Kate McGrath Director Of FUEL Announces New Online Projects: CHARLIE WARD AT HOME And DIGITAL FARM This June + July | The Fan Carpet Ltd • The Fan Carpet: The RED Carpet for FANS • The Fan Carpet: Fansites Network • The Fan Carpet: Slate • The Fan Carpet: Theatre Spotlight • The Fan Carpet: Arena • The Fan Carpet: International

Kate McGrath Director Of FUEL Announces New Online Projects: CHARLIE WARD AT HOME And DIGITAL FARM This June + July


19 June 2020

FUEL TO PRESENT CHARLIE WARD AT HOME, A REIMAGINING OF SOUND&FURY’S ACCLAIMED INSTALLATION THAT PLACES AUDIENCES AT THE HEART OF A WARTIME HOSPITAL

REWORKED USING BINAURAL (3D) SOUND AND FOOTAGE FROM THE ORIGINAL INSTALLATION, AUDIENCES WILL BE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE THIS IMMERSIVE PIECE AT HOME FOR THE FIRST TIME FROM 22 JUNE – 20 JULY

TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR FREE FROM MONDAY 22 JUNE AT FUEL THEATRE

FUEL, BRISTOL FERMENT, DANCE UMBRELLAAND COOMBE FARM STUDIOS TO PRESENT DIGITAL FARM 2020, A NEW INITIATIVE FOR UK AND INTERNATIONAL PRODUCERS

SPEAKERS WILL INCLUDE STELLA KANU, ISABEL CARLISLE, MARIKO FINCH, MARGARET WHEATLEY AND FRANÇOIS MATARASSO

DIGITAL FARM WILL TAKE PLACE ONLINE FROM 22-25 JUNE

Fuel have today announced Charlie Ward At Home, a reimagining of Sound&Fury’s celebrated installation for audiences to experience at home for the first time. The installation will run from 22 June – 20 July, you can book a free ticket to access the piece.

Originally commissioned as part of 14-18 NOW’s opening season, marking the centenary of the First World War, Charlie Ward is an intimate and powerful piece, combining immersive sound design and mesmerising projections, that places the audience as patients at the heart of a wartime hospital. The installation premiered to critical acclaim at the Cinema Museum, London in 2014 before returning for a UK tour in autumn 2018.

C Ward. 1914. In a makeshift hospital, behind the front line, the war’s first casualties are treated. To boost morale, medical staff arrange for a Chaplin film to be shown for the bed ridden, with the ward’s ceiling serving as the silver screen.

For one soldier, Harry, the flickering images, whirring projector and Chaplin’s perfect comic timing trigger complex emotions and memories. Transported from the trenches to childhood, from trauma to dreams, the experience sets him on a journey into a personal no man's land.

Originally presented in a makeshift hospital tent with beds for an audience of ten, the installation has been redesigned by Sound&Fury to work binaurally through headphones and via laptops or projectors. New atmospheric sounds captured during the exceptional levels of silence experienced during the UK lockdown, combined with footage from Charlie Chaplin’s By the Sea, invoke the dream-like experience of being on C Ward at home.

Audiences will be encouraged to recreate the atmosphere of Charlie Ward by watching the piece whilst lying down in a quiet room made as dark as possible. Headphones are recommended for Sound&Fury’s immersive 3D sound spaces, whilst the video footage can be watched either on a laptop or via a projector if one is available.  Upon booking a ticket, audiences will be sent a link to watch the installation, after which they will be asked to donate what they can towards the price of a ticket.

 

 

Kate McGrath, Director of Fuel said “After Barber Shop Chronicles at Home and alongside the ongoing digital tour of Love Letters at Home, I are thrilled that we are now able to share a reimagined installation for your own home in Charlie Ward, created by our long-time collaborators Sound&Fury. Fuel also continues its commitment to supporting producers through the migration and evolution of a version of Producer Farm to an online platform: Digital Farm will offer support and ongoing training to producers around the world in this critical moment.”

Digital Farm 2020, is a new initiative for UK and international producers developed in response to the cancellation of this year’s Producer Farm. It aims to address a need from producers for support and ongoing training throughout their careers as well as space and time to consider their current and future potential.

