NEVER DID ME ANY HARM

NEVER DID ME ANY HARM
Produced by Force Majeure and Sydney Theatre Company
Devised by Force Majeure
Photo Credit (Lisa Tomasetti)
From
award‐winning
Australian
director
and
choreographer
Kate
Champion
and
dance
theatre
company
Force
Majeure
comes
a
riveting
dissection
of
what
it
means
to
be
a
parent
in
Australia
today.
Featuring
a
mixed
cast
of
actors
and
dancers,
Never Did Me Any Harm is
a
powerful
melding
of
theatre
and
movement.
ABOUT THE SHOW
Over
the
past
few
decades
the
word
‘parenting’
has
crept
insidiously,
almost
imperceptibly,
into
our
vernacular
bringing
with
it
increasing
anxiety
around
issues
of
raising
children.
Is
the
pressure
to
get
it
right
overwhelming
us?
And
what
is
‘good
parenting’
anyway?
Are
children
today
given
too
much
choice?
Too
few
boundaries?
Less
chance
to
take
risks?
Are
they
protected
from
notions
of
failure?
Sexualised
too
young?
Drawing
inspiration
from
Christos
Tsiolkas’
best‐selling
novel
The Slap,
Force
Majeure’s
Artistic
Director
Kate
Champion
and
the
company
interviewed
people
of
all
ages
and
backgrounds
to
garner
their
views
on
the
subject
of
parenting.
In
a
familiar
Aussie
backyard
seven
actors
and
dancers
create
a
myriad
of
familiar
characters
from
the
verbatim
text
that
they
collected.
Never Did Me Any Harm
is
a
captivating
work
that
has
attracted
rave
reviews
with
its
power,
poignancy
and
distinctively
Australian
humour.
“Never Did Me Any Harm makes you laugh, cringe and possibly even cry."
Sydney
Morning
Herald
“Go to be thrilled, entertained and emotionally engaged and you won’t be disappointed.”
Stage
Noise
“Candid, controversial and very clever theatre.”
Concrete
Playground
CREATIVE TEAM
Director
Set
&
Lighting
Designer
Composer
&
Sound
Designer
Dramaturg
Associate
Director
Assistant
Director
AV
&
Assistant
Lighting
Designer
Choreography
Kate
Champion
Geoff
Cobham
Max
Lyandvert
Andrew
Upton
Roz
Hervey
Geordie
Brookman
Chris
Petridis
The
Company
TOURING HISTORY
January
2012
March
2012
October
2012
Premiere
‐
Sydney
Festival,
Sydney
Adelaide
Festival,
Adelaide
Melbourne
Festival,
Melbourne
ABOUT FORCE MAJEURE
Led
by
Artistic
Director
Kate
Champion,
Force
Majeure
produces
critically
acclaimed
dance
theatre
works.
Established
in
2002,
the
Company
is
based
around
a
collective
of
artists
from
varying
disciplines
who
are
committed
to
creating
stimulating
movement‐based
theatre.
Artists
include
dancers,
actors,
writers,
visual
artists,
composers
and
filmmakers.
Since
2002,
Force
Majeure
has
created
five
major
works,
two
collaborative
works,
a
short
film
series,
and
has
received
five
major
national
awards.
This
year
the
company
has
joined
forces
with
Sydney
Theatre
Company
to
produce
Never Did Me Any Harm,
as
well
as
working
on
Food,
a
co‐production
with
Belvoir.
Force
Majeure
produces
challenging
and
relevant
work
that
reflects
on
contemporary
life,
breaking
down
boundaries
between
art
forms.
Whether
its
work
is
defined
as
dance,
theatre
or
performance
is
secondary
to
its
relevance
and
impact.
Force
Majeure
is
also
committed
to
supporting
the
development
of
dance
theatre
in
Australia.
forcemajeure.com.au
|
@majeurenews
STAGE NOISE REVIEW
Diana
Simmonds,
15
January
2012
A
show
that
is
devised
and
staged
by
Kate
Champion's
Force
Majeure
physical
theatre
company
is
pretty
much
guaranteed
to
demand
that
you
expect
the
unexpected
and
check
your
own
preconceptions
at
the
door.
With
long‐time
collaborators,
set
and
lighting
designer
Geoff
Cobham
and
co‐creator
Roz
Hervey,
Champion
has
given
us
‐
most
recently
‐
the
memorable
Not In A Million Years
and
The Age I'm In
and
the
quality
and
variety
of
their
work
goes
back
to
Same, Sam But Different
and
altogether
they
place
the
company
in
a
unique
and
hugely
admired
place
in
Australian
performance.
