EVENTS

History of Kenja Shows

Kenja has produced original Australian theatrical works for nearly 40 years, from klowning shows and musicals to concerts and eisteddfods.

Jan Hamilton Early Biography

1948	Born
	Studied speech and drama from age 5, competing successfully in many competitions and eisteddfods
1964 - 1966	University High School, Melbourne (School Captain 1966)
1964	Winner of the Young Sun's Drama Award for best schoolgirl actress of the year (Sun newspaper, Melbourne)
1965	Runner up Best Actress award, 1965 school theatre season (Sun newspaper, Melbourne)
1966	Runner up Best Actress award, 1966 school theatre season (Sun newspaper, Melbourne)
1967 - 1970	BSc (Physics Major) Dip Ed, Melbourne University
1969	Recipient of the Murray Sutherland undergraduate prize for outstanding performance in a theatrical production, 1968-1969
1970	Top female performer for the Murray Sutherland Award for outstanding undergraduate performance. No prize awarded that year as both winners were postgraduate students.
1971	Taught Physics for one year at Macrobertson Girls High School, Melbourne
1972 - 1973	Worked full-time in professional theatre in Melbourne. St Martins Theatre, Melbourne Theatre Company (contracted for 1 year and 3 months professional) and played Vanessa in "The Mating Season" with Syd James.
1974 - 1977	Awarded an Australian Council Grant to study at East 15 Acting School London, England. 3 year full-time professional course. Studied extra voice with Jess Curtis, singing with Geoffrey Connor and movement with Leah Bartell.
1977	Worked in professional theatre in England. Toured with own clowning show. Played Viola in "Twelfth Night" for the MacNaughton Theatre Co. Contracted for 1 year to Spectrum Theatre Company, but unable to take up contract because of work permit restrictions.
1977 (Dec)	Returned to Australia
1978 - 1979	Worked in professional theatre in Australia. Played Mary Todd in "Madly in Love" for the Q Theatre. Played Sorel in "Hayfever" for Old Tote Theatre at the Opera House. Began Klowning classes and workshops, and started working with Ken Dyers.
1980	Met and started working with Ken Dyers. More klowning shows with her students. TV and Radio work including Geraldine in "Water Under the Bridge" a Channel Ten production.
1981	Stopped work in professional theatre. Gave attention to expanding and creating own work through working with Ken Dyers. Klowning shows continued.
1982	Creation of Kenja. Kenja began with Ken and Jan.

Shows & Productions

A clowning show cocreated and performed by Jan Hamilton and Heather Robb. Buttercup (Heather Robb) tries to run her own show but Gladys (Jan Hamilton) insists on doing it with her.

A humorous send up of middle class approaches to the performance of Brecht, mime and other artistries. Written and directed by Julie Hudspeth & Jan Hamilton assisted by Ken Dyers.

A Klowning show taking a look at the personal conflict involved when women sell out their own viewpoint in order to become attractive to men. Written and directed by Heather Robb & Jan Hamilton assisted by Ken Dyers.

A Klowning show taking a humorous look at the classic theme of the "adult" trying to "suppress" the child-like part of people. The theme is the attempt by a "Director" to impose her will on a group of clowns, which never works.

Written and Directed by Jan Hamilton working with Ken Dyers. Involving mask and clowning work. A nine week season in Balmain. Including "The Play", "Just one of Those", "XXIII".

St John's Hall, Paddington. Based on improvisation Klowning classes. As the Time, Space and Energy work combined with the Klowning classes and mask work grew, these smaller shows were designed to introduce people to the skill of sharing their communication with an audience.

A Klowning show. Written and Directed by Jan Hamilton working with Ken Dyers. Based on improvisation Klowning classes.

St John's Hall, Paddington. Directed by Jan Hamilton working with Ken Dyers. Based on improvisation Klowning classes.

Original Australian Musical. A Klowning and mask show exploring the pursuit of the joy of one's potential and the forces that can oppose this. This very successful show did a season at Woolloomooloo and toured Queensland.

Songs

Plant a 'nana / Oh we're off the climb a mountain / Oh what a joy to scrub rub-a-dubba-dub / Breakfast is the best meal of the day / A one is a one, but a two is a happier way / Love song / I didn't / Leave it to us

A follow up of the original show involving mask and Klowning work. This show later toured Queensland.

