PEP | Performers Exchange Project

Happy new year everyone!

Sian, Jennifer and Kara will be performing in THE UNEARTHING, an international exchange and site-specific installation dance theater performance directed by our friend and colleague Zap McConnell. She is an extremely creative and inspired director, choreographer, installation artist and activist. Her work is always worth experiencing. Come see us!

Wed- Sun Feb. 1-5
Wed- Sun Feb 8-12
8pm
Charlottesville, VA in the old gymnasium at the Ix complex downtown, next to PlayOn Theatre.

Here is the website for info about the project, specific dates/times and how to buy tickets:
http://www.theunearthing.com/

If you are in the area, I hope you can check it out.
love, PEP

On Nov 11 and 12, Performers Exchange Project hosted director/performer Annika B. Lewis, founder of Kassandra Production in Denmark.

First a little background of our connection to Annika:  PEP’s method of training and creating performance came from our old friend B. Stanley of Theatre Du Jour in Washington D.C., via Sian and Martha, who studied and worked with TDJ.  B. met Annika when working with his mentor Ingemar Lindh in Italy. When she received a grant this year for her first US residency, B. arranged for Annika to perform her show and discuss her work at the District of Columbia Art Center (where he is Artistic and Executive Director), and asked PEP if we could put something together in our neck of the woods.

We had a lovely weekend together of performance, workshop and lots of talking and gathering.
Our friend Paul Menzer and Mary Baldwin College generously hosted Annika for a workshop, and provided the touring group with a beautiful place to stay. Doreen hosted the gang and our friends and colleagues from Staunton in her home for dinner and drinks and talking and laughing.

Early the next morning we headed over the mountain to The Hamner Theater in Nelson County and spent the day setting up Annika’s show for a one night engagement there. Here is where we must sing the praises of Boomie Pederson and Jay Taylor at The Hamner, our wonderful co-hosts for her performance. It is an absolute pleasure to collaborate with these warm, hardworking, risk-taking people. We are so fortunate to have such a resource for original work in our community.  And the audience at the Hamner was full, warm, supportive, and enthusiastic about her funny and smart show, Let’s Get Personal.

It was our pleasure to meet and host a kindred spirit, and to have an excuse to show off our home, our colleagues and our old friends here. We would like to thank all the people who helped us make it possible:

B Stanley
Dr Paul Menzer
Boomie Pederson
Jay Taylor
Peter Coy
Larry Hugo
Thadd McQuade
Tay Strauss
Corey Lloyd
Brett Santry

and we encourage you to support local businesses that support the arts:
The Hamner Theater
Mary Baldwin College -Shakespeare & Performance
Stuart Hall School
Ingrid Berger
Market Street Wineshop
DC Arts Center

Love, PEP

PEP is thrilled to be hosting acclaimed Danish/Swedish performance artist Annika B. Lewis. She is concluding a 6 week residency in Washington DC, including a run at the DC Arts Center, and we will be presenting her performance at the Hamner Theater for ONE NIGHT ONLY.

Here are the details:

Performers Exchange Project presents

Let’s Get Personal

A performance by Annika B. Lewis

Saturday November 12^th 7:30 pm
at The Hamner Theater
190 Rockfish School Lane
Afton, VA 22920

http://www.hamnertheater.com

Suggested Donation $15
The performance is approximately 3o minutes long and will be followed by a question and answer discussion and reception.

Annika Lewis, in her Danish Arts Council-funded Kassandra Production LET’S GET PERSONAL, utilizes humor, absurdity and the self-help culture to deliver a provocative performance about the role of personal branding in attaining professional success.  Lewis, who is known for merging technology, theatre and dance, delivers this parody in the form of a motivational lecture and performance on how to successfully use blunders on Facebook and official public apologies for personal optimization. In twisting the entire milieu of motivational speaking she acidly comments on the roles of collective bedazzlement, radical political positioning, and the arts in a society increasingly driven by the experience economy.

“Let’s Get Personal” is a darkly funny riff on George Orwell’s “1984.”
– The Washington Times

Annika Lewis

Choreographer/director/artist Annika B. Lewis studied at Larssons Theatre Academy in Gothenburg/Sweden and at the Istituto di Arte Scenica (Institute for Scenic Art) in Pontremoli/Italy from 1987 to 1990.  She went on to complete her post-graduate studies in theatre in 2002 at Scut/Gitis, the state theatre school of Moscow, Russia.   Additionally Lewis has studied various forms of dance and choreography.  In 1998, Lewis founded Kassandra Production through which she has created work characterized by a conceptually strong interdisciplinary approach, mixing the trivial with the philosophical to examine modern humanity in a challenging and entertaining way.  Lewis has toured Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Portugal, Germany, Russia, Latvia, Belgium, Brazil, the United Kingdom and now the United States with her performances, installations and interventions. Her acting credits include: Year accountancies (2010), Let’s Get Personal (2010), Body Box#1 (2009), TWIST cabaret (2009), eXtasy (2009), Full Body Treatment (2008), Life Hacking (2008), XpositionREVERSE: Aarhus-Gothenburg (2006), Dancin’ Madly Backwards (2006), Life Is Fabulous (2005), Displacement (2005), XpositionLAB (2004), My Heart Is Yours (2004), Aurora Borealis: Aarhus-Reykjavik (2003), Delusion (2003), The Experiment of Choice/Limbo.03 (2003), Symposium X (2002), Real Time Open Door (2000), Real Time Lab (1999), A Thorn in the Eye (1998).

