Wonderheads at Coho

 
Dmae Roberts features Kate Braidwood and Andrew Phoenix of the acclaimed physical theatre company and mask imagineers, WONDERHEADS on June 25-28. Their show LOON is performed in full masks has been called “living cartoonsr live-action Pixar.” This is part of a Coho Productions Summerfest featuring The Dissenter’s Handbook: A Collection of Riotous Tales by Dario Fo (July 2,3,4) and Drowned Horse (A Sea Shanty Cabaret) by Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble (July 9-12). We’ll also hear about those shows from Coho’s Jessie Drake.

(airs 11am 6/23 on KBOO 90.7FM and podcast on StagenStudio.com)

More about LOON:
Francis, a lonely janitor who is plagued by isolation and tickled by whispers of childhood imagination, has hit rock bottom and discovers that he has nowhere to go...but up. And up. And up! But will plucking the moon from the sky bring him the love he is searching for? Winner of four Critics’ Choice Awards, three Best of Fest Awards, and described by the CBC as “Pure magic,” LOON has been delighting audiences across the continent since 2011.  LOON was awarded three Best of Fest awards in 2012 as well as the 2012 Edmonton Critics Choice Award, and three 2013 Orlando Critics’ Choice Awards (Best Show, Best Original Work, Best Female Performance).  
 
All shows are at CoHo Productions
located at the CoHo Theatre (2257 NW Raleigh St.Portland, OR)
Tickets: $15 (single), $55 (Summerfest Pass)
Dates: June 25-28, 2015, 7:30 PM
Box Office Hours:
Mon-Fri 9am-1pm & I hour prior to curtain
Call 503-220-2646
Or email: [email protected]
 
Recommended for ages 10 - adult.

More about WONDERHEADS:

Kate Braidwood, (Cast, Deviser, Mask and Sound Designer)
WONDERHEADS Co-Founding ‘Head’, is an actor, deviser, sound designer, director and teacher.  She is also a professional mask maker, responsible for the big heads used in WONDERHEADS’ work and whose masks are used on stages, in films and in classrooms around the world.  As an actor she has performed nationally and internationally, including credits with Miracle Theatre (Portland OR), Theatre SKAM (Victoria BC), The Dell’Arte Company (Blue Lake, CA), Furano Natural Studio (Japan), and Four on the Floor (Arcata, CA).  Kate is a graduate of the University of Victoria with a BFA in Acting and she earned her MFA in Ensemble Based Physical Theatre from Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre, where she trained as an actor-creator, studying the development of original, physically driven work in ensemble.  It was at Dell’Arte that her passion for mask was truly ignited and developed, during which time she trained in the Italian form of Commedia Dell’Arte, studied mask performance with Joan Schirle and Ronlin Foreman, studied mask design with Bruce Marrs and worked with Berlin-based mask company Familie Flöz.  In 2009 she teamed up with fellow Dell’Arte graduate, Andrew Phoenix, to create the WONDERHEADS and has been busy touring their work since that time. Kate was recently awarded a 2015 Oregon Arts Commission Fellowship, an initiative designed to recognize the achievements of outstanding Oregon artists.
 
Andrew Phoenix (Deviser, Director, Set Designer)
Andrew Phoenix, WONDERHEADS Co-Founding ‘Head’, is an actor, deviser, director and teacher.  He completed his BFA in Acting at Texas State University and worked with Dallas Children's Theatre, Appel Farm Arts and Music Center in New Jersey, and the Texas Shakespeare Festival.  Driven by a longing to create original and innovative work on his feet and away from the page, Andrew completed his MFA degree in Ensemble Based Physical Theatre at Dell’Arte International and went on to perform and teach in India with Clowns without Borders U.S.A., direct and teach at Intiman Theatre (Seattle, WA), and perform with the Dell'Arte Company (Blue Lake, CA) and Miracle Theatre (Portland, OR), where he also served as Technical Director and Master Carpenter.  In 2009 he joined forces with Kate Braidwood to create their first show, Grim and Fischer, and the WONDERHEADS were born.  They have since toured their work throughout North America, moved to Portland OR, gotten married, and have yet to land a role on Portlandia.
 
About WONDERHEADS
WONDERHEADS is a multi award winning physical theatre company specializing in mask performance and exquisite visual storytelling.  Their work is performed in full-face mask, a non-verbal form that mixes European larval mask traditions with character mask styles, resulting in a whimsical, wordless craft rarely seen on North American stages.  
 
The Heads are Kate Braidwood and Andrew Phoenix, who came together in 2009. LIn March of 2013 the WONDERHEADS were selected as one of ten Scion Motivate finalists, a national contest recognizing young entrepreneurs in the creative arts, and soon thereafter used their prize (a sparkling new Scion xB) to propel them along their second Canadian national tour of Grim and Fischer.  In early 2014 the existing Heads welcomed a new Head, Emily Windler, to the creative team and together they created their newest show The Middle of Everywhere, a comedy-adventure exploring what it means to live life it its fullest (and to travel through time and space).  The Middle of Everywhere premiered in Portland OR in June 2014 and then embarked on a cross-Canada summer tour during which it was awarded Best of Fest in Saskatoon, SK as well as the Favorite Visual Theatre/Puppetry Award in Victoria, BC.
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