Artistic Collision: My collaboration with Grennan and Sperandio

Relentless reinvention and serendipity are at the heart of new creative ideas and practice. When you have been making work for a long time its even more important than ever to seek out new artistic collaborations, have your eyes open for the unexpected encounter. Follow your intuition about a moment that stirs something in your imagination, that gives rise to the rush of possibility, something that appears freshly, that you have not thought before.  My artistic practice as a theatre director entered a new and unexpected space when I got a random call from the artist Simon Grennan, half of the enigmatic Grennan and Spearandio -  their website says of their work:  "Two things remain constant in their practice: they always work together and their work invariably involves the authorial or editorial participation of other people – other members of the public. Their work often utilizes media that are culturally compromised: chocolate, comic books and television, appearing at social sites of consumption in the home and store and on the street."
http://www.kartoonkings.com/


I have been working on a project with these guys in Barking, East London where Arc has its studios. Grennan and Sperandio approached us - well Simon Grennan in fact, and God forbid you imagine for a moment that he is a solo artist. His partner, Spearandio intrigues me, not least as I have never met him or even spoken, skyped, emailed him. Now that seemed pretty enigmatic to begin with, a partner in the ether. So my puzzlement was met with a worker like response from Simon, as if my curiosity was business as usual for the team and actually quite a boring question! Of course this marked the start of an extraordinary journey - just the very way they work signals the possibility of surprise, chance encounters that give rise to something other. And indeed they found Arc by accident,  and as the result of being let down by another theatre company. A simple google search brought us up and the fact that we are based in East London, have access to lots of wonderful young people, made us a very good target! What seemed like a random call for a chat on a Saturday afternoon, was in fact step one in a tube-line map, which was something I came to learn about G and S. Simon is rigorous and gritty in his approach to design and planning ( sorry so is Sperandio!), he's planned the journey to give space and structure and indeed housing to the possibilities presented by the question asked.


So he got me and us. I am used to following my own artistic nose, checking in with my "does this stir me" thermometer, and then if it does, finding ways to make it happen. So it is with this project "Truce". Arts Council funded and curated by A New Direction, that I found myself in the stirring place on a cold January Sunday morning, talking to Simon, amidst cackles of laughter and points of recognition as potential collaborators. I was fired. ( well not sacked - not yet!) and we got moving.
Arc has a wealth of young creative talent emerging into a new world, of which they are natives. All of our young people ( 16-24) were invited to join the project - in the end we had just the right number, 12. This group  work with Arc on a number of different projects and were game for this one. Grennan and Sperandio focus their practice on inviting people to do ordinary and extraordinary things in new spaces and new ways which respond to the artistic vision and invitation presented to them. 


This invitation was to this motley group of young people all from Barking and Dagenham, to co-create a series of eight photographs, capturing the essence, shape and movement of a moment of "Truce", the genesis idea behind the Olympic movement. Coming up with their favourite films, the team came up with eight moments of characters agreeing to disagree in the context of best outcome for both. They chose great moments from current films the like.


Then the work for me began, slight though it was in fact, but embued with an excitement driven by the creative conversation i had throughout with G and S. Unlike most theatre I direct, my role was to work with the young actors and directors ( this was their first experience of such a process) to look forensically at body shape, muscle, especially face muscles, breath, and most of all the capturing of a moment in action. These moments of Truce lasted just a few seconds, but conveyed a universe in their smallness. An opportunity for me to drill deeper than ever into the moment of actualisation of character. What a treat. Including the moment before and after, each scene was no more than 30 seconds. I am used to making a minimum of 60 minutes. It was exquisite.


With inimitable energy and quirkiness, Simon chased back and forth from his home in Wrexham to stay at the Premier Inn in the A13 to be right by our Studios at the Malthouse. And he worked with the team to determine the locations around Barking and Dagenham where they would recreate each image from the films, matching the setting, colour and their own clothing of the original still.  This was a blast, cordoning off Ripple Road in Barking made everyone feel like they were on location in some exotic place! Not to say that Ripple Road is not exotic!.


