fLiNG Physical Theatre Artistic Director’s Report AGM June 17th 2010
fLiNG Physical Theatre 2009 was an exciting, productive and expansive year. Our
company numbers could be expanded due to the employ of two of our most
experienced Directors, Don Asker and Jane Mortiss and a returning fLiNG member who
has completed her dance studies at ACPA Julie Baker. Although the fling members
were a young intake in 2009, with an average age of 14, they benefitted enormously
from the talent and generous input made by these tutors.
Creatively, we did not manifest the creative development of Red Green led by Helen
Linkenbaugh as we had planned but instead fostered a creative development called
The Voyage, that involved Julie Baker as a young and emerging choreographer. Our
Take fLiGHT performance created in December with Adam Wheeler at the wheel was a
resounding success and we are aiming to re-develop this show ready for touring in
2011.
Main Activities in 2009
Community Classes and Training opportunities
January fLiNG Physical Theatre offered a three day Holiday Workshop
Program to the local community. The workshops were targeting young people
across three age groups. Beginners from 8 to 12 years, intermediate from 13 to
15 and advanced from15 years and thirty-six dancers from the community
attended. Fling Alumni who had returned from tertiary training institutes, NICA,
VCA and ACPA for their summer break were the tutors making the Summer
School unique.
February fLiNG auditioned for company places and commenced normal
training programmes for members. We were able to double our normal fling
membership due to the employ of Julie Baker who qualified to take training
sessions without supervision, consequentially two sessions could be run at one
time for the 38 members.
The company-training program consisted of six time slots over two evenings
after school. Each member received at least 3 hours of training during two
training sessions per week in contemporary dance and gymnastics. They all
returned on Saturdays for company rehearsals.
We also offered of 20 YfLiNGers (10 to 13 year old performers) a one and a half
hour session on Saturday morning during school term. This means that a total
of 58 young performers were involved in the company program training of
fourteen hours a week on a weekly basis throughout the year.
Our community classes attracted as many as 35 to 40 punters every week. We
offered sessions in Gymnastics, Hip Hop, Contemporary Dance and Boys Only
Movement Skills attracting about 35 to 40 community punters.
In the July school holidays we conducted a week of Gymnastic coaching with
renowned coach Ben Moroney at Eden Area Gym. The schedule consisted of
three sessions (again for beginner, intermediate and advanced skills) this was
followed by rehearsal intensives for The Voyage and Sol’s Way shows. We were
working from three venues during this period, the Eden Area Gym in Pambula,
Bega Town Hall and Bega Indoor Stadium in Bega.
fLiNG Physical Theatre Artistic Director’s Report AGM June 17th 2010
Performances
February fLiNG auditioned for company places and commenced normal
training programmes for members. We were able to double our normal fling
membership due to the employ of Julie who qualified to take training sessions
without supervision, consequentially two sessions could be run at one time for
the 38 members.
Auditions within the company were held in March to select a group of ten
performers who would undertake to be the touring company for Sol’s Way.
Once chosen, the Sol’s Way cast underwent an extended rehearsal schedule
from April to Septem ber in preparation for the shows. (Copies of the tour
report are available for members by emailing
[email protected])
The remaining twenty-eight members and YfLiNGers were engaged in a new
show and creative development called The Voyage from April to Septem ber.
This show was a process of collaboration and mentoring between Lee
Pemberton the Artistic Director and Julie Baker Assistant to the Director.
In April fLiNG Physical Theatre embarked on an ambitious schools project
supported by Connect-ed, called Wasted at Eden and Bega High Schools. The
project culminated in June with five performances, two in Bega and three in
Eden for the public and the school communities. Ninety school students were
involved in some way in making dance, drama, music and arts for the project
with 1,100 people attending performances. (A copy of the Wasted report is
available by emailing [email protected]).
In October fLiNG self-presented Sol’s Way and The Voyage double bill in Bega
Town Hall performing over three shows to an audience of 460. The entire
company was involved in performing and the next day a touring company of ten
flingers plus 5 adults, left the Bega Valley for the Wollongong and Sydney leg of
Sol’s Way. 1,389 audience members in total saw Sol’s Way during the tenshow season.
In November the company began a creative process for Take flight, which is
an annual in house performance that is a smorgasbord of creative ideas, made
by the members for our Christmas celebration. November also saw fLiNG
perform vignettes from our prior shows for an Ideas Expo in Merimbula.
In Decem ber fLiNGs’ tradition is to use the last week of school for an intensive
rehearsal and production week. At this time we also have a clutch of returned
Alumni members from tertiary schools that participate in the weeklong rehearsal
process. We were able to seconde Adam Wheeler for Take fLight 2009; he
worked with the Alumni Company choreographically and collaborated with Lee
in producing the show.
