Interview on ZBM (January 2014)
Interview on VSB (January 2014)
The Bermuda Sun
Puppetry and Opera show is touring Bermuda schools
Thursday, January 16, 2014 2:29 PM
A Bermudian and his partner have come back to the island to share their love of puppetry and opera with the island’s children.
Alexander Winfield and Latana Phoung together are
Musicanima Theater and have brought their children’s show “The Other
Side” to the island’s public schools.
Mr Winfield has worked with puppets for the past ten years and Ms Phoung is a mezzo soprano opera singer.
He explained what the show is about.
“Our particular company is focusing on our respected
skills. We decided to combine these skills and bring opera and puppetry
to children.
“Opera has this reputation for being elitist. We would
like to give younger people a taste for what it’s like in a setting
that’s comfortable for them, to make sure they can hear it and they can
see it.”
Mr Winfield and Ms Phoung were given a grant from the Arts
Council and were sponsored by British Airways to come to Bermuda and
perform.
Their show is about a young girl who wants nothing more
than to be an opera singer. In following her journeys through a
dream-like land called "The Other Side", children learn about the
importance of friendship, self-confidence and perseverance, and they
will be introduced to some of the great arias of opera history in an
entertaining and accessible format.
Mr Winfield wrote the hour-long show that is aimed for children aged five to 12.
At the end of each show, there is a question and answer
period. Ms Phoung said there are usually no less than 20 questions asked
including “Can you break a glass with your voice”.
She said since they have been performing on island, the interest in the schools has grown.
“Now that they have seen it, the principals talk to each
other and want it in their school. It’s a work in progress. You see
what’s working with children and what they like.”
The show has already been performed in the UK. They had a
residency at the Greenwich Theatre and also performed at The Little
Angel Theatre, which is the only committed puppet theatre in London.
The one-hour programme will be performed to students at
East End Primary, Gilbert Institute, Port Royal Primary, Somerset
Primary, Victor Scott Primary and West End Primary.
http://bermudasun.bm/Content/LIFESTYLE/Lifestyle/Article/Puppetry-and-Opera-show-is-touring-Bermuda-schools/9/230/73937
Bernews
Alexander Winfield To Perform At Local Schools
As a result of a grant from the Arts Council and sponsorship from British Airways, Bermudian Alexander Winfield
and his partner, Latana Phoung, have returned to Bermuda for two weeks
to perform their children’s show, “The Other Side,” to school students.
The show introduces opera and the classical arts to young people through
the use of puppets, singing and acting.
“The Other Side” is about
a young girl who wants nothing more than to be an opera singer. In
following her journeys through a dream-like land called “The Other
Side,” with characters portrayed through delightful puppetry, children
learn about the importance of friendship, self-confidence, perseverance
and will be introduced to some of the great arias of opera history in an
entertaining and accessible format.
The one-hour programme will
be performed to students at East End Primary, Gilbert Institute, Port
Royal Primary, Somerset Primary, Victor Scott Primary and West End
Primary.
Mr. Winfield and Ms. Phoung have a company in the UK
called Musicanima, which they started two years ago to promote the love
of culture, art and music to a young audience. Using ground breaking
puppetry, classical opera and a highly trained ensemble, their
theatrical shows and performances help audiences to find a new way of
seeing the world around them.
They were a resident company at the
Greenwich Theatre and performed at The Little Angel Theatre, England’s
premier puppet theatre in London. They have also performed in Bermuda at
Chewstick and Mr. Winfield has given workshops in puppet building at
the Bermuda Society of Arts.
Alexander Winfield, who’s been
working with puppets for 10 years, says: “I wanted to bring my work back
home to Bermuda so that young Bermudians can be exposed to opera in a
fun environment.
“The puppets are a great hit with the children
and we’re looking forward to the performances here on the island. I
would like to thank the Arts Council and British Airways for their
support, which has made the performances in Bermuda possible.”
Mr.
