The Prague Fringe Festival is just around the corner! Less than three weeks to go! Rehearsals are going really well, and it’s amazing to see the script come to life! Looking forward to the premiere of Deja Vu! — in Prague.

We’ve been sourcing props! Here are some musical pieces we will be using in the show:

This is a sneak preview at the t-shirts that will be offered as rewards on our Fondomat crowdfunding profile (depending on the donation size). These designs are also intended to be used on mugs, stickers, etc. The design is based on deja vu being repitition, and therefore the giraffe is repeated twice. However, it is also a game of “Spot the difference” with ten actual differences to find. The images will all be animals seeing as the character of Anne is a veterinarian in the play and talks about animals a lot in the script. In fact, the giraffe is representative of George’s character (head stuck up in the clouds day dreaming), and the rhinoceros of Anne’s character (realistic, and a much thicker skin!). Expect to see a rhinoceros, a bird, a cheetah, and a buffalo soon! And please, feedback is always welcome!

I have started work on a new logo design. I feel that the current logo doesn’t completely represent the full potential and identity of the company. And so I have been researching different artists and artworks and I am particularly inspired at the moment by Alfons Mucha. The female characters in his artworks are all so spritely, like nymphs. Coincidentally, I would like the new Wild Mint logo to represent Minthe, the nymph in Greek Mythology who in the midst of being seduced by Hades was turned into a mint plant by Persephone. The story echoes similarities with Ovid’s tale of Apollo and Dafne in which Dafne, in an attempt to be free of the wildly infatuated Apollo, pleaded to her father to turn her into a tree. Apollo sat under the tree for some time, grieving his loss, and from it he created his famous symbol – a wreath of laurel leaves. There is a statue by Alberto Bernini in La Galeria Borghese, which I have seen and marvelled at in person, portraying the moment in which Dafne turns into a tree. It inspires me so much I feel that I am on fire just looking at it.
So in creating this new logo I have sought to portray a moment in which Minthe turns into mint. As the word mint can also mean a factory for creating coins, I have also surrounded the figure of Minthe partially with what looks to be a coin with the grooved edges on the side. I have also been inspired by the sharp transitional movements of Flamenco.
For now, this logo is just a sketch – an idea. I plan to work on it more but it will take time. If you are a graphic designer, or if you know of a good graphic designer, I would love to hear from you! If you have any feedback and suggestions about the logo I would love to hear from you too!

*Due to a high level of interest in the play we have decided to hold an extra audition on Sunday the 20th of November from 16:00 to 19:00.*

“Déjà Vu” will be performed at the Prague Fringe Festival next June, and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2012. Edinburgh is the largest arts festival in the world and each year attracts thousands of agents, producers, and promoters. It’s now or never! Currently we are looking for one actor and one actress both in their 20s/30s.

Here is the summary:
George loves Anne. Anne loves George. But Anne is having an affair with Fred. Why? It has something to do with Spain, but when they talk about it the lights turn off, and they forget everything, only to begin again on a new tangent of fate. Time for them is a ball of string and they are caught in a very tangled knot!

The performance is presented by Wild Mint Productions, and supported by CANZA, the Czech Australian New Zealand Association. We are also currently negotiating sponsorship with several companies around the city.

When: Sunday 20th November 16:00 to 19:00

Where: Prague Playhouse Acting Studio Františka Krížka 1 Praha 7, Holešovice

The audition is open to everyone regardless of experience. Please send an email, with your headshot attached, to wildmintproductions@gmail.com to arrange a time! We will send you an audition script.

We are also seeking other creative professionals who are interested in collaboration. This includes stage management, lighting, sound, music, directing, promotion, and design. If interested send us an email!

If you represent or know of a company interested in sponsoring the project we would love to hear from you too!

We look forward to seeing you at the auditions!

Auditions for Déjà Vu will be held on Tuesday 25th October 16:00-18:00, and Thursday 27th October 21:00-23:00 at the Prague Playhouse Acting Studio, Františka Krížka 1, Praha 7. Déjà Vu is an original play, written by Stuart Mentha, to be performed at the Prague and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals 2012. I’m looking for one actor & one actress, in their 20s/30s. Everyone is welcome to audition!

Here is the summary:

George loves Anne. Anne loves George. But Anne is having an affair with Fred. Why? It has something to do with Spain, but when they talk about it the lights turn off, and they forget everything, only to begin again on a new tangent of fate. Time for them is a ball of string and they are caught in a very tangled knot!

The performance is presented by Wild Mint Productions, and supported by CANZA. We are also currently negotiating sponsorship with several companies around the city.

Once again, the audition times are:
Tuesday 25th October 16:00 to 18:00
Thursday 27th October 21:00 to 23:00

The address:
Prague Playhouse Acting Studio

Františka Krížka 1

Praha 7, Holešovice

Please let me know if you are interested in auditioning, and we can arrange a time! From the 18th to the 22nd I will be in London at the Actor’s Temple, so please contact us via the contact form on this website.

It’s all happening! Now there’s no going back. Not that we want to go back! We’re only moving forward! We completed and sent our application to the Prague Fringe Festival today for our performance of Deja Vu and we will now wait until November to hear back about the results. We are very happy with the quality of the application and I think that Deja Vu has the potential to be something very, very special.

Wild Mint Productions hopes to have the opportunity to perform in “Edinburgh’s naughty grandchild” The Prague Fringe Festival 2012. The Prague Fringe is the perfect place to debut Deja vu as it offers a platform for new artists to grow and showcase their talents. We believe that we can gain a lot of experience and enjoyment from the Fringe by performing and also watching, supporting, and collaborating with other artists. By performing Deja vu at the Fringe we will add to the great vibe and energy of the festival – a high standard, original, and highly creative production for expat and foreign audiences alike.

Here is a quick summary of the play in 60 words that is written in the application (this is the summary that will appear in brochures etc.):

“George loves Anne. Anne loves George. But Anne is having an affair with Fred. Why? It has something to do with Spain, but when they talk about it the lights turn off, they forget everything, and so begins a new tangent of fate. Time for them is a ball of string and they are caught in a very tangled knot!”

A little early I know, but I couldn’t help myself. I’ve created an “unofficial soundtrack” to the debut production of Déjà Vu. I know what you’re thinking (or at least what I’m thinking), the play hasn’t even been performed yet! But I’ve created this playlist because it is a collection of the music that is inspiring the writing of the play, and for anyone who wants to get a feel for what Déjà Vu is going to be about, listening to this playlist will be a good place to start. I have selected a variety of my favourite Aussie music, Something For Kate, Sarah Blasko, and Nick Cave just to mention a few. Australia has produced some incredible musicians over the years, however a lot of these musicians are not known outside of the land down under. This playlist is a showcase of some the best Australian music talents.

I’m a fiend for music, always looking for new music to explore, and something that I love to do is create playlists. Like Rob in the Nick Hornby best seller “High Fidelity”, I not only love music but I love to collect it, sort it, and piece different songs together to create a message. Then again, sometimes I don’t have a message. Sometimes I just want to create a “tangent” of emotion. Tangents are something that I know pretty well, seeing as I have a habit for going off on tangents. Look I’m going off on one now about – a tangent about tangents! And as the play Déjà Vu is all about tangents of time and fate intersecting each other in the same moment of time and distorted pieces of memory that are being overlapped and underestimated in their significance because of an ongoing case of deja vu, I thought what could be better than creating a playlist that is the backing music of not only my tangents, but the tangents that are inspiring the play!

Here is my “play” – list: http://8tracks.com/crazillian/deja-vu-1