​Alchemy Arts are proud to announce a specially commissioned series of four short films for Crinniú na N'Óg in June 2021.

Who, What, Why, Where!? 
Four Short Films offering a snapshot of life in an increasingly fantastical world.

Mixing Contemporary Circus, Outdoor Theatre & a range of quirky characters in random situations, Who, What, Why, Where!? offers a humorous look at the life of an eccentric busker on his days off.
  
Performed by Will Flanagan & shot by Blue Shed productions, Who, What, Why, Where!? raises an eyebrow of interest and says Why Not!

We have just received footage from the St. Patrick's Day virtual production that we were part of last week.  Beautifully shot by Bearfoot Productions, with musci by Nell Ní Chroinín.  Many thanks again to Fanzini Productions for making this happen...

We recently received a commission from Fanzini Productions to provide a fire performance character for Failte Ireland, RTE Television and Kilkenny Co. Council as part of the nationwide St. Patrick's Day Virtual productions last week.  The character we created was a giant Celtic Druid who meets onlookers at the castle gates wielding a flaming golden staff in his hand.  Following this character shoot we also shot two fire performances, one as Juggler and one with a Fire Staff, both on location under a full moon in Kilkenny Castle. 

I have begun a three week period of  devising and self-directed research as part of an Arts Council Bursary Award.  This is taking place in a private studio the Clonakilty Arts Centre. 

It is being done with the intention of creating material and ideas to bring to the others involved in the Bursary - Nick Kavanagh of Curious State Theatre Co. & director of A Little Room the Theatre Development Centre in Garter Lane Studios, Waterford; Maurice Supple of Blue Shed Productions & Digital Media; and Lighting Designer Hanan Sheedy. 

We are also looking at ways that we can integrate the recently acquired techniques of Projection Mapping into the process.

I have been looking at developing skill sets with a peculiar set of juggling clubs - Holy Clubs, designed by Jay Gilligan's Dad, Mike Gilligan - here is a short video of Jay exploring the club: vimeo.com/54668476

I am also working on the Dragon Staff with the intention of adapting this to an act with a coat stand.

I finally got started on working on a shadow art installation.  The intention is that the character will gather what seems to be waste to others and assemble it in a seemingly arbitrary fashion, however, when a light is shone on it from a particular angle, it is revealed to be a construction of intricate detail.  The piece I am working on is inspired by Tim Noble & Sue Webster's piece - Sunset Over Manhattan. I am currently practicing disassembling and reassembling it in order to be able to do it live in a concise timeframe.

In regards inspiration, the mood and intention behind a lot of the work is predominantly inspired by some of T. S. Eliot's work, namely Burnt Norton, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and The Waste Land. I am also learning aspects of these text, although as things stand I have no practical application planned for this.  Musically, the work of Joep Beving has been the predominant influence, namely his first two albums, Solipsism & Prehension.

Finally, I have been exploring movement with mask and a mannequin.

We have begun a course in all aspects of Projection Mapping with mapping expert Cormac O'Connor - www.cormacoconnordesign.com/

The course will cover Resolume Arena, Vegas Pro and Ableton.  We will look at mapping designs, integrating live footage and green screen as well as integrating soundscapes and programming designs. 

​The course will be carried out remotely from the Clonakilty Arts Centre and the project is supported by the Arts Council of Ireland.

Delighted to have a picture of one of our characters, The Collector, selected by The Irish Times as one of it's images of the year. Photo take in Waterford City at Spraoi Reimagined.

We were delighted to be invited by Spraoi, Waterford, to be part of their first Street Theatre ensemble tour, Lunchfest, of the South East of Ireland.  The three day tour visited the towns of Wexford, Dungarvan and Waterford City and comprised of 10 unique acts that could remain interactive and yet socially distant & safety conscious.

In this regard, the Stilt Walking character of The Ice Queen, by Dee Tierney was perfectly adapted to be socially distant and yet interactive.  Likewise, my own character, The Collector, is naturally introverted and purposely avoids crowds. This aspect of his character can make for a lot of interesting actions & reactions since he stands out like a sore thumb on the street and yet is trying to be incognito at the same time.  

Personally, it was a great opportunity to explore this character in an alien environment.  He was originally conceived as someone that inhabits the shadows and alleyways of night-time cityscapes & appears for 5mins max at any one time.  Yet here he was being presented in the full light of day, as part of a circus troupe and for up to an hour at a time.  Since he is a physical character it provided me with a lot of scope for experimentation with the tempo of his movement, his expression and rhythm of his action.  Finding new, interesting and playful mannerisms for him was also an aspect of the weekend and one that will inform his development over time. 

We are delighted to announce that we have been granted a Bursary Award by the Arts Council of Ireland.  The aim of this Bursary Award is to develop a deeper understanding of Theatrical Techniques, Lighting Design and Digital Media as well as providing an opportunity for self-directed research into the reinterpretation of objects.  The intention is to gain a deeper understanding of these techniques, to develop a clearer sense of personal aesthetic and to look at how they can inform our own practice in contemporary circus and street theatre. 

We will be working with Maurice Supple of Blue Shed productions (with whom we worked on the recent production The Presence), on techniques for integrating digital media into live performance and how live performance can be capture and presented through digital media. 

We will also work with director and performer, Nick Kavanagh of Curious State Theatre company in A Little Room, the Theatre Development Centre, Waterford on theatrical techniques that can enhance and compliment street theatre aesthetics.

There will also be a short internship with Lighting Designer and director Hannan Sheedy in the Rossmore Theatre, Co. Cork.  With Hannan we will look at the methodology and the practicalities of lighting design with a fixed rig and an additional free standing rig supplied by Rogu.

The Bursary will be completed with a two week residency in Corks' Circus Factory where it is intended to present a showcase of work in progress before the development of a full scale production in 2021/22.

Many thanks to the Arts Council of Ireland, the Cork County Arts Office, UCC Theatre Department and The National Circus Festival of Ireland for their continued support.

We were delighted to be invited to launch the International Literary Festival in Dublin this week.  One of the photos made it onto the front page of the Irish Times! 
Photos by Crispin Rodwell & Julien Behal

We are delighted to have been commissioned by Spleodar, the Nenagh Arts Festival to create a new circus and theatre production for their upcoming festival.  Trick or Treat Theatre will see us work with two of Ireland's best comic / circus actors - Damien Punch and Angelica Santander to create a show that will be brought direct to the residents of Nenagh, door to door, in a socially safe and conscientious way.   
​The production will look to Irish folk stories and local history for inspiration and the 30min. production will be presented in 5min. scenes, each at a different door.
The production will also be filmed in the Nenagh Arts Centre as part of their arts programme.  In this way we will ensure that it gets made and gets seen even if current restrictions limit the door to door aspirations.