"One of the reasons that the same fables are repeated and that new tales don’t come into being more often is that there’s always a price to be paid to the current of the story you are communicating with. The energy and effort the work requires in creation and its importance/value to the narrative of the writer is a very direct relationship. This equation is the true nature of how stories effect change in the lives of the people who directly experience them".
- John Harrigan, April 2011
It has now been almost 6 months since FoolishPeople announced the production of our first feature film, Strange Factories. Times flies! Next week cast and crew shall board a flight bound for the Czech Republic, armed with our costumes and scripts, ready to manifest a new world of phantasmagoric fiction. In the past five months we have travailed the treacherous seas of pre-production, assembling a core group of dedicated team members who will bring this challenging project to fruition. We have raised over $12000 via crowdfunding in order to meet our equipment needs and now, as the final spreadsheets and shotlists hit the printing press, we are prepared. Sacrifices have been made, noses have been burned (long story), candles waxed at both ends, tears and blood spilt across the cold stone floor of our rehearsal space. But above all, there has been much joy and discovery. And, of course, anticipation.
As John Harrigan has previously explained, Strange Factories is partly constructed from the history and myths of FP and the screenplay explores the way in which we experience our own rituals, creating our own myths and folktales. The personal experiences that members of FP have had deep within the process of creation lie at the heart of this narrative, giving the work a unique intensity which would not be possible in a less tightly-knit company. Throughout the rehearsal process (the details of which, alas, must remain secret due to the nature of our work) it was clear that for this project we have been gifted with a group of people so utterly dedicated, talented and sharing so closely a vision, that we would be able to overcome any material constraints that should confront us in our path.
Of course, the film is just the beginning. Strange Factories is, above all, a living event; we aim to create an active space at the heart of the story for our audience to inhabit, engaging with us on a journey that explores the stages of the relationship between spectator and performer. From passive voyeurs to active revolutionary within the narrative, directly affected in the final act, we shall offer our audiences a new way in which to experience cinema, theatre, art. The world of Strange Factories will be brought to life in a dreamlike immersive environment in which you, the audience, are able to interact with the characters and to explore the space at your free will.
We urge you to keep your eye on FP.com for forthcoming transmissions from Prague...
Victor looks at the road ahead and then at an overgrown trail leading off across a field. He thinks for a moment, then leaves the road, walking along the barely visible path...
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