Vicarious Time
Meagan O’Shea
Project Description
A new solo created and performed by Meagan O’Shea with original music by Laura Tack. An incantation, an exploration of time, a radical suspension of disbelief, long-distance healing, a collective migration. The precarity of life, pondering courage in the face of all that scares us. A quest to bring beauty into focus. The reciprocal exchange of space we take up in the universe. With Vicarious Time, I am contemplating the precarity of life, different kinds of time, what is passed on, what stays with us. Last year my love fell ill and fell deep. She was in danger of floating away. Vicarious Time is my attempt to understand mental illness and the loss of ability to see beauty. A quest to bring it back into focus, a ritual to heal.
Company Profile
Meagan O’Shea is a queer contemporary dance artist who creates “uplifting, energetic and totally out of the ordinary”, content-driven, problem-finding, interactive solo work. Using an array of performance creation strategies she treats the creative process like a science experiment, using her body and interaction with the audience as test site. Meagan has performed her Dora award nominated, signature mash-up solo works across Canada, in New York, Mexico, Morocco, Spain, Ireland, Finland, Austria, Greece and Germany. “Off the wall, impossible to categorize, fun” Montreal Gazette Meagan teaches DIY Interdisciplinary Solo Making and Ensemble Improv in North America and Europe. She is artistic director and founder of Stand Up Dance, co-founder of hub14 in Toronto, was International Associate Artist at Dance Ireland, Associate Artist at Theatre Direct, BIDE Artistic Collaborator, and has created much of her work through international residencies. She is a recipient of the KM Hunter Award in Dance.
https://www.facebook.com/Stand-Up-Dance-303181059833047/
Community Engagement
Other things Meagan does: offers general creative process workshops, teaches ensemble improv and contemporary dance class. In another scenario, Meagan is leading the youth in site-responsive solo creation. They will perform during the same festival as Meagan will perform Vicarious Time.
Outreach Activities
The solo was created at the same time as another project was incubating with video-artist Linnea Swan. It’s My Party explores grief, (changing) life purpose and ideas of success for women over 40. Meagan offers a 2 – 4 part It’s My Party creative process workshop of 6 – 12 hours for women over 40, in which participants create a mini-performance/movement-poem. Participants are invited to create videos of the material from the workshop and send it to Linnea to edit as part of an accumulating archive. (that will be available online/IRL exhibits/as part of future performance.) Vicarious Time is Meagan’s artistic response to the conversations that initiated It’s My Party. Schedule options: 2 – 3 evenings of workshop followed by 1 – 2 evenings of Vicarious Time; An all-day workshop, followed by 2+ shows the next day(s).
The 10 minute short film of Vicarious Time will be ready by the end of 2020 and the ~ 30 minute film will be completed in early 2021. These could be great teasers for potential audience. The films would create a great compare and contrast to the live work. In making the films, we sought not to translate, but to transform so that the experience of each iteration is different. A facilitated Q & A after the performance would be a great follow up for this.
Past and
Upcoming performances
“Vicarious Time” Dance Matters: Rebel Yells, Citadel et cie., Toronto ON, Feb.20; “dance like no one is watching” Skampede, Theatre SKMA, Victoria BC, Jul.19; “Léxico” Sismògraf Festival, Olot Spain, Apr.19; “SideShow” Kiisu, Outokumpo FI; “Dream Another Day” SCD, Barrie ON, Oct.17; “We Don't Need Another Hero” DanceWorks CoWorks, The Theatre Centre, Toronto ON Apr.15; “Participatory Closing Performance” ke∂ja, Åland Finland, Aug.14 “Hide & See” Skampede, Theatre SKAM, Victoria BC, Jul.14 “Where Truth Lies” Lonely in the Rain, Joensuu Finland, Nov.13 “Secret Parkdale Super Hero Society (Spshs)” LabCab, Toronto ON, Jul.13 “The Atomic Weight of Happiness” Stand Up Dance, hub14, Toronto, Apr.11 “based on actual unrelated events” DancWorks CoWorks, hub14, Toronto, Oct.09 Active since 1996; Full CV available upon request.