Winfield attended Saltus and then studied film and TV production at
Ryerson in Toronto. While there he also worked in film and had the
opportunity to train with The Puppet Mongers and Quebecois artist
Mathieu René, although he is mainly self-taught in the use of puppetry.
Ms.
Phoung began working for Maitrise de Radio France, a professional
children’s choir, when she was eight years old. She is a trained mezzo
soprano and studied at the Guildhall in London, England. Following her
studies she undertook the intensive course at the National Opera Studio in the UK.
http://bernews.com/2014/01/alexander-winfield-to-perform-at-local-sch
http://bernews.com/2014/01/alexander-winfield-to-perform-at-local-sch
THE ROYAL GAZETTE (Bermuda)
Helping children follow their dreams with puppetry and opera
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Bermudian Alexander Winfield and his partner, Latana Phoung with Reginald, a character in their puppet opera play The Other Side. (Photo by Akil Simmons)
Growing up in Bermuda, theatre buff Alexander Winfield really felt the lack of theatrical offerings for children on the island.
“There was the Christmas pantomime, and not much more,” he said.
Now a professional puppeteer working in London with his own puppeteering company Musicanima Theatre, he hopes to change that for local children.
He and his partner, Latana Phoung, an opera singer, this month gave performances in six Government schools in Bermuda with the aim of introducing children to the classical arts and encouraging them to follow their dreams. The pair performed Mr Winfield’s play ‘The Other Side’ which combines puppetry and opera in an unusual way.
“It is not unusual for puppetry to ornament an opera,” said Ms Phoung, “but to use puppetry and opera in a play, I haven’t seen that before.”
‘The Other Side’ is about a little girl called Polly who wants to become an opera singer, but is held back due to a lack of confidence. She is taken to the “other side” where she must use her singing voice to battle the Dreameater and other strange creatures. There is a strong influence of fantasy writers such as J R R Tolkien in the script.
Mr Winfield received a grant from the Bermuda Arts Council and sponsorship from British Airways to bring the performance to Bermuda.
“It took us two years to organise this,” said Ms Phoung. “We had to apply and then there was a change of Government, so it took us awhile to get everything off the ground.”
The performan
ces also included an hour-long puppet-making workshop and a question-and-answer session. Mr Winfield is known for his workshops where he teaches people how to make puppets out of household items like newspapers and sticks.
“The children have been asking lots of good questions,” said Ms Phoung. “Sometimes they ask things that seem obvious like, ‘did you practice a lot?’. But if you don’t tell them about the need for practice, how will they know?”
Musicanima was a resident company at the Greenwich Theatre and performed at The Little Angel Theatre, England’s premier puppet theatre in London. They have also performed in Bermuda at Chewstick and Mr Winfield has given workshops in puppet building at the Bermuda Society of Arts (BSOA).
Mr Winfield has been working with puppets for ten years. He said: “I wanted to bring my work back home to Bermuda so that young Bermudians can be exposed to opera in a fun environment. The puppets are a great hit with the children and we’re looking forward to the performances here on the island. I would like to thank the Arts Council and British Airways for their support, which has made the performances in Bermuda possible.”
Mr Winfield said that the performances had been such a success he is hoping to get another grant and come back again. He hoped that the next time even more schoolchildren would have a chance to see Musicanima’s work.
“We had this idea because opera is not really introduced to kids,” said Ms Phoung. “It is quite expensive, as well.”
Mr Winfield attended Saltus Grammar School and later studied film and television production at Ryerson University in Toronto. While there he also worked in film and had the opportunity to train with The Puppet Mongers and Quebecois artist Mathieu René, although he is mainly self-taught in the use of puppetry.
Ms Phoung began working for Maitrise de Radio France, a professional children’s choir, when she was eight years old. She is a trained mezzo soprano and studied at the Guildhall in London, England. Following her studies she undertook the intensive course at the National Opera Studio in the United Kingdom.
For more information about Musicanima see their blog musicanimatheatre.blogspot.com.
http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20140120/ISLAND/140129998
