Onstage Connection 2020
An outreach project hosted by Västmanlands Teater for young stage artists from Norway, Finland and Sweden.
A previous theatre workshop in London with director Johan Bark (to the far right).
Physical theatre exercises facilitated by Johan Bark.
Rhythmical theatre exercises.
Musical devising.
Voice and singing exercises.
A workshop ensemble engaged in physical theatre exercises.
Onstage Connection 2020 is a proposed outreach project which would invite 30 young stage artists from Sweden, Norway and Finland to spend three weeks at Västmanlands Theatre in Västerås, Sweden, during the summer holidays of 2020 in June-July.
There, the young artists of various stage disciplines (actors, musicians, singers, dancers etc.) would spend the three weeks participating in various workshops and lectures, as well as rehearsals and discussions.
During these sessions the young artists would learn more about each other’s cultures, languages and nationalities, whilst also developing as stage artists.
Taking a highly collaborative approach, the participants would not only learn from the lecturing artists, but also from each other - where one participant who is specialised in dance, might influence the one who is specialised in music, and vice versa.
The project would embrace diversity, and seek to include people of various ethnical backgrounds, sexual orientations, religions, socio-economic backgrounds, and genders.
Visiting lecturers from Norway, Sweden, Slovenia, the UK and more, would practically teach the participants about established acting techniques, voice pedagogy, singing, movement and choreography, as well as technical theatre and scenography. As well as these practical workshops, there would be lectures.
These lectures would involve advice on the theatre industry, marketing and self-producing, performance art theory, as well as broader discussions about the participants relation to the world and current news.
All of these sessions in combination would then serve as foundations from where the ensemble of young theatre makers would devise a one-hour performance, which would be performed three times for a paying audience at the renowned Västmanlands Theatre in Västerås, Sweden.
The performance would be directed by Johan Bark, but where the participants are the main authors of the material, creating their own scenes, choreographies and musical scores.
The project is currently applying for funding. Should enough financing be secured, the project will happen between the 15th of June, and the 5th of July.
The project would be free of charge to the participants, with accommodation provided.
The project is partly inspired by the UK outreach project Ignition, as well as the Arts Lab Summer Residency at the North Wall Arts Centre in Oxford, UK.
Johan Bark is a Swedish director and producer, who’s work has been presented in New York, London, Edinburgh, Paris, Birmingham, Västerås (Sweden), Dublin and more.
Johan has studied the theatre arts in London, Dublin and Tallinn, and past work has been done at Kulturhuset Stadsteatern (Stockholm) and Örebro Länsteater.
Since 2015, Johan has repeatedly worked for the renowned American theatre director Robert Wilson.
Since the formation of Johan’s first theatre company in the UK, Johan’s approach to theatre making has always been highly collaborative, where Johan uses various pedagogical exercises, and constructive discussions, to generate the staged material.
Johan is abled in the areas of physical and visual theatre, script analysis, stage adaption and more, which allows for both fun, creative, but also challenging sessions.
For Johan’s previous directing credits, please click HERE. For Johan’s CV, please click HERE.
Scenography will be done be Dorian Silec Petek from Slovenia, Lighting Design by Daniel James Spreadborough from the UK.
Choreography will be done by Holly Franklin (UK) and additional producing by Silje Helland (Norway) and Katimari Niskala (Finland).
A coordination exercise.