Songs

Old Man Sun has a song for me

A mask and Klowning show. This much loved Kenja show was very successful, appearing to strike a chord with audiences across three states. A group of Klowns who are great friends have been separated and lost for over 100 years and are all trying to get "home".

Songs

I found you / Home, Home / They call us a low key town / Deep in the centre of the storm / Something is up / What would this job be without you, Ms Brown / Greystakes kids are grey / I'm worried and flurried / Red up here / I'm running like a hare from Narelle or keep your hands off tiny Sue / He gave me a rainbow / The woods are full of Klowns! - help help / There's nothing quite so bold as a Klown who's drowning in a heavy swell / Come along, come along, stir your blood sing a song / Our house is very house nice, I think you'll like it / When did I forget about the rain / Wind stinging my face

This show did a season in Noosa, which had a Kenja centre there. It was a very successful celebration of the beauty and aesthetic of Noosa, the bush, its wildlife and its surrounds.

A very successful show. A group of ballerinas find their time to use the local hall has been double booked by a group of footballers. The show explores the resolution of the all out war that follows.

A competition in dance, klowning, performance and the effective use of Time, Space and Energy held between the four Kenja Centres. Held at the Bondi Pavillion. Judged by Ken & Jan.

This began to mark a transition from Klowning and mask shows to shows without Klowning and mask. It was the beginning of Jan's attempt to bring high life-force energy performance values. Bush animals come face to face with benign and not so benign intergalactic travellers.

Seasons in Canberra. Various sporting teams meet competitively in their desire to achieve. They move through the desire to annihilate their competitors into an understanding of the need to bring out the best in oneself and others. This cast was enormous, bringing together people from four Kenja centres across four states.

Songs

To those that would listen

Seasons in Canberra & Sydney. Reverse of the "Pied Piper" story. The townspeople awake to find that their children who had one day left the town have returned. The higher values they have learnt influence and strengthen the bonds between parent and child.

Songs

Ridiculous / This Place / The Welcome Song / To those that would listen

First season of Kenja Christmas Pantomimes. Performed at Kenja centres in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney. This became an annual event.

Seasons in Melbourne, Canberra & Sydney. This big musical show, comprising people from four states and four Kenja centres, was originally performed at the Melbourne Eisteddfod 1988. The call goes out of the big dance competition and ordinary people from all walks of life are all inspired by the magic of the dance.

Songs

People / In the middle of the night all is still / Policeman's song / Criminal's song / Rumba song / Garbo's song / Jogger's song / Song of the Noble Milkman song / Aerobic's song / Ducky Cha cha song / Wet Eye's song / School song / Not the School

Kenja's 1st Eisteddfod held in Melbourne. This competition in music, dance and physical culture became an annual event.

Performed in Sydney. Created from improvisation through Klowning classes. A group of Klowns are studying Shakespeare and decide to perform his greatest hits. Shakespeare himself comes to MC it. The scenes get confused and Shakespeare is rewritten.

Season in Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney. A tribute to all the teachers and mentors we have all had throughout our life. Set in a school where the teachers were children and the students were the adults.

Songs

Sunshine warm on the back of my jumper / School Song / First Aspiration song / Second Aspiration song / Men's Aspiration song / Dinosaur's song / The Big song / Hockey Tango / Female Opera - Lower than Low / Male Failure song / Fear went out my Window

Season in Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney. A new look at the old Dad and Dave story set right out in the outback where strange things are happening. Dad is embarrassed by the lack of achievement of his older boy Dave and a strange sickness spreads over the town.

Songs

Song of daring / Kid's song to their own land / Dad's song (The bitter broken soil) / Mum's song (Short & to the point) / Dave's song / Dad's song (You take 'em, I don't want 'em) / Big kid's song (Watch out) / Mum's song (To the under 5's) / Mabel's Aria / Mum's song (Where did it go) / Song of the Marauding Incontinent Intransients / Ode to sheep / Aria to sheep / Song of Blind Blight / Adolescence song / What happened song / Mabel's birth song / Mum's song of Dave's birth / Dad's song (Who killed my boy) / Kid's song / Accusation song (Dad) / Innocuous song (I have done nothing) / Song for outback triers / Alone song / Solution song / Despair song / Mabel's pining song / Dave's love song / Mabel's younger sister's song / We got it you ain't song / Mum & Dad's love sequence / The Battle song / Black Monster song

Featuring winners from Melbourne Eisteddfod. This became an annual event every year after the Eisteddfod.

