New articles on Ergo Phizmiz and "GALA" in Animations Online, The Independent & Fulham Chronicle

"GALA" by Ergo Phizmiz opens Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival 2013.

Read an interview with Ergo Phizmiz on composing puppet opera, on Animations Online

 

Read a preview of "Gala" and Tête à Tête in Metro

Read a preview of "GALA" on Animations Online

Read an interview with Bill Bankes-Jones on directing "Gala" in Animations Online

Read a preview of Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival in The Independent

Read the Fulham Chronicle's preview of "Gala" and Tête à Tête


Read a preview of Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival in The Londonist

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Photos of "GALA" in rehearsal

Photos by Andrew Sabisky.

Book tickets for GALA.

"GALA" preview in Animations Online

Animations Online have published a preview of "GALA", the new puppet opera by Ergo Phizmiz, which opens this year's Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival.

'Comparing the musical landscape of ‘Gala’ to “a slightly gone-off Baroque Disneyland” which is “quite lush and romantic but with a really sour topping,” Phizmiz says he was also inspired by the soundtrack to Salvador Dali’s film ‘Un Chien Andalou’ (1929), which was backed with Argentinean tangos.' 

Read the full article here.

Listen to music from "Gala" below...

Book your tickets for "Gala", which plays at Riverside Studios, London, August 1st & 2nd.

Hear extracts from "GALA" by Ergo Phizmiz

GALA

Opening Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival, 2013

Thursday 1st & Friday 2nd August, 1900-1930

Book tickets  

Puppet Centre and Tête à Tête co-production in collaboration with Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance 

Music and Words: Ergo Phizmiz 

 Gala is a puppet-opera inspired by the aged Gala Dali’s rapacious relationship with Jeff Fenholt, a young actor then playing the role of Jesus Christ Superstar on Broadway. 

In a collaboration springing from the 2012 Puppetry in Opera Conference, Tête à Tête works with Isobel Smith (Grist to the Mill), and puppeteers together with singers from Trinity Laban on a longer commission from Festival favourite Ergo Phizmiz following his 2012 Lite Bite Caring in the Community. 

Director: Bill Bankes-Jones 

Design/Puppetry: Isobel Smith 

Music Director: Timothy Burke 

Gala: Becca Marriott 

Jesus Christ Superstar: Alex Gilchrist 

Maid: Laura Monaghan 

Puppeteers: Isobel Smith, Teele Uustani, Darren East

Violin played by Amie Willingale

"GALA" by Ergo Phizmiz, at Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival

GALA

Opening Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival, 2013

Thursday 1st & Friday 2nd August, 1900-1930

Book tickets  

Puppet Centre and Tête à Tête co-production in collaboration with Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance 

Music and Words: Ergo Phizmiz 

 Gala is a puppet-opera inspired by the aged Gala Dali’s rapacious relationship with Jeff Fenholt, a young actor then playing the role of Jesus Christ Superstar on Broadway. 

In a collaboration springing from the 2012 Puppetry in Opera Conference, Tête à Tête works with Isobel Smith (Grist to the Mill), and puppeteers together with singers from Trinity Laban on a longer commission from Festival favourite Ergo Phizmiz following his 2012 Lite Bite Caring in the Community. 

Director: Bill Bankes-Jones 

Design/Puppetry: Isobel Smith 

Music Director: Timothy Burke 

Gala: Becca Marriott 

Jesus Christ Superstar: Alex Gilchrist 

Maid: Laura Monaghan 

Puppeteers: Isobel Smith, Teele Uustani, Darren East

Ergo Phizmiz "Music for Theatre, Film & Radio" released for a limited time via Pay-With-a-Tweet

Twenty-four choice choppings of instrumental music by UK based composer, collagist, writer, film-maker, imaginary raconteur, and fancy-footworker. Recorded between 2009-2012 for radioplays, short films, theatre, and opera.

This release will be available for a limited time only, in the run up to Ergo Phizmiz's appearances at Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival 2012 and Interzone Theatre's "The Grinder" project, which is written by Ergo Phizmiz.

It is available exclusively via the Pay-With-a-Tweet service, and why not eh?

GO TO DOWNLOAD PAGE

Booking for Ergo Phizmiz: "Queen of Names"

Booking for Elvis Herod's "Mike the Headless Chicken"

Booking for "The Grinder"

The Impulse to Shoot at Every Shadow

Tickets on sale for Ergo Phizmiz at Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival 2012

Tickets are now on sale for Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival 2012, which features the following Ergo Phizmiz events....

Ergo Phizmiz "Queen of Names"
Saturday 4th August, 21.15-21.55 Buy Tickets

"A whirlwind tour through the life and work of maverick writer, collagist, radio-producer and opera composer Ergo Phizmiz. Performing excerpts from music-theatre pieces dating back to his early teens to current work-in-progress and experiments, the evening will provide a personal and kaleidoscopic overview of the work of one of the UK's most uncategorisable and prolific artists."