The
least
likely
and
oblique
sources
tend
to
launch
Champion's
imaginative
leaps
and
Never Did Me Any Harm
was
sparked
by
Christos
Tsolkas's
The Slap.
It's
merely
the
spark,
however,
and
the
creative
heat
caused
by
it
has
fashioned
something
else
entirely.
Over
the
past
couple
of
years,
the
Force
Majeure
crew
has
conducted
some
60
hours
of
interviews
with
people
who
have
shared
their
thoughts
and
beliefs
on
kids,
parenthood,
corporal
punishment,
discipline
(notably
its
absence),
breastfeeding,
disability
and
so
on.
Fragments
of
these
recordings
begin
the
evening,
anchoring
it
in
the
place
of
"real"
and
"ordinary"
from
which
the
theatre
and
spectacle
then
take
off.
Typically,
Champion
has
chosen
a
company
of
actors
and
dancers
whose
distinct
talents
and
abilities
are
melded,
apparently
effortlessly,
into
a
coherent
whole.
It's
deceptive,
of
course.
The
ease
that
flows
in
the
exchanges
between,
for
instance,
actor
Marta
Dusseldorp
and
dancer
Sarah
Jayne
Howard,
is
the
outcome
of
willingness
on
the
part
of
both
to
leave
their
own
assumptions
and
comfort
zones
behind;
inventive
minds
and
bloody
hard
work.
Similarly
the
fusion
of
audio,
breathtaking
lighting
plots
and
the
performers
is
made
to
appear
simple
and
easy
when
it
is
not.
Text
and
gesture,
light
and
sound
combine
to
make
poetry
of
the
human
body
and
rhythms
of
everyday
speech.
The
rest
of
the
cast
‐
Kristina
Chan,
Vincent
Crowley,
Alan
Flower,
Kirstie
McCracken,
Heather
Mitchell
and
Josh
Mu
‐
assume
various
roles:
father
and
son,
lonely
kids,
bullying
kids,
a
snippy
middle
class
matron,
lovers,
mothers,
friends,
enemies.
All
have
a
discrete
language
of
movement
and
voice;
for
the
dance
inclined
there
are
sly
pas
de
deux,
trios
and
fractured
ensembles.
But
Never Did Me Any Harm
is
impossible
to
pigeonhole.
Geoff
Cobham's
hyper‐realistic
set
of
a
suburban
backyard
with
a
neatly
mown
lawn,
herbaceous
border,
a
tree
and
a
shed
is
both
reassuring
and
unsettling
as
it's
washed
in
the
already
mentioned
light
plays
and
Max
Lyandvert's
rich
soundscape.
Dogs
bark,
children
laugh
and
play
in
a
nearby
swimming
pool
and
playground,
birds
sing,
cicadas
trill.
It's
all
so
normal
…
average
…
and
yet,
as
we
all
know,
some
of
the
most
ferociously
uncompromising
cultural
and
ideological
battles
are
fought
out
in
the
privacy
of
normal,
average
homes
and
backyards.
Kate
Champion's
Force
Majeure
is
never
less
than
madly
interesting;
most
often
they
have
profound,
amusing
and
moving
things
to
show
and
tell.
In
this
instance,
anticipation
is
rewarded
in
spades.
Warning:
don't
go
expecting
run
of
the
mill
contemporary
dance,
or
performance
art
or
theatre.
Do
go
to
be
thrilled,
entertained
and
emotionally
engaged
and
you
won't
be
disappointed.
TECNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
The
following
information
sets
out
the
technical
requirements
and
support
to
be
provided
to
Force
Majeure
by
the
Presenter.
TOURING TEAM – 13 PERSONNEL
7
x
Performers
6
x
Production
/
Creatives
RUNNING TIME
65
minutes,
no
interval
STAGING
NB: a fly tower is not required.
Set:
The
set
is
made
to
look
like
a
typical
Australian
backyard.
•
The
floor
is
fake
grass,
secured
with
double
sided
tape.
•
A
fence
is
erected
around
2
sides
of
the
space
supported
by
short
booms
stood
in
bases
and
French
braces.
•
A
shed
stands
in
the
upstage
right
corner.
•
In
the
opposite
corner,
there
is
a
tree
standing
4m
high.
The
main
structure
of
the
tree
is
a
2m
stick
of
tri
truss
and
a
base
plate.
