Plans are already underway for QuestFest 2014 and watch for QuestFest related events taking place over the next year.

Let’s Hear from You

Let us know about your favorite QuestFest experience. Post something on Quest Visual Theatre on Facebook or write to us at info@quest4arts.org. There are so many QuestFest stories. Let’s hear yours.

What are people saying?

Breathtaking

Awesome

Hilarious

Powerful

Must see!

QuestFest@Joe’s

“Exit Stage Left”

“Gin & Tonic & Passing Trains”

“Mosaic”

 QuestFest@Creative Alliance

“FireFlies”

Workshops and Master Classes

Workshop: Clowning – April 7 Free

Master Class: Creating and Scripting Visual Theatre – April 7 Free

Quest@Joe’s

Ramesh Returns!
It wouldn’t be a QuestFest without Ramesh Meyyappan. Ramesh has performed at every QuestFest. There is a reason for that. He is simply one of the most talented, most important visual theatre artists in the world.

“Gin & Tonic and Passing Trains” is classic Ramesh. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll be amazed. The show is a tale of one man who has too much time on hands and the question of how to fill it.

Gin & Tonic & Passing Trains was voted as one of the critic’s “Picks of the Year   2007” in The Flying Inkpot in Singapore.

            …by now you will have realised that he speaks, eloquently, with every inch of his being.” – The Herald, Glasgow

            Sublime storytelling, pure and simple. Meyyappan out-Dickenses Dickens…      cheeky, magical and sickening.” The Flying Inkpot, Singapore

Thursday, April 5 @ 8:00pm
Friday, April 6 @ 7:00pm
Saturday, April 7 @ 7:00pm

Exit Stage Left
This laugh a minute show by New York based, physical comedy company Parallel Exit follows in the footsteps of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, Parallel Exit has created a vaudevillian revue featuring rubber chickens,   balancing ladders, clowning, and, oh yes; a balloon-o-phone.

Bring the whole family to the uproarious “Exit Stage Left.”

Parallel Exit’s kinetic style says so much
without uttering a single syllable. – Time Out New York

            Everyone goes home a winner. – The New York Times

            Reminds us that physical comedy can actually be, well, comic. – The New York Times

Wednesday, April 4 @ 8:00pm
Thursday, April 5 @ 2:00pm
Saturday, April 7 @ 10:00am
Saturday, April 7 @ 9:00pm

Mosaic
Quest’s Wings Company’s classic piece, “Mosaic” returns to QuestFest. This powerful piece has touched audiences in Vienna, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Salisbury, Los Angeles, “Mosaic’s” creator and director, Miriam Ganz has returned to direct this talented ensemble. “Mosaic” is a must see, but the show only has two performances. Make sure you get your reservations.

Friday, April 6 @ 9:00pm
Saturday, April 7 @ 1:00pm

QuestFest@The Creative Alliance

Fireflies
The Creative Alliance has once again come up with a remarkable and edgy evening of fun. Angst filled clown Mark Jaster pines for a quartet of beauties who flame and fly. Tilted Torches Miss Malibu is a queen of fire while Miss Joule shows off her burlesque skills and more. Lizzie Lyra is strong and sensual on the lyra, while Erica Saben performs on trapeze and silks.

Friday, Apr 6 @ 8:00pm

This past weekend, QuestFest learned that Mehr Aeen will not be able to perform at QuestFest. The Iranian company was unable to acquire their visas for entry to the United States.

All of this week’s QuestFest artists have arrived and they out in the community teaching and performing. They are giving free performances in schools, Imagination Stage, the Prince George’s County Public Schools’ Theatre Festival, Barnes & Noble, and Freedom Plaza. They are teaching at Gallaudet University, University of Maryland, George Washington University, and several schools in the area. Master classes and workshops are underway. The remarkable artists who are here this week are here just for this week. See them now, or they are gone.

QuestFest at Joe’s

Performances at Joe’s Movement Emporium in Mount Rainier, Maryland start this Thursday with Drew the Dramatic Fool performing “What the Fool?!?.” Also appearing is a marvelous show for young audiences, “Balloonacy.” Watch Charlie Chaplin films with live musical accompaniment and learn about Chaplin and the silent film comedy style from one of this nation’s experts on the subject, Dan Kamin. The show is called “Funny Bones – The Comedy of Charlie Chaplin.”

QuestFest at the Creative Alliance

Black Cherry Puppet Theatre premiere’s “Between Mean” at the Creative Alliance of Friday and Saturday.

QuestFest at Gallaudet

The weather is going to be lovely this Saturday. So, bring family and friends to FreeFest, QuestFest’s first free street festival at Gallaudet University. The festival features free stage performances: “Chez Leandre,” “Los Caneca Show,” and “Plunkett and Tremolo.” There are street performances by Mr. Slo-Mo and Drew the Dramatic Fool. Come learn to stilt walk with Nana Projects. Create art with Gallaudet students. Get your face painted. Eat some great food from several Washington food trucks or buy neat stuff from area craft makers. Admission, parking, performances, and workshops are free!

QuestFest in the News

DCTheatreScene gave QuestFest some very nice coverage this week.

If you live in Prince George’s County Maryland, check out this Thursday’s Gazette. They are running a feature story on QuestFest.

QuestFest is grateful for the support of the Ramon Llull Institute in Barcelona, Spain to present two exceptional shows which will appear in several locations in the Washington Metropolitan Area.

“Chez Leandre”

QuestFest is pleased to present a free performance of “Chez Leandre” on Tuesday, March 27 at 4:00 PM at Barnes & Noble, 4801 Bethesda Avenue Bethesda, MD 20814. Presented in collaboration with Imagination Stage, the Barnes & Noble performance marks the American Premiere of this delightful visual theatre piece created and performed by one of Europe’s top clowns, Leandre. The Catalonian-based, Leandre performs a hapless, homeless person in a show that entertains audiences of all ages.  “I have very few answers. I want to be open to surprises. I want to live here, in front of the public, with the public. I want to share all that I have experienced during the past 13 years of good luck,” remarks Leandre about his work. “Someone said, and I identify with it, ‘in the street you are at home’.”

On Wednesday, March 28 at noon, “Chez Leandre” will have its Washington premiere at Freedom Plaza. QuestFest presents this show in partnership with Occupy Washington. Freedom Plaza is located at Pennsylvania Ave NW between 13th & 14th Washington, DC 20004.

Presented in partnership with Gallaudet University, audiences can also see “Chez Leandre” on Thursday, March 29 at noon. On Saturday, March 31 at 11:30 Leandre will perform on the Gallaudet Mall as part of FreeFest, a one-day free open-air festival. Gallaudet University is located at 800 Florida Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002.

“Los Caneca Show”

Combining circus skills, gymnastics, clowning, and theatre, the “Los Caneca Show” is a an energetic, laugh a minute show guaranteed to entertain audiences of all ages. Join Nano & Tite, the show’s two stars at Imagination Stage on Tuesday, March 27 at 3:00 Imagination Stage is located at 4908 Auburn Avenue Bethesda, Maryland 20814.

“Los Caneca” will also perform at the Gallaudet University Mall on Friday, March 30 at noon. “Los Caneca” will give two performances on Saturday, March 31 at FreeFest. All of their shows are free. Bring the whole family. All “Los Caneca Show” performances are free and no reservations are necessary for either of the Catalonia shows.

This Week’s Workshops and Master Classes

Learn from the best of the best at the QuestFest Conservatory.

• Master Class: Acting from the Outside In (3/26): Instructor – Karin Abromaitis
• Master Class: Let’s Make a Puppet Show in 3 Hours – March 27: Instructor – Michael Lamason
• Master Class: Baby Theatre – March 27: Instructor – Barry Kornhauser
• Master Class: Stiltwalking – March 28: Instructor – Nana Projects
• Master Class: Exercises for the Performer / Creator (3/30): Instructor – Mark Jaster
• FreeFest – March 31 Workshops and art activities will take place throughout the day.
  • Stiltwalking
  • Fun with Fabric
  • Public art activities

Today was uniquely challenging. I woke up and finished designing a website for my Pictographic Play Project Then, I went to Joe’s Movement Emporium, where I rehearsed for my solo show, “What The Fool?!?”

