Tag Archives: Workshops

Meet Cordial

Posted on May 10, 2010

Syl: Why are you getting involved in Wychwood Festival?

Mandy: Cordial ran a couple of animation stations at last year’s festival, and found that not just the kids, but mums, dads, aunties, uncles, grans, granddads – the whole family got involved. The animation stations were a huge hit. Wychwood is a brilliant festival. We had fun running the workshops and also got the chance to enjoy the wealth of bands, performances and fantastic activities going on all weekend. Wychwood is a fantastic festival for the whole family, and we can’t wait to be there again.

Syl: Tell us more about your workshop.

Mandy: Our Animation Stations are brilliant fun, whatever your age. We have toddlers as young as two or three, and grandparents as old as 90 getting involved. Both adults and children really get stuck in. It’s great to see parents helping the kids make their Plasticine models and getting them animated at one of our animation stations. It’s really easy and fun to make your own short, animated film.

Syl: Tell us more about yourself and your other programmes?

Mandy: For the past five years, Gloucester-based Cordial AV has been working with children and young people of all ages, running digital media workshops in a variety of settings, and a variety of mediums – be it filmmaking, animation or digital storytelling. We work heavily with GLOSS – the county council’s Arts Education Agency - and have taken our animation and filmmaking workshops to dozens of mainstream and special needs schools in and around the county. To find out more about Cordial AV, log onto www.cordialav.co.uk

Syl: What are your plans for the rest of 2010?

Mandy: We have lots of plans for Cordial AV for 2010 – not least the launch of our new entity, C55 Films. Cordial encompasses a wide spectrum of digital media based initiatives – not least participatory film projects and workshops involving children and young people. C55 films is purely our film production arm of the business. We have a brand, spanking new showreel which shows some of the film projects we have worked on and produced over the past five years. You can see it by logging onto www.c55films.co.uk

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Meet Jon Mackay

Posted on May 9, 2010

jon

Syl: Why are you getting involved in Wychwood Festival?

Jon: I’ve been involved with Wychwood from the very first year. I started out as a venue manager in the workshop area and then developed a range of different workshops and exhibitions over the years. Its a great festival with a really good atmosphere and a great place for just meeting people, seeing some good music and just having a really good time. Over the years I have progressed in my involvement and now do all the illustration art work for the website and posters as well as doing some photography around the site.

Syl: Tell us more about your workshop.

Jon: This year I am holding an art exhibition which I am really looking forward to. The starting point for my work has been a walk between my house in North Oxfordshire – I live next to the Wychwood Forest – and Cheltenham. I am interested in journeys, boundaries and routes and have explored this through collecting different items found on various journeys around the world and my recent walk to Cheltenham. The work will be exhibited at The Meantime Gallery in Cheltenham a few days before the festival with a private view on the 2nd of June. Please do come along if you are able. www.meantime.org.uk
I made a large installation for Wychwood last year entitled ‘So What Do You Think?’. I basically made a shop front, about 4 meters wide with the help of my father in law Dave. The door had a question spray painted on to it stating ‘We all need to…’ , the walls of the shop were covered in blackboard paint and I invited people to answer the question by writing on the walls in chalk, thus, making an interactive piece of work which people can contribute their ideas and thoughts. I will be adding to this piece again and exhibiting it along with my other work for people to enjoy this year.

Syl: Tell us more about yourself and your other programmes?

Jon: By day I am Head of Art at Princes Risborough School in Buckinghamshire which is a really great job and takes up alot of my time. The rest of the time I spend producing my own art work which ranges from making large installations through to paintings, I am also a live music photographer and write for Oxford Music Scene magazine.

Syl: What are your plans for the rest of 2010?

Jon: I will be doing some photography at a few different festivals over the months and starting ‘Far Out Workshops’ at a few events as well where we will be running some clay and willow sculpture workshops for people of all ages…. and then having a rest come September!
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E-mailing Pirates?:)

Posted on May 9, 2010

pirates

Check this out – pirates e-mailing me:)

Ahoy Sylwia,
Thanks for your email.

Great – we’d be delighted to be included in the Wychwood Blog.

