An Update from Inside the Industry

Hello it's been while, but to make it up to you, here's some footage from my most recent shows! Enjoy!

"Bitten" - A Short Play by Broken Rose Performing Arts
Raven's always felt drawn to people. But not necessarily for their personal qualities. Strangely, she still agrees that "it's what's inside that counts." Join Broken Rose Performing Arts in this short piece of theatre which explores the story of a young girl who finds herself with a rather unorthodox craving... and then dedicates her life to finding out why.

Starring Francesca Smith.
Written and Directed by Gemma Connell.



Gemma Connell's Spoken Word
In November 2011, I made my spoken word debut, performing some of my poetry at Light In the Dark Entertainment's "TEN" in Sandbar, Manchester. It was a thrilling experience, and certainly one I aim to relive again and again.



"Flow!" - 2011
Flow! took place on 14th Oct 2011 at Contact, Manchester, as part of the Manchester Literature Festival. An extremely succesful first event, Broken Rose are currently evaluating this first incarnation, and moving forward with plans for further events.

Produced by Contact and Broken Rose Performing Arts, Flow! is a revolutionary open stage event that will see dancers in close conversation with poets. From its roots in the USA, slam poetry has become a cultural phenomenon, touching the hearts and minds of those involved in the hip hop genre, as well as that of modern literature. Over the years, the lines between this form of performance and other arts have begun to blur. Flow! takes this a step further, allowing the spoken word to entwine itself with the human body. This event sees a succession of freestyle duets, teaming up poets and dancers to showcase their art forms collaboratively. Each pair locks, pops, spits and rhymes their way through a spontaneous set.

We're all in this together...

Check out my DCMS blog about collaboration in the arts:

http://blogs.culture.gov.uk/main/2011/10/were_all_in_this_together_cue.html

Check out the footage from "Filthy Gorgeous" - Dance Theatre by Tongue-in-Cheek Eccentrics below. For the blog that accompanies these videos, please go to www.fieryrockets.blogspot.com

Wanna giggle? - It's the Musical Saw!

Blog now available on www.fieryrockets.blogspot.com !

New Inspirational Videos now live on Fiery Rockets

See below to check out some inspirational videos from Fiery Rockets, and go to www.fieryrockets.blogspot.com for the accompanying blogs.

Tongue-in-Cheek Dance Parade Footage now live!

Check out the footage of the dance parade from Fiery Rockets - and check out the Fiery Rockets blog on the topic at http://www.fieryrockets.wordpress.com/

Perform at Flow! - Brief for Poets and Dancers

Broken Rose Performing Arts and Contact, Manchester

Flow! Co-produced by Broken Rose Performing Arts and Contact, Manchester, will take place in Space 5, at Contact, 9:30pm on Friday 14th October. This event is FREE.

Project Outine

Flow! will bring together dancers and spoken word artists in an extraordinary fusion of movement and words.

In recent years, much slam poetry has begun to sound like MC-ing, and has therefore become associated with the Hip Hop genre of music. With this in mind, it seems appropriate to bring two otherwise polarized sets of artists together; dancers and slam poets.

Similarly, Contact's monthly event Mixed Movement is Manchester's only "open mic night" for dancers. The brainchild of a dancer, theatre artist and poet, DawN Crandell, Mixed Movement gives dancers and musicians a chance to improvise, celebrate and show off their skills. Flow! is heavily influenced by Dawn's show, it being a chance for artists to meet, collaborate with each other, and share their ideas.

Dancers, poets and MCs can apply to perform at Flow! The evening will be split into three sections:

1. A dancer and a poet will be paired up and one will begin, with the other joining in as soon as they are ready. The freestyle will be a conversation between the two artists. Both artists are encouraged to interact with each other during the performance, rather than simply performing side-by-side.



2. A completely freestyled performance for all involved. 1 poet will begin, and all the dancers will freestyle with the poet as and when they feel its appropriate. Gradually, other poets will come in and have their say, until the performance naturally comes to an end (This will be discussed with performers prior to going onstage). Again, all artists should interact with each other during the performance.
   


3. WILDCARD SECTION - Again, a section inspired by Mixed Movement, a dancer and a poet will be pulled out of the audience to freestyle with each other.
   

Flow! is to be launched as part of the Manchester Literature Festival 2011.

Many thanks go to DawN Crandell and Baba Israel for inspiring this opportunity.

