Home Projects Biography News Contact Mary Oliver has been writing and performing for twenty-five years. As an ensemble performer and vocalist she's worked with House, Lee and Dawes, Le Grand Jeu, IOU Theatre, Claire Russ ensemble, Orfeo 5, and most recently she was coaxed out of retirement as an improvising vocalist, to perform at the 2006 Lancaster Jazz Festival in a vocal quartet with Steve Lewis, Cleveland Watkiss and Beth Allan. She began developing her 'solo' work in 1999, since when she has performed with a digital cast of many. Performance Sep 2006: "Blue" a collaboration with Artist Kathy Sandys. A total immersion live performance work which uses multiple images, and layering techniques to engulf the audience and to allow a seamless interaction between audience and performer. Sep 2006: Previewed "Fly me to the Moon", interactive live performance and CGI animation work, at DRHA, Dartington. Animator Mick Lockwood, sound-scape Christian Weaver. Written and performed by Mary Oliver. July 2006: Performed "Wednesday Wednesday" at the ADSA conference Being There: Before, During and After, University of Sydney. May 2006: Wrote and Directed "Almost" an interactive 3D Comedy, starring the present Anthony Bessick as the giant and the virtual Lisa Moore as nine inch high Doreen. The Work commissioned by Andrea Zapp for Story Rooms multi-media exhibition, DVD Launch. Music by Matthew Wood, Model Maker Steve Gumbley, Editor and Post-Production Michael Clements, Camera Mickey Reynolds, Sound Sarah Atkinson. Produced by Vip Productions. Sep 2005: Performed "Wednesday, Wednesday" at the Transversalities Conference, University of Reading. May 2005: Wrote and Performed "Wednesday, Wednesday". An interactive comedy show starring Mary Oliver and Mary Oliver and directed by Rob Thirtle (Jerry Springer the Show and Thunderbirds). Editor Sarah Atkinson. PSI 2005, Brown University Rhode Island, USA. Funded by Arts Council Yorkshire. Produced by Vip Productions. Mar 2001-Apr 2002: Writer and solo performer in National Tour of "Mother Tongue". ICA, London, Royal Exchange Studio, Manchester, Alsager Arts, Hull University and the Sensitive Skin Festival Nottingham. A live performance work with interactive video script simultaneously playing five characters. Funded by Arts Council National Touring Scheme, MMU, Sponsored by Sumners Associates and Manchester University Visualisation Centre. Produced by Vip Productions. Feb-Sep 2001: Writer and Performer. "One two one two is that all right?: A brief history of women's mouths and microphones". Blah Blah Club. NY, USA, Sensitive Skin Festival, Nottingham, PSI 2000 Phoenix, Arizona, the Pratt Institute Brooklyn, New York. A-lectro E-coustic club, Manchester. A multi-media performance using live and recorded imagery. Jan 1999: "Developing the Dream part III". Romiley Forum Devised and Directed a Dance Performance and Video installation, exploring the dance potential of the usually un-revealed parts of the dancer's body, inside of the mouth, under the foot, the navel etc. Feb 1999: Wrote and performed voice work for video. "A Lesson in English", Viewpoint Gallery, Portland, Ohio, U.S.A. Jun 1998: "Developing the Dream Part II", Romiley Forum. Devised and Directed Video Work for nine dancers talking about seminal dance moments in their lives. Jan 1998: "Developing the Dream Part I", Romiley Forum Wrote and Directed a live dancework for four dancers which was heard but not seen. Sep & Nov 1997: Wrote and performed the role of Zoe the courier, who entertained the audience solo on two twenty minute bus journeys. "Loud and Clear" with Barclay New Stage Award winners Lee and Dawes. Site Specific Performances Henley and Oxford. Aug 1996: Vocalist, writer and performer with Le Grand Jeu "Les Paysanes" Strasbourg, France, directed by Louis Zeigler. A site specific work which took place in three sites. The acoustic voice was used as both accompaniment to the dance and as solo instrument. June 1994: "Skin, Feather , Scale" by eye-eye-eye, voice and dance company the Riley Theatre, Leeds. Devisor and Director. 1989-92: "Besom Brush" 89, "Garden Party in the Hot House" 91 "Death defying the Eye" 92 with the Claire Russ Dance Ensemble, Voice Artist and song writer appearing at venues including the Almeida, The Place, Assembly Rooms Edinburgh, MAC amongst others. 