A joint initiative from FuelBristol FermentCoombe Farm Studios and Dance Umbrella, Digital Farm will provide 23 producers with the opportunity to share experiences with their peers and respond to provocations and conversations led by the partners as well as guest speakers. These partners, along with In Between Time, have collaborated for four successful years on Producer Farm.

Each speaker will share a thirty minute reflection on themes including leadership in times of uncertainty and change, community engagement cultural democracy and sustainability. Digital Farm will run online from 22 – 25 June, after which highlights from the talks will be made available online throughout July starting on 3rd July via the Fuel website for the wider arts community to access.

Digital Farm 2020 speakers are: Stella Kanu (Executive Director of LIFT), Isabel Carlisle, (Director of the Bioregional Learning Centre), Mariko Finch (Deputy Editor of Digital Content at Sotherby’s), Margaret Wheatley (Founder and President of the Berkana institute and François Matarasso (Community artist, writer and researcher).

Charlie Ward At Home will run from 22 June to 20 July. Tickets will be available from Monday 22 June.

Digital Farm will run from 22 – 25 June with highlights from the initiative released throughout July.

LISTINGS

Charlie Ward at Home

By Sound&Fury

Co-created by Dan Jones, Tom Espiner and Mark Espiner

Videography: Jon Davey

Sound Designer: Dan Jones

Voices: Amanda Lawrence, Saskia Portway, Tom Espiner, Nicholas Mockridge, Jeremy Mockridge, Neil Haigh.

Dates: 22 June –  20 July

Age restrictions: 12+

Tickets: Donate if you can

The performance lasts just under 20 minutes.

Charlie Ward was originally co-commissioned by Fuel and 14-18 NOW - WW1 Centenary Art Commissions, supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and the Heritage Lottery Fund. It was first presented at the Cinema Museum, London in July 2014 as part of the 14-18 NOW cultural programme of extraordinary arts experiences that took place across the UK to mark the centenary of the First World War.

About Fuel
Fuel leads the field in independent producing in the UK’s live performance sector. They work with brilliant artists to make fresh experiences for adventurous people. To date, many of these experiences have been theatre, whether that’s in an actual theatre, on the streets, in community settings, or in purpose-built structures. All of the artists Fuel works with produce shows, performances or experiences which have clear, direct and playful relationships with their audiences. They appeal to the emotions and the intellect. Things that make you laugh and cry. These artists see the world in a different way; they respond to challenges and difficulties with ingenuity and ideas; they create something unexpected which articulates something new to audiences. Fuel was founded in 2004 and is led by Kate McGrath. Fuel is supported by Arts Council England as a National Portfolio Organisation, Fenton Arts Trust, the Garrick Trust, the Backstage Trust, the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, the Garfield Weston Foundation, and the Wellcome Trust through Sustaining Excellence.

About Sound&Fury
Sound&Fury is a collaborative theatre company directed by Mark Espiner, Tom Espiner and Dan Jones. Their artistic interest is in developing the physical and sonic elements of theatre offering the audience new ways of experiencing performance and stories in an immersive environment and by heightening the aural sense. To achieve these aims, Sound&Fury has, in the past, boldly immersed its audience in total darkness. This unique theatrical device combined with sophisticated surround sound design, imaginative acoustic devices, voice and subtle lighting effects creates a powerful new language for theatre that has gained the attention of the media and the critics. Previous work includes The Watery Part of the World – where the audience were plunged into total darkness where they witnessed the thrill of a 19th century whale hunt – and Ether Frolics, which took the audience on a theatrical anaesthetic trip, and the critically acclaimed Kursk saw Sound&Fury place its audience in the secret world of a Royal Navy submarine. Most recently in Going Dark Sound&Fury explore the experience of going blind. In each of these cases fractured images, glimpses of scenes, visual and sonic tricks and a 360 degree sound scape have created worlds which have redefined the performance space in ways which audiences find thrilling, transporting and disorienting.

About Dance Umbrella
Dance Umbrella is London’s international dance festival, celebrating 21st century choreography across the capital.