Come join us!

Sorry for the long silence, friends.. In the end, we were not a good fit for that grant, and for the time-being we will be taking a break from Our American Ann Sisters to explore new projects. More on 2012 plans coming soon, we promise…

Hello friends-

Though PEP has been off-the-stage for the winter months, we’ve been busily putting our energies toward a grant proposal that will hopefully send us back on the road next fall. This grant would allow us to take time to revisit sections of Our American Ann Sisters, and bring some scenic elements to fruition from our original designs. With any show, especially a devised show, the work never seems done; however, extra funding gives us the opportunity to dive back into the work and poke at the things, that. . . well, need poking. Stay tuned!

-Love, PEP

As the sponsors of ASSEMBLY, we have relished the ideas, conversation, and comraderie, and been inspired by the collaborations that have come from the last two years of holding ASSEMBLY at the Bridge. Now the time has come for us to put this baby to bed. She has served her purpose and, we are happy to say, there are now numerous ways for artists to find each other and collaborate within their own disciplines in Charlottesville. Heard of Secretly, Y’all? Or Filmmakers Republik? Or Songwriters Showcase? These are all supercool forums for artists to try out material, share their process and get feedback. You should check them out, if you haven’t already.

Below are some testimonials from attendants and participants of Assembly:

“THANK YOU  so much for the gift.  I personally benefited and grew very
much as artist through my participation in assembly. ”

“You’re salon has made a huge difference to me..”

“Thankyou pepsisters. That was a fine fine assembly y’all called, & I’m totally truly honored to have been invited.”

“Thank you…It was inspired and inspiring. Onwards and upwards!”

“I am in awe of the concept and impulse. Onwards you crazy diamonds!”

Thank YOU for showing up, for presenting your work and yourself, and for often stepping outside your comfort zone. Assembly is no more, but assembly is all around us. See you around town!

xo
Sian Richards & Jennifer Tidwell
Performers Exchange Project

See Our American Ann Sisters in Charlottesville VA!
When: Friday, Oct. 8th, 7:30 PM.  ONE NIGHT ONLY!
Where: Piedmont Virginia Community College
Main Stage, V. Earl Dickinson Building

$10 adults, $8 seniors/students
General seating
http://www.pvcc.edu/performingarts/theatre.php
PVCC Box Office: 434.961.5376 or e-mail boxoffice@pvcc.edu.

Meet the Peabody Sisters from the 19th Century. This remarkable family of women is a springboard for a vaudevillian fantasia on being female, an artist, an intellectual and an American. Kara McLane Burke is now performing the roles originated by Kay Leigh Ferguson. More cast and crew info HERE.

We hope to see you there!

Love PEP

Check it out…

PEP will be one of the presenters at this event:

Friday, September 24th 8:00-10:00pm

From Piedmont Council of the Arts, our fiscal sponsor:

“We’re quite excited to join forces with Olio to bring you Olio 9: Arts Organization Edition at CCDC! This fun event will provide a great opportunity to learn about the missions and programs of local arts groups while connecting with members of the Charlottesville creative community. Plus, an after-party will be held at Zocalo with music by local DJs WesternFront and Hummingbird Feeder!

The event is FREE and open to the public.

The evening will feature short presentations by ten PCA member arts organizations:

Ash Lawn Opera
The Bridge PAI
Heritage Theatre Festival
Light House Studio
Live Arts
Music Resource Center
Performers Exchange Project
Second Street Gallery
UVa Art Museum
WriterHouse ”

Hope you can make it!

-PEP

Finally we’re hitting the olde roade! First stop: Catskills (aka Highland Lake, New York) at NACL:

Sat Sept 18th
8pm
NACL (North American Cultural Laboratory)
Highland Lake NY
Go here for info

then back home for

Fri Oct 8th
7:30 pm
Piedmont Virginia Community College
Charlottesville VA
Go here for Info

more TBA…

And don’t forget Assembly–
When: Sept 12th at 8pm.
Where: The Bridge.
What: A salon style gathering open to all Charlottesville artists of all stripes.
Please bring something to share, if you can. Nothing fancy. Half eaten jar of olives? Great! Already open box of wine? Sure! If you can bring a cup too, that’s fabulous. http://www.thebridgepai.com/2010/07/the-assembly/

Love, PEP

About a year and a half ago, Jennifer Tidwell and Sian Richards of PEP invited all the artists they knew to a monthly gathering at the Bridge called ASSEMBLY. The purpose was to create a forum whereby all types of artists in Charlottesville could socialize, present works in progress, request help on projects, and seek collaborators.

It remains our belief that more unity and collaboration among individual artists in our town will lead to a more vibrant and mutually supportive arts scene in Charlottesville, and might yield a voice to speak to local government and funding organizations.

Originally the group was a word-of-mouth, by-invitation sort of thing, but now PEP is opening up ASSEMBLY to anyone interested in the Charlottesville area. It happens the 2nd Sunday of every month, from 8:00 to 10:00. Here are the remaining dates in 2010. Mark your calendars and check it out!

• September 12
• October 10
• November 14
• December 12