Early posts 2002 - 2005: Cast-Off Drama - A Theatre Company of Life-Models, Street-Performers and Itinerant Artists
Artistic Director: Nina Kane
Contact Details: Cast-Off Drama, 55 St Martin's Rd, Leeds, West Yorkshire,
LS7 3LU, United Kingdom.
Tel: UK 0113 262 0608
E-mail: julesnina@ntlworld.com
Formed in 2002 Cast-Off Drama is the recognised pioneer of 'life-modelling theatre' offering new roles to life-models as perfomers and to artists as 'notators' and audience members.
Based in Leeds, England, Cast-Off is a theatre company of life-models, artists and street-performers and works with itinerant and community artists in gallery or community settings.
Our work explores the performance potential of the life-model and offers high-quality theatre productions, workshops and events for a life-drawing and street-theatre audience. Drawing on fine art, old stories, music, literature and circus history, our work explores the drama of the body in art through physical theatre, mask-work, singing and storytelling. We explore everyday clothing, masks, costume, nudity and non-nudity to generate a theatre of the body which plays to the strengths of the individual model-performer.
We believe that figurative art is best achieved through an active creative exchange between life-model and artist. Led by Nina Kane, a practising life-model, actress and singer, models and artists join together to create work that is dynamically still and emotionally-charged.
Our performances take place as a day-long event, over a weekend or couple of evenings. Valuing uses of presence, instinct and story-telling in performance we present rehearsed material to our audience who make drawings, paintings, masks and models of the work. New stories emerge from their creations and are shared by participants in informal discussion with the cast. Negotiation is an integral part of the performance and audiences are invited to choose a tableau from which they make sustained drawings for the remainder of the performance. By the end of the event substantial fine art and drama have been created by all present.
Repertoire: (see above for descriptions of the work)
Currently Devising...'I Took the Beads of her Necklace' - 4 performers (Clothed/Costumed): Autumn 2005
Proscenium Memorial (previously Memorial for the Model Who Was There-Not-There) - 1 performer (Draped/Costumed/Nude): 2004/2005
Chime Chimera - 3 performers (Nude /Mask - Drape): 2003
The Bath - 2 performers (Nude): 2002
Will You, Won't You...Join the Dance?! - 3 performers (Nude and draped): 2002
Cast-Off Drama Research Project:
Le Grand Depart (There Are No Pockets in Shrouds)/Serafina's Yard (2004-5)
Theatre of the Body Projects:
'Raaz Ki Baat' for Nasha & Leeds Health Focus
OCARINA NINA STREET-THEATRE...
The street-theatre section of the company, Ocarina Nina, explores the fairground and circus tradition of the 'poses plastiques'. Challenging the silence of conventional 'Living Sculpture' our street-theatre characters create high-impact, humourous and warm exchanges with the public through singing, speeches and stories. In line with our development of the theatre of the body, we work acoustically (ie. no amps or mikes!) and are skilled in a range of musical and vocal styles.
The Singing Secretary
The Singing Secretary wowed audiences last Summer at Unity Festival Manchester, Hebden Bridge Arts Festival, Chapel Allerton Arts and the Swaledale Festival to name a few and has launched the 2005 season in style at the Doncaster Hothouse Festival. At £150 a gig, this is too good to miss. Taking Bookings Now for 2005 on 0113 262 0608.
Garforth Community Festival, Leeds - Sat 9th July
Broadstairs Folk Week - Fri 5th - Fri 12th August (daily)
Milady Malarkey in 'Baubo's Fardel'... Available for indoor and outdoor events, in parks, galleries, common ground or beaches...tides and weather permitting. Book now on 0113 262 0608.
Shopping Molly. New for this autumn 2005! Let us push your promotion or sell your sale! Ideal for High Street promotions, supermarket and Shopping Arcade events! Book now on 0113 262 0608.
WILMA - Women Into Life-Modelling Arts
Our research organization WILMA - Women Into Life-Modelling Arts creates space for female life-models to explore life-modelling as a creative form. It also offers the opportunity for women interested in life-modelling to have a go and we offer a start-up project designed to develop life-modelling networks in your area.
We aim to explore the conventions of Western life-modelling through practical work and to widen discussion and practice of ethics of image-making and image-taking from/of the body. Part of this involves exploring the use of the body in non-Western art forms and workshops allow each woman as an individual to develop a code of practice in relation to her own image-making activity whether as an artist, model or both. WILMA is dedicated to developing life-modelling as a profession and providing space for female life-models to develop their creativity whilst exploring varying gendered and cultural perceptions of the role of the body in art. We recognise the importance of a woman-only space for this.
WILMA is a free informal advocacy and network service for life-models offering a forum for discussion, advice to new models and support in setting up model-led projects. It is not an agency. We work to extend access through identifying appropriate venues, working appropriately within differing cultural contexts (with regard to methods of image-making, use of nudity and hygiene/cleaning rituals) and providing free childcare.
WILMA has developed and run a number of free community projects including:
- The Will You, Won't You...? pilot project at Leeds City Art Gallery and the Swarthmore Centre, Leeds, July 2002. Attended by women aged 18-67 years.
- Bi-monthly programme of activities led by individual models including sessions on: Black Women's Poetry, Puberty and the Body, Digital Art and Projection Work, Counselling and Gestalt, Clowning and Life-Modelling, Body-Painting. Workshops led by models: Tamsin Spain, Sharon Williams, Ann McGuire, Deborah Sanderson, Nina Kane.
- Event for The Big Draw
- Currently devising a professional development course for female life-models. The course uses drama for models to explore their own personal ethics/practice whilst developing assertive and co-operative communication with artists in one-to-one and group situations. It also gives space for models to test out and share their own creative posing ideas and develop practical techniques.
- Currently researching a Mental Health arts project looking at the potential benefits of life-modelling for women coping with ME, self harm, depression, low self-esteem and eating disorders.
The Will You, Won't You pilot proved successful at developing life-drawing and modelling networks in the area, and is offered as a start-up weekend package for £150. Please ring 01484 685948 / 07800 861351 for further information
Other Education Work<: Cast-Off Drama has a successful track record of community education and research partnerships. Like our general drama workshops, these are model-tutored and include : 'Moving Bodies' - a workshop on Traveller art and Frank Brangwyn; 'Venus Interventions' - a collective drawing day, workshops on Jacob Kramer (coming soon) and workshops on the 'Lady of Shallott' (Tennyson/Waterhouse) and 'Three Wives Sat Up In the Lighthouse Tower' (Kingsley/Webb-Robinson), ongoing work at leeds City Art Gallery
The Art of the Life-Model, a free adult education 'drop-in' at Leeds City Art Gallery (joint with Leeds College of Art & Design and Leeds City Art Gallery Education Department) - 2002 - ongoing. See below for this term's detailsKirklees Local Government Arts Education Service - teacher training workshops in working with a life-model for Art Teachers (Secondary-level). Schools' workshops - 2004/5
In addition to this we collaborate with galleries, universities, schools/colleges and private artists to devise creative and inspiring life-drawing sessions. We work on a project-by-project basis and do ongoing research and planning, also have a number of free training courses and links to other groups. We therefore welcome interest from anyone who thinks they may like to work with us in some capacity, and will let everyone on the list know when posts come up. Posts are advertised in local newspapers and through Internet channels (such as the Arts Council, Arts Jobs list). We try to provide free childcare for rehearsals and performances, operate flexibly with rehearsal schedules to fit in with other work and domestic commitments and also operate on a parity of wages system ie. every member of the cast gets the same hourly wage including the artistic director. The WILMA network is open to all female life-models to join free of charge. Bookings: Our repertoire of performances, workshops and street-theatre events are available at very reasonable rates. We welcome collaborations and commissions and are happy to negotiate ways in which our skills can meet the needs of your event or group. We prioritse and value work with itinerant and part-time/multiply-employed artists, with women, with community groups and education providers. We have a successful track record in community arts development and work with galleries and small theatre spaces making active use of public art and museum collections. Where possible we work with venues to enable audiences to attend performances and workshops free of charge or at very low rates. We try to provide a free creche. Applications for residencies are welcome and we will occasionally consider help-in-kind agreements for community projects.
Cast-Off Drama would like to thank the following for the ways they have inspired us over the years and their ongoing work in community, public, experimental or political arts...:Leeds City Art Gallery Education, Leeds College of Art & Design Community Eduaction, University of Huddersfield Drama Dept., Judith Adams, Slung Low Theatre, Institute of Crazy Dancing, The Scarman trust, Roundhay Rd, Resource Centre, Bracken Edge Primary School in Leeds, The Kelman Group (past & present), Twisted i, Horse & Bamboo Theatre, Welfare State International, Cathy Denford, Hyde Park Unity Day & Panto, Studio Theatre Leeds Metropolitan University, Workshop Theatre, Yellow Belly Theatre, Naga (artists past and present), Women Into Community Health Network, the Gypsy Council for Education, Welfare & Civil Rights, Sue Morrison, Janet Smith (Janet Smith & Dancers), Paula Rego, Cor Fuhler, Broadstairs Folk Week, Harry Venning, Thanet Youth Theatre, the Swarthmore Centre, Lynette Margerison, Emma Byron, Leeds Children's Circus, Pete 'Peanut' Turner, the Friends, Families & Travellers, NASHA & Leeds Health Focus, the Women's International Arts Foundation, Gay Abandon, all WILMA members past and present, Pyramid of Arts, Leeds West Indian Carnival and, finally, the Underground jazz club, Leeds (sadly missed!). Also thanks to the Arts Council (Yorkshire), Leeds City Council, Women's Health Matters, Leeds Libraries and Leeds Philosophical & Literary Society, Wade's Charity and Voluntary Action Leeds.