1984-86: Performer and vocalist with IOU Theatre "The Sea Saw Red" 84 "The Journey of the Tree Man" 86 and "Salt and Slack Water" 86. Jul-Aug 84: "Not waving but Drowning" Industrial and Domestic Theatre Contractors . Writer and performer. Site Specific performances in a Victorian Swimming pool in Nottingham and Post-Office Warehouse in Brighton. 1983-88: Co-founder, script writer and performer in House Performance Company a Visual Theatre and Music Company who worked through England, France, Germany and the former Yugoslavia on mainly site specific performances. Company members also included Christian Weaver, Ray Lee and Harry Dawes. Jun 1980: "Living thing" Installation at the Innsbruck International Performance Festival, with Founders of the De Appel Foundation Tom Pucky and Dirk Larsen. Media Sep 2006: Began production of the "Big Hole" a short film project using non-actors at Higher Folds ex-mining community, Lancashire, UK. Sep 2005: Released Short Film "La Glace". Filmed in the South of France with a cast of non-actors, edited by Sarah Atkinson, music by Matthew Wood. Produced by Vip Productions. Aug 2005: Completed Short Story for radio "Black Bile". A black comedy based on a severe case of melancholia. Mar 2005: Completed Feature Film "Winging it", a Romantic Comedy. Music Sep 2006: Cante Jonde - An Improvatorio, Lancaster Jazz Festival, vocal quartet with Steve Lewis, Cleveland Watkiss, Beth Allan and the Brothers Grew. Nov 04: Vocalist with Orfeo 5. Commissioned work "Mile End" at Huddersfield Art Gallery. Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. Sep-Dec 03: Vocalist with Orfeo 5."Green Fuse" National Tour of new commissioned Jazz work. Sep 1998: "com.passion" Devised and performed a visual score for Video Performance Installation with Outskirts and Ray Lee at Manchester Cathedral, part of Digital Summer and ISEA 98. April 1995: "Timeless Postcard" Voice Artist on Keith Jaffrate's Multi-media Performance. Commissioned by Reading Literature Festival. 1984-2000: Performed as an improvising vocalist with most of the best of the UK improvising scene, Including Mick Beck, Paul Hession, Alan Wilkinson, Dan and Christian Weaver, and in duet with viola player Mary Schwarz from 1988-91. Academic Sep 2006: University of Salford, Associate Head of Research, School of Media, Music and Performance. Full-time. Jan 2005: University of Salford, Senior Lecturer, School of Media, Music and Performance. Full-time. Sep 92-Dec 04: Manchester Metropolitan University, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Art and Design. Course Leader M.A. Fine Art 1996–2004. Course Leader Master of Enterprise 2004 Full-time. Sep 87-Jul 92: Bretton Hall College, Interarts Course, Part-time Lecturer. Sep 83-Jul 92: Freelance Artist in Education. Conferences Peer selected presentations Sep 2006: Previewed "Fly me to the Moon", interactive live performance and CGI animation work, at DRHA, Dartington. Animator Mick Lockwood, sound-scape Christian Weaver. Written and performed by Mary Oliver. Aug 2006: Panel Leader ATHE Conference, Past Legacies, Present Possibilities, Future Strategies, Chicago. "Cartesian Futures", with Kathrine Sandys and Chaired by Philip Auslander. July 2006: Performed "Wednesday Wednesday" at the ADSA conference Being There: Before, During and After, University of Sydney. May & Aug 2006: Performed "Never work with Animals, Children and Digital Character" at Second International Conference for Digital Technologies and Performance Arts, Doncaster. A comedy double act paper on the subject of writing for the digi-self. May 2005: Premiered "Wednesday, Wednesday" at PSI 2005, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island. Sep 2005: Performed "Wednesday, Wednesday" at the Transversalities Conference, University of Reading. Sept 2004: Performed Paper "The Interface of the Live and the Digital" at the Theatre and Science Conference, University of Glamorgan. April 2004: Performed Paper "Digital Mothers" at the Political Futures Conference, University of Reading. May 2000: Performed Paper One two, One two, is that alright? at PSI 2000, University of Arizona, Phoenix. All contents ©opyright 2006