Dance Umbrella’s mission is to celebrate 21st century choreography. We do so enthusiastically and collaboratively through an annual, international London festival, through year-round creative learning opportunities for all ages, and by developing choreographic talent. Our aim is to entice audiences, nurture artists, innovate practice, and stimulate interest in the power of the body in motion.

Since 1978, Dance Umbrella has been bringing outstanding contemporary dance to London, presenting more than 785 artists from 40 countries to over one million people. The first to present Mark Morris, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Michael Clark and many more in the UK, DU has commissioned over 85 new works and presented at 136 different venues ranging from Smithfield Market to the British Library, from canal long boats to Alexandra Palace Ice Rink, from car park rooftops to outer London parks.

In 2013, Emma Gladstone was appointed Artistic Director & Chief Executive, introducing an ambitious new artistic vision and a new dynamic profile. Her goal is to take dance out and bring audiences in:

  • By expanding the definition of contemporary dance to include a wide range of movement forms, inviting artists working in and reflecting on the modern world in whatever style they choose
  • By reaching out to new audiences through commissioning new work, developing partnerships with non-dance venues (e.g. Young Vic, Unicorn), and forming an orbital touring network with arts centres in outer London boroughs

​DU meets the need for an independent catalyst that can look, think and move differently. One that can shine a new light on the art form, and can play on an international stage by seeking out the most creative ideas, partners and locations to create extraordinary art with exceptional artists and make it accessible and engaging to audiences.

About Bristol Old Vic: Ferment
Bristol Ferment is Bristol Old Vic’s artist development programme. Every year we work with artists and companies in a variety of ways to support and develop their work and practice.

Ferment has been running for over 9 years. In that time we’ve developed a number of artists to make work here in the South West that has then toured nationally and internationally and develop some of the most exciting and adventurous theatre the region has to offer.

Ferment is supported by grants from trusts and foundations who have invested directly in artists and the development of their work, through bespoke programmes of research and development, mentoring, dramaturgical support and a variety of public-facing performances, including work-in-progress scratch events, such as Ferment Fortnight.

About Coombe Farm Studios
Coombe is a place where you can come and learn new skills, supported by a beautiful environment, great food & people who actively enable the creative process. It’s a place to make and show work, connect with nature, gain skills and get inspired. When Coombe opened in 1983, it was one of the first small artist-led centres offering week-long creative courses. Since then, over the past thirty years, an amazing network of people from all over the world has developed and many of them come back each year. Today we continue to run residential short-courses year-round in both the UK & abroad (painting, drawing, printmaking and ceramics). We also showcase work from professional artists & makers at our on-site gallery and run a Research & Development Programme. Our R&D programme gives time and space to artists and producers to develop new work and imagine new ways of working.     Our small-scale allows us to be attentive to the simple things we believe make a great place for you to create, learn and research –  skills-based tuition from passionate professional artists, a relaxed atmosphere,  a beautiful environment, a shared experience that can challenge and spark a sense of wonder, delicious food and great company.

Dan Jones (Co-creator Charlie Ward)

Dan Jones works as a sound designer and composer for theatre, film and television and has pioneered the use of immersive sound design. He has worked extensively for many of the major theatre companies in the UK including the National Theatre, RSC, Donmar, Almeida, Bristol Old Vic, WYP and Citizens Glasgow. 

He co-founded Sound&Fury Theatre company with Mark and Tom Espiner in 1998 as a way to explore the use of immersive sound in the creation of theatre and went on to co-direct and sound design their productions, including War Music, Kursk, Going Dark, Ether Frolics and Charlie Ward to critical acclaim.

He has also accrued an extensive list of composing credits for the screen and received two of the three 2018 Ivor Novello Award nominations for Best Television Music for his scores for the BBC’s SS-GB and The Miniaturist, the latter winning. His recent work includes scoring Peter Bowker’s World on Fire Series for the BBC and a new version of his Music for Seven Ice Cream Vans for the PRS New Music Biennale. Other credits include: The Hollow CrownWars of the RosesAppropriate AdultThe Lost Honour of Christopher Jeffries (BAFTA Best Drama), SS-GB (Royal Television Society Nomination Best Title Music), The MiniaturistThe Replacement (BAFTA Scotland Best Drama) and Any Human Heart (BAFTA and Ivor Novello Awards for Best Music, BAFTA Best Drama).