First performance of selections of Excerpts from Handel's Messiah with soloists. This became an annual event.

The 1983 hit show "Klowns" rewritten by Jan Hamilton. This was such a popular show that it was decided to return and revisit it with people from many states who now wanted to be a part of it.

Seasons in Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney. Motivated by the eternal theme of what happens when we lose our joy of living. The local grade 3 teacher from the country town of Kittlepick decides to get the students to investigate and produce a performance of the history of Kittlepick.

Songs

Kittlepick Pastoral Symphony for Cows / Our Children doubted Kittlepick / Year 3 song / Requiem for a Dead Cow / Kittlepickians arise / Songs from the history of Kittlepick / Nothing / I never knew / Song of the misunderstood nothing / Songs of the Bright ideas / Little speak song / Bright ideas / Bright times / How can I resist you / This little baby of mine / Too fast for comfort / The first speck of Kittlepickian matter / Thank you for finding the dust / Small beginnings / Creating the land of Kittlepick / Song (Can't stop) / They must have been stout / Drama of the Fire brigade - An Opera in One short Act / Underwater world the sea / Song of the rain / The Mono-cell / I'm on the trail / Early age song / Mono-cell splits / We looked and saw another / Once I floated on water / Why should I only see the worst

Seasons in Melbourne and Sydney. The Sydney seasons sold out. Our story is set against the backdrop of a great boat race on the harbor. Our hero, Captain Horatio, has a boat entered in that race.

Songs

Song of the harbour (My boat's over there) / Hurry hurry song / Song of the start of the race (The rollicking sea shanty) / Song of the Bears House (Like a ship we are off to sea) / Cinders' song / Storm song (When the sun's so black it sends shivers down your back) / Stand up for a friend / Ridiculous / It's not me song / I thought the stars twinkled at night / Siren's song

A very successful show with seasons in Canberra, Melbourne & Sydney. By now we had built up an extensive history of original music, shows and performances. We paused and realised we could reinvestigate the joy and excitement of these past performances.

Seasons in Canberra, Melbourne & Sydney. A group of people attempting to put on their own "Show". Dark forces emerge and attempt to close the show down. Of course the show is not closed down and the human voice of joy and hope prevails.

Songs

Life / Fading crystal's song / The Dangerous Rips and the Goldfish (Clean surf) / Is life a joke / The wave / A life that's grand / No fellow like an old fellow / New boy song / Keep up, keep up, keep up / Ten again song / Where did the king go (a Royal Command performance) / The intergalactic knights song / The house of the rising damp / That unquestionable air / I'm so nice / Mulch - a man's best friend / Hate now, pay later / We are here tonight / Finale (And they stood)

Highly successful seasons in Canberra, Melbourne & Sydney. A joyous celebration of the joy of aspiration and the racketeers who would create mayhem to suppress us. An examination of the changing attitudes in the war between men and women.

Songs

Touch of the sun / A child is a gift / Every morning / I love quantum / I woke up today / We did it / Women, women (Why don't women like me any more) / Keep it light (Heavy thoughts are poo poo) / You can't take your teddies to bed / Calling all men / Ya ya ya / Let it out / Moon, we're sick of fighting / Men, men / The kanga song

Seasons in Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney. An exploration of the true equality of all men and women everywhere, in spite of the apparent hierarchies that confront us.

Songs

All the wonders of the world / Archie's balls / Chopping off the heads of friends / The grovelers song / Hooney's song (I am the prince) / The Minister for Affairs' song (I am the Minister for Affairs) / Song to Gert

Seasons in Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney. The popularity of Klowns amongst audiences led to a third season of the 1983 hit.

Featuring winners from Melbourne Eisteddfod.

This show was put together to celebrate the 20th Kenja Challenge. As a tribute to 17 years of Kenja shows, it featured a collection of songs from all the shows. Performed in Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney.