AUSTEN FOUND: THE UNDISCOVERED MUSICALS OF JANE AUSTEN

“ConArtists are consummate performers. They make improv look so easy you’ll think you could get up and give it a go.” Theatreview; Austen Found Review May 09

“OOOOOH MISS ELIZABETH, DO PLEASE PLAY IT AGAIN.”

Addicted to Darcy?  Lost all Sense and Sensibility?  Bonkers for Big Balls?  Well put down your cross-stitching and join Auckland’s leading improv troupe, ConArtists, as they swoon, romp, and pianoforte their way through an entirely improvised Austenian Musical. Charming suitors, meddlesome mothers, tight breeches and surprisingly well educated girls will all paint a vivid picture in song, dance and passionate hand holding.

And after a 95% house at the Adelaide Fringe Festival and a completely sold out NZ International Comedy Festival, we politely suggest booking early to ensure our dance card isn’t full.

“Jane Austen would be turning in her grave with delight…Rollicking good fun!” Rip It Up Adelaide

“Improv Comedy at its finest.” Unilife Magazine Adelaide

“Austen Found: The Undiscovered Musicals of Jane Austen is the good pavlova, the one someone has taken a few goes to get just right. The brilliant version.” Waikato Times

Bringing the Bennetts to life will be veteran performer Lori Dungey, world famous Hobbit and one of the founding players of Theatresports in New Zealand.  Lori performs all over the World and has represented both New Zealand and Canada in international tournaments including the World Cup of Theatresports in Germany in 2006 and was victorious in the Improvaganza Masters of the Universe Tournament in Edmonton in 2003.

“Hot Pink” Penny Ashton is a comedienne and actor and has performed both Improv and her solo comedy shows (Hot Pink Bits, Busty Rhymes, Dirty Pink) from New York to Edinburgh to Ashburton.  She too represented NZ at the World Cup in 2006 and at the Improvaganza in 2003 and is a three times Adelaide People’s Choice Award nominee.  She is recently returned from performing her poetry at Glastonbury in the UK and reporting at Miss Universe in Las Vegas.

Nigel Burrows was one of the original members of ConArtists, and therefore brings 22 years of experience to his bulging breeches. Joining him will be Stage Three UNITEC student and High School Theatresports Champ Chris Neels and a charming Christchurch Improviser from the Court Jesters, Kathleen Burns.

Pianoforte virtuoso Robbie Ellis studied at the University of Auckland School of Music, and has worked in a wide range of theatre, from Greek tragedy to stand-up comedy via late Romantic opera and French absurdism. He is an award-winning composer, broadcaster and multi-instrumentalist. As an improv musician he has played in Melbourne and Rotterdam, and with companies around New Zealand.

“The entire cast did a magnificent job of capturing the essence of Jane Austen’s style in their parody without offending ardent fans or losing the enthusiasm of strangers to the genre.” Theatreview, May 2009

“Swept into the fantastically fictional improvised world of “Greed & Generosity”, Jane Austen’s once-lost-but-now-found musical extravaganza, I was particularly impressed…” The Lumiere Reader, May 2009

“Now why didn’t I think of that!” Jane Austen, May 1809

AUSTEN FOUND: THE UNDISCOVERED MUSICALS OF JANE AUSTEN

Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre THE EDGE, October 21 – 31, Tuesday & Wednesday, 7pm Thursday, Friday & Saturday 8pm, Sunday 4pm

Bookings 0800 BUY TICKETS or www.buytickets.co.nz, Service Fees Apply

Full $25, Concession and Groups 6+ $20, Information: www.conartists.co.nz

Alternately, we’ll be squishing into Penny’s car for a 4-hour drive to Whakatane for the premiere of ConArtists’ first all female cast in ‘Austen Found: The undiscovered Musicals of Jane Austen’.    This is an entirely improvised musical in the style of Jane Austen and, hopefully, true to the Regency Period. It’s also the beginning of a thrilling road trip.