His music for cinema includes the Oscar-nominated Shadow of the Vampire, Max (Ivor Novello award Best Film score) and The Tonto Woman (Academy Award nomination Best Short). He also created the sound design and music for Will Oldroyd’s debut feature, Lady Macbeth and On Chesil Beach.

In addition to this work Dan also produces sound design for art works and large scale public events, including the relaunch of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay 2018, also composing the music for the midnight fireworks with Celtic Band Niteworks.  He was the supervising sound designer for Hull 2017 City of Culture’s launch event and in 2015 he was invited to create a panoramic sound design around Birmingham Cathedral to celebrate its 400th anniversary.  He has also scored the UK torch lighting ceremonies for both the Sochi and Rio Paralympics.

Current work also includes the international tour of Museum of the Moon with artist Luke Jerram.  Previous work with Jerram includes Sky Orchestra which formed part of the RSC’s Complete Works Festival and opened the Sydney Festival in 2007. 

During the lockdown his music has featured on BBC Sounds Mindful Music playlist curated by David Attenborough and as part of Daphne Wright’s online version of Listening Posts (2006) at the Frith Street Gallery.  He has worked with his record company Wave Theory Records to try to provide a platform for other composers during the COVID crisis.

Mark Espiner (Co-creator Charlie Ward)

Mark Espiner is a writer, journalist and theatre director. As a journalist, writer and cultural commentator Mark has contributed to the Guardian, Sunday Times, BBC Radio 3, Evening Standard, Time Out and the Financial Times on music and the arts. He wrote a regular column for Berlin’s daily newspaper Der Tagesspiegel and has also provided on-air cultural commentary for Deutsche Welle TV, Germany’s international broadcaster.

As co-artistic director of Sound&Fury, the theatre company he co-founded with Dan Jones and Tom Espiner, he has co-directed all of the company’s work to date.

His other theatre credits include working with Tom Morris on David Glass’s one-man show Disembodied (BAC) and Names of the Dead, a staged musical war memorial to the dead of the Iraq war, created collaboratively with visual artist Mark Anstee, composer Stephen McNeff and the Duke Quartet (BAC) and he directed the premiere of The Highs and Lows of Owning Your Own Home by Glen Neath (Acud, Berlin).

Tom Espiner (Co-creator Charlie Ward)

Tom Espiner is an actor, theatre practitioner, puppeteer and Foley artist. He trained as an actor at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and co-founded Sound&Fury in 1998 with Dan Jones and Mark Espiner.

For Sound&Fury he has co-created and performed in: Kursk (Young Vic/Sydney Opera House); Going Dark (London Science Museum); Ether Frolics (Sound&Fury with artists from Shunt); The Watery Part of the World (BAC tour), War Music (BAC and Bristol’s Multi-A); Charlie Ward.

Other theatre work: Life of Pi (Sheffield Crucible) Berberian Sound Studio (Donmar Warehouse), Macbeth, Twelfth Night, The Winter’s Tale (Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory); Anything Goes, Love’s Labour’s Lost (National Theatre); The Firework Maker’s Daughter (Told by an Idiot/Lyric Hammersmith); Tombstone Tales (Arcola); Caucasian Chalk Circle (Unicorn); Peggy for You (Hampstead/West End)

TV and film work includes: The CrownAncient RomeAnybody’s NightmareWithout MotiveThe BillStoned.

Tom’s Puppetry work includes for Blind Summit : The Table (Spoleto festival USA, European tour), The Puppeteer (Lorca Institute, Granada, Edinburgh Pleasance Dome), Madam Butterfly (ENO - Minghella/Choa), Danny Boyle’s London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony, Life of Pi (Sheffield Crucible). Puppetry Direction: Great Apes (Arcola).

As a Foley artist Tom made sound effects for natural history films including BBC’s The Natural World, animations for Aardman and various dramas. His Foley work in theatre includes Simon McBurney’s world premiere of The Magic Flute (Complicite/DNO).

He was the Foley designer and performer, playing Massimo for Tom Scutt’s production of Berberian Sound Studio (Donmar Warehouse).

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