  DOCUMENTARY
A documentary which follows the process of creating the show and the feature film and uncovers the
lives of the individual dancers and artists involved. This project is already underway.
3.  THEATRICAL FEATURE FILM
A feature film to be developed during this process as an adaptation of the theatrical show, to be
filmed with the same dancers and financed for production by Spier Films through the conventional
film market.
The aim of the project is to build a structure which leaves behind a sustainable legacy.
IMPLEMENTATION OF THEATRICAL SHOW
Developing Artists provides transforming and sustainable opportunities for people living in immensely deprived
environments and I enthusiastically encourage you to generously support their work.”
Sir Derek Jacobi, Developing Artists Patron
STAGE ONE: ACTIVATION WORKSHOP
An International Facilitator and mentor from Developing Artists, and the UK Theatre Director will travel
down to South Africa for 2 – 3 weeks of improvisation and writing with the creative team, dancers and
actors, and production training and preparation for a Project Manager and Stage Manager.
This collaborative process should result in the
skeleton of a show which is ready to be refined
and executed.
The process for this workshop, based on
previous experience from Developing Artists,
would be to improvise with the dancers and
actors, record those scenes on paper, then
prepare draft scenes with the core creative
team, and return to the dancers and actors to
walk through the written scenes. This would be
repeated as the team works towards locking
down a formal script.
3 STAGE TWO: DEVELOPMENT PHASE
The international team returns to the UK and the local South African process will continue for 1 month
while the team and actors/dancers continue to workshop, rehearse and refine the show with regular
conference calls and correspondence to keep the international collaborators in the loop.
STAGE THREE: REHEARSAL & SHOW
The International Facilitator and UK Director will return to South Africa for a 3 week rehearsal period in
preparation for the show. The premiere date for the show will be booked as far in advance as possible into a reputable and suppor6ve theatre (for example the Soweto Theatre). FURTHER OPPORTUNITIES
Once the show has been performed, avenues for
further
performances around South Africa and
internationally will be explored by the project
team. By the end of the process, we will know
where to position the show in the Theatrical
market.
We will also explore ways to continue building the
experience and career of the core New Talent, for
example internships on international theatrical
productions on Broadway or in the West End.
4 PROJECT AIMS
•
Bring professional theatre to communities in one of the most deprived parts of South Africa.
•
Identify and encourage the development of dancers, artists and theatre professionals, providing
them with opportunities to earn a living from their work.
•
Share practical skills ranging from directing, design and acting methods to technical, marketing and
budgeting practices.
•
Create a genuinely hybrid theatrical production combining Western and local theatre skills.
•
Build sustainable community arts projects by connecting a national network of artists, trainers
and arts organisations.
•
Facilitate local educational and aid
organisations in using dance and drama techniques
within existing social and health programmes.
•
Create a number of international training
opportunities through Developing Artists’
Apprenticeship Scheme thus enhancing people’s
skills and their international contact base.
•
Deepen the existing relationship between
theatre practitioners in South Africa, and the
international network of artists connected to
Developing Artists.
PROJECT OUTCOMES
•
A dynamic and exciting production that will serve to both entertain and educate
living in a deprived community.
•
The use of drama-workshops and rehearsals to release previously untold stories and
from local people.
people
memories
•
A series of theatre workshops in schools and colleges in
some of the most deprived
communities.
•
The development of a sustainable practice of teamwork and
self-discipline through theatre practice, thereby enhancing selfconfidence and improving communication skills.
•
The development and sharing of a structure for the
formation of community theatre groups in all townships visited.
•
The opportunity for local artists to earn a living from
touring the production within their own country and abroad.
5 •
The expansion of participants' creative and practical horizons resulting in a greater sense of
personal purpose and community responsibility.
•
The creation of a number of International Apprenticeships for arts training.
•
The creation of a network of knowledge sharing between local educational and charitable
institutions in South Africa and neighbouring African nations.
•
The creation of a first class documentary about the project to be screened internationally.
•
Support and extend the long term work of Puo Pha Productions as one of the leading film
production companies for a new generation in South Africa.
•
Support the long term work of Spier Films and help them realise their ambition to create a first
class feature film based on the stories unearthed during the project
CREATIVE TEAM
PUO PHA PRODUCTIONS – Vincent Moloi & Makgano Mambolo
Vincent Moloi has produced and directed a multitude of documentary series and once offs to date, having
more than 50 documentaries for television under his belt which makes him one of the most innovative
and prolific filmmakers in the country. He has directed on over ten different TV drama series, amongst
them The Lab, Society 1, Soul City, Zone14, A Place Called Home and others. Moloi has been mentored by
director Terry George (Hotel Rwanda) and Tjovitjo will be his debut fictional feature.