Written, Composed & Performed by Ergo Phizmiz

Elvis Herod & The Gang of Rogues "Mike the Headless Chicken"
Saturday 4th August, 20.05-20.50 Buy Tickets

Sunday 5th August, 17.05-17.50 Buy Tickets

"One day in the mid 1940s in Fruita, Colorado, a poultry farmer was flummoxed by the continued survival of a decapitated chicken. Over the next 18 months Mike the Headless Chicken became a celebrity, touring the land as a wonder of nature, until an inglorious end in an hotel room (which can hardly be called untimely, since his head had died a year and a half earlier). This new Kentucky Fried Live Action Dada Cartoon opera by Elvis Herod, presented with The Gang of Rogues (returning to the festival after last year's controversial "The Third Policeman"), is a poultry-indigestion nightmare in garish technicolor."

Written & Composed by Elvis Herod

Starring Oblivian Substanshall, Martha Moopette, Richard Clare, Ergo Phizmiz, Vulnavia Vanity, Elvis Herod, Talulah & Autumn

"Caring in the Community" A Lite Bite Opera by Ergo Phizmiz

"A charming and heart-warming tale of the unmitigated hatred that can develop between two people living next door to one another. After a long day at the office, a businessman's evening of watching the X Factor is ruined by the dulcet tones of the opera singer who lives next door."

Written & Composed by Ergo Phizmiz and performed/directed by Tête à Tête Opera, this short opera deals with a subject close to Ergo's heart: dreadful neighbours. Telling the story of the close-quarters neighbourly relationship between an office worker and an opera singer, it is the product of many years (unwanted) research.

This is one of Tête à Tête's "Lite Bites" programme, short operas that play in and around Riverside Studios during the course of the festival.

Do come along. This is always a genuinely unpredictable festival.

Ergo Phizmiz dates, mid 2012

June 6th - Release of Populista CD version of Robert Ashley's "Purposeful Lady Slow Afternoon".


June 15th - Release of "It's a Sin" single on Care in the Community 7"


July 1st - Release of FUNBAG #1 on Chinstrap.


July 27th - Solo performance on the Isle of Wight, for the Undecided Art Collective.


August 2nd - Preview of "Mike the Headless Chicken" at a secret location in Bridport, followed by the Chinstrap Marching Band through town, and IF: 2 with Greater Than or Equal To, Oblivian Substanshall, Elvis Herod and more at another secret location.


August 4th - Premiere of "Queen of Names" one man show, and premiere of Elvis Herod's "Mike the Headless Chicken" opera at Tete-a-Tete: The Opera Festival, Riverside Studios, London.


August 5th - Second performance of "Mike the Headless Chicken" at Tete-a-Tete: The Opera Festival, Riverside Studios, London. 


August 18th-22nd - Premiere of augmented theatre piece "Interzone: The Grinder" at Shoreditch Fringe Festival. Written by Ergo Phizmiz, produced by Joel Cahen.


September - Release of "Eleven Songs" LP & CD on Care in the Community Recordings.


September 5th - Premiere of Les Antliaclastes Marionettes "The Old Man of the Mountain" at Vidy Theatre, Lausanne.


October - Release of People Like Us & Ergo Phizmiz "The Keystone Cut-Ups" DVD on Illegal Art.


October 19th - premiere broadcast for Ergo Phizmiz's radiophonic ornithological kaleidoscope "Conversations With Birds" on Bayerischer Rundfunk.

Ergo Phizmiz "Queen of Names" and Elvis Herod's "Mike the Headless Chicken" at Tete-a-Tete: The Opera Festival

"A whirlwind tour through the life and work of maverick writer, collagist, radio-producer and opera composer Ergo Phizmiz. Performing excerpts from music-theatre pieces dating back to his early teens to current work-in-progress and experiments, the evening will provide a personal and kaleidoscopic overview of the work of one of the UK's most uncategorisable and prolific artists."

"One day in the mid 1940s in Fruita, Colorado, a poultry farmer was flummoxed by the continued survival of a decapitated chicken. Over the next 18 months Mike the Headless Chicken became a celebrity, touring the land as a wonder of nature, until an inglorious end in an hotel room (which can hardly be called untimely, since his head had died a year and a half earlier). This new Kentucky Fried Live Action Dada Cartoon opera by Elvis Herod, presented with The Gang of Rogues (returning to the festival after last year's controversial "The Third Policeman"), is a poultry-indigestion nightmare in garish technicolor."


Starring Martha Moopette, Richard Clare, Vulnavia Vanity, Elvis Herod, and Ergo Phizmiz.

The Third Policeman - Tour Poster & Full Video

And here, ladies and gentleman, it is ....

21/8/11 - The Third Policeman from Anna Gregg on Vimeo.

The Third Policeman - First shows and Times review

Well folks! We're back. "The Third Policeman" has premiered, much (very tired and rather intense) fun was had by all.

Audience so far have loved it and detested it, as indicated in the image above. Which is, of course, just the way we like it....

Today's issue of The Times featured a rather splendid review of the show, below...

This link will take you to a photo gallery of images taken by Claire Shovelton (the above image is taken from Claire's gallery).

