Valerie Lawson

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Valerie Lawson

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Contributor	Valerie Lawson
Gender	Female
Nationality	Australian
Functions	Actor, Reviewer
Events	Date Function Contributor Organisation
	I Am Not the Eiffel Tower, Central Theatre , Auckland, New Zealand, 1971 Celebration, Downstage Theatre @ Walkabout (1964 -1971), Wellington, New Zealand, 10 December 1969 The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958
	Actor I Am Not the Eiffel Tower, Central Theatre , Auckland, New Zealand, 1971 Celebration, Downstage Theatre @ Walkabout (1964 -1971), Wellington, New Zealand, 10 December 1969 The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958
	Aeschylus - Playwright The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Donna Akersten - Actor Celebration, Downstage Theatre @ Walkabout (1964 -1971), Wellington, New Zealand, 10 December 1969 Ted Austin - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 John Banas - Actor Celebration, Downstage Theatre @ Walkabout (1964 -1971), Wellington, New Zealand, 10 December 1969 Greta Bustle - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Patric Carey - Director The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Rosalie Carey - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 David Delaney - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Grace Douglas - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Douglas Drury - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Margot Earnshawe - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Heather Elder - Actor Celebration, Downstage Theatre @ Walkabout (1964 -1971), Wellington, New Zealand, 10 December 1969 Natalie Ellis - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Alison Elson - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Ben Elson - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Pierre Elson - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Dallas Fairmaid - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Ronald Garman - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Rex Gilfillan - Lighting Designer Celebration, Downstage Theatre @ Walkabout (1964 -1971), Wellington, New Zealand, 10 December 1969 John Givens - Actor I Am Not the Eiffel Tower, Central Theatre , Auckland, New Zealand, 1971 Reg Graham - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Bruce Greenfield - Actor Celebration, Downstage Theatre @ Walkabout (1964 -1971), Wellington, New Zealand, 10 December 1969 Keith Hambleton - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Betty Hardie - Production Assistant The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Helen Harraway - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Maria Heenan - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Vivian Jacobs - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Dick Johnstone - Choreographer, Director Celebration, Downstage Theatre @ Walkabout (1964 -1971), Wellington, New Zealand, 10 December 1969 Tom Jones - Writer Celebration, Downstage Theatre @ Walkabout (1964 -1971), Wellington, New Zealand, 10 December 1969 Jenepher Kahn - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Beverley Knox - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Felicity Lane - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Robert Love - Musical Director, Musician Celebration, Downstage Theatre @ Walkabout (1964 -1971), Wellington, New Zealand, 10 December 1969 Guy Manton - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Myra McKechnie - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Peter McKenzie - Actor Celebration, Downstage Theatre @ Walkabout (1964 -1971), Wellington, New Zealand, 10 December 1969 Jean McKinlay - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 John More - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Howard Neil - Actor, Costume Designer Celebration, Downstage Theatre @ Walkabout (1964 -1971), Wellington, New Zealand, 10 December 1969 Ectaterina Oproiu - Playwright I Am Not the Eiffel Tower, Central Theatre , Auckland, New Zealand, 1971 Tim Page - Actor Celebration, Downstage Theatre @ Walkabout (1964 -1971), Wellington, New Zealand, 10 December 1969 Beverley Pollock - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Pamela Pow - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Glenn Price - Musician Celebration, Downstage Theatre @ Walkabout (1964 -1971), Wellington, New Zealand, 10 December 1969 Ian Ralston - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Jim Roberts - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Joy Rowlatt - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Mervyn Sarginson - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Harvey Schmidt - Writer Celebration, Downstage Theatre @ Walkabout (1964 -1971), Wellington, New Zealand, 10 December 1969 Owen Shanks - Actor Celebration, Downstage Theatre @ Walkabout (1964 -1971), Wellington, New Zealand, 10 December 1969 Jean Spiers - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Peggy Stedman - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Aubrey Stephens - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Deidre Tarrant - Choreographer Celebration, Downstage Theatre @ Walkabout (1964 -1971), Wellington, New Zealand, 10 December 1969 Adele Tippett - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Betty Usher - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Randell Wackrow - Director I Am Not the Eiffel Tower, Central Theatre , Auckland, New Zealand, 1971 Ross Waters - Actor Celebration, Downstage Theatre @ Walkabout (1964 -1971), Wellington, New Zealand, 10 December 1969 Judith Weston - Costume Designer The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Brian Wilson - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958 Eric Wood - Set Designer Celebration, Downstage Theatre @ Walkabout (1964 -1971), Wellington, New Zealand, 10 December 1969 Roland Young - Actor The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958
	Rosalie and Patric Carey Productions (Dunedin) The Oresteia, Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand, 11 March 1958
