Get Ready. Surprise Yourself. Take Pleasure. Enjoy and Engage. Power Up!
Power Up! is a performance energy video by Fog Theatre Ensemble and video artist Kate Geck.
Deeply immersive and engaging, Power Up! combines bold artistic elements with movement, music and voice to shift the viewer’s energy from isolation and separation towards expansion, fun, and renewed creative connection.
Produced by Vitae Veritas and The Arts Wellbeing Collective, Power Up! was made in the living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens and offices of the performers and creatives during 2020. Power Up! combines the evocative language of the theatre with personal reflections to provide a strong sense of community for all people who work creatively. It is, above all, a resounding affirmation and acknowledgement of hope, encouragement and empowerment for everyone in the performing arts as we get back to creative work, workplaces and collaborations again.
Three distinct versions of the work have been produced:
- Video with captions
- Audio-described video
- Audio-only with a narrator
Through abundant visuals, music, dancing and voice-over narration, Power Up! explores positively re-engaging with performance spaces and creative work after a period of isolation due to COVID-19 lockdowns. Power Up! is an energising work that moves us all towards increasing connection, getting out and about again, and coming back to the stage.
Playlist
Add some content for each one of your videos, like a description, transcript or external links.To add, remove or edit tab names, go to Tabs.
Add some content for each one of your videos, like a description, transcript or external links.To add, remove or edit tab names, go to Tabs.
Stop | Strike | Going dark | Black out | It’s been hard | Anxious | I can’t see people | Home all the time | Boredom | In my pyjamas | Isolated | Set | I am not comfortable | Cross | I do not like this | On | Off | Mute
I can relax, eat and sleep | Not rushing | Baking | Being with family | Exercising | Going to the park | Being with myself | Self-esteem | Being gorgeous | Beautiful | Remember the sun | Each other | Sharing things | Me | Me | Me
I need change | Cut | I need to go out again | Standing by | I need to get out of bed | Heads up | Wake Up | Unmute | Change my clothes | Get out of the house | Have people around | New people | Perform | Act | 5 minute call | In the wings | Top tail | Run through | The future is…Lunch
Seeing parts of Melbourne again | I can’t wait to get out of the house | Swimming | Dancing | Good motions | Fresh air | Go out | Go show | Express | Power Up! | On stage | Upstage | Downstage | Centre stage | Power Up!
Power Up! | Lights | Camera | Action | Power Up! | Power Up! | Power Up! | Sensational | Phenomenal | Thank you | Applause | Power Up! | Bow | Power Up! | Curtain Call | Power Up! | Power Up! | Thank you for coming | Have a nice day | Power Up!
Power Up! | Seeing you all again | Keep connecting | Keep creating | Power Up! | Power Up! | Power Up! | Power Up! | Power Up! | Power Up! | Power Up! | Power Up! | Power Up!
TIMECODE: At 0 TO 2 minutes 30 seconds
Vitae Veritas and the Arts Wellbeing Collective acknowledge the peoples of the Kulin Nations and all First Nations peoples across Australia. We honour the continued connection to Country of First Nations peoples and take seriously our collective responsibility to care for the lands, waters and skies. Across the country and around the world we pay deep respect to Elders, past, present and emerging.
Welcome to the Power UP energising performance video by FOG Theatre and film-maker Kate Geck.
This video is eight minutes long.
Power Up is abundant with voice-over narration and music, dancing and visuals. I will describe the on-screen action in instalments, at the start to describe the first half, in the middle for the second half, and at the end to read the credits.
Throughout there are title cards that pose questions, declare actions, prompt thoughts and inspiration— I will read also these.
The intervals of audio description aim to provide an overall sense of the on-screen action whilst you enjoy the sound and voice-over uninterrupted. It will also help you…POWER UP!
17 Members of FOG Theatre are separately in front of their computer screens on ZOOM, an online video platform. In their lounge rooms, bedrooms, offices, the first half only ever features one person at a time. Each voiceover line cues or jump cuts to another person, another room, another place. Their movements, moods and facial expressions are slow, hesitant, guarded. Ian sighs, gazing up at the ceiling, Ruth longingly looks out the window, Debbie sits and waits and stares at the viewer Clem falls back, exhausted onto his bed. Mark struggles to get comfortable on their chair. Melissa dances in her loungeroom.
