SILK
A World Premiere Presented by ZENDEH with Dance City.
SILK began as thread of an idea whilst the Artistic Director was working internationally between the UK and Iran, it was the crossing of borders and her childhood delight in tales told late into the night that ignited the idea.
Work on SILK began in March 2010 in the context of a Dance City initiative LabSpace, a residency period that allowed the team to experiment with bringing together the story telling practice of theatre, aerial, puppetry, music and visuals with a sprinkling of lighting.
They discovered both their collaborative language and dramaturgical methodology through this experience. The next public showing was an extract as part of Public Announcement 5 a birthday celebration of Dance City in its current building, it was a thrill to be included in such an eclectic range of contemporaries. From here the team delved into the Atlas North and South form different periods and explored ideas through history about perspectives of what we understand by Oriental-Eastern and Occidental-Western.
Rehearsals for SILK were filled with passion, laughter and most of all a curiosity and commitment to story telling through live performance. It is rare to gather together such a talented group of people who are so generous with their art form and establish a strong feeling of an interdisciplinary collaborative ensemble.
Company
Eleanor Beveridge - Aerialist / Dragon
Clare Byrnes - Operator / Props
James Froment - Production Manager
Steven Gaythorpe - Writer
Louise Gregory - Lighting Designer / Silk Worm Creator
Nadia Iftkhar - Creative Associate
Mona McCarthy - Character Choreography (Aerial)
Brendan Murphy - Percussionist / Composer
Andy Playford - Digital Artist
Gayle Marie Playford - Costume Design
Nazli Tabatabai-Khatambakhsh - Director
Karen Traynor - Sadaf
Tom Walton - Puppeteer / Phoenix/ Merchant / Puppet Design & Maker
Apple Yang - Character Choreography (Movement)
Dragon and the moon
Sadaf prepares for her journey
Sadaf meets the Merchant
The Merchant admires her map
Sadaf meets Phoenix
Sadaf plays with Dragon
Dragon scares away The Merchant
Sadaf flies with her friends
The Merchant tries to sell his wares
Sadaf's parents are transformed back
Special Thanks
Helen Green, Colm Scott-Baird, Ruth Johnston, Alison McGowan, Bex Mather and Mongrel UK based at The Sage Gateshead, Erica Whyman, Anne Besford, Emma Forster, Amy Lynch, Amanda Drago, Isobel Hawson, Claire Hicks, Phoenix Martial Arts, British Council, Visiting Arts, Arts Council England, Newcastle City Council, Gateshead Council , Sustained Theatre, The Catherine Cookson Trust and the Board of Directors of ZENDEH and our supporters in the UK, Iran and Internationally.