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ABOUT US FoolishPeople create theatre, collaborative events, live art, music & film. We curate and engineer immersive experiences that have the power to raise a numinous experience within the spectator. In 2010, FoolishPeople founded the Weaponized imprint to extend our immersive art into the realm of publishing. Over a number of years, we have developed a unique practice, Theatre of Manifestation. We combine mythology, shamanism, drama therapy, strategic forecasting and open source collaboration in the creation of this work. Each piece takes form by merging text, performance, sound, art, light and the building itself to create a unique, dreamlike world that living characters inhabit. Our audience must choose their own journey without guidance, a technique that challenges their habitual way of watching art and entertainment in a conventional manner. Static consumption is not possible, active engagement and participation is vital and absolutely necessary. Each audience member will have their own personal experience inside the piece and will absorb different installations and parts of the narrative in a non-linear fashion. Fragments, which the witness will use to construct their own reality. This structure allows for an intimate interaction with our art that can be a powerful, compelling and a liberating experience, though sometimes uncomfortable, as the content may challenge and stir powerful emotions within the spectator. These accumulate in our ultimate aim to initiate an expansion in consciousness within the individual, for positive change. John Harrigan founded FoolishPeople in 1989, taking its name from the Fool major arcana of the tarot. The Fool encourages us to walk our own path, not the path of the 'herd', to become a free spirit, free from societal constraints, who is able to let go of outmoded beliefs and ideals. We have produced our work across a large variety of sites including conventional theatres, galleries and site specific venues. We have worked in prestigious cultural venues such as the Institute of Contemporary Arts, Arcola Theatre and the Horse Hospital in London, historical buildings like the Galleries of Justice in Nottingham, internationally to America and Amsterdam and worked for clients such as the BBC. Our core collective features five artists from England, America and the Czech Republic, which grows when we undertake new collaborations with worldwide artists in the development of our open source projects. If you would like to discuss a commission, collaboration or receive information on FoolishPeople workshops please email: [email protected] FoolishPeople.org FoolishPeople.com

Foolish People Portfolio 2011

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Page 1: Foolish People Portfolio 2011

ABOUT US

FoolishPeople create theatre, collaborative events, live art, music & film. We curate and engineer immersive experiences that have the power to raise a numinous experience within the spectator. In 2010, FoolishPeople founded the Weaponized imprint to extend our immersive art into the realm of publishing.

Over a number of years, we have developed a unique practice, Theatre of Manifestation. We combine mythology, shamanism, drama therapy, strategic forecasting and open source collaboration in the creation of this work. Each piece takes form by merging text, performance, sound, art, light and the building itself to create a unique, dreamlike world that living characters inhabit.

Our audience must choose their own journey without guidance, a technique that challenges their habitual way of watching art and entertainment in a conventional manner. Static consumption is not possible, active engagement and participation is vital and absolutely necessary.

Each audience member will have their own personal experience inside the piece and will absorb different installations and parts of the narrative in a non-linear fashion. Fragments, which the witness will use to construct their own reality.

This structure allows for an intimate interaction with our art that can be a powerful, compelling and a liberating experience, though sometimes uncomfortable, as the content may challenge and stir powerful emotions within the spectator. These accumulate in our ultimate aim to initiate an expansion in consciousness within the individual, for positive change.

John Harrigan founded FoolishPeople in 1989, taking its name from the Fool major arcana of the tarot. The Fool encourages us to walk our own path, not the path of the 'herd', to become a free spirit, free from societal constraints, who is able to let go of outmoded beliefs and ideals.

We have produced our work across a large variety of sites including conventional theatres, galleries and site specific venues. We have worked in prestigious cultural venues such as the Institute of Contemporary Arts, Arcola Theatre and the Horse Hospital in London, historical buildings like the Galleries of Justice in Nottingham, internationally to America and Amsterdam and worked for clients such as the BBC. Our core collective features five artists from England, America and the Czech Republic, which grows when we undertake new collaborations with worldwide artists in the development of our open source projects.

If you would like to discuss a commission, collaboration or receive information on FoolishPeople workshops please email: [email protected]

FoolishPeople.org FoolishPeople.com

Page 2: Foolish People Portfolio 2011

REVIEWS"The detail and beauty of this work is spellbinding, so that at times one loses all sense of where the performance begins and the truth ends... Each person coming to this piece will leave having experienced it differently, the more open you are to the enchantment within it, the more deeply you will be immersed...Its memory will stay with you long after it has ended. This is not simply a performance; it is an experience not to be missed.”★★★★★ Gabriella Apicella, Remotegoat on 'A Red Threatening Sky'

"Anyone who has lived at all will find moments that will be personally painful but this is a fascinating experience and it is performed with such reality by the actors that it is totally absorbing.”Howard Loxton, The British Theatre Guide on 'A Red Threatening Sky'

"This was one of many performances I have seen so far this year and a thoroughly enthralling performance it was...All the performers deserve a five star rating. Well directed.”★★★★★ Heather Lenzan, RemoteGoat on 'A Red Threatening Sky'

"The Abattoir Pages has a lot going for it...Architecture and art combine in unexpected ways, creating unsettling sights...It feels creepy and pagan. For curiosity value, this is unbeatable, and it's undoubtedly a memorable night out." Lyn Gardner, The Guardian on 'The Abattoir Pages'

"A visit may uncover more than you expect or even wish as you wander through the chambers of this most fascinating space. To be given the opportunity to exist even for a short time in these powerful rooms stained with emotion, pain, suffering, and the very basest natures of life is a privilege, and The Abattoir Pages brings the voices and spirits contained within those walls out to play. Expectations, desires and preconceptions should be released as you walk through the doorway, and only then may their many mysteries be revealed to you this Halloween."Gabriella Apicella, Notes from the Underground on 'The Abattoir Pages'

"Burton-esque, Poe-esque, Munch-esque, a distorted group of characters embodying the spirit of there being "nothing funny about clowns at midnight", lead you through a dreamlike promenade performance set in an atomically overshadowed 1950s circus...All the actors do a great job of being engaging, humorous, sympathetic or downright scary...Writer and director, John Harrigan deserves a lot of credit for the organisation of this brilliant cobweb of a performance. It's a great juggling act, worthy of the big top." ★★★★ Andy Marchant, Remotegoat on 'Cirxus'

"The stark and industrial setting for this piece of promenade theatre is instantly eerie and unnerving...Harrigan completely smashes down the fourth wall as the audience, walking around the space, become entangled in the piece. The experience is simultaneously funny and disconcerting....Much of the excitement of this piece comes from its mystery, so I am loath to give anything else away. Cirxus is a place of the unknown and should remain so for those of you yet to enter this demented playground." ★★★★ Rachel Sheridan, What's On Stage on 'Cirxus'

"An interesting addition to a growing genre." Andrew Haydon, TimeOut on 'Cirxus'

"Dead Language imagines a future in which the work of art stars like Banksy is so popular that fans trade in the DNA of the artists themselves, creating clone gangs of Emins and Warhols that roam the city. In part, Dead Language is an investigation of the limits of intellectual property rights, but it also a smart and spirited examination of the way that the value of art shifts with time and context." Ekow Eshun, Artistic Director of the ICA on 'Dead Language'

"The Singularity is nervous, convulsive, vividly compelling theatre. FoolishPeople engineer an exhilarating collision between Artaud and Cronenberg, to affect a total experience whose immersive power is deeply unsettling and relentlessly alive. This is a young company to watch... possibly from behind the sofa." Chris Goode, Playwright on 'The Singularity'

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Page 3: Foolish People Portfolio 2011

PAST PRODUCTIONS & PERFORMANCES2010 The Basement- Ward 12, Princess Louise Hospital, London In association with Secret Cinema – One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