We
will
bolt
the
base
plate
to
the
floor
Masking:
Presenter to Provide
•
1x
flat
black
smother
rigged
upstage
of
the
fence
(position
determined
by
venue
size,
minimum
is
1m).
This
will
be
a
projection
surface
so
needs
to
be
flat,
stretched
and
weighted
at
the
bottom.
It
should
be
at
least
12m
wide
and
be
as
high
as
the
grid.
•
Side
masking
will
depend
on
the
venue.
We’ll
either
need
a
set
of
legs
one
side
or
panorama
masking
with
an
entrance
upstage
and
downstage.
The
upstage
entrance
around
the
shed
may
need
some
small
single
flats.
Props:
Presenter to Provide
•
1
bin
bag
of
dead
ivy
or
similar
creeper
to
be
supplied
to
attach
to
our
fence
and
shed.
If
not
dead
it
could
be
live
sections
that
will
die
over
the
season.
In
the
past
we
have
sprayed
these
with
flame
retardant.
AUDIO VISUAL
Projectors:
Presenter to Provide
•
2x
Projection
Design
F30
SX+
•
Lenses
to
suit
(venue
specific)
•
Rigging
brackets
to
suit.
Control:
Company to Provide
•
1x
Mac
Pro
running
Catalyst
Media
Server
controlled
via
Artnet
•
2x
DVI
Matrox
TripleHead2Go
•
1x
8‐port
Gigabit
switch
•
•
•
Cat6
network
connection
to
Jands
Vista
and
Catalyst
Cat6
cable
and
with
Kramer
DVI
to
Cat6
Baluns
to
all
projectors
3
short
throw
projectors
for
behind
fence
LIGHTING
Control:
Presenter to Provide
•
An
experienced
Lighting
Operator
for
show
playback
only
•
DMX
signal
to
all
necessary
lighting
fixtures
from
our
two
universes
of
desk
output.
o 1
Universe
for
Venue
Dimmers
o 1
Universe
for
Moving
Lights
•
Cat6
signal
to
DT3000
Company to Provide
•
We
tour
a
PC
laptop
with
a
DMX
converter
box
running
Jands
Vista,
this
machine
also
controls
the
AV.
Atmosphere:
Presenter to Provide
•
1
x
MDG
Atmosphere
•
Please
ensure
that
spare
juice
+
CO2
is
available
•
Requires
DMX
interface
to
Lighting
system
Moving
Lights:
Presenter to Provide
•
1
x
VL3500Q
Spot
•
2
x
VL1000TS
(These
sit
on
floor
and
must
be
screwed
to
the
floor)
•
1
x
Robe
Digital
Spot
3000DT
•
DMX
cable
Conventional
Lights:
Presenter to Provide
•
See
LX
Plan
•
Red
turning
(spotting)
light
located
at
centre
rear
of
auditorium
SOUND
The
sound
for
show
consists
of
composed
and
sourced,
recorded
music
with
some
live
speech.
Operation
Position:
Stage
Manager
to
operate
sound
from
rear
of
auditorium.
If
the
op
position
is
in
a
rear
booth,
please
can
the
window
be
open.
Control:
Presenter to Provide
•
Digital
Mixer
with
a
minimum
of
14
inputs
(10
from
motu
and
4
for
radio
mics),
preferred
desk
would
be
DM1000
but
happy
to
use
venue’s
equivalent.
The
mixer
will
need
to
be
digital
as
it
will
perform
automatic
scene
changes
via
MIDI.
Patch
cables
for
MOTU
and
radio
mics
to
the
desk:
13
x
1/4inch
jacks
•
Appropriate
amps
and
crossovers.
Company to Provide
•
Q
lab
with
mac
laptop
•
Motu
sound
card
Speakers:
Presenter to Provide
•
FOH
PA:
left
and
right
appropriate
to
venue.
•
FOH
Surround:
appropriate
to
venue.
•
SUBS.
•
2
x
speakers
for
behind
fence.
•
1
x
small
speaker
(MM4
or
control
1)
for
inside
shed.
Cast
Microphones:
Presenter to Provide
•
4
x
DPA
4061
beige
mic
capsules
for
our
Sennheiser
mic
packs.
•
Dual
band
third
octave
graphic
EQ.
Company to Provide •
4
Sennheiser
EW112G2
Radio
Mics
packs.
•
Mic
frequencies
currently
in
use
(Sydney
season).
o 661.950
o 786.000
o 787.050
o 788.500
•
4
adaptors
for
mic
packs
(to
connect
DPA’s
to
Sennheiser
packs).