“Vicarious Time” Seda Dance, Victoria BC, Feb.20; “SideShow” Queens Collective, Marrakech Morocco, Dec.18; “Dream Another Day” UNO Festival, Intrepid Theatre, Victoria BC, May.18, Archeology of the Frivolous, Marfa TX, Nov.17, SpringWorks, Stratford ON, Oct.17; “dance like no one is watching” World Alliance of Dance Artists, MUN, St. John’s NL, Jul.17; “We Don't Need Another Hero” InFrinGing Festival Nanaimo BC & Romp Festival, Victoria BC, “Where Truth Lies” Concurso de solistas con trajectoria, festival FIDCDMX, México City, Aug.18, Muestra de la danza contemporánea, Léon, México, Jul.18, Jul.17, WUK/TTP, Vienna Austria, Oct.15, Connection Dance Works Festival, Peter Buckland Gallery, Saint John, NB, Jun.15, The Art of Participatory Leadership, Impact Hub, Athens, Greece, Apr.15; “The Atomic Weight of Happiness” Series Danse 10, ODD, Arts Court, Ottawa, Aug.12, UNO Festival, Intrepid Theatre, Victoria BC, May.12, Theatre Direct, Toronto ON, Nov.11; “based on actual unrelated events” Crow’s Theatre Solo Festival, Toronto ON, May.14, Toronto Festival of Clowns, Jun.12, InFrinGing Festival, Crimson Coast Dance Society, Nanaimo BC, Nov.11, Series Danse 10/Dance Series 10, ODD, Arts Court, Ottawa, Mar.10; “Coffee for One” (2007) Montreal Fringe Festival, Young Lungs, Winnipeg Collective [gulp], Movement Arts Ottawa; Toronto: Hub 14, Red Festival at Lula Lounge, Dance Matters: HowDareShe & Expanse Festival of Movement Arts, Azimuth Theatre, Edmonton AB; 2011: 12 ON Farmers Markets, Port Credit BuskerFest, New Music Marathon, Queen West Arts Crawl; 2010: w/ comm.dancers in Peterborough and Nanaimo; Hot Spot Festival, PS Kensington w/14 youth from BOLDT Dance in Brockville, Junction Arts Festival, QWAC, Dundas Square, Fringe Festival Beer Tent; 2009: Nuit Blanche, 4-team, 30 dancer (pro’s, York Dance Ensemble, youth), 12-hr relay, 12 km’s; 2007 & 08: SummerWorks Festival, International Dance Day, World Car Free Day, sidewalks and streets. The Love Project, quintet for teen audiences, touring grades 7 – 12 through Prologue for the Performing Arts in and around Toronto and Ottawa, 2014-17; Pulse Dance Conference, Ottawa, May.16; showcase BC ArtStarts, Vancouver, February 2018. Upcoming new show, Anatomalia, premiere at Ottawa Dance Directive in July 2021; details: a 5-hander, with theatrical installation, video projection, original music and ensemble choreography (after 8 week creation residency, Fall 2020, Germany).
FULL LENGTH
photos: Meagan OShea Vicarious Time; credit: Omer Yukseker
Project Details
Type of Work:
Dance/Theatre, Edgy/Experimental (my work is often called whimsical and quirky. I think the same folks would say so of this one too). Also witty.
Performance Type
This work is built for theatre and can be adapted to studio performance, and engagement can be increased through a combination of live in theatre and livestream.
This work is adaptable to theatre, or outdoors (in a contained space) or alternate venue.
This is a full length work and can include a Q&A or post-show talk.
Audience Type
General Audience with some nudity. (wearing only a underwear at the end of the piece) Children find this very funny.
Length in minutes:
50 minutes (the piece can begin as the house is let in and can extend at the end)
# of Performers on Tour
1
# of Support Staff on Tour
I can travel solo but am considering inviting a stage manager for additional support, depending on tour/performance engagements. This would increase fees somewhat.
Fee range:
1 - 2 shows on same day (including tech) = $ 1500 2 - 4 shows over two consecutive days = $ 2500 Up to 6 hours of outreach/community engagement (Master Class // Improv workshop) = $ 1500 12 hour community workshop (It’s My Party // Site-Specific Creation) = $ 2500 Plus travel, accom, per diem and GST. NOTE: Meagan will perform Vicarious Time 2 x per day with 2.5 hours in between shows in order to accommodate limited audience in The Time of Covid. Meagan will not lead other activities on show day. Depending on the scope of bookings, Meagan may bring a stage manager on tour. The fee and expenses would increase accordingly.
Available to tour:
Very available October – November 2021, December 2021 – February 2022, September – October 2022, May – June 2023
Technical Requirements
a dance floor or smooth wooden floor, exposed wall or real space in a theatre, amplification for music played from laptop, iphone or USB, lights from a general/house plot plus 2 specials. The props are a large number of paper folded into butterflies/pelivii (these are made on the spot out of old newspapers or other papers that are to be recycled. Total of 2 big garbage bags full)
Technical Residency
4 hours tech time
Tech Rider
Artist Name
Meagan O'Shea
Location
Vancouver - Victoria
Contact Person
Meagan O'Shea
Email
omeagan@gmail.com
Website + Social Media
https://www.facebook.com/Stand-Up-Dance-303181059833047/ https://www.instagram.com/standupdance/