To Apply

If you would like to perform either as a dancer, poet or MC at Flow! please send an expression of interest (as below) to brokenroseperformance@googlemail.com. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

EXPRESSION OF INTEREST:

NAME, DANCER/POET/MC, BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PAST EXPERIENCE

www.brokenrose.eu

www.contactmcr.com

www.manchesterliteraturefestival.com

Fiery Rockets

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of my loyal followers. It's amazing to get this many views on a blog that is just about my life. However, feeling the need for a change, I have now moved to another site, under a different name, Fiery Rockets - www.fieryrockets.wordpress.com

This new vlogging site is for show tours, tattoos, travelling the world and all things performance, and the first video is below. I will still be posting Fiery Rocket videos here, as well as some Broken Rose stuff, so stay tuned if you prefer to stick with one blog site.

Much love.
CC/Fiery Rockets

New Website

www.wix.com/celticcalifornianblo/gemmaconnell

Check it out for my personal portfolio in Production/Project Management/Choreography/Performance.

Will change it for a much more suitable domain name soon. Promise.

Will also get you that long awaited summer blog/vlog soon. PROMISE.

Much Love.
CC.

"Bitten" - Call for Actress

Broken Rose Performing Arts (www.brokenrose.eu) is looking for an actress aged between 18 and 25 to play a confident young woman who suffers from Renfield's Syndrome and has in the past been a victim of domestic abuse. The character is an extremely feisty, emotional woman, and the actress will have to hold the audience's constant attention as much of the play surrounds her monologue.

An extract of Bitten will be performed at the Open Mind event in Manchester (website coming soon) on the 28th October 2011.

This is an unpaid position, but one that will give the candidate valuable experience.

To apply, please email an expression of interest, with a photo and recent CV to brokenroseperformance@googlemail.com

Heart-Shaped Glasses

Love really is what this is all about.

Love a bunch of mates I'll never forget. Each in different corners of the country, and eventually the globe. Love us in hysterics and even love us in tears. 'Cos that's what we're all there for.

Love this industry. And each niggle or annoyance or slightly-something gone wrong is worth the look on children's faces in an Oily Cart show and hearing that someone you've worked with has been inspired to pick up her flute after many years. Love the adventure of seeing a show from inception to fruition.

Love being able to ring someone at the end of the day if I'm p*ssed off, upset or feeling ill. Love that train journey every couple of weeks to have magical adventures of our own. Love the texts in the middle of the night and the whispers in my ear any time it's possible. Love private jokes and shared stories. Love him.

Love life. Love the things that we live for. Everything else in between is simply a means to an end.

Just had to get that one out.

A blog (and vlog) will come soon with all I've been up to in the past few months. Promise.

Much Love.
CC.

#ManchesterRiots

At 5:30pm 300 people in hoodies and balaclavas ran up towards the arndale in Manchester. Shops immediately closed and locked their shutters (some trapping people in) and everyone on Market Street turned on their heels and fled in the opposite direction.

I ran back to my office and hid out there. Suddenly they were all over the roadthere and I watched 7 tactical units chase them. Two police helicopters are currently in the sky over Manchester and I'm glad to say that one appears to be looking over my flat. Two police cars went past my flat in the space of 15 mins. Everyone on the streets is looking suspiciously at each other. No one trusts anyone.

Kudos go out to the Greater Manchester Police who were on the scene just seconds after I started running and are now all over the city. I have never felt so scared in my own city before. I wish the press would stop calling these people "protesters". My guess is that the people who launched themselves through the city centre earlier do not know the reasons for these riots and neither do they care.

What on earth is this world coming to?

CC.

Back again...

Hi Everyone,

Once again apologies for being away for so long, but I'll be back with some epic blogs soon - I have so much to share about Manchester International Festival, 24:7 Theatre Festival, Broken Rose and our first ever event at Contact Theatre, Manchester. Things are going really well.

I've also got a Ukulele, so that's fun! It's a Soprano, aiming to work my way up to a Concert Ukulele and eventually teach myself to play the guitar as well. Busy, busy, busy!

Anyways, I'll be back in a few days with some brightly coloured blogs with pics and vids for you. Until then, keep your eyes on the Broken Rose Website - www.brokenrose.eu, which we'll be launching again very soon.

Much love.
CC.

Flow!

"Flow!" The FIRST EVER Broken Rose Performing Arts event, with Manchester's Contact Theatre and Manchester Literature Festival - http://www.contactmcr.com/whats-on/987-mlf11-flow/ - it's just a teaser... more coming soon

All the world's a stage for Broken Rose...

As some of you may know, amongst many other things, I am the Artistic Director of performing arts company Broken Rose (www.brokenrose.eu). Lately, Broken Rose performance dates have been coming in thick and fast.

I will be performing a solo at the Open Mind: Face the Music event at Sandbar, Manchester on the 26th May. I should be onstage at around 10:30pm. I’m developing the concept now - in true Broken Rose style, it’s going to be something a little bit different, but more experimental than I’ve tried under the name of Broken Rose before. More information on this coming soon, so stay tuned. To see my Open Mind debut, check out the video below:





The first official Broken Rose event will take place sometime in October. Details of this event are currently embargoed, so I can’t tell you exactly what it will entail, but I will say that I’m working with some very exciting and innovative people on this project. You Rockstars will be in for one hell of a night, hopefully one that will continue regularly after this premiere event. Please keep checking the website and the twitter (www.twitter.com/brokenrosearts) and the facebook (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=223601003&ref=ts#!/pages/Broken-Rose-Performing-Arts/120642791282372?sk=wall&filter=2) pages for updates on all Broken Rose projects and events. I truly believe that 2011 is Broken Rose’s year!

In addition to the above, an extract of my play, “Bitten” will be performed at Open Mind’s Halloween Special, again at Sandbar in Manchester on the 28th October. We will be auditioning for an actress for this show in the coming months, so stay tuned if you’d like to work with Broken Rose.

Much Love.
CC.

"Globally Busy"

Hey guys!

I know I promised that it wouldn't be so long this time... ooops! I hope this blog goes some way to explaining myself...

I've been a little on the busy side, choreographing a youth production of Romeo and Julliet for a lovely new Community Theatre company in Glossop called Theatre Peaks, as well as working towards the fabulous Music Boxes project with my beloved MIF (that's the Manchester International Festival for those new to the page!) who's banners slowly appear to be taking over the city... and it's only April... Well, I'm not complaining!

One of the most exciting things I've been to lately is the Globally Digital Launch at Contact Theatre, Manchester. Contact are renowned for doing exciting new things with performance, but the dance telepresence on this night really blew me away. Contact linked up with another theatre in New York to create a duet between two dancers who were thousands of miles away from each other. With Contact leading the way, the possibilities really are endless.

Much Love.
CC.

Miles to go - Little Miss Muffet counting down from Seven - Three - Oh...

I've had some very strange feelings about my career lately. Well, I'm not sure if strange is the right word, but they were certainly unexpected. Not so drastic, but so easy to pick up on when you've been so focused on wanting one thing and wanting it now for so long. It;s kinda hard to orientate yourself when you're being rewwarded with new opportunities left, right and centre, but are still getting things wrong at the same time.

Watching my old dance team, Street Vibe, perform in Warwick's yearly dance show, Pizzaz, last week was an interesting experience - feeling so proud of them on stage and beforehand being praised by them for being the only one to have alunched themselves into a career in the industry, straight out of university. And to watch Broken Rose beginning to chug along slowly, it should be suprising that California is at times seeming further and further away from me... But that feeling is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it's spuring me on, making me work even harder.

At MIF, it's obvious that although I'm doing extremely well, I still have a lot to learn, so I've been thinking lately that a course of some kind is perhaps in order.

On top of this, I have so many new ideas that I want to try out in the UK first. Here I'll make some ripples, then bring to California a tidal wave.

Come and see some evidence of the ripples I'm already making in Manchester - I'll be performing at the Greenroom at around 9pm on Saturday 5th March 2011, as part of Contact Theatre's Mixed Movement.

On top of that, check out my solo freestyle performance at the Open Mind Valentine's Special - now available as a playlist, below.



Much love.
CC.

Offline

Hey guys,

Sorry it's been so long. I know I'd promised to be a little more regular with my blogs, but it's been a bit mental lately. I will reveal all with Manchester International Festival's press launch in March. Until then, we're back to my perspective on this weird little world we live in.

Offline. That's what Egypt is. If you've missed it, seriously start tuning into this series of events because it seems like such an other-worldly thing to our generation of internet-lovers. A few nights ago, the Egyptian government disconnected it's country from the internet in an attempt to stop the protest efforts against that very government. The New Scientist has the full story here: http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/onepercent/2011/01/egypt.html but what's making my head tick most is what it's making the rest of the world think about it. For most people, including myself, their first thought is that we couldn't live without the internet, especially since most of us now have it on our phones, but on second look, it's so much more serious than that. This is just one step towards a removal of freedom of speech. Not only are people cut off from saying things that others don't want said, but they are cut off from speaking to loved ones around the world. It's all a bit scary if you ask me...

Now, on a lighter note, I've been progressing through my fabulous This Book will change your Life. Time to update you on Benrik's advice for the last two weeks of January? I think so...

Day 17
Write an uplifting message on a bank note.
I'd never heard about writing one on a bank note before, but I friend of mine did a vlog a while ago about leaving uplifting messages on post-it notes in public places. Such a nice thing to do. Now, I'm a true believer in smiling at people - if a stranger smiles at you in the street, it always makes you smile back. So next time you see a smiley face on a bank note, you never know, it might be from me =)

Day 18
Sabotage Hollywood day.
The 18th January advises readers to tell people false endings of films in the cinema... just like said friend of mine used to tell people the false endings to books. Always the same false ending - "They all die". Tee hee!

