Judith Lanigan writes for and about circus.
About Circus
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photo © Justine
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The Hula Hoop the first
Compendium or serious Study of the Subject.
An illustrated study of the history, influences and major artists of the
hula hoop including a ‘How To’ from absolute beginners to advanced separations
and manipulations. Self Published.
For further information and to purchase
... click here
The Great Clown Kidnap of 1572
Based on Commedia history – about a 16th century company of clowns kidnapped
on their way to perform for the King of France. This story has been optioned
for feature film by UK based producers, Firefly Films.
A True History of the Hula
Hoop
A fictional novel about the confluence of history in the life and times
of a hula hoopist and female clown. In this project Judith Lanigan proved
that the hula hoop was first produced in Australia. Judith Lanigan’s first
novel A True History of the Hula Hoop received an Australian Society of
Author mentorship award for unpublished authors and was short listed for
the Varuna Award for unpublished authors before being withdrawn due to
an offered publishing contract with Picador. (Pan Macmillan)
Published Picador, Australia, August 2009
View
the Fairfax online
interview about the book.
‘Beautifully melancholic, a My Brilliant Career with hula hoops and
spangles ‘
Judith Lukin Amundsen.
‘A wonderful sense of humour which lifts the stories in a way which
serves the action and characterisation superbly’ Jo Jarrah
More reviews about the book.
Rollo’s last Dance at the
Theatre Royal
Current project telling the story of a White Koori girl based around her
great great grandparents against the background of Castlemaine’s Theatre
Royal and the collision of cultures due to the Goldrush – and her grandparents,
a policeman with the First Wireless patrol at Russell st CIB and his wife,
white Koori in 1930s Melbourne.
For Circus - Shows
Commissioned by Newcastle Live Sites with the support of the Australia Council. Site specific, historically referenced Circus Dinner Cabaret. Site – The train erecting sheds on the Newcastle harbour. Research showed that the sheds were on the site of the old ice works and mortuary. Research into the history of Newcastle showed that at the time the sheds were ice works and mortuary the Sideshow Company of Greenhalgh and Jackson were stranded in Newcastle due to the war. The owner of the company bought the Beach Hotel and the sideshow ‘attractions’ the tattooed lady, the Chinese dwarf acrobats, the 7 ft man and the Snake man etc, worked behind the bar to earn a living.
Brief. To be location specific, historically based dinner show, that includes a cats made up of one-third professional performers and two-thirds community based trainees.
The Dying Swan.
Based on the ballet divertissement originally choreographed by Michel
Fokine for Anna Pavlova, the half hour street show is clown and skill
specific, about hula hoops and tragedy and a character that has to remind
herself to be the swan.
Brief – to create a highly portable solo show where all equipment can
be flown and all text performed in various languages.
Huntly and Deluxe
A theatre two hander that could be broken down into acts for Variete that
uses sideshow, illusion and dark clown to illustrate the undercurrents
that go on in a relationship. Two clowns, male and female are in an undefined
relationship and the acts are a progression of misunderstanding, hurt,
payback, seduction and emotional manipulation.
War
(working title)
A physical theatre two hander. A show about
how in every war in any year, generation or century, it is always the
same men, the common man, who goes out to fight.
Brief – to create a two handed show for international touring using physical
circus and clown skills about War and reference ‘Waiting for Godot’
The Association of Extraordinary
Waiters.
This show structure was written to allow an ensemble to perform with any
number of performers. The AOEW performs a menu of menu of circus metaphors
about food and wine. That provides consistent quality of variable entertainment
for festivals and corporate entertainment.
The Banquet Table
(Fire show for the Australian Circus Festival 2001 2003 2009)
A specific commission from the circus festival. The show is about the
gathering at a banquet table of the Heads of State of various worlds.
Their entourages perform for their (and the audiences) entertainment while
minor storylines of character interaction play out amongst the banquet
guests.
Brief- a nighttime fire based performance using the skills of professional
performers at the festival in combination with allowing trainees attending
workshop week to have a performance experience.
Circus Dramaturgy
A Plane Without Wings is a Rocket
The Women’s Circus, Melbourne Assisting Director Annie Davey.
Variety Ville
The Great Gondos Assisting the Varietyville duo Daniel Oldaker and Rani
Hussar to extend and develop the show Varietyville for the Great Gondos.
Pictures and Video are contained on this site are
not to be used without the permission of the artist Copyright Judith
Lanigan 2009
Judith Lanigan has been supported by Austrade, Australian Society of Authors,
the Australia Council for the Arts, Newcastle Livesites.
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