The Performance Structure:
Freakatoni Witchy Weekends are held on the Friday and Saturday evenings in three parts;
Part one in the Studio 1, led by the collaborative groups; two groups each evening, four groups each weekend, 20 minutes each piece. 20:00-21:00.
Part two in the Bar, curated by the Amsterdam crew; Music Theatre event, 30 minutes. 21:15-21:30.
(Break)
Part three in the Bar, curated by one of the Amsterdam crew musicians; improvisation music band. 22:00-23:00.
Ellen Knops designs the lighting for all performances in Studio 1, part one.
Xenia Perek creates a unique MC event for each evening that provides a seamless shift from one 20 minute piece to the next in part one and guides the public from the Studio 1 to the Bar for parts two and three.
Process towards the performances Part one Studio 1:
Katie’s morning workshop provides performance and composition studies for the entire summer course group. Her aim is to prepare the group to conduct their own rehearsal processes towards interdisciplinary, collaborative, real time performances. On Monday and Tuesday afternoons Katie facilitates improvisation sessions with the criteria to locate individual’s interdisciplinary interests, group chemistry and over-all intentions for creating four groups to do 20 minute performances. Once groups have been formed, Katie continues her workshop in the mornings with the whole group. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons are individual group and technical rehearsals towards the weekend performances. Additional studios are offered for the afternoon rehearsals supported by the Amsterdam Crew and Ellen Knops.
Everyone who is registered for Summer Course Program will be in at least one of the four groups for the performances Part one, studio 1. Because the rehearsal process towards performances is very tight, it is difficult to take part in more than one group over one weekend. However, if this can be coordinated with groups, it is possible.
Process towards performance Part two and three Bar:
On the Friday and Saturday afternoons there is a rehearsal towards the Bar Music Theatre event in the Bar. The Amsterdam crew elect participants from the Summer Course participants prior to the rehearsal process.
The musician who leads the band in the Bar do not have a prepared rehearsal. They create a collective from their colleagues and from the musicians, text artists and singers from the summer course participants.
Stage Manager:
Izabela Pacewicz-Wysocka is your stage manager. She will help with all of the set ups you may need and is your go-to person for any questions you have about your events. She will also collect the titles and the names of your 20 minute pieces by the Wednesday of each week to place on the Freakatoni Witchy Weekend website as part of our promotion.
Sound:
The studio 1 has a full sound system. The Bar has a simple sound system. We can provide amps where needed. Sound check for all the performances will take place during the Thursday and Saturday afternoon technical rehearsals in the Studio 1 and in the Bar. You are welcomed to create (pre-recorded) tracks for your pieces. You can work this out with Ellen in your technical rehearsal. If you are a musician and have any questions about the sound system in either Studio 1 or the Bar, you need to work with one of the Amsterdam crew.
Video recording:
The Freakatoni Witchy Weekend performances are recorded each weekend by Roman Zotter. The footage is placed on a hard drive and passed to all the artists involved after the performance weekends, at the beginning of each week.
Promotion:
The Summer Course provides a promotional campaign gathering public out of local supporters and tourists. We strive to fill the evenings with public who have a curiosity to spend an evening in the OT301 Building, due to its reputation as an alternative cultural centre in Amsterdam. Entrance fee is €5 and drinks at the bar are reasonably priced.
Facebook page:
A facebook page has been put in place where you can continue your discussions about your performance work with your groups and pass general information.