6 DEVELOPING ARTISTS
Developing Ar-sts is a registered charity working to support the arts in post-­‐conflict na-ons and deprived communi-es. Our projects connect people and ins6tu6ons in some of the world's most disadvantaged areas with an interna6onal network of arts organisa6ons and prac66oners. Developing Ar6sts strengthens underprivileged and marginalised communi6es by providing construc6ve outlets for their crea6ve life, and transforma6ve long-­‐term opportuni6es for self-­‐expression and professional development. Developing Ar6sts creates and supports collabora6ve produc6ons, and through these produc6ons iden6fies talented individuals who would benefit from par6cipa6on in the charity's Appren6ceship Programme. Many of our produc6ons go on to tour around the world, providing par6cipants with a global plaNorm and raising awareness of the key advocacy issues each of their projects address at an interna6onal level. Over the past ten years Developing Ar6sts has delivered over 25 projects in eight countries, and brought together ar6sts and performing arts organisa6ons throughout the world. The charity fosters a self-­‐
sustaining approach to the arts through which individuals acquire the skills to earn an income from their work, and ini6ate their own projects over the long term. They are empowered to share what they have learned with their local communi6es, thereby ac6ng as catalysts for wider social change. GILES RAMSAY: Giles Ramsay is an independent theatre director and producer who specializes in crea6ng new work with ar6sts in developing countries. He is the Founding Director of Developing Ar6sts, a Fellow of St. Chad’s College, Durham University and Course Leader in Theatre at The Victoria and Albert Museum in London. His recent direc6ng credits include The Rainmaker & The Glass Menagerie (Northern Stage, USA); a Zimbabwean version of Oedipus Tyrannus, Marathon, When Angels Weep, Looking into the Abyss, The Maids (The Harare Interna6onal Fes6val of the Arts – HIFA -­‐ Zimbabwe); Burn Mukwerekwere Burn (HIFA & Na6onal Theatre of Mannheim, Germany) & a showcase for the CulturArte Project, Island of Fogo, (Cape Verde). In the last few yearsGiles has run theatre projects in Botswana, Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Kosovo, Pales6ne, Mexico, Thailand and Zimbabwe. He has also organised many development and
7 and travel programmes for theatres affiliated with the North American Theatre Communications Group
and given numerous talks for institutions ranging from The Foundation for Mexican Literature in Mexico
City to The Royal College of Physicians in London. He regularly lectures on the history and practice of
theatre on Cunard's Queen Mary 2 as it sails from New York to the UK.
OLIVER KING: Oliver is a producer and the execu6ve director of Developing Ar6sts. His producing credits include Three Sisters, Uncle Vanya (Wyndham's), Donkey Heart (Trafalgar Studios), Luce (Southwark Playhouse), A Dashing Fellow, An Imaginary Circus (New Diorama), Tied to You (Pushkin House), A Warsaw Melody (Arcola Theatre), Sunstroke (PlaNorm Theatre), Piranha Heights (Old Red Lion), Mary Postgate, Hansel & Gretel (Edinburgh Fes6val). He is currently producing Queens of Syria (West End & UK Tour) & the first ever West End show in French. Oliver has worked for Lee Menzies Ltd and the Harare Interna6onal Fes6val of the Arts (Zimbabwe), and was a sponsorship consultant on From Here to Eternity (Shaeesbury Theatre). SPIER FILMS
Spier Films has a long history of working with talent from stage to screen and the adapta6ons required to make these successful. Beginning in 2004 with the director, Mark Dornford-­‐May and the talented troupe assembled from the Khayelitsha Township outside Cape Town called Dimpho Di Kopane, Spier Films was involved in staging the musical U-­‐Carmen eKhayelitsha and The Mysteries for the stage and then turning these into the feature films U-­‐Carmen eKhayelitsha and Son of Man respec6vely. U-Carmen eKhayelitsha went on to win the Golden
Bear in Berlin in 2005 and Son of Man played at
Sundance in 2006. Thereafter Spier Films took on the adaptation of
Athol Fugards famous play Master Harold and the
Boys which it brought to the screen starring Freddie
Highmore (Arthur and the Invisibles, Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory) and Ving Rhames (Pulp Fiction,
Mission Impossible). The film went on to open the
Cape Winelands Film Festival and sold in the US to
Imagine Entertainment.
