丁香园AV

We sat down to talk with the brilliant minds behind the . Their goal? To provide accessible, experimental workshops (Training Jams) and to cross-pollinate amongst communities in and out of Vancouver. A few of its founders 鈥� Anjela Magpantay, Davey Calderon, and Avyen von Waldenburg 鈥� told us about the work they do in the community, how they came to be, and where they plan to go.

How was New(to)Town Collective born?

New(to)Town Collective really started before we knew we were New(to)Town Collective. We were a bunch of theatre students who were either close to graduating, or had graduated, and wanted to create an environment for ourselves where we could keep jamming on ideas that we鈥檝e learned from 丁香园AV and other instructors. We were always gathering in coffee shops until 2am and one day we were like, 鈥淟et鈥檚 just go into the studio and do the thing that we were trained to do and actually do it on our feet.鈥�

Why the name 鈥淣ew(to)Town Collective鈥�?

For research on Donut Holes in Orbit by Prince Gomolvilas, one of our early projects, we would walk through Chinatown and we went to New Town Bakery and we were joking 鈥渨hat about New Town Bakery?鈥� and I said 鈥淲hat about New to Town?鈥� Putting the (to) between 鈥淣ew鈥� and 鈥淭own鈥� brought about the idea that the show was about how people that felt very outside of the current society always feel new to town. And once we did create the collective, all four of us, (there was also a fifth member call Eddy Van Wyk), when all five of us first started we still loved the name because it meant that it was a culminating of people from different walks of life. A lot of people felt like they鈥檙e not part of a community living in Vancouver.

What does New(to)Town Collective do?

We hold a series of workshops, usually four because there鈥檚 four of us, so that there is room for us to co-facilitate, but also have a break. It鈥檚 drop-in style, so you don鈥檛 have to attend every week, you can just come in. It鈥檚 like going to the gym, really. If Avyen鈥檚 teaching clowning, for example, you know that he鈥檚 teaching clowning because it鈥檚 on the website. We鈥檝e done a lot of work in social media to tell potential participants that this is going to be the workshop this week. So you come in, do clowning and then after three hours we finish and next week is totally something different or can be, if we wanted it to be, a continuation of the workshop previous.

What do your workshops or 鈥淭raining Jams鈥� look like?

Essentially, Training Jams are performance laboratories. There鈥檚 a space, all four of us are there. People come in. We have what we call a check-in, where each person says something about themselves, something that might be affecting them that day, what have you. Then, the lead facilitator, usually two people or one of us, will start the exercises. We go through the exercise that we鈥檝e learned and adapt it to the group. If in the middle of those exercises, we see individuals or groups of people doing something spontaneous in the moment, we will react and adjust accordingly. If it feels like the energy of the group is going there, and if it feels like it鈥檚 useful to the idea, we鈥檒l go in that direction.

We don鈥檛 do scenes or monologues, but we鈥檝e had workshops called 鈥楶rogressive Performance鈥� which is kind of something different from Training Jams. It鈥檚 to develop something that you鈥檙e working on like a monologue, a poem, a script, or any curiosity you might have. We have training jams, we also have Progressive Performance and we also have pop-up training jams. They happen in partnership with festivals. We鈥檝e had a partnership with Vines Festival that happens in August and we鈥檝e recently had a partnership with Diwali in BC last fall.

What makes your style of training unique?

We鈥檙e pulling on the things that are already there for the individual who does come in and is willing to play. The whole concept of acting training for us is a lot of undoing of the extra things that we put on ourselves from society. We鈥檙e just assisting by giving them a kind reminder of like 鈥渉ey, you actually have this, and what about this, and your elbows doing something, why don鈥檛 you extend that because it feels like your body wants to go somewhere.鈥� That鈥檚 how we work as a collective. Our role in the artistic community is quite unique because our main focus is training and no other theatre company really does that. They focus on producing shows. We鈥檙e focused on providing space for artists to cross-pollinate and to stay warm.

Who can attend a Training Jam?

We can provide Training Jams for anyone and everyone. It鈥檚 a space of no pressure; social masks off. We鈥檝e seen a transition from students who were curious and just wanted to stay warm to folks from the non-artistic community who were curious about what we do and that are curious about physical expression. We鈥檝e had people from different walks of life attend because they want to experience something new without having to drop a couple hundred dollars. It鈥檚 interesting because it has attracted a lot of people that are new to town. We鈥檝e had some really interesting participants 鈥� an animator, a social worker and even some retirees. If you鈥檙e alive, you鈥檙e a performer (laughter).

How much does it cost to attend a Training Jam?

Its all by donation. One of the things that was a problem for us as young emerging artists is that training is expensive. Dancers are able to come to dance class, they stay warm, and that鈥檚 how they get employed. But for actors they鈥檙e just like, 鈥淵eah, you鈥檙e done school. Go and get a job.鈥� One of the most humbling things about this performance training is that you know you don鈥檛 have everything even though you鈥檝e finished school, you鈥檝e finished a workshop, you鈥檝e paid for an instructor, but you鈥檙e not necessarily finished your work. Part of our mandate is to help the artists who are struggling to keep training. All the funding we get comes from donations. Sometimes we produce work for festivals. All of the donations go towards ASL interpreters, application fees, space rentals.

You mentioned that some of your donations go towards ASL interpreters. How do you incorporate accessibility into your work?

We鈥檝e had folks from the Deaf community attend our workshops and that鈥檚 largely influenced how we change the structure of the workshop. It was a huge learning process because we advertise our training as accessible as much as possible. We do our very best with the resources that we have and we have worked with an ASL interpreters before. Working with an ASL interpreter is very different from just preparing a workshop. Usually we just sit down and talk about the workshop we want to facilitate and that鈥檚 it. But with an ASL interpreter there comes a lot of thought and exact timing. The biggest thing for us is that we really try to make a safe space of presence. It doesn鈥檛 matter what your skill level is, it doesn鈥檛 matter what your body is in the space.We just ask you to try and be present with us in the space. We try to encourage that type of energy and time with each other even if it鈥檚 only three hours.

What鈥檚 in the future for New(to)Town Collective?

Touring beyond (Metro Vancouver) would be super cool. Internationally. We鈥檙e all emerging professionals and we鈥檝e met people from all over the world who are interested in the work we do and don鈥檛 have anything like it where they are from. We鈥檙e really excited to keep connecting with different communities here in Vancouver.

Don鈥檛 miss New(to)Town鈥檚 next Training Jam series with  on February 25th, 5-8pm and March 4th, 5-8pm. Then one led by us on March 11th, 5-8pm. This round of Training Jams are at the Playwrights Theatre Centre (739 Gore Ave)!