Desperate Optimists
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From their first creative engagements twenty years ago with community theatre, and on into experimental performance, complex online projects and now [35mm] films, Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy (desperate optimists) have remained acutely aware of performance and narrative along with the seductive charge inherent in the various languages of cinema and the desire to ground their work in a feeling for lived, shared experience, place and purpose. Gareth Evans
LIVE PERFORMANCE 2002 Kitchen Sink A collaboration with final year Theatre students from Lancaster University which premiered at the Nuffield Theatre, Lancaster on February 12th 2002.
2000 Time-bomb A collaboration with the Dublin Youth Theatre which premiered at Project Arts, Dublin on November 6th 2000. 1999 Urban Shots A large scale site-specific event written by desperate optimists for Theaterhaus Jena which premiered in July 1999 as part of Weimar '99. Bull A quartet for four performers that took place in a roofless Icehouse in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. 1998-99 Play-boy Play-boy premiered at Prema Arts Centre, Uley and then toured throughout 1998-99, including a two week run at the Young Vic Studio, London and performances in Dublin, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Amsterdam, Helsinki and Stockholm. Funded by London Arts Board and the Arts Council of England. 1997-98 Stalking Realness desperate optimists received a commission from Arnolfini, Bristol to make Stalking Realness. The piece premiered at Arnolfini at the end of October 1997 before embarking on a national and international tour including a two week run at the Young Vic Studio, London and performances at Berlin, Utrecht, Rotterdam and Finland. Stalking Realness was funded by London Arts Board and the Arts Council of England. Evidence The company were invited to participate in a European Theatre Festival, transeuropa Ô97 in Hildesheim, Germany. Here they worked with other European practitioners to produce an International Co-production in a large, dis-used Bosch Factory in the city of Hildesheim. The production called, was a very successful part of the festival. 1996-97 Indulgence desperate optimists worked in residency in Dublin, Ireland as part of a commission by Project Arts Centre, funded by the Irish Arts Council. There they premiered Indulgence as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival. They then embarked on a national and international tour up until May 1997. Indulgence was performed 37 times including a two week run at Young Vic Studio, London and performances in Utrecht and Rotterdam, NL and Hildesheim, Germany. Indulgence was funded by London Arts Board and the Arts Council of England. 1996 • In November 1996 desperate optimists delivered the Steve Rogers Memorial Lecture as part on Now '96. 1995-96 Dedicated In 1995 desperate optimists were artists in residence at The Showroom Gallery, East London throughout the month of March. The residency culminated in the presentation of Dedicated to capacity audiences over 3 nights. For this the company received a commission from The Showroom Gallery. In October 1995 desperate optimists worked in residency at the CCA, Glasgow to rework Dedicated for touring. Dedicated was performed 21 times including performances at the Battersea Arts Centre, London and peformances in Dublin and Denmark. Dedicated was funded by the Arts Council of England and the Eastern Arts Board. 1993 HOPE HOPE toured both nationally and internationally during 1993 and 1994. In total HOPE was performed 18 times including performances at the ICA, London and the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, London and performances at Project Arts Centre, Dublin. HOPE received a Barclays New Stages Award and was commissioned by the ICA Live Arts Department as part of the Acts of Faith season. 1992 Anatomy of Two Exiles Throughout 1992/93 desperate optimists toured this production both nationally and internationally, performing 15 times including performances at the ICA, London. In 1996 desperate optimists were invited to bring Anatomy of Two Exiles to the USA as part of a tour by the ICA. Since then they have performed the production 5 times in the USA but also in Aarhus, Denmark and Antwerp, Belgium and Manchester, England. AUDIO 2000 Crimescene desperate optimists were commissioned by ArtsOnline.com to produce a 3min audio piece that was premiered on their web site on 31st December 2000. RE:PLAY Audio work for local radio with young Welsh people. Broadcast on radio Cerdigion. RE:PLAY was commissioned as part of the Restless Gravity International performance festival. 1999 Livestream 30 minute audio sequence mixing music and text broadcast by Gaialive as part of Alan Howley's Livestream sessions. www.torkradio.com 1998 The Club Scene desperate optimists received a commission from TORKRADIO (produced by Chris Dorley-Brown and Bob Jaroc) to create a 2 hour piece of work to be broadcast live as part of a continuous 72hr live webcast that happened between 16th and 18th October at the Junction, Cambridge. www.torkradio.com
Year First Worked With Greenroom:
1994
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