A Red Threatening Sky, The Old Abattoir, London

2009 The Abattoir Pages, The Old Abattoir, London In association with Guerrilla Zoo

Cirxus, Arcola Theatre, London

2008 Terra:Extremitas, NDSM-werf, Amsterdam

2007 Dead Language, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London& Someday Lounge, Portland, USA

Desecration, Galleries of Justice, NottinghamIn association with the Theatre of Ophidia

Weaponised Art 3.0, Lazy Gramophone, The Luminaire, London

Terra Incognita, 491 Gallery, London

Ghost Redux, Vertigo Gallery, London

2006 Weaponised Art 2.0, Guerrilla Zoo, Corsica Arts Centre, London

Weaponised Art 1.0, Guerrilla Zoo, Corsica Arts Centre, London

Dark Nights of the Soul: Cycle III, Unconvention festival, London

2005 Dr Bleach, Weird Weekend Festival, Devon

2004 Escape from RS1, Creative Swing, London

1994 Revelations: Fear the mind, Hertfordshire

1991 Enochian Language of Angels, Hertfordshire

RESIDENCIES

2005- 2006 The Horse Hospital, LondonDark Nights of the Soul: Cycle VI - CarouselDark Nights of the Soul Cycle V - HomeDark Nights of the Soul Cycle IV - CongealedDark Nights of the Soul: Cycle III - EmergenceDark Nights of the Soul: Cycle II - The Fluid FleshDark Nights of the Soul: Cycle I - The Wrym Shroud

TOURS

2004 Ruined SteelCamden People's Theatre, Trestle Arts Base, University of Hertfordshire

2002 The SingularityCamden People's Theatre, The Barn Theatre, Baldock Hall

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Page 4: Foolish People Portfolio 2011

SELECTED LECTURES & WORKSHOPS2010The Providence Experiments

Theatre of Manifestation Workshop

2009 FoolishPeople Workshop in Performance and MythCentral School of Speech & Drama, London

2007 'Dead Language' Workshop & Lecture by John HarriganInstitute of Contemporary Arts, London

Workshop Facilitator and Guest SpeakeresoZone, Portland, Oregon, USA

FoolishPeople Workshop in Performance and MythBritish Broadcasting Corporation, Hertfordshire

2006-2008John Harrigan Part-time Lecturer in Theatre Studies and MythUniversity of Hertfordshire

2006Workshops in Myth & Magick, Treadwells, Covent Garden, London

PUBLICATIONS

2010Cirxus by John Harrigan ISBN: 978-1-907810-00-8Dead Language by John Harrigan ISBN: 978-1-907819-04-6The Sparky Show by Xanadu Xero ISBN: 978-1-907810-02-2Forum by Richard Webb ISBN: 978-1-907810-06-0

2008Terra:Extremitas- A FoolishPeople Guide to the End of the EarthAnthology of Comic Art and Prose

2004Ruined Steel: The FleshlistGraphic Novel

MUSIC

Abattoir Pages Original Score CDA Red Threatening Sky Original Score CD

DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGEListen to or download the Basement - Ward 12 Special Edition of the Weaponized Podcast @ Alterati.com.Secret Cinema presents One Flew Over The Cuckoo's NestBBC Talking MoviesFrom Russia With Love

AWARDS

The Times Top 5 Events for Dead LanguageThe LondonPaper Top Event for Dead LanguageDead Language featured as part of The London Lates Season of cultural events at major galleries and museums.Magi of Trygonia awarded to John Harrigan by the Dionysian Underground for Dark Nights Of The Soul Anthology of plays.

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Page 5: Foolish People Portfolio 2011

The Basement – Ward 12

November 2011Princess Louise Hospital,London

www.secretcinema.org'The Basement – Ward 12' was a sell-out production created in partnership with Secret Cinema for the November 2010 presentation of Milos Forman's 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'.

