ICEBOOK INSPIRES STAGE PRODUCTION OF HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE
News release
7th October 2011
The miniature pop-up theatre installation which inspired the forthcoming production of Howl’s Moving Castle at Southwark Playhouse in London can be seen at Frequency 2011 in Lincoln this month.
Artists Davy and Kristin McGuire created The Icebook, a fairy tale told using paper cut-outs, lighting effects and live actor projections, to attract funding for a full-scale work along similar lines.
But The Icebook became a popular attraction in itself, touring venues across the UK, and it is expected to visit India and Turkey in 2012.
One of its last UK appearances this year will be at Lincoln Drill Hall from 26th until 28th October 2011, where it forms part of Frequency 2011, Lincoln’s first Digital Culture Festival.
Its creators Davy and Kristin McGuire are now directing a new theatrical production of Howl’s Moving Castle at Southwark Playhouse, blending film, dance, projection and animation and featuring music composed by Fyfe Dangerfield of BRIT-nominated UK indie band Guillemots.
Howl’s Moving Castle is an award-winning 1986 novel by Diana Wynne Jones which was turned into an animated fantasy film in 2004 by Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki.
“I always had the dream of creating a theatre performance that opened up like a pop-up book, a show that would mix video projections with live actors to create a totally immersive experience,” said Davy McGuire.
“The idea for The Icebook was to create a miniature maquette for this dream, a demonstration model to show to producers and funders in the hope that they would give us some money to make the full-scale show.
“The Icebook has since grown, however, and turned into a miniature show all by itself: an intimate performance for small audiences.”
Inspired by the mechanics of pre-cinematic optical illusions such as zeotropes and magic lanterns, Davy and Kristin set out to create an object with a life of its own – a tangible and magical thing for an audience to experience.
“When Kristin first held a pop-up in front of a lamp we were fascinated by the utterly beautiful effect of the light coming through the paper, creating shadows and silhouettes which we could then enhance and complement with back-projected film-footage,” said Davy.
“In The Icebook the 3D effect is achieved by back-projecting onto the pop-ups. Using this technique the projected characters appear as if they are moving behind the cut-outs and thus the illusion of perspective is created.”
Katherine Jewkes is Tour Producer for The Icebook and is also working with the McGuires on Howl’s Moving Castle, which premieres in The Vault at Southwark Playhouse on 2nd December with previews from 28th November 2011.
“It was The Icebook that inspired this new production,” she explained. “Howl’s Moving Castle has the same sort of visual aesthetic and it’s a very interesting blend of different disciplines, including film, dance and animation, which was hinted at in The Icebook.
“The stories are different of course but Davy and Kristin were attracted to Howl because of the similarities between the two.”
The Icebook will be showing in The Room Upstairs at Lincoln Drill Hall from 26th to 28th October 2011 as part of Frequency 2011. There will also be an opportunity to meet Davy and Kristin McGuire in a question-and-answer session on 26th October.
Barry Hale, Festival Director for Frequency 2011, said: “It’s fantastic to be able to welcome two such talented and exciting artists to Lincoln. The Icebook is a must-see show – a testament to how digital culture is not just about pure technology but a tool to spark creativity and performance.”
For more information about Frequency 2011 visit www.frequency.org.uk, www.facebook.com/frequencyfestival or www.twitter.com/frequency_fest.
For more information about Howl’s Moving Castle at Southwark Playhouse visit www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk or call 020 7407 0234.
For media enquiries about Frequency 2011 please email press@frequency.org.uk or call Jez Ashberry or Kate Strawson on 01522 528540.
For media enquiries about Howl’s Moving Castle please email susie.safavi@southwarkplayhouse.co.ukor contact Susie Safavi on 020 7407 0234.
Notes for Editors
Frequency 2011 is a partnership between University of Lincoln, The Collection, the Usher Gallery and Lincoln Drill Hall with Threshold Studios, an artist-led organisation supporting both emerging and established artists, taking the role of Festival Directors.
This event is part of the Lincolnshire Showcase. The Showcase is made up of 12 very special arts projects which will travel through the county and are at the heart of Lincolnshire’s contribution to the Connecting Communities events, part of the Igniting Ambition programme. The Showcase is part of the Cultural Olympiad, which began in 2008, four years to the day to the opening of the Olympics. Connecting Communities takes place in 2011 in Lincolnshire, Rutland and Northamptonshire.
Frequency 2011 is part of the Igniting Ambition Festival 2011, a Cultural Olympiad programme in the East Midlands which invests in projects and people that take the London 2012 Games as their inspiration to create once-in-a-lifetime cultural opportunities for audiences and communities.
Igniting Ambition is funded by Legacy Trust UK, the European Regional Development Fund and the East Midlands Development Agency, with the support of Arts Council England and many others.
Legacy Trust UK is an independent charity set up to create a cultural and sporting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games across the UK and is also a principal funder of the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival. The Trust is funded by a £40 million endowment from the Big Lottery Fund (£29m), Department for Culture Media and Sport (£6m) and Arts Council England (£5m).
The ERDF programme aims to strengthen economic and social cohesion in the European Union by supporting regional economic development. For more information on ERDF funding generally, please visit www.erdf.communities.gov.uk
The University of Lincoln is instrumental in bringing the Festival of Digital Culture to the city, and many academics and students from its Art, Architecture and Design faculty and its Media, Humanities and Technology faculty are taking part as artists as well as being involved in the planning. The University is committed to promoting the arts and has been a key driver in raising the city’s cultural offering since the institution’s establishment in 2001, notably with its Lincoln Academy series, its degree shows, sponsorship of the Lincoln Book Festival and European Festival of Arts and the Lincoln Performing Arts Centre, one of the largest theatres in the region.
Arts Council England works to get great art to everyone by championing, developing and investing in artistic experiences that enrich people’s lives. It supports a range of artistic activities from theatre to music, literature to dance, photography to digital art, and carnival to crafts. Great art inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves, and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2011 and 2015, Arts Council England will invest £1.4 billion of public money from government and a further £0.85 billion from the National Lottery to create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country.
Lincolnshire County Council is a proud promoter of the county’s arts, culture and heritage. The authority manages many of Lincolnshire’s major cultural attractions, such as The Collection, Gainsborough Old Hall and Lincoln Castle, and also supports a number of initiatives across the county that help to increase access to the arts.
Lincolnshire One Venues (LOV) exists to bring people the very best in arts and culture by working together to support, sustain and develop the arts and arts venues across Lincolnshire. Lincolnshire One Venues are: Stamford Arts Centre (Stamford), the South Holland Centre (Spalding), the Guildhall Arts Centre (Grantham), The Hub: National Centre for Craft and Design (Sleaford), Lincoln Drill Hall, the Embassy Theatre (Skegness), the Terry O’ Toole Theatre (North Hykeham), The Collection (Lincoln), Trinity Arts Centre (Gainsborough), Riverhead Theatre (Louth) and LPAC (Lincoln).
The Frequency Associate Artists scheme has been funded by the Lincolnshire One programme which forms part of 21 national projects under the Arts Council England ‘Thrive’ programme that aims to strengthen the UK Arts sector and provide a unique opportunity for Arts organisations to develop, change and continuously improve.
Jez Ashberry
Frequency Press Office
01522 528540
press@frequency.org.uk
www.frequency.org.uk
t: @jezashberry
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