Michael Auret has also previously worked with
theatre groups in rural and urban areas in
Zimbabwe in the 90’s putting on performances
throughout the country and taking these plays and
transforming them into a 30 part radio soap opera
performed in 3 languages.
We look forward to taking these incredible dancers
and the story of the South Africa of today as told
by the marginalised youth that make up its vibrant,
beating heart.
8 MICHAEL AURET: Michael Auret is MD of Spier Films, an award-­‐winning produc6on and finance company known for visionary and cri6cally acclaimed films with commercial appeal. Since joining the , Mark company in 2007, Michael has produced several feature films, most recently The SalvaPon (starring Mads Mikkelsen, Eva Green) which premiered in Cannes 2014; Young Ones (starring Elle Fanning, Michael
Shannon, Nicholas Hoult and Kodi Smit-McPhee) which premiered in
Sundance 2014; The Price of Sugar(Opening Film Netherlands Film
Festival 2013); Khumba(2013), an animated film which was a
commercial success worldwide and celebrated South African film Of
Good Report which premiered in Toronto 2013 and earned 7 South
African Film & Television Awards (SAFTAs) among many others.
Previously, he was CEO of the biggest "trade fair" event for film and
TV professionals in Africa (Sithengi Film and TV Market) and has run
various successful media businesses.
THEMBISA COCHRANE: Thembisa joined Spier Films in 2012 as Development Executive and
manages a slate of feature films in development. She regularly attends festivals and markets on behalf of
Spier Films and has acted as Assistant to Producer for four of the company’s films. Previously she was
one of the founding producers at Devilishly Handsome Productions, a London production company with
a broad portfolio of work including commercials, computer animation and branded content for clients
like M&G Investments, Diesel Fragrance, Dennis Publishing and UK Trade & Investment. Thembisa started
her career in the commercials and film industry in South Africa and holds an honours degree in Film &
Media Studies from the University of Cape Town.
INVESTMENT & RECOUPMENT
Philanthropic investors would be asked to support the charity Developing Ar6sts through Social Impact Investment and Corporate Responsibility Sponsorship by inves6ng into this project. Aside from suppor6ng the project itself, this investment and sponsorship would act as a trigger for 9 potential profits which would then flow back to Developing Artists to increase the charity’s capacity and
the work it already does around the world to develop artists.
There may be tangible income from Theatre Tickets. For the feature film process, development investment could be paid out on the first day of principal photography with a premium and an op6on of equity shares. WHY DEVELOPING ARTISTS?
Developing Artists has over nine years experience of delivering theatre-based projects in conflict and postconflict nations whilst also arranging apprenticeships and exchanges with more developed nations.
During this time it has established firm
partnerships with key arts organisations in
Zimbabwe, Botswana, Kenya, Equatorial
Guinea and the Cape Verde Islands in
Africa as well as in Mexico, Kosovo and
Palestine. Essential to the working practice
of Developing Artists is a commitment to
long term and sustainable relationships.
Theatre workshop techniques are left as a
legacy in the communities visited by
p ro j e c ts, areas are re-visited by
subsequent projects and international
performance opportunities are created for
artists emerging from the projects.
SELECTION, REHEARSAL AND PERFORMANCE
On arrival in a country or community where a project is held, Developing Artists run fully open auditions,
inviting anyone who wants to join the production the chance to be seen. The auditions are advertised
widely, through local press and connections within the communities. If those who come to audition are
not selected they can still join the project in other roles such as lighting, sound, costume, etc. Involvement
in rehearsals and performance gives a sense of belonging and structure to people who may be living in
considerable hardship.
10 APPRENTICESHIPS
The Apprenticeships are the primary way in which Developing Artists link individual artists with the
international stage and provide full “on-the-job” professional training. Talented people at an early stage of
their career are identified and given a fully funded scholarship to travel, spending up to six weeks working
in a professional theatre in either the UK or USA. In the UK these include Glyndbourne Opera, The
National Theatre, The Gate (Notting Hill), The Tricycle and The Rose in Kingston.
"Drama is superbly well suited to help break down the barriers that divide individuals and communities.Through
its wide range of inspirational projects, Developing Artists strives to release the stories that people need to tell to
make sense of their lives.”
Dame Janet Suzman, Developing Artists Patron
CONTACT US
For further information on the project, or to support it in any way, then please don’t hesitate to
get in touch.
SPIER FILMS UK
+ 44 20 3509 8744
London, United Kingdom
DEVELOPING ARTISTS
+44 20 8123 1604
London, United Kingdom
[email protected]
[email protected]
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