We do Walkabout Street Theatre – The Pirate Fairies and the Barrel of Laughs. Check out our website for full details www.piratefairies.co.uk and our Facebook page has photos, blogs and a video of us in action. You are very welcome to use photo and the video – if you need higher resolution photos, just let me know.
(Why are you getting involved in Wychwood Festival?)
1. We’ve been to Wychwood twice before, doing Walkabout Street Theatre and have an excellent time on both occasions, so we’re delighted to be returning this year.
(Tell us more about your workshop.)
2. Two Pirate Fairies, one Barrel and a whole load of Laughs. An evil Pirate Captain was going round the world stealing peoples laughs and putting them in the barrel, so that everyone would be as miserable as him. We liberated the barrel from him and are on a mission to return the laughs to their rightful owners. Have you got your laugh? Can we check it?
(Tell us more about yourself and your other programmes?)
3. When not Pirate Fairying, we are jobbing actors working mostly in Theatre, TIE and Voiceovers.
(What are your plans for the rest of 2010?)
4. We’ll be taking our Barrel of Laughs to a number of festivals this summer including Glastonbury, Cornbury, Endorse It in Dorset and Bestival.

I hope that’s helpful…

Fair winds,

Jan (aka Rock Skeleton Wing)
The Pirate Fairies

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Interview with Steve White aka Steve Kaos

Posted on May 3, 2010

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Syl: Why are you getting involved in Wychwood Festival?

Steve: I am involved with Wychwood festival for several reasons, primarily as I am booked professionally to provide circus workshops, I also have some very good friends involved so this makes it a jolly festival socially and also very importantly it is a fabulous ‘smaller’ festival!

Syl: . Tell us more about your workshop.

Steve: My workshop – ‘Circus Kaos’ The most fabulous circus workshop in the world… is a free event and a chance for EVERYONE (but hopefully not at the same time) to have a go/try/play/jolly nice time – with all kinds of circus props from juggling balls & hula-hoops to unicycles and tiny clown bikes! Saturday & Sunday between 12 and 5pm (with a break in the middle for tea. Very civilised!)

I will teach complete beginners if desired & anyone with more advanced skills can throw things at me (artistically please) or even teach me some tricks (which is nice)!

steve1

Syl: Tell us more about yourself and your other programmes?

Steve: I am a professional circus entertainer known as Steve Kaos, I have been performing for about 20 years specialising as a juggler, stilt walker, trick cyclist, jester & various characters as well as teaching circus skills to just about all kinds of people & age groups, I have done this all over the UK & also in Holland, France, Germany, Dubai, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Syria & the Lebanon! My Website is at www.stevekaos.co.uk & also on Facebook at ‘steve kaos & circus kaos’.

Syl: What are your plans for the rest of 2010?

Steve: For the rest of the year I will be doing much of the same at events wherever they may be… I am booked to perform at Glastonbury Festival a ‘larger one…(see 1.), Circus Kaos at the End of the Road festival in September, stilt cyclist at Cornbury festival… smaller, Greenbelt festival…medium? Plus fetes, promotions, weddings, parties, markets, fayres, cabarets etc etc!!

steve3

Steve White aka Steve Kaos

www.stevekaos.co.uk

Email: steve@stevekaos.co.uk

Mobile: 07973 896 197

32 Lyttelton Street

Worcester WR1 3JN

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Quick note

Posted on May 3, 2010

From Jem, our workshop organiser:

Spoken Word Cabaret, An amazing collection of awesome orators and wordsmiths, the creme de la creme of the UK spoken word scene – a stage positively bursting with creativity – join them and join in.
A mix of performance poetry and open mic.  Featuring Alison Brumfitt, Sophia Blackwell, Mab Jones, Mark Neil, Peter Wyton, Tony Walsh, Joel Denno and Brown Torpedo!
10 – 12pm all three nights.
Contact Alison Brumfitt – 07928 944291 – abrumfil@talk21.com

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BBC Introducing Stage and workshops

Posted on April 21, 2010

BBC introducing bands to play and exciting new workshops. Continue reading →

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