Dream Theatre: Help Alyssa go to Nice

Thank you for visiting my fundraising page! I am raising money to help pay for an opportunity to further my professional goals and aims by working as an assistant for director, Irina Brook, at The National Theatre in Nice, France.  This opportunity comes to me by way of an internship/assistantship, as it is very hard and expensive to acquire a work visa in France. Therefore, here I stand, on a stage-- of sorts--:  with my arms open, leaning and falling into the arms of my community for any amount of support that may be given.

In 2008, I had the pleasure and supreme luck to work with Irina as an actor in adapting The Canterville Ghost, a short story written by Oscar Wilde. We brought the short story to life through heightened imaginative physical play and collaboration, a process or way of working that has left an indelible mark on me. Irina Brook, is the daughter of director, Peter Brook and actress Natasha Parry, a child of the theatre.  She acted in television and film, and then found her true calling as a director.  She went on to direct numerous producitons internationally, receiving the five prestigous Moliere Awards, and in 2000 she formed her own company and ensemble, Compagnie de Irina Brook, which in 2009 became Irina's Dream Theatre.  She tours with her company playing at festivals throughout the world. In 2002 she was named the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture.  In January of 2014, she was appointed to be the Director at The National Theatre, in Nice. This October, she will bring her production of Peer Gynt, which premiered in Salzburg in 2012, to the National Theatre in Nice, and I have been offered the opportunity to join her in rehearsals as an assistant and collaborator in the remounting of this unique adaptation, consisting of 12 original poems written by Sam Shepard, and 2 original songs by Iggy Pop.

While I am in Nice we will have a busy schedule: rehearsals, interviews, writing, physical activity and engagements (such as dance, movement, and yoga), cooking and salon with the ensemble, and completing a 25 research paper on “Irina’s Dream Theatre.” It is from your support that will help pay for travelling and living expenses for the month of September.

For your donation and support: I pledge to share the fruits of this experience though a documentary video and a paperback or electronic copy of my research to you.

Those who donate over $100.00 to my drive: I will write and perform a piece of physical theatre specifically for you and yours: It will be sent via live or recorded video, unless you happen to live in the Northwest United States, in which case it would be possible to make arrangements for a live performance. This is a great way to share not only my gratitude but my work with you, and it is an unique chance to generate work that can be performed and used elsewhere. Your donation would, literally, manifest a creative life of its own.

Those who donate over $10.00:  A postcard sent from France. For the record: I pick and write great postcards. 

It was my experience with Irina Brook and what her company has done over the years that I chose them as my research subject. This research and professional experience will allow me to further develop my own perspective and the tools necessary in building a career in devised ensemble based physical theatre. For more on Irina and “Dream Theatre” check out these links:
Peer Gynt: http://vimeo.com/63776903 and https://www.facebook.com/events/440864032726005/
Irina’s Dream Theatre: http://irinasdreamtheatre.com/