The lovely Tom Ravenscroft has also been drumming up support for the show, via his 6Music show where he featured a ten minute mix of songs and music from The Third Policeman, and in his New Statesman column, where he writes:

"You should probably expect to be at first a little startled - the music will be wildly unpredictable as I suspect will be his actions. I would be almost concerned if you had witnessed anything like it before. He is a burst of imagination, colour and noise, which has in the past left me sitting jaw collapsed on the floor, speechless as to how someone can so beautifully map out such madness."



Read the full article here.

And finally, today's blog would not be complete without this image of the Gang of Rogues a few minutes before going our separate ways.

Many thanks to Caroline & Izzy, Bill, Anna, Nell and all the other lovelies of Tete-a-Tete...

And let's not forget thanks to the Third Policeman team Erik Bumbledonk, Vulnavia Vanity, Oblivian Substanshall, Martha Moopette, Mike Wade, Bryan Innes Parker, Lucinda Guy, Talulah Lotus & Autumn Poppy. See you for more shows from October to December......

The Third Policeman rehearsals, Day 3, and Sounds From The Underground Chamber Podcast 2

The second instalment of the Sounds From the Underground Chamber podcast features Ergo, Erik & Vulnavia rehearsing the Finnucane section of The Third Policeman.

Autumn Poppy and Bubbles

Erik in flight

The coronation

Ergo throwing DeSelby shapes

I'm a robber with a knife

Oblivian & Ergo chat to Autumn, whilst Erik appears to piss up the wall

MacCruiskeen & MacCruiskeen

Sergeant MacCruiskeen throwing Freddie Mercury poses

Oblivian Substanshall arrives

Arguing over a manuscript

Talulah Lotus

Smiling Houmous

Terrified Vulnavia

The Third Policeman - Tour Dates (new dates added)

Ergo Phizmiz's electronic neur-operatic vaudeville machine adaptation of Flann O'Brien's "The Third Policeman" opens at Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival on August 20-21, Riverside Studios, London. Tickets are available here.

Links for booking of all other shows will be online soon.

Can't wait? Download the free album of Third Policeman Remixes....

STATICOPERA - An exhibition by Ergo Phizmiz

 

“Maverick composer”, collagist, and writer Ergo Phizmiz presents the world's first mute, stationery opera, strewn in silence and stillness across the gallery walls like music squashed into submission by the forces of unimagination, bursting through regardless into inaudible life

Part of  Tête à Tête: the Opera Festival, who will also be presenting the premiere performances of Ergo Phizmiz's new opera "The Third Policeman".

Watch "The Mourning Show" online

The Mourning Show from Bill Bankes-Jones on Vimeo.

Ergo Phizmiz's opera about radio, magic, death and UK radio DJ Chris Evans, commissioned by DePlayer, received it's UK premiere last August at Tete-a-Tete: The Opera Festival. Now you too can join in the nihilistic fun and watch a DJ be destroyed.

On his regular early morning show, popular DJ Chris Evans is telephoned by three ladies.

They proceed to destroy his mind.

Convinced he is a bird, he exits via the fourth storey window.

From “maverick composer” Ergo Phizmiz, The Mourning Show is a demonic-memetic-suitcase-living-room-opera.

“An excellent opera, which brought plunderphonics to a new level” – Vital Weekly

Music, Words & Direction: Ergo Phizmiz
Design & Video: Ergo Phizmiz, Vulnavia Vanity, Martha Moopette & The Travelling Mongoose
Puppeteers: Vulnavia Vanity & Courtley Love
Featuring:
Erik Bumbledonk as Chris Evans
Ergo Phizmiz as the Plague Doctor
and
Martha Moopette, Lucinda Guy and Margita Zalite as the Callers

The Mourning Show - The Talulah Tapes

A very pleasant surprise discovery. Ergo's 6 year old daughter filmed the vast majority of one of the rehearsals of "The Mourning Show" at Tete-a-Tete: The Opera Festival (with the exception of the shadow-puppetry based Prologue). Filmed without sound, we've edited it to the recorded version of the opera, and here it is ....

"The Mourning Show" at Tete-a-Tete: The Opera Festival - Video Extracts

A selection of extracts from the UK premiere of Ergo Phizmiz's opera about radio, magic, death & Chris Evans, "The Mourning Show".















And a little backstage treat, with Vulnavia Vanity lip-syncing to The Quiz, whilst Erik Bumbledonk & Ergo Phizmiz rehearse their moves...

The Mourning Show at Tete-a-Tete: The Opera Festival

We are jolly excited to announce the UK premiere of Ergo Phizmiz's opera about UK DJ Chris Evans, radio, magic and death ....

On his regular early morning show, popular DJ Chris Evans is telephoned by three ladies.

They proceed to destroy his mind.

Convinced he is a bird, he exits via the fourth storey window.

From “maverick composer” Ergo Phizmiz, The Mourning Show is a demonic-memetic-suitcase-living-room-opera.

More info and booking at Tete-a-Tete.

If you just can't wait, download the Pot-Pourri of instrumental music from the opera here.