Rehearsing for “What The Fool?!?”  is not like rehearsing for other shows. “What The Fool?!?” is customized to the space it’s performed in, so I’m reinventing the show each time it’s performed. For example, when I did it at Baltimore Theatre Project last year, I hung upside-down from a tall wooden ladder on wheels. No ladder like that at Joe’s, but they do have a staircase on wheels. After figuring out I needed some padding with the help of a yoga mat, success!

The show starts outside, but for audience members who can’t or don’t want to follow me, I am making a short film that will be shown inside the theatre. Wings company member and accomplished filmmaker, Brian Suchite is directing. We shot the outdoor sequences all afternoon, with me climbing on top of my car multiple times (sorry, car).

Tomorrow, the same schedule, but I also will attend rehearsal for Quest’s Mosaic in the evening. Exhausting, but what a fun, wild ride.

–Drew the Dramatic Fool

This marks Drew Richardson’s second week at QuestFest. “But wait,” you may ask, “Drew doesn’t perform until next week. Why is he here so early?” Good question. Drew’s show “What the Fool?!?” is a site specific piece. This means that wherever he goes with this show, Drew has to study the performance site and space and incorporate movement, phrases, and segments that fit that particular venue into the show. “What the Fool?!?” is the same, but different where ever Drew travels.

It has been a fun journey developing this show with Drew. Last summer, when Quest’s Wings Company was in Amherst, Massachusetts for the Ko Festival, Drew created a 20 minute segment that served as an entr’ acte to Quest’s performance of “Alice.” Last spring, Drew was in residence for approximately three months developing the piece for its world premiere at the Theatre Project. He also conducted training in site specific work with the Wings Company and the general public.

In this phase of the show’s development, Drew has about two and half weeks to prepare for the Joe’s Movement Emporium space. His workshop last Sunday introduced participants to the creative process that he uses to discover “problems/opportunities” in a space. Like last spring, it is fascinating to see what people come up with. What is really cool is that Drew does incorporate ideas that people generate in the workshops into his performance. In a way, workshop participants help “write” the show.

Drew’s past QuestFest and Quest experiences have influenced his creative process. Drew has adopted a open-ended, collaborative, exploratory approach which Quest employs in the development of all of its shows. It can be scary for an artist, especially a solo artist, to open himself up to ideas and input from a variety of sources. Drew has discovered the richness of the collaborative creative process. It has been a joy to see his journey. At the same time, QuestFest and Quest have benefitted from Drew’s exceptional talents and vision. We are grateful to Pennsylvania Artist on Tour for their continued support of Drew’s work with Quest.

The Global QuestFest

One of the themes that QuestFest is looking at this year is scripting for visual theatre. This is a very big topic in the field. We have two sessions in the QuestFest Conservatory on the topic:

• Exercise for the Performer/Creator taught by Mark Jaster on March 30
• Creating and Scripting Visual Theatre taught by Drew Richardson on April 7.

Drew will also be working with several QuestFest and area artists to explore visual scripting strategies. But the really fun part of this aspect of QuestFest is that anyone in the world can participate in the project. Drew has created the Pictographic Play Project: Playwriting Without Words. Take a look at the blog. Drew has created a simple “script” that you can interpret anyway you want. Then you videotape your visual interpretation of the script and post it on the blog. It’s pretty simple, but way cool. Get those creative juices going and give it a shot. We can’t wait to see what people come up with.

QuestFest Hits the Streets

In many ways, the roots of modern visual theatre come from the streets. Cirque du Soleil’s remarkable work has its base in a marriage of street performers, circus artists, and theatre. This year, QuestFest is hitting the streets in a big way. First, there is FreeFest, a free open-air festival at Gallaudet University on Saturday, March 31. “Chez Leandre” and “Los Caneca Show,” two shows from Catalonia will appear at a variety of locations in the Washington area. Pittsburgh-based artist, Dan Kamin will be performing Mr. Slo-Mo in several locations. One of our favorite local visual theatre companies, Happenstance Theatre will join the fun at FreeFest.