Ward 12 explored the background and history of author Ken Kesey's participation in CIA MKULTRA Mind Control experiments conducted at Stanford University on the use of psychoactive drugs such as LSD and how this in turn influenced the themes of institutionalization and mind control explored in the book and film.Ken Kesey's reported voluntary participation in the MKULTRA program 1959, his subsequent experimentation with drugs and his work as a night orderly at an asylum provided Kesey with the inspiration to write 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'. These first steps led to the important role he played in the sixties counter culture movement. Ken Kesey became one of the main proponents of sixties drug culture, the hippie movement and an enthusiastic supporter of its aims to instigate an alternative world view.

Participants who entered Ward 12 at Secret Cinema were encouraged to take an active role in learning the truth of their own insanity. Were they part of a mythic MKULTRA test, or had they joined a family of patients who had fallen through the cracks of the system seeking escape via the basement beneath the Oregon State Hospital? Unexpectedly, they found themselves in a world inhabited by archetypes and characters who may or may not be figments of the imagination. Or was it a psychoactive side effect and symptom caused by long term treatment with a cocktail of powerful antipsychotic medications?

Listen to or download the Basement - Ward 12 Special Edition of the Weaponized Podcast @ Alterati.com.View the Ward 12 Flickr photo set.

YouTube documentary footage:Secret Cinema presents One Flew Over The Cuckoo's NestBBC Talking MoviesFrom Russia With Love

Written by John Harrigan and Xanadu XeroDirected by John HarriganProduced by Lucy HarriganMKUltra video art by P. Emerson Williams, written by John Harrigan

CastArchie – David MonardDoctor Armstrong – P. Emerson WilliamsDoctor Tollhaus – Tereza KamenickaElijah – John HarriganEllie – Laura GallacherLucinda C – Lucy HarriganMary – Josephine ArdenMK12 Orderlies – Michael Christofis, Eleanor Young & Alexa MathewsNurse Always – Xanadu XeroNurse Cestoni – Laura WolfeNurse Phillips – Cathy ConneffTessa – Kirsty Hudson

With special thanks to Secret Cinema, Fabien Riggall, Harry Ross, the London Film Museum and Space Engineering.

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Page 6: Foolish People Portfolio 2011

A Red Threatening Sky11 February - 20 February 2010The Old Abattoir,187-211 St. John St, Clerkenwell, London, EC1V 4LS

An immersive sell-out Valentine's event which took place in a vast subterranean labyrinth of an old disused abattoir, combining performance, art installation and investigative interaction to create Club Aethereus; a strange and surreal underworld of Gnostic Noir. A place where crime, passion, the sacred and profane all cast one shadow.

The Valentinian. Harry wakes with no memory of how he arrived inside the club. He has been contracted to find a missing person. Pearl.

The Hotel room. Her hands and feet are bound and a hood hides her face. Teddy boy philosopher Roy Boutling watches the prize for the club's owner. Sebastian Qyain.

The Aviary. The birds song has become distressed. The ornithologist Miss Moreau waits for her lover, a man whose face she has never seen.

The Dance Floor. The showgirls receive a letter from Sebastian Qyain. It contains the revised ending of the Valentine's show at Club Aetherus, directing them in a horrifying act.

Opening hour approaches under a red threatening sky.

You are invited to enter and investigate the mystery of love's final destination, in a unique experience honouring the earliest traditions and rituals of courtship, jealousy, union and lust.

A Red Threatening Sky examined the nature of love, an unrelenting force which pervades all our lives from the moment we are born until the day we die.

Written and directed by John HarriganProduced by Lucy HarriganChoreography by Johan Stjernholm Poster Design & Music by P. Emerson WilliamsCostume design by Hannah DruckesAssistant Producer: James BlandPhotography by Yiannis KatsarisLighting design by Big Bean Productions: Lewis Willding & Charlie Strangeways Lighting Assistants: Rhys Thomas & Jennifer WatsonSponsored by: Dark Mills Festival, Big Bean Productions & Space Engineering

Featuring art by: Emily Dezurick-Badran, Jules Newman, Tom G Adriani, Ioanna Pantazopoulou, Xanadu Xero, Maryam Hashemi, Takayuki Hara, Marie-Louise Jones, Samm Hain, Kara Rae Garland, Sinead Geary & Anna Cocciadiferro.

