helen varley jamieson
 
whatdidyouexpect
 

 

 


Creative Writing

  • Avatar Body Collision: the work of this globally-dispersed cyberformance troupe is devised online by the four Colliders, with scripts developed from improvisations and chat dialogue. Helen contributes to the shaping of scripts and was the main writer of texts for "swim - an exercise in remote intimacy".
  • contributor to 1001 nights cast;
  • disturb.the.peace: angry women contributor (angry)
  • gender[f] contributor
  • Playwriting: three stage plays professionally produced, in Dunedin and Wellington (NZ), 1992-2001; and a fourth waiting in the wings.
  • Water[war]s: participation in Jill Greenhalgh's ongoing performance installation project, Water[war]s, in 2001, 2002 and 2003, including scripting and presenting a cyberformance and editing texts that were projected and displayed during the installations and performances
  • just words


Articles, Reviews and Reports


Web Copy Writing

Helen has been writing and editing copy for the web since 1994, including:


Other Writing and Editing

  • Nice Little Learner: Helen assisted in editing the content for this CD-ROM, produced as a financial education tool for Scottish high schools (2000).
  • Creative Explorer: Helen researched and wrote the text for Creative Explorer, a comprehensive CD-ROM on the arts of New Zealand (1996-97). This included in-depth interviews with the six featured artists, sourcing and copyright clearing hundreds of images, and researching hundreds of related artists and topics. She also assisted with the layout, testing and project management.
    "... a very comprehensive resource and an extremely rich source of information." Computers In New Zealand Schools
  • editing Dance News for The Royal New Zealand Ballet (1996-99);
  • editing the Magdalena Aotearoa newsletter (since 1998);
  • editing DANZ Magazine (1996-97).

 

Playwriting

Phone Jam
As yet unperformed, Phone Jam is the story of a woman trapped in a phone box. Physical theatre, sheer poetry and universal truths are squeezed into this confined space and played out within the complexity of contemporary human communication. The script received a professional workshop with New Theatre Initiatives in Auckland, NZ (Feb-April 2002), and is now eager to see the light of the stage.

Between
"... a treasure of a play ... delightful yet profound." John Smythe, National Business Review

Commissioned by the Young and Hungry Trust in 1999, Between is a one act play for five actors, exploring the transition from childhood to adulthood and the role of imagination in that transition. It premiered at the 2001 NZ Fringe Festival.

Risky/Risque
"...rapturously rich, refreshingly real."Capital Times

"Helen Jamieson tackles head on the subject of lesbians and AIDS and, miraculously, she has done it with humour and feeling and without sentimentality and gloom." Evening Post

Performed at BATS Theatre, Wellington, during the 1995 Devotion Festival, Risky/Risque is a dark comedy about the impact of AIDS on two women's relationship.

Women Like Us
"... a powerful play. As a debut full-length production it represented an achievement little short of staggering." The Listener

"...crisp and challenging, sprinkled with moments of hilarity." City Voice

Commissioned by the Suffrage Centenary Trust in 1993, Women Like Us celebrates the little-documented history of women in New Zealand politics. It was first performed at the Globe Theatre, Dunedin in 1993 and then at Taki Rua Theatre, Wellington during the 1994 Fringe Festival. It is a two act play for three actors, who play more than 25 characters. It's funny, too.

 

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© Helen Varley Jamieson 1999-2007