The resulting films, masterfully made by Simon, Ted and James of O Production http://www.oproduction.co.uk/ are amazing and they will be on the web shortly. Breathtaking pieces of art, made by young actors and directors inspired by an idea which they entered as makers and participants. 

Over dinner with Simon last week, we talked for hours about what it is we make, how it touches something other in all of us. Simon said it was a holiday, it was for me too.

 Publishing Deal!  Hip-hop Dance meets Middle Age  - In the middle!

www.watersidepress.co.uk

Another blog so quickly!  I am delighted that I have just agreed a publishing deal with  Waterside Press for my first book! I have been thinking about writing about our work at Arc, the nature of my practice as an actor and director, and sharing some thoughts and ideas about making theatre in the 21st Century! Not least because I have a span of learning from a wide range of teachers for the past 30 years. Funny really how we take our own learning for granted, as if its part of our DNA, forgetting that we ever learned it in the first place!

It was brought home to me forcefully in February when I had a call from Angie Smith at The Barbican with a request to do some work with Mikey and Kenny from Boy Blue Entertainment, based at the Barbican. The recommendation was from my old friend Raj Pardesi,(BBE manager)  who I hadn't seen for some 15 years since we worked together on a French language version of Kicking Out  (by the old man!)  - and he sweetly put me forward as Dramaturg  for a new piece of work currently in development. I was delighted to meet the boys, whose Hip-Hop Show won them an Olivier Award in 2009 and a subsequent invitation to become an Associate Company at the Barbican.

Whilst I cannot go into detail of the project, suffice it to say it will be a highly exciting and artistically innovative piece. The curious thing for me is that I have never worked with dancers as such, and definitely not Hip-Hop dancers - have a look at their website wwwboyblueentcom it is a real blast

I was able to share a lot of the theatre techniques I have developed over the past 30 years, some of which were completely new to them -  much to my surprise. The language and explicit exercises that are the currency of theatre performance proved invaluable to them, fresh and exciting and new. I think it is a naming of parts in fact - like playing scales. Learning the simple techniques of timing, character creation through 72 archetypes  and much more. These are ways of working that I have come to take for granted, but what the boys showed me was that there is much to share in our practice. Of course the learning is two-way, and I found it exhilarating to work with them, they "got it" at such an intuitive and instinctive way, they know this space and territory. Also I really appreciated what having a dedicated exploration space means - quiet, concentrated, creative. All we have to do is trust the process, and warm the clay!

So whilst I experience this process every day with our own actors at Arc, this experience with the boys opened my eyes freshly to the opportunities and possibilities for the development of my own artistic practice, for which i am really grateful. At the beginning again. So on this basis - I feel the energy and drive to write my first book about my practice, and its specific application to contemporary themes of violence, murder, tribal allegiances, soul, spirit and love. This blog gives me a great practice space to write about this.

 

 

Boys, Business and Belief

Thoughts about the recent shocking statistic that over 50% of young black men under 24 are unemployed - What is business doing about this - it isn't just a matter of liberal bleeding hearts is it?
 

What are we doing about it at Arc?

We have been making new theatre for over 25 years, with a particular emphasis on creating compelling narratives about contemporary themes. Our practice is driven by a belief that the visceral experience of powerful drama channelled through archetypal but real characters has a way of connecting with core human issues and experiences. This work is focused especially on issues directly affecting young people, communities and organisations in the 21st Century. We are led by what is happening in society, by zeitgeist and the urgency to connect with the multitude of complex challenges, and conflicts facing young people as they seek to circumnavigate an every changing landscape of experience. Many of these challenges are driven by economics and experiences of education, which so often sadly and often unintentionally reinforce low expectations and aspiration.

Over the past 25 years our attention has been drawn to issues of equality and opportunity and how these play out in terms of justice, fairness and aspiration. Drama has the potential to transport audiences to other places and times. It provokes emotional responses, which in turn elicit meaningful dialogue and new perspectives, similar in some ways to getting absorbed in a good book. The difference is that drama offers a shared experience through inviting its audience to participate in a collective journey in an altered space.

