LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT! A Cabaret of Songs of War
Photos by Scott Bellefeuille
A satirical cabaret exploring our relation to songs of war from different cultures, Left, right, left! should have you snapping fingers and singing along as we all march to war again and again and again and then wondering why we are so stirred by these songs.
Developed by 9 actors and musicians from 8 different countries, the stories in this cabaret were inspired by the songs brought into rehearsal from each performer's culture. Ranging across a broad sweep of history, the performance tells the story of seven lost souls, whose stories and songs were collected from battles and the destruction left in their wake. Our Master of Ceremonies, Captain Romulus Righteous Indignatious, delights in introducing the audience to each of these alternately comic, brutal and tragic stories.
Devised by the ensemble under the direction of Daniel Brown, and musical direction of Valentina Shuklina, Left, right, left! combines an energetic and infectious mix of song, dance, physical theatre and clown to take a fresh look at the music of war. Played in seven different languages, this cabaret not language-dependent and therefore is open to all audiences. A multicultural feast that ironically plays on the themes of predjudice and hate in order to celebrate difference and tolerance.
Director : Daniel Brown
Musical direction : Valentina Shuklina
Dramaturgy : Divadlo Miloco / Adam Cirok / Ivan Remiáš
Set design and costumes : Eva Petríková-Bellefeuille
PERFORMERS:
Vanessa Gendron
Tomáš Havlík
Magdaléna Bianka Ištoková
Jan Lukavský
Valentina Shuklina
Matthew Blood-Smyth
Tihana Valent
Valéria Vasilová
Rafael Wojas
LA MACHINE : A Post Modern love story
Conceived by Miloco's international ensemble, La Machine was inspired by dystopian science fiction literature and film (particularly Chris Marker's La Jetee, Jodorowsky's Fando & Lis and the 'cyberpunk' fiction of William Gibson). La Machine is an original multi-media performance which explores the desperation of two clowns in love and living in a dystopic near-future; it is a story of how their fantasies become a substitute for living and perhaps lead to a journey of survival.
Alternating between live performance and video, La Machine tells the story of Hurtus and Lili, two survivors of disaster, desperately trying to keep living in near-impossible circumstances.
Science fiction is a genre largely ignored in the theatre, yet it is a genre that closely addresses anxieties and concerns about our world at present. La Machine is not the science fiction of spaceships and aliens, but rather that which asks questions about our current world, the direction it is taking and how we can remain human and hopeful when so much appears so bleak.
Director : Daniel Brown
Concieved by : Vanessa Gendron and Jeffrey Smith
Produced : Vanessa Gendron / Jeff Smith / Daniel Brown
Set design : Melanie Rada
Light and Sound design : Jeff Fritz
Costumes / Graphics: Lucie Neperena, Eva Bellefeuille
Stage Manager : Melanie Rada
Camera / Editing / Video : Richard Mader
PERFORMERS: Vanessa Gendron and Jeffrey Smith
MACBETH
Through this unique collaboration of Miloco and Mermaid Theatre Company, we provide a dynamic and contemporary production giving audiences the chance to experience first hand the rich text and continuing relevance of Shakespeare's 'Scottish play'. This stark 90-minute adaptation is with minimal set and costumes, using lighting and the power of speach to create the disturbing atmosphere of Macbeth's tragic and bloody demise.
The main theme of Macbeth-the destruction wrought when ambition goes unchecked by moral constraints and finds its most powerful expression in the play's two main characters. Macbeth is a courageous Scottish general who is not naturally inclined to commit evil deeds, yet he deeply desires power and advancement. He kills Duncan against his better judgment and afterward stews in guilt and paranoia. Toward the end of the play he descends into a kind of frantic, boastful madness. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, pursues her goals with greater determination, yet she is less capable of withstanding the repercussions of her immoral acts. In each case, ambition-helped, of course, by the malign prophecies of the witches-is what drives the couple to ever more terrible atrocities.
The problem, the play suggests, is that once one decides to use violence to further one's quest for power, it is difficult to stop. Providing a modern twist on the tormented souls in this tale of tragedy based on the corrupting power of unchecked ambition.
Director : Guy Roberts
Text : William Shakespeare ( adapted by Guy Roberts)
Produced : Vanessa Gendron and Jeff Smith
Stage manager : Melanie Rada
Technical directore : Jeff Fritz
Costumes : Lucie Neperena
PERFORMERS:
Macbeth - Guy Roberts
Lady Macbeth - Sarah Johnson
Duncan - David Fellowes
Banquo - Daniel Brown
Malcolm - Joseph Gurunsz
Macduff - Jeffrey Smith
1st Witch - Vanessa Gendron
2nd Witch - Anezka Novak
3rd Witch - Andrea Miltnreova