Check out the full schedule of free QuestFest street performances   

Food Trucks – Yum!

What is a street festival without food? FreeFest has some of the best, including CUPCAKES!!! Here is who is coming and when they will be there:

Cirque Cuisine from 11-3

CapMac from 11-4

Curbside Cupcake from 12:00 to 1:30

We have mentioned before that Quest, in partnership with the Creative Alliance, has commissioned Black Cherry Puppet Theatre to produce “Between Mean,” a new piece that will premiere Friday, March 30 at the Creative Alliance. Creating new visual theatre pieces is quite different than writing a new play. It’s a collaborative process and often requires actors getting up and “moving in space.” If you are working with marionettes and projections, the process becomes even more complicated. You have to create your puppet characters first. If you decide that you are going to use marionettes, what material will you use to create the character? How will you costume it? Then there is a whole period of figuring out how the puppet moves. Because we are doing visual theatre and marionettes normally have little or no facial expression, how can you clearly communicate what the puppet is thinking and feeling. All of this takes place while you are trying to build the story.

What does visual theatre look like when using a marionette? Here is one example: French artist, Philippe Genty in “Pierrot” a marionette determines to liberate himself from the strings that control him.

“Between Mean” will also feature live musical accompaniment. Since last fall, Black Cherry director, Michael Lamason has been collaborating with Baltimore-based musicians James DiLisio and Walter Teret on both the story and the music that will support the show. QuestFest has given Black Cherry a big challenge, but risk taking is an important element to the festival. We are thrilled that Black Cherry has accepted the challenge and we look forward to joining all of you at the Creative Alliance in a couple of weeks to see the results.

Gallaudet University Interpreting Service Joins QuestFest Sponsorship

QuestFest is pleased to welcome the Gallaudet University Interpreting Service as an Executive Producer level. This is the festival’s highest sponsorship level valued at over $5,000 worth of interpreting services to the festival. Established in 1990, Gallaudet Interpreting Service (GIS) is a renowned interpreting agency that serves the Gallaudet community and the general Washington D.C. metropolitan area.

Through commitment, professionalism, experience and a strong sense of customer service, GIS provides over 75,000 hours of interpreting services a year.

GIS has trained professionals to work in a wide array of settings; classrooms, conferences, banquets, legal appointments, Video Relay Services (VRS), business meetings, job interviews, workshops, internships, medical appointments, international interpreting and so on. No assignment is too big or too small for GIS, we’re here to serve you!

In addition to providing interpreting services, GIS is committed to actively engaging in the ongoing enhancement of the interpreting profession and its interpreters to better serve our Clients though a variety of Programs and Services as well as Interpreting Workshops.

You will be seeing GIS interpreters at the opening performance and reception at Joe’s Movement Emporium. You’ll see them at FreeFest on March 31. They will be providing support for many of the festival’s workshops and master classes. GIS has given valuable support behind the scenes, too, by providing interpreters for the many festival committee planning meetings. QuestFest deeply values its relationship with the Gallaudet University Interpreting service and we sincerely thank them for their support.

QuestFest Happy Hour – March 23

Questfest 2012 is hosting a Happy Hour on March 23rd with drink specials $3 domestic drafts/bottles and $4 call mixed drinks. There’s a $5 cover for the Happy Hour and a chance to enter into a raffle for tickets to the Spy Museum, or tickets to Riot Act Comedy club, or gift certificates to Austin Grill, and many more….

Key Information

Venue: McFaddens

Friday, March 23 @ 6:00pm – 9:00pm*

Where: 2401 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, DC 20037
*Over 21 please

Just bucks for your bar tab
this is your fate
6pm, Don’t be late.
Friends are family
Let’s have fun…
Maybe games or dinner when the drinking’s done!