Though our experience of performing drama for young people in hundreds of schools throughout the UK, and particularly in inner city London, we have been exercised by the noticeable disaffection of young men, and in particular young black men, This is evidenced in the shocking figures recently released by The Office for National Statistics which says that unemployment for young black male jobseekers has risen from 28.8% in 2008 to 55.9% in the last three months of 2011, twice the rate for young white people.

This shocking statistic demands a response from all sectors of society, not least from business, which have influence and power in many cases sadly greater than governments to effect change. To date  many have turned a blind eye to this,  colluding with racial and gender stereotypes in spite of often well-intentioned and committed policies and strategies.

All too infrequently do these translate into meaningful and sustained action that remove real barriers and open new ways of doing business. This is not and issue of liberal bleeding hearts, but rather one of collective responsibility. We know that many individuals in business do all sorts of great things, mentoring, volunteering and supporting through their CSR programmes etc; but often sadly there seems to be a disconnect between this and the real business impact.

Pact by Clifford Oliver was conceived as a piece of drama, which would play out some of these themes. The play emerged from listening to many young men and women talk about their sense of exclusion, their lack of belief in the possibility of meaningful and productive work, and the knock-on effect on their future lives. At the sharp end of this we see the ever-increasing emergence of criminal gangs which appear to offer alternative lifestyles and to which young men in particular are drawn as a means of coping with fractured families and economic deprivation. The need to belong is paramount here, and we see boys and girls as young as eight groomed by “olders” to turn a fast buck through dealing drugs and weapons etc and which enables them to enjoy the material things that everyone else seems to have. Why resist the ability to earn £1000 in a day when you believe that the world has nothing to offer you but a future condemned to poverty? This issue belongs to all of us, and the future of our collective means of building wealth and well being is contingent on us doing something about it.  We fail to do so at our peril.

And so Pact is a story about an intelligent young man of 19 who has achieved 3 good A levels from an inner-city “sink school” and through a supportive family and a couple of encouraging teachers has gone to university.  He embraces this window of opportunity, notices that in Sheffield he is no longer regularly stopped and searched by the Police, and he can learn in a conducive and safe setting.

However, in spite of this, he still has to face the reality of coming home to his gang ridden estate during the holidays. And here he still belongs to a peer group of other young people, many of who have little hope and who spend their unemployed days dealing and engaging in inter-gang aggression, which often leads to revenge and murder. Startlingly, many young men tell us that they expect to be dead or in prison by the time they reach 25.

Pact makes a modest attempt to bring these issues into consciousness, to confront explicitly these complex realities and to offer space to open dialogue and encourage action,

Reflections on the Stephen Lawrence Murder Trial and Business as usual at Arc.

The past three months has been a whirlwind for everyone at Arc. As I have already blogged about I spent four weeks attending the Stephen Lawrence Murder trial, alongside Neville Lawrence who is our Patron, and to whom one of our studios at the Malthouse is dedicated. It was extraordinary to witness the human drama as it unfolded, and the resulting guilty verdict which marks a significant landmark in British history.

I  was very touched when, just a week before the verdict, sitting in the cafe at the Old Bailey, Neville asked me whether we would be happy to host a private event, Some Justice for him at the Malthouse. He wanted to say thank you to his family, friends, campaigners and supporters for being alongside him for the past 18 years. It truly was a special party. On Friday 17^th Feb we had almost 200 guests packed into  our small studios, including the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Bernard Hogan-Howe, Jon Snow (ITN) and Reeta Chakrabarti (BBC). The events’ sponsors included the Daily Mail and ITN. As part of an evening of dancing, great food, and live entertainment we also performed our play Pact by Clifford Oliver, the second in our Blade Trilogy, whose themes resonate particularly for Neville.

Meanwhile it was business as usual at Arc too.  Last week we were invited by the Barbican Centre to contribute in a small way  to the development of a new hip-hop dance piece by Blue Boy Entertainment to be created for their 2013 international premiere. On a personal level this was a fabulous opportunity to work within a different art form from my own, and to be inspired by the artistic directors’ exquisite imaginations and choreography. I am really looking forward to the next stages of the project’s development, and hope that we may continue our artistic conversations.