Kate Geck’s treatment of their images are tinted with different coloured filters first half is marked by a hand drawn mandala slowly spinning on screen — its lines and colours give the impression of cells magnified under a microscope.
The video begins with title cards that state: Wominjeka. Welcome, and welcomes in other Asian and Arabic languages.
TIMECODE: At 4 minutes – text on screen
What have you appreciated?
TIMECODE: At 4 minutes 20 seconds to 5 minutes 30 seconds
FOG members are still alone, but there is a shift in energy. Ruth stretches out her arms, Tim dances in a swimming motion. Eleanor fixes her hair; Jordan gives a big, gorgeous smile. The slow-moving mandala returns but this time it turns like a yellow sun moving across the sky.
Zoom screens of Fog members start to, 2 at a time come together side by side. John and Danny, two elderly men, wave at each other. The vision then scrolls to a new meeting, a new pair of friends. India dances in her bedroom as a warm wash of colour pulses like we are in a nightclub. Brin dances with a basketball and happy feet infused with warm colour. William casts a spell with a wand and a mandala of neon colour floats in the atmosphere.
Towards the end, each box, each world, each person connects and builds towards a 3 by 3 community grid of 9 people dancing at a time. At various moments performances are intercepted or replaced by text on screen and fragments of mandala. Back to the film.
TIMECODE: At 5 minutes 55 seconds- text on screen
What have you noticed?
TIMECODE: At 6 minutes 16 seconds- text on screen
You
TIMECODE: At 6 minutes 29 seconds- text on screen
Get Ready
TIMECODE: At 6 minutes 53 seconds- text on screen
Moving
TIMECODE: At 7 minutes- text on screen
Opening Up
TIMECODE: At 7 minutes 20 seconds- text on screen
Breathe In
TIMECODE: At 7 minutes 30 seconds- text on screen
Surprise Yourself
TIMECODE: At 7 minutes 50 seconds- text on screen
The floor is yours
Take Pleasure
Enjoy
Power Up
TIMECODE: At 8 minutes 30 seconds- text on screen
Encore
TIMECODE: At 9 minutes 2 seconds to 9 minutes 40 seconds
Rhythmically, dance moves, coloured filters and turning mandalas pulse and change. Momentum of all at Fog dancing is sustained. They smile, expressing and connecting with viewers & listeners joyfully.
At the end each person is replaced by the turning mandala spinning perpetually until the community of people dissolves. The mandala continues to turn…with text “Thank you for being here.”
[End]
TIMECODE: At 9 minutes 45 seconds to 10 minutes 43 seconds- text on screen- credits and acknowledgements
Power Up! By Fog Theatre and Kate Geck. Co-produced by the Arts Wellbeing Collective, Arts Centre Melbourne and Vitae Veritas.
Voiceovers, artworks and performances by: Clem Baade, William Bailey, Michael Buxton, India Boyd, Ian Caplan, Tim D’Rozario, John Eslick, Lincoln Holt, Debbie Lissek, Jordan Low, Mattie Michael, Mark Polonsky, Danny Quinlivan, Ruth Ruschinek, Melissa Slaviero, Brinley Stephens, Eleanor Vogdanos.
Animations and film by: Kate Geck
Voiceover design by: Rachel Edward
Music: ‘Lost Winds’ by Kuzzzo
Artistic Director: Nilgun Guven
Associate Artists: David Maney, Rachel Edward, Marjetka McMahon-Krizanic
Logos in order from left to right include Arts Wellbeing Collective, Arts Centre Melbourne, Creative Victoria, Vitae Veritas. Copyright 2021
END.
Audio-only with a narrator
MC: Good morning | Good afternoon | Good evening | Dear Friends | Dear Audience | Dear listeners | Dear YOU! | Welcome | You are about to | Come with us | Get ready | Let us begin | Thank you so much for being here
FOG: Stop | Strike | Fade down | Going dark | Black out | Exit this way | It’s been Hard | Anxious | It Confuses me | Everywhere closed | I can’t see people | Home all the time | Boredom | In my pyjamas | Isolated | Frustrated | Set | I am not comfortable | Cross | I do not like this | On | Off | Mute
MC: It’s not every day| You’ve probably noticed | Never say never | Believe it or not | First of all
FOG: I have appreciated being at home | I can relax, eat and sleep | Not rushing | Baking | Being with my family | Looking after myself | Exercising | Going to the park | Being with myself | Self-esteem | Being gorgeous | Beautiful | Remember the sun | Comedy | Each other | Funny | Sharing things | Doing | Me | Me | Me
MC: Wouldn’t you like to? | Are you ready for? | Don’t you wish? | Isn’t it time
FOG: I need change | Cut | I need to go out again | Standing by | I need to get out of my bed | Heads Up | Wake up | Unmute
MC: Do something extraordinary! | Delve into | Explore| Put it out there | All this and more!
FOG: Change my clothes | Get out of the house | Have people around | New people | Perform | Act
MC: If questions like this intrigues you
FOG: Run through
MC: That’s not all
FOG: Top tail
MC: There’s more
FOG: 5 minute call | In the wings
MC: You’ll be glad to know
FOG: The future is…
MC: Moving
FOG: Lunch
FOG: Seeing parts of Melbourne again | I can’t wait to get out of the house | Swimming | Fresh air | Good motions | Dancing | Go out | Go show | Express
MC: That was only the beginning | Don’t stop there | That wasn’t enough | You are all very special guests | Now for the surprise
FOG: Power Up! | On stage | Power Up! | Upstage | Power Up! | Downstage | Power Up! | Centre stage | Power Up! | Lights | Camera | Action | Power Up! | Power Up! | Go
MC: The floor is yours | Please welcome | Join us | At last | Now | Take pleasure | Enjoy | You
FOG: Power Up! | Legendary | Sensational | Phenomenal | Power Up! | Thank you for coming | Power Up! | Applause | Power Up! | Bow | Power Up! | Thank you | Power Up! | Have a nice day | Power Up! | Have a great weekend | Power Up! | I love to see you again | Power Up! | Hope you travel safely home | Power Up! | Curtain call | Power Up! | Keep connecting | Power Up! | Keep creating | Power Up!
Power Up!
Power Up!
Power Up!
Power Up!
Power Up!
Power Up!
[End]
About
Led by Artistic Director Nilgun Guven, Power Up! showcases the performances, artworks and voices of Fog Theatre Ensemble, an incredible group of emerging and established theatre and dance artists including: Clem Baade, William Bailey, Michael Buxton, India Boyd, Ian Caplan, Tim D’Rozario, John Eslick, Lincoln Holt, Jordan Low, Debbie Lissek, Mattie Michael, Mark Polonsky, Danny Quinlivan, Ruth Ruschinek, Melissa Slaviero, Brinley Stephens and Eleanor Vogdanos.
Fog Theatre is a dynamic and diverse performing arts program for adults with disability where members explore and develop skills in drama, acting, singing, improvisation, script, dance, movement and choreography in a socially, creatively and culturally inclusive, safe and welcoming environment, supported by highly experienced inclusive arts practitioners and accessibility specialists.
Fog Theatre’s bold artistic practice and culture of inclusivity embeds creative leadership development opportunities and nurtures vital pathways to further artistic collaborations, partnerships and exchanges across industries and sectors, as well as the production and presentation of numerous critically successful theatre and film works since its formation in 1991.
Kate Geck is an artist who works with code and textiles to create interactive surfaces and immersive spaces. Her PhD explores extended reality (XR) experiences that reimagine human computer interaction to mindfully engage the body, drawing on somaesthetics, offering an alternative to ‘attention-extracting’ design systems.
Kate has exhibited locally, online, and abroad, with funding and commissions from a range of organisations. As an Industry Fellow in Interior Design at RMIT, Kate collaborates with diverse creative organisations such as Artful Dodgers, Signal Arts, Polyglot Theatre, 100 Stories, Charcoal Lane and Fog Theatre.
Vitae Veritas is a not-for-profit arts and cultural organisation based in Melbourne with a dedicated aim to promote and support cultural diversity, artistic excellence and inclusive arts leadership. At the centre of VV’s work it champions people, their creative practice and explores the role of artistic experimentation and how this directly informs co-designing accessible creative and aesthetic innovations and strategies for collaboration.
Founded by Nilgün Güven, a Turkish-Australian producer, director, artist and culture agent, Vitae Veritas’ ethos and practice is concerned with the intersectionality of human rights, inclusion & access, aesthetic innovation and creative production.
The headline image by Sarah Walker shows Fog Theatre performers in motion, overlayed with a dynamic blue mandela.