Please come support this amazing organization, while catching up with some friends at the same time! All are welcome….. Tell your friends!

We have been writing about Miwa for months and now she is here. That means that you need to order your tickets now. She’ll be gone before you know it. You can see a slide show and summary of Miwa’s work on the Quest website.

What the Workshop?!? Foolish Creativity in Life/Art

It’s Free!

Date: March 18, 2012
Start Time:11:00 am
End Time: 1:00 pm

Drew Richardson leads this week’s free QuestFest workshop at Joe’s Movement Emporium in Mount Rainier, Maryland. In this workshop, Drew guides participants through using clown logic to find comedic opportunities in the world that surrounds them. This is the very process that Drew uses to create his site-specific show “What the Fool?!?,” which he will perform later this month at QuestFest.

More About the Workshop:

http://questfest.org/2012/ws-foolish-creativity-in-lifeart/

Register now at the link above.

TheatreBridge

One of the exciting features of Quest’s TheatreBridge program at the Maryland School for the Deaf (MSD) is that it offers funding support to teachers to bring in artists-in-residents to work with teachers to integrate visual theatre into the curriculum. Below is a report from Holly Hoglund, one of the teachers who is receiving training and support from Quest.

Holly Hoglund
1^st Grade Teacher
Maryland School for the Deaf – Columbia campus

In mid February, Quest Wings Company member, Brian Suchite visited our first grade classroom as an artist-in-residence in the Quest TheatreBridge program.  He came for an hour a day for five days to collaborate with me in teaching a Social Studies unit on Goods and Services, part of the Maryland curriculum goals in Economics for first grade.  Brian and I had begun planning the unit a month earlier.  He came up with activities and materials to enhance those which I had planned.

Brian created individual “piggy banks” for each child to record the amount of play money they possessed throughout the activity.  He created two interactive power points illustrating goods and services, as well as wants and needs.  Each class period Brian led the students in a warm-up activity to create an eagerness and alertness for the upcoming activity.  He then described the role of services in our economy and led the students in role-playing a service job, which they selected and for which they earned tokens for their “work.”  The students filled out a simple rubric to evaluate 3 areas of each of their classmates’ performances in the role-playing, with the most effective performances earning the most tokens.  The students then proceeded to the class bank where they turned in their tokens for play money to use at the class store to make purchases of “goods.” The students were told that they must always first use part of their money to purchase simulated goods that were part of “needs” we all have – clothing, food and shelter.  With any money left, the students had the option of purchasing immediate wants of smaller, less expensive items or saving the money to purchase more expensive items later on in the week, which some of them chose to do.

We observed that through their active participation, the students were better able to understand the role of work, money, goods and services, wants and needs in our economy.  They were also able to progress in theatre arts skills through role-playing. The students were consistently eager for this class activity and upon completion of the unit, continued to ask when Brian was coming back.  The paper assessment given at the unit’s completion also verified the students’ gains in their understanding of economics.

Photo credit: Daniel Bedell

All the puppets are packed and in a few hours our first show of the weekend will be up and running! We are thrilled to be performing this very special show in our Hometown!

Alonzo’s Lullaby is an original overhead projector shadow puppet performance (aka Magic Lantern Show).  Inspired by the true story of a circus train wreck in the waning days of World War I. I have been working on this project since 1993 but it wasn’t until I and the other Nanas met ellen cherry on the streets of Sheboygan, Wisconsin that Alonzo’s Lullaby finally took shape.

The performance was funded by a project grant from the Jim Henson Foundation and first premiered at Creative Alliance May 22, 2009. Subsequently the show has toured to Atlanta, New Orleans, San Antonio and Washington DC. The production received the prestigious Union Internationale de la Marionette,-USA Citation of Excellence in Puppetry. The award is given to recognize and reward the best of the puppetry arts in this country. The Citations are awarded to shows that touch their audiences deeply; that totally engage, enchant and enthrall.  We are still humbled to have been given this honor and hope that tonight’s performance will enchant you, intrigue and amaze you.

Watch us in rehearsal!