Our newest play Girl E by Clifford Oliver has been touring to schools in the Borough with support from the Community Safety Partnership. This piay takes an emotional and hard-hitting look at the experience of young women who are or might become involved in gangs.

It sits alongside its sister project Girls Have their Say a ten-week programme for women, funded by the Home Office. We have 41 young women who come together once a week to have tea and to work on the creation of a documentary film about girls experience of gangs and domestic violence, which will be launched on March 1st at the Malthouse studios. Neville Lawrence OBE will be in attendance to speak and award certificates. If you would like to join us please get in touch info@arctheatre.com or 0208 594 1095

Barking and Dagenham Post Article - Page 5 Neville Lawrence Event


 Article about the Neville Lawrence Event at The Ripple Centre Barking on Feb 23 at 6.30pm

..... Here too a picture of the beautiful  Peyvand Sadeghian,  currently performing in the third play in Clifford Oliver's Blade Trilogy.

A bit about me and about Neville Lawrence, a tiny bit about the murder trial.

Not sure I have ever written about my history for public consumption. and it may be of little interest to anyone - but it was just a bit satisfying to write it. I keep promising to write my account and experience of the recent Stephen Lawrence murder trial that I attended with Neville Lawrence for 16 days, including being there for both the verdict and sentence - promise it will follow soon.


So here is a little bit about my history and what gets me up in the morning. I started off as an actor in 1980, cutting my teeth at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, during the reign of the enigmatic Philip Hedley! But I have always been a fan of Joan Littlewood, and by osmosis have picked up many of her directorial processes.



My other big hero is Peter Brook. I spent my early years touring Eastern Europe, and got to work with Grotowski for a little while at his laboratory in Wroclaw. He of course had a robust dialogue with Peter Brook.



These groundings really formed me both as an actor and latterly as a director. My work became more politically driven in the early nineties, and unconsciously I combined my passion for creating performance, and also developing young actors ( I adore training actors) and learning my craft with them. I also began to see that theatre ( and narrative of course) could potentially be a radical and powerful medium in a learning context.



My political instincts are driven by a sense of outrage at the inequalities faced by young people, in particular those disadvantaged by the accident of birth. This led to making much new work, with my playwright husband Clifford Oliver, that combines an actor-centered way of working, and narratives that speak to young audiences, both literally and metaphorically.



For a long time I have been very interested in the ability to take work to unusual places



(Dont get me wrong - I love a theatre space enormously too) but I guess, there is a curious challenge in being able to take the experience to people in cafes, school halls and even recently onto Waterloo station. I think this is influenced a great deal by Peter Brook's early work in Africa, during which I am sure many of you know, he simply took a carpet to tribal areas and plonked it down and then performed a piece.



I love what I call the Golden Half hour that follows the shared experience of a powerful, emotional, often funny performance of a good play. My work takes advantage of this short time,when audience's defences drop momentarily and they too can be authentic with each other in a conversation that opens the door to genuine empathy and reflection, regardless of age, ethnicity or background.



Currently I have been through an extraordinary human drama. I had the privilege of sitting alongside my very close friend Neville Lawrence at the recent trial for Stephen's murder. I sat in the Old Bailey for 16 days, and it was one of the most compelling experiences of my life. I have worked at Arc with Neville for over 12 years now, indeed he is our Patron. He accompanies my company (when not at home in Jamaica) to all sorts of wild and wonderful places where we plonk down our pieces.



Thanks to his iconic status in changing the complexion of British society with regard to race, and his current influence I am working with him on developing a brand new programme for young people and communities. Its a secret at the moment, but we will launch it at a private performance of our new play Pact - see Youtube mini-doc link if you are interested



Today I felt like sharing a bit about my work and hope it is of interest, and that indeed it can open an ongoing dialogue with people who want to share the making theatre and the social justice bit!



There are lots of performances of our Blade Trilogy by Clifford Oliver on tour to strange venues at the moment, and if you fancy catching one drop me an email at carole@arctheatre.com.



Thanks for reading.
Look forward to hearing from you.