STAGE MANAGEMENT
Stage
Manager’s
Position:
Rear
of
audience
Presenter to Provide
The
Stage
Management
position
will
need
the
following:
•
Paging
systems
to
dressing
room
•
Show
relay
in
dressing
rooms
•
Monitor
and
low
light
camera
with
full
view
of
stage
Communications:
Presenter to Provide
•
3
sets
talkback/COMS
o SM
o LX
Operator
o Radio
coms
Backstage
for
ASM
if
possible
•
2
x
cue
lights
o DSOP
o USOP
Dressing
Rooms:
Presenter to Provide
•
1
x
dressing
room
for
male
performers
(must
comfortably
fit
5).
•
1
x
dressing
room
for
female
performers
(must
comfortably
fit
4).
•
1
x
dressing
Room
for
Stage
Management.
Water:
Presenter to Provide
•
Please
provide
a
water
cooler
for
the
cast
and
crew
side
stage.
WARDROBE
Personnel:
Presenter to Provide
•
1
x
wardrobe
person
for
washing
and
drying
costumes
before
each
show
Equipment:
Presenter to Provide
•
Room
for
washing
and
maintenance
•
1
x
industrial
washing
machine
•
1
x
industrial
dryer
•
Iron
and
ironing
board
SHOW CREW
Please
note:
All
show
crew
must
remain
the
same
from
bump‐in
to
the
end
of
the
season.
Presenter to Provide
- 1
x
LX
Operator
o The
LX
operator
will
operate
the
Lighting
&
AV
cues
from
our
stage
manager
via
our
laptop
running
Jands
Vista
- 1
x
Venue
Technician
Will
be
responsible
for
ensuring
the
stage
is
clean
for
each
performance,
and
maintaining
the
venue
sound
system
(turning
on/off)
during
the
season
- 1
x
Wardrobe
Responsible
for
washing/drying
and
ironing
costumes
before
the
show
each
day
Company to Provide
- 1
x
Stage
Manager
- 1
x
Assistant
Stage
Manager
BUMP-IN CREW AND SCHEDULE
An
eight
(8)
hour
pre‐rig
is
required
prior
to
the
company
arrival.
During
this
session
all
lighting,
AV,
sound
and
masking
must
be
rigged.
Please
note:
bump‐in
crew
must
remain
the
same
throughout
the
course
of
the
bump‐in.
Generic
Production
Schedule
(Assuming a pre‐rig is possible, if not we’ll need a 3‐day bump‐in)
Day
1
9:00am
–
1:00pm
Bump‐in
set
4
x
Mechs
Rig
touring
lights
4
x
LX
Sound
install
2
x
SD
Prepare
costumes
Force
Majeure
Management
1:00pm
–
2:00pm
Sound
quiet
time
2:00pm
–
6:00pm
focus
4
x
LX
2
x
Mech
7:00pm
–
11:00pm
Plot
&
Tech
with
cast
2
x
LX
1
x
SD
Day
2
9:00am
–
1:00pm
Technical
time
2
x
LX
1
x
SD
1
x
Mech
1
x
wardrobe
2:00pm
–
6:00pm
Tech/Dress
Rehearsal
1
x
SD
1
x
LX
1
x
wardrobe
8:00pm
Opening
Performance
1
x
Venue
Tech,
1
x
LX
Op
FRONT OF HOUSE
Warnings:
- Adult
themes
- Coarse
language
- Haze
effects
- Strobe‐like
effects
- Loud
music
Latecomers
Policy:
- 7
minute
lockout
into
show
on
Stage
Managers
call
FREIGHT
-
The
production
travels
in
a
20ft
shipping
container
or
equivalent.
Ideally
the
truck
has
a
tail
lift.
CONTACTS
For
information
please
contact:
Bec
Allen
Producer,
Force
Majeure
Email:
bec@forcemajeure.com.au
Tel:
+61
2
8571
9086
Fax:
+61
2
8571
9089
Mob:
+61
402
136
650
Contact
List:
Set
/
Lighting
Designer
Sound
Designer
AV
Designer
Producer
Production
Manager
Geoff
Cobham
Max
Lyandvert
Chris
Petridis
Bec
Allen
Marty
Langthorne
geoff@bluebottle.com.au
maxlyandvert@yahoo.com.au
cpetridis@gmail.com
bec@forcemajeure.com.au
martylangthorne@hotmail.com