After Whakatane, it’s off to the Hamilton Garden Festival (Feb 21 & 22) to perform in a beautiful conservatory that is ludicrously perfect for our Regency romp.  You could just imagine Jane Austen fingering the pianoforte or eating a strawberry off the vine.  We are going to look as cute as a half crown in our floral regency gowns and bonnets.  We even made the bonnets ourselves with the help of a U-Tube instructional.  U-Tube has everything!  I burned my fingers on the glue gun more times then you could say “I will not raise any outcry; I will keep my ill humor to myself.” (Emma)

Then we’re leaving on a jet plane for the Adelaide Fringe Festival for 3 weeks.  I hope the glue doesn’t melt in the Adelaide heat or we’re all in big trouble.  This will be an exercise in patience as our four women and one man cast live in a 2-bedroom motel.  Robbie, our token male, is a brilliant muso who improvises like a dream.  Then there’s Stayci, Lucy and Penny.  Penny has been the stalwart, doing all the hard work and putting all the pieces together.   She’s been a solo performer for years so I think she’s delirious with joy that she’s finally got mates to play and perform with.  It’s tough being the only one handing out your flyers.

I snore a little so that will be a challenge for her as well.  We’re bunking together.  Our ticket sales are at 36% so we’re pretty pleased by that.  There’s a Jane Austen Club in Adelaide who have got their tickets and dance cards ready. Bless.

We’ve been enormously girly swat about this production.  We rehearse conscientiously, trotting out all the various characters that Jane Austen has created.  We’ve worked on the language of the time, our knowledge of history and manners and the various modes of transport, dress and what they ate.  I’d love to sample some Jugged Hare, Beetroot Pancakes and Stuffed Boars Head though I could happily pass on the Blue cheese with Maggots.

We’ve watched every version of Emma, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility.   I am slowly making my way through the novels.  I am currently reading “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-smith.  In this novel version, Elizabeth Bennet of Hertfordshire has a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, as well as the weaponry of Europe and the fighting styles of the Kyoto Masters.  She’s a Zombie slayer and these undead, who have been afflicted by a mysterious plague, are bringing mayhem to the quiet English countryside.  It’s hysterical.

Lori Dungey
ConArtists Creative Director

It was (ConArtist creative director) Greg Cooper’s idea to make a show based around the current enthusiasm, nay, hysteria for the vampire genre.  Then he promptly buggered off to do a show about Edgar Allan Poe in Christchurch.   Irony or poetic justice, you be the judge.

The group (or, now that I’m fluent in vampire – nest) was formed and Penny Ashton, Nigel Burrows, Clare Kelso, Chris Neels and myself put ourselves on a strict diet of Twilight, True Blood and various calorific offerings as we researched the genre.  It soon became apparent that Clare was overqualified.  The woman owns every season of Buffy ever made and can quote Anne Rice down to the page number.

So armed with our resident expert in vampire law and a free rehearsal space (we love the mighty Drake) we set upon 6 weeks of workshopping – a hilarious process where we learned many new skills and challenges, including you can’t enter a scene as your vampire character and cheerfully announce “Good Morning”!  Not unless you plan to launch yourself into an instant fiery death.

Actually we did practise instant fiery deaths.  It involved a demonstration from our resident dance captain Penny Ashton and proved impossible to recreate without going into a jazz ballet run in our attempts to exit invisibly.  We also had decisions to make about fangs – to imply or to costume?  Nigel was particularly keen on the latter, although his enthusiasm seemed to wane after he was put in the unfortunate position of having to converse with local constabulary in the middle of the night whilst wearing them.  His story goes he was ‘just trying them out for size’ …

Fangs or no fangs, we had to come to terms with the fact necks had to be bitten.  After one last particularly enthusiastic session in Wellington, Chris found himself performing his Bite Me: Fangprov debut sporting an impressive hickey.

The festival is a fantastic initiative of WIT: The Wellington Improv Troupe.  This year there were more shows, including two from Impro Melbourne, and more chances to jam with other players, including our great pals from Christchurch’s Court Jesters – whose show quite coincidentally had exactly the same costume concept as ours.  (And if you wonder why a vampire show requires gingham, checks and denim, just watch an episode or two of True Blood.)   Friends were made.  Notes were shared.  Workshops were attended, even after late night Fringe Bar karaoke sessions involving tequila.  And, like Austen Found: The Undiscovered Musicals of Jane Austen (see what I mean about a colon?), we hope this new show proves just as immortal.

Cast of Bite Me

Stayci Taylor is an actor with ConArtists and directed Bite Me: Fangprov for the New Zealand Improv Festival, Bats Theatre, Wellington 7 – 10 October 2009