Day 21
Today, help put an end to loud mobile phone conversations.
Last week I was advised by Benrik to put an end to loud, embarassing mobile phone conversations by recording them and publishing them on the internet, shaming those who partake in such pastimes. I have to say, I wish I'd had this idea when I was on a late train back from London a couple of months ago - A woman spent the entire journey to Manchester Piccadilly talking about how she "obviously wasn't going to sh*g him" to a friend who clearly didn't want to know. She then proceeded to bully said friend into letting her come round to her house at stupid o'clock in the morning so that she could tell her more. I wanted to gag her.

Hurrah for the new blog!

Much love.
CC.

This Blog Will Change Your Life (Santa's hiding at the bottom)

Hey guys,

It has been a little while again. I promise I will be more regular with my blogging for as long as is humanly possible with my ever-doubling workload. I'm not complaining - I can be a bit of an obsessive workaholic at times!

Anyways, I bought a new book recently (Yay, go me!) called This Book will Change your Life. It's part of the This Diary will Change your Life series, a kind of best-of, if you will. I saw one of the diaries a couple of months ago on a friend's bookshelf and I thought 'd give it a try.

For those of you who aren't familar with the series, it basically gives you something wacky to do each day, and (within reason) I'm going to attempt to do them! Obviously I'm a little behind with it being the 13th and all, so I'll just give you and idea of the things that this edition has suggested for the first fortnight of the year.

Day 1
Day 1 is a warm-up day, offering little exercises "that will only change your life a bit." For example:

Do one press up. Thanks. I feel much better now.
Jaywalk in a pedestrian zone. Man, I do that all the time!
Hold the phone up to your other ear. Try it. It's weird.

Day 6
Today, try food that scares you. What like animals? Sorry kids... no way I'm doing that!

Day 11
Day 11 asks you to insult an alien. Apparently the worst thing you can say to a Martian is "Your Mother is a Venusian Whore." Boo Ya.

I promised that santa would be hiding at the end of this blog post... well, secret santa...

Much love.

CC.

New Year's Ideas

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all had a good one! Starting 2011 off with some of my aims, hopes and dreams for this year. As I’ve been saying on Twitter, I’m not calling these resolutions, because then I won’t keep them!

1) Find a flat for the month of July
I’ll be chucking myself in the deep end with two festivals this year – MIF (30th June-17th July) and the 24:7 Theatre Festival (21st-30th July) both in Manchester City Centre. I ain’t commuting back to Handforth – it’s a nightmare! Anyways, it’ll give me the opportunity to grab a scrap of my independence back. You all know that I’m not a fan of living with the ‘rents and so a month immersed in the performing arts industry and away from home would be heaven. Of course I’m also thinking of the parties!

Another place lived in is another chapter in my life :)

2) Get as many Broken Rose Performances out there as possible.
Broken Rose currently have two tour dates in the diary:
14th February 2011 – dance solo at “Open Mind” event, Earth café, Manchester
28th October 2011 - performed extract of the play “Bitten” at “Open Mind”, Earth café, Manchester

I’m working on some more as I blog, and I have some ideas for larger scale events, including a dance parade. Keep your eyes peeled on the website rockstars!
www.brokenrose.eu

3) Learn to drive
I’ve been meaning to do this for a while. My mate said she did it in 3 months, knowing my hectic schedule, I should probably aim for the end of my contract at MIF – 4th Oct. I gotta be able to do it by then!

4) Attend the IETM conference in Krakow, Poland
This fabulous international performing arts conference takes place between the 6th and the 9th of October, and is perfectly placed after my contract ends. I can’t miss this one. I may even be joining my old boss there!

5) New Workout – 3 times a week
Because sitting behind a desk is no good for my ass!
Single Arm Crunches (20 each side)
Intermediate Squats (x50)
Inner thigh raises

6) Go back to ballet on Wednesdays
Self explanatory, really.

7) Try and get a book published, whether that be poetry or prose.
I’ve had many writing projects in the pipeline for a while, and I’m determined to get at least one of them out there somewhere this year. I should probably finish them then... !

8) New tattoo
Crossing my fingers for a new forearm piece by Leah Moule. The tattoo will focus around a celtic key, going back to my Irish roots. Really excited by the concept and at the prospect of getting tattooed by such a famous artist.

9) New York trip – December 2011
A crazy but cool idea me and my mate have been batting around for a while. We WILL go to New York, and we WILL do it this year! =D

10) APAP – January 2012
I know it’s jumping the gun a bit, but I need to aim for this in order to get me to California. APAP is a huge performing arts conference/performance showcase in New York. It’s the key to getting into the US industry, I’m told. So that’s two New York trips then? Phew!

Now I wanna hear yours!

Much love.
CC.