On Decem ber 20th fLiNG Physical Theatre; with a cast of 55 consisting of,
company members, YfLiNG members and five Alumni performed ‘Nine Uses of
a Basketball Court’ at our new home the Bega Indoor Stadium in a cabaret
style. Audience members numbered 184.
fLiNG Physical Theatre Artistic Director’s Report AGM June 17th 2010
An Assessm ent of the Program m e
Raising Standards
The 2009 program was vast. Having a young associate choreographer employed parttime, as well as visiting Directors for the touring show, meant the company could intake
double the number of members, offer more to the community, produce more creatively,
offer more to our audiences and schools.
fLiNG is extremely lucky to hold the interests of such experienced and dedicated artists
as Don Asker, Jane Mortiss and Colleen Meessmann who give regularly of their time in
order to benefit the company. One of the challenges of the company is affording and
finding a variety of Artists to input in our program, the distance we are from any
professional dance company or tertiary dance institution impacts the problem.
Finding Young tutors who are able to conduct community classes with the quality we
demand is a daunting issue. In 2009 we were fortunate to have two capable facilitators.
Senior fLiNG member, Jared Mizon, who had been working with the company for more
than three years and had undergone tutor training and supervision with the Artistic
Director for the last eighteen months and Julie Baker, having completed studies in
Dance in Adelaide was more than competent in her role as Assistant Choreographer
and Trainer.
Sols Way received acclaim for high achievement artistically and for producing such
great individual performances. (See attached reviews) The ten performers were given
individual attention throughout the rehearsal period. The individual performances during
the season were stand out, the small cast provided an opportunity for the Directors to
focus more on performer ability and engagement during the process of creating Sol’s
Way.
Audience Development
When compared to 2008 Fling’s audience numbers increased by 2,229 people in 2009.
Coupled with the increase in audience numbers due to the school workshops at WSDA
Parramatta Theatres activities in 2009 have broadened our audience base.
Employment of Artists
With the employment of a part time trainer for eleven months working an average of 16
hrs per week, Fling employed one more artist than in 2008. However our output was far
greater in terms of reaching more young people with our programmes and offering a
larger group of young people opportunities to perform with Fling.
Education and Training
Workshop and sessions almost doubled and participant numbers increased by 186. A
school’s activities package was developed for Sol’s Way, it was available for download
on our website. Forums were held after the shows in Parramatta and the interaction
between our school audience and performers was valuable.
fLiNG Physical Theatre Artistic Director’s Report AGM June 17th 2010
Initiatives and Progress towards our Goals
It is the aim of Fling Physical Theatre to inspire young people through Physical Theatre
by creating original work.
Two more inspired Flingers have decided to leave and carry on into the greater world of
dance. Ryl Harris will take her place at the VCA in Melbourne to commence studies in a
Bachelor of Arts of contemporary dance in 2010. Jared Mizon has moved to Canberra
to pursue his performance career with the Fresh Funk ensemble and QL2.
In 2009 the fLiNG Physical Theatre Board of Directors have taken a license to operate
the Bega Indoor Stadium from Bega Shire Council. It is hoped that the management of
the Stadium will help to create a more suitable training and storage space for the
company with the potential to build a specific dance space.
In 2009 fLiNG maintained a reputation for delivering high quality original physical theatre
performances that inspires and engages youth in the Bega Valley. The engagement of
local school children in our programs has influenced schools to approach fLiNG for
choreographic and dance workshop services and our community classes and school
holiday workshops remain popular.
Having said so much about the success of the program in 2009 it was a also very
strenuous year for the Artistic Director, who still carries most of the administrative
requirements for the company as well as much of the teaching and creative work.
Never the less the outcome of this little regional company remains astounding, the
quality of work and creativity, inspiring and the joy that company members and
supporters experience is over flowing.
Lee Pemberton
fLiNG Physical Theatre Artistic Director’s Report AGM June 17th 2010
Statistical Inform ation
fLiNG Physical Theatre
2009
PERFORMANCE EVENT
No. of Sessions
Australia Day
SBS film
Relay for Life
Wasted
Solsway Bega
Sols way Wollongong
Sols Way Parramatta
Ideas Expo
Voyage
Take fLiGHT
sub total
TRAINING EVENT
No of Participants
AUDIENCE
5
7
3
40
35
3
4
2
35
1
12
32
12
90
10
10
10
25
48
55
150
1100
460
582
347
100
460
184
135
304
3683
No. of Sessions
300
Artists employed
1
1
1
7
3
1
1
13
No of Participants
Artists employed
8
2
1
55
240
120
120
16
4
40
61
20
40
21
40
30
160
8
4
sub total
566
420
13
TOTAL number
Sessions
Participants
Audience
Artists
701
724
3683
26
Summer School
School workshops WSDA
Workshop Wollongong
Regular Training fling
Yfling
Community
Dance Tutoring Insight
School services choreography
Adults
2
2
2
1
2