Performers: Eleanor Appleton, Laura Gallacher, John Harrigan, Charlotte Gray, Brooke Dibble, Kim Burnett, Tereza Kamenicka, Lucy Harrigan, Jamie Richards, Ruth Middleton, Daisy Leverington, Maria McColgan, Tania Batzoglou, Johan Stjernholm, Reiko Mori & Fumi Sakamaki

Production Team: Hannah Druckes, Emma Tompkins, Abbie Yaxley, Leslie Borg, Helen Stay, Petra Hjortsberg, Joyce Kidd, Anne Bengard, Sara Gianfrate, John Middleton, Ruth Middleton, Jamie Elkin, Caiti Grove, Anna Radeva, Finn & Gage Harrigan

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Page 7: Foolish People Portfolio 2011

CIRXUS

25th May - 13th June 2009STUDIO K, Arcola Theatre

1957- Seascale, the North of England. Cirxus is an old English circus lost in the shadows of the smoke stacks of Calder Hall, the world's first commercial nuclear power station.

Athalia the ballerina waits in the ring for Loudon the Clown to return with directions to the Black Pool, the mythic site of the Home Sweet Home, the final show of the season.

Join her as she begins a bizarre and wondrous search for Loudon through the irradiated secrets of Cirxus, where she must face the macabre atomic menagerie, haunted by circus animals and navigate her way through the maze of strange, hallucinogenic sideshows on the other side of time. Immerse yourself in the world of Cirxus, where theatric arcana and Atomic fallout irradiate the sawdust arenas of our inner worlds.

FoolishPeople will use mythology, shamanism, music and dance to bring the darkness of an atomic circus to life. The performance will allow audience members to step into the world of an old English circus lost in the 1950s, explore its sideshows and meet extraordinary characters from the past and future.

Presented by FoolishPeopleWritten and Directed by John Harrigan

CastAfanc - Tereza KamenickaAthalia Faa - Lucy AllinBlue Lady - Victoria KarlssonIrina - Amy EwbankJaculina Tar - Daisy LeveringtonKoca - Peter McMillanLacertillia - Hannah PurdyMr. Slin - P. Emerson WilliamsOhMy - Stephen McLeodNelly Messenger - Kylie McLeanSeamstress - Louise LeeVenie Clancie - Claire TregellasViolet - Carrie WhittonTattipani - Tania Batzoglou

Produced by Lucy AllinAssistant director: Victoria KarlssonSound designers: Victoria Karlsson, Antoine Bertin & P. Emerson WilliamsGraphic Designer: P. Emerson WilliamsSet Designer: Paron MeadSet Design Assistants: Blondie Von Bengard, Charly Blackburn, Jessica Doyle, Fleur Huyghues Despointes & Juliette JeanclaudeProps Mistress: Kylie McLeanLighting Designer: Marec JoyceCostume Designers: Johanna Elf, Syban V, Katie & Caroline CollingeProject Manager: James ElphickEducation and Development Officer: Claire TregellasMake-up: Charlotte Tofield & Maria KalouMarketing: Marie Kearney'Atomic Tea Dance' choreographed by Stephen McLeodProduction Staff: Gianluca Summa & Jan Kamenicka

Cirxus was sponsored by: The London Film Museum, Viven of Holloway, The Courtyard, Chisenhale Dance Space, People Show & C-12 Dance Theatre

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Page 8: Foolish People Portfolio 2011

CONTACT

John Harrigan- Artistic Directore: [email protected]: johnharrigan.com

Lucy Harrigan- Producere: [email protected]

P. Emerson Williams- Product Development Manager e: [email protected]: veilofthorns.com

You can also contact us at [email protected]

For more information, news and photo galleries please visit: FoolishPeople.org or FoolishPeople.com

Photography © Yiannis KatsarisPoster graphics © P. Emerson WilliamsDesecration poster © Christopher EalesDark Nights of the Soul poster © Sam ShearonFP Portfolio design by Lucy Harrigan

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