Dancer Haley Allen responding to a verbatim reading of the poem by the poet and his mother
Global Hive Labs. & Bouche Theatre Collective
INTERNATIONAL CALL & RESPONSE PROJECT
As Covid 19 began spreading globally and we went in lock downs, I reached out to my friend and wonderful poet and theatre maker with down syndrome Niall McNeil. I asked him to write a poem we could share with other artists that could help inspire folks in their own art and bring us together in our various isolations. Niall wrote the beautiful PRESENCE OF HOPE.
Taking inspiration from Niall’s poem, a word, a sound, etc. artists from arrounf the world created their own woks including dance, music, new media, new writing, etc. The poem was translated into translated to French (Canada), Spanish (Ecuador), Portuguese (Brazil) and Traditional Chinese (Mandarin from Taiwan).
The project was facilitated through a facebook group.
Example Responses
Innocence Response by Asha Cecil
Inspired by a poem by Niall Mcneil
Asha Cecil (she, her, hers) is a writer and actor with a background in physical and dance theatre. South African born, Asha moved to the UK in 2002 and has pursued creative adventures ever since, leading her to where she currently resides in London.
www.ashacecil.com
Echoes of a Poet - Excerpt 1
Echoes of a Poet - Excerpt 2
ECHOES OF A POET
by Joanna Chapman-Smith
Inspired by a poem by Niall Mcneil
“I listened to Niall’s reading, transcribed what I heard, and both read and sang around my transcription in four tracks.”
Joanna Chapman-Smith is an award-winning songwriter, a vocalist, a storyteller and a teacher. She composes, tours, performs, records, teaches voice/songwriting/guitar, manages social media and – oh yeah – makes beautiful music. www.joannacs.com
INNOCENCE
INNOCENCE by Georgia Couver
Inspired by a poem by Niall Mcneil
Georgia Couver is a Chinese Canadian, Vancouver-born music composer, violinist and visual artist with a passion of the arts for celebration of queer femininity.
https://georgiacouver.wixsite.com/officialwebsite
About Bouche & Global Hive Labs.
About Bouche Theatre Collective
Founded in 2012, Bouche has been bringing artists and audiences together separated by language, distance, and culture locally, nationally, and internationally. With a specific focus on the cross pollination between Canadian francophone and anglophone artists and the international community, Bouche reaches out through translation, multi-lingual work, and devised creation. www.bouchewhacked.com
About Global Hive Labs.
Global Hive Lab is an international collective of like-minded independent companies & artists. With members in Beijing (China), Chicago (U.S.A.), Denpasar (Indonesia), London (UK), Paris (France), Piacenza (Italy), São Paulo (Brazil), and Vancouver (Canada) we work together in shared creation. Projects to date have included Towards a Global Practice Workshop (London, UK); Climate Change Theatre Action (Chicago, USA); Medusa Italy (Teatro Trieste 34), Medusa UK (The Pleasance Theatre, The Cockpit Theatre), Medusa USA (Steppenwolf Theatre); Atlantis Italy Workshop (Teatro Trieste 34). Global Hive Labs. holds international collaboration, multi disciplinary/ total theatre approaches and accessible Universal Design as core to our creation practices. www.globalhivelabs.org