Resources	Article: Valerie Lawson, Australian Financial Review, 3 March 2001 Article: Valerie Lawson, Blown away, at full speed, Sydney Morning Herald, 20 March 2008, 18 Article: Valerie Lawson, Dance of the complicated storyteller, Sydney Morning Herald, 28 April 2008, 12 Article: Valerie Lawson, Fairytale beginning for boy ballet dancer, Sydney Morning Herald, 28 November 2007, 18 Article: Valerie Lawson, One great writer, two stars, and a lot of talking to do, Sydney Morning Herald, 25 September 2007, 7 Article: Valerie Lawson, Sparkling boy loses its nerve, Financial Review, 14 March 1998, 11 Article: Valerie Lawson, Spectrum, 15 July 2006, 8 Article: Valerie Lawson, Spectrum, 19 May 2007, 18 Article: Valerie Lawson, Spectrum, 25 November 2006, 18 Article: Valerie Lawson, Spectrum, 4 June 2005, 34 Article: Valerie Lawson, Spectrum, 6 October 2007, 4-5 Article: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Festival Diary: A few hiccups cannot dampen high spirits, Sydney Morning Herald, Theatre and Dance Platform, 10 January 2007 Article: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald, 12 January 2007, 5 Article: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald, 15 January 2007, 5 Article: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald, 15 March 2006, 15 Article: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald, 16 May 2005, 16 Article: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald, 17 January 2004, 0 Article: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald, 18 April 2007, 11 Article: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald, 18 January 2006, 13 Article: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald, 18 January 2007, 5 Article: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald, 20 December 2006, 23 Article: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald, 21 July 2007, 4 Article: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald, 22 February 2007, 3 Article: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald, 22 January 2007, 6 Article: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald, 27 June 2007, 9 Article: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald, 29 November 2006, 11 Article: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald, 3 April 2007, 9 Article: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald, 3 May 2006, 14 Article: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald, 30 March 2007, 18 Article: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald, 30 May 2007, 12 Article: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald, 6 January 2007, 5 Article: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald, 7 July 2006, 9 Article: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald, 8 July 2005, 16 Article: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald, 8 November 2006, 14 Article: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald, 9 August 2006, 18 Article: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald, 9 November 2005, 15 Article: Valerie Lawson, The Australian, 3 March 2002, 68 Valerie Lawson, The Double Life Of Lucy, Sydney Morning Herald, 24 October 1997, 19 LUCY Guerin sits curled and comfortable with her body as a little girl and speaks in that light voice of a dancer. "I am starting to worry more. In the beginning, the worry was `I am not going to be a choreographer'. Got over that. Now the worry is, `will this piece be good?'" Yet Gideon Obarzanek wants to work with her, she has just won a dance award for her Two Lies in New York, and the dance fund of the Australia Council has given her almost $29,000 to develop a full evening work. Still she is worried. Of course she is worried. Tonight is the premiere at the Seymour Centre of her new dance work, Remote - on the surface about the way we respond to TV, but underneath, what all Guerin's work is about, the double nature of all things. Back home after seven years in New York, Guerin, 36, is yet really to land. She planned to settle in Melbourne, but as soon as she arrived, Guerin bounced right back, on tours to New York, London, Rotterdam and Paris, then up to Sydney for Remote, commissioned by the One Extra Company. While she retains her Australian accent, her spiritual home seems to be Greenwich Village's contemporary dance circuit, from the Joyce Theatre to the Kitchen, where her Two Lies and Robbery Waitress on Bail were performed last April. Village Voice dance critic Deborah Jowitt found them "beautiful, thoughtful work". She lived in the Village but did she ever go uptown? "No never! We downtown dancers never went above 14th Street. That's the joke, but it's like that. I do miss the [New York] dance community, but the climate there is getting so harsh and difficult. I couldn't see anyone going anywhere as a role model and it's so hard for choreographers and dancers financially. I could stay there for another 10 years and still wait tables." Instead she survives on Australian government grants and commissions from companies such as One Extra and Obarzanek's Chunky Move. Guerin also returned home to be closer to her parents in South Australia. Her father, a retired civil engineer, in mid-life decided to yank the family from Adelaide to a remote sheep station, Courtabie, where little Lucy's impressionable mind absorbed the brutally short life and death of farm animals. For her parents, the sheep farm didn't work out, but those days inspired Geurin's Two Lies, originally titled Courtabie 1966. Back in Adelaide, Guerin was an honours student at ballet school, though not the teacher's favourite. "I think I was too vague." After school she was accepted by Adelaide's Centre for Performing Arts. Her first piece of choreography was Sweet Dreams, in 1989. Her 10th, Remote, is a departure. It's the first time she's worked with male dancers as well as female, and she is not dancing in it herself. "I like that. It's great. It's too much to be worried about the inside and outside." Remote, part of a One Extra double bill with Garry Stewart's Fugly, is about "how we interact with TV, the way we watch it, about channel surfing, the contrast between watching TV and what you see on TV . . . and how that can be a replacement for experience. "I am very interested in duality. Most of my pieces have two aspects, two points of view. My new work for Gideon will be about sleep. Sleep is one of my favourite things because it suggests alternative realities." When she choreographs "there are two lines of thought - one going on in front of my mind and one from the back, which is much more instinctive. Once I've organised the framework, I can trust to let the unconscious work. That's where the movement vocabulary comes from, the prehistoric side, the back brain, the brain stem. You never know what's in there," she says. And Guerin does not look worried at all, but intrigued at the mystery of what lies in that cave. Article: Valerie Lawson, The Double Life Of Lucy, Sydney Morning Herald, 24 October 1997, 19 Article: Valerie Lawson, The magic and madness of an eternal swan, Sydney Morning Herald, 1 April 2008, 16 Book: Valerie Lawson, Mary Poppins She Wrote, Hachette, Australia, 2010, 304pp Review: Valerie Lawson, Across the Divide, Sydney Morning Herald, Theatre and Dance Platform, 9 January 2007, 16 Review: Valerie Lawson, Financial Review, 1 March 1996 Review: Valerie Lawson, Financial Review, 12 May 1995 Review: Valerie Lawson, Financial Review, 13 May 1994 Review: Valerie Lawson, Financial Review, 27 May 2001, 12 Review: Valerie Lawson, Financial Review, 29 July 1994 Review: Valerie Lawson, Financial Review, 9 August 1996
Data Set	AusStage
Contributor Identifier	700

Researching Australian live performance