Artist in residence, Denmark
It is March and FOCC is in residence at Sostrup Castle, a beautiful and very old castle in the north of Denmark. We arrived last week and the weather has been kind: cool but very walkable most days have blue sky and geese or swans flying overhead. Ducks in the pond, crocuses growing in the fields, buds everywhere.
Our hostess, Kirsten Swift has made us feel very welcome, providing terrific accommodation in the apartment block: a very old building onsite converted into apartments with kitchens and everything anyone would ever need. Behind the apartment is the monastery where nuns used to live. Kirsten has added a pyramid, covering the inside courtyard and creating a cosy yet grand outdoor area that is protected and can house hundreds of people.
We are working in the old part of the castle, the library, where old books from centuries ago line the shelves. Next door is the piano room.
We are working on EVE: EVE was produced as part of the Metro Arts Independent Season in 2012, and then Blue Room in Perth. It was a hugely successful production, both sides of the continent, winning awards including Members Choice Best Production and Best Performance from the Blue Room and a Gold Matilda in Brisbane. Since then, our wonderful Moshlo Shaw, a musician of such calibre, has died so we are needing to rewrite and reproduce. Travis Ash is rewriting the musicians role to incorporate the storyteller and I welcome his huge contribution to the new version of EVE, so new in fact we may even rename it. Benjamin Knapton will be directing it and we welcome our He Dreamed a Train team onboard: Freddy Komp (who also had a huge hand in our show HOME) and Nathan Sibthorpe as IT extraordinaire.
We look forward to having the beginnings of a new script by the end of this residency. Meanwhile we will enjoy the beauty of the place, wander the gardens, appreciate the beautiful sculptures, the art galleries and the natural surroundings.
Sostrup Castle in Denmark
Our hostess, Kirsten Swift has made us feel very welcome, providing terrific accommodation in the apartment block: a very old building onsite converted into apartments with kitchens and everything anyone would ever need. Behind the apartment is the monastery where nuns used to live. Kirsten has added a pyramid, covering the inside courtyard and creating a cosy yet grand